For the last couple of weeks I’ve been working with Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence on the R&D for their new show, Wolfgang and the Princess. That was a Very Good Thing.

This week I’m working with Aliki Chappel again on M.A.I.R.O.U.L.A and am delighted to say we now have a couple of showing dates :
– the first is on Thurs 23 May at Northern Stage in Newcastle, a well-formed half (ish) of the show as a taster
– the second, the whole thing, Friday July 5th at the Storey CIC in Lancaster

Monday 20th May I’m doing Off The Shelf at Black’s with Jan Woolf. It’s a Writer’s Guild gig, a lovely day (and lunch!), and there are a couple of places left if you’re quick …

Sunday 26 May I’m doing Sunday Papers Live

Sarah Jane (Rawlings) and I are having lots of meetings with venues and companies about Fun Palaces, we have almost 70 venues/companies/independents wanting to play and hope to be able to confirm the date and venue of (this) September’s Open Space to begin bringing it all together, in plenty of time for October 2014.

Murder, Marple and Me still has some tour dates to go before Jan comes home with it to London. There’s South Shields Customs House this week (if you go to either of the shows on Wednesday, do sing Jan happy birthday, it’s a Very Important Birthday); The Maltings, Berwick on Saturday 18th; Harrogate Theatre on 18th May; The Ambassadors on 11, 12, 18, 19 June, and finally – for this tour – South Hill Park Arts Centre 20 and 21 June.

The paperback of The Purple Shroud comes out on June 6th. Woo hoo.

Thurs 13 June I’m at the Northwich Literary Festival

21-23 June I’ll be in Florida for the Historical Novel Society Conference, for Writing About Women in History: Animating Their Times and Voices with writers Maryka Biaggio, Patricia Bracewell, Dolen Perkins-Valdez and brilliant agent Stephanie Cabot.

Then there’s a couple of days creative writing teaching for teachers in Spain with Trish Lee of the splendid Make Believe Arts, by then it will be time to prepare for a week at Live Theatre (making a show in a week as part of their continuing 40th birthday celebrations), and then another step in our Chaosbaby development, rehearsals, pubic workshops and pilot shows. More as we have it …

And I have (finally) finished the first draft of my new book – it took just under a year, which was a huge relief, given how much else I’ve been doing at the same time. And it’s why I am now going to bed so I can get up early and do an hour’s editing before rehearsals. Maybe see you at one of the above.