Amity & Sorrow - Peggy Riley - Author Guest Post and Giveaway

As part of the Blog Tour for Amity and Sorrow, I am delighted to share with you today a piece written by author Peggy Riley, about her writing shed.

Where I Write by Peggy Riley

I write in a little log cabin at the bottom of the garden, the Blue House.  Before we painted it blue, my neighbours called it The Ponderosa, as it conjured up the Bonanza family home.  We painted it blue as soon as we heard that, I can assure you!  I’ve never had a dedicated space to write in before, so it is still a beautiful novelty.  I’ve written at dining room and kitchen tables, under stairs, and, for years, on a tiny wheeled desk so I could roll myself out of the way.   

I know how lucky I am to have “a room of my own” now, one that I can fill with mess, with books and research and maps on the wall, where I can cut the book apart and lay it all over the floor if I want to and not have to clean up before I’m ready.  Inside the Blue House, I have a kettle, a fridge, and a Calor gas heater.  All three get plenty of use.  I have shelves for books and trinkets that remind me who I am and where I’ve been.  There is just enough space to roll out a yoga mat, and when I’m not working too hard and shirking too much, I do a kind of crazy yoga where my arms and legs never quite go out far enough, for fear of hitting walls. 

It takes a while to warm up in the winter, but once it does it’s toasty.  I write in the dark with candles lit and the blinds pulled down.  In the summer the Blue House comes into its own, surrounded by sweet peas and apple trees, a sea breeze and the sound of a nearby schoolyard.  Gulls call and tap dance on the roof.  The last of the sun catches the front of it, and I have a little table out there, to celebrate the end of a writing day with a little glass of something, feet on muddy grass, surrounded by white buddleia and hydrangeas. There is no place I would rather be.  

Many thanks to Peggy Riley for telling us about her writing space. 

Amity & Sorrow is published in the UK by Tinder Press, an imprint of Headline.

You can read my review of Amity & Sorrow here.

Giveaway

The publisher is offering one signed hardback copy of Amity and Sorrow plus a badge. To enter please leave a comment on this post. The giveaway is open internationally and ends on Tuesday 23rd April 2013. Good luck!

Do visit the other blog tour stops listed here: