I have been having a truly marvellous few days. Hild is now safely in the hands of editors on either side of the Atlantic (and there's a lovely discussion going on about some secondary characters over on Gemæcca, my research blog). I've had a wonderful response to Hild from one historian who said, among many other heart-warming things, "It's a fantastic story. Your writing style is utterly brilliant. The historical setting is so carefully crafted that I felt like an archaeologist sifting through seventh-century artifacts at the excavation of a Deiran homestead... I think I'm supposed to be looking out for anachronisms and such. Not much chance of that. The world you've created for Hild works perfectly well without my meddling." Ha! This is pretty much a dream come true. One of the (many) things I want from Hild is for experts in early seventh-century Britain to nod and think, Yes, this is how it was. So I'm utterly delighted.
And throughout all this blazing happiness, Seattle blazed with sunshine. I took the picture above on Thursday morning immediately after a very pleasant phone conversation. The sun has gone now, for a little while, and the leaves are turning from gilded bronze to sherbert.
But who needs sunshine when Kelley has baked another luscious carrot-walnut cake?
Life is good. That's all.
