After a couple of years of commissioned writing, moving house, setting up a second home in France and winding down a full academic career at a Russell Group university, it’s time to get back in touch with ‘the book’. Why now? It’s the busiest writing time of my life, editing a commissioned book (with Maggie Robson), the 2nd edition of the Sage Handbook for Counselling Children And Young People, authoring commissioned distance learning university courses, writing articles for a professional journal, reviewing articles, and preparing proposals for new counselling and psychotherapy books. Having recently retired from Newcastle University and working part-time for Arden University Ltd, as well as running my private practice counselling, clinical supervision and training, I’ve perceived lots of free time. Surely ‘semi-retired’ means that?

No.

It means working with a new vigour on projects I choose to take on. More flexibility and choice. Different locations, but working from home. Always. ‘Home’ may be the North of England, or the South of France (or Florida, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, more about this later) but my choice of location and my choice of times.

Magic!

So why #my500words again now when I’m writing so much? I write more than that everyday. I want to get back into my novel, Under Her Skin, and this is what the challenge refers to. It’s slipped, big time, and I miss it.

Watch this space!