Aimee Horton

Happy GIN Day!

Jun
11

What a gin day it has been, I may have had a glass of gin after my brunch this morning (Williams Chase GB Extra Dry in case you were wondering) and then after a fab night at Elton John last night, we went to collect the boys from my mum and then it was straight off to a party with Iron Man.

As an aside, why do we stand behind our children while they’re eating at birthday parties? I have never understood this, I just go along with the flow and stand behind my child as he ignores me, or tells me that he’s had enough and can he go and play.

Then I came home and dumped the boys are Matt so I could do one thing, and one thing only. FINISH DOTTIE.

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Technically I finished it yesterday, bar about 500 words, which at the time I wrote “BLAH BLAH BLAH fill in some crap here” but that’s not really good enough is it?

So I changed “some crap” for “something” and added “The End” and sent Mr Aimee into Sainsbogs for gin. Unfortunately he didn’t have any ID so they wouldn’t serve him, so I had to go in myself.

I had no such problem.

If truth be told this draft is a bit of a mess. Well, a lot of a mess. I spent a lot of time trying to be a grown up proper author and write a plot and an outline, and break it down by chapter etc. However, I should know by now that I just need to wing it with the first draft. Luckily by the time I got to the 30k mark (!) I realised that and the second half of the story came a lot more smoothly, and now I’m done, now I’ve written the majority of THE END I can start from the beginning and go back and make things right.

I’m actually rather excited.

So with that in mind, I’m raising a glass of my new gin Whitley Neill and enjoying the rest of the weekend before I crack on with the hard work.

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Because not only do I need to get cracking with making Dottie work for you guys, but I also need to get cracking with this lot.

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Yes, that’s right, that’s two baskets worth of laundry that needs ironing/putting away (this is why we all look like tramps right now). But it’s ok, that’s just what happens when you focus all your attention on writing a book.

ISN’T IT? TELL ME I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE!

Anyway. HAPPY GIN DAY! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I’ll see you on the other side of my second draft!

x

PS. If you’ve read and enjoyed any or all of my books and haven’t had chance to leave a review yet, I would really appreciate it if you clicked here for Amazon.com and here for Amazon.co.uk and just left a few words. Reviews could be the difference between somebody buying or not buying a book so I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER if you helped people decide to buy. x

 

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Happy Birthday Survival of the Ginnest!

May
05

I know this is a bit Déjà vu – celebrating Dottie turning one, but you know me, if there’s a chance to celebrate with pizza and fizz then I’m going to take it! (YOU READING THIS MR AIMEE? PIZZA AND FIZZ.)

Seriously though, this time last year I basically spent my day waiting for my life to change. And it did – although not in the way you (I) are hoping.

I’m not rich beyond my wildest dreams, I’m not flying off the shelves of book stores, and I’ve not been number 1 in the amazon charts (although I did reach number 6 in humour AND WAS ON THE SAME PAGE AS JONATHAN HARVEY – he’s my hero).

But what happened is I got a chance to take a long hard look at myself. I’ve spent the year laughing like the boys do at a bloody stampy video, and crying like Tragic Larry does every time he thinks he might lose at anything.

I’ve watched Mothers Ruined and Survival of the Christmas Spirit be published, I’ve held them in paperback…IN THE ACTUAL REAL LIFE LIBRARY, and I’ve been lucky enough to have real life book bloggers tell me they love my book. I also got to meet some of these bloggers – which I’m thrilled about.

I’ve dicked around with the next novel from The Survival Series. I’ve felt the pressure of ‘second album syndrome’ because this will only be my second traditional novel – Ginenest is of course, slightly unconventional. However, I’m near to completing a very messy (but very workable) first draft!

A hint…Dottie has grown up a lot over the last year, she’s got an exciting new job and so with Henry by her side she’s juggling the work/life balance, along with dealing with some somewhat difficult personalities that aren’t her kids… in fact they’re grown ups!

I’ll keep you posted.

But for now, pass the gin – and Happy Birthday Dottie!

(If you haven’t yet read any of The Survival Series – just click here and get ordering)

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Five Reasons to Love Dottie Harris.

Oct
12

This week my publishers have released the NEW AND IMPROVED Mothers Ruined and I’m rather excited –just FYI you can get it HERE or HERE.

To celebrate, I thought I’d tell you why I feel very lucky to be writing about Dottie, and five reasons that could make you love her.

  1. She’s a ‘real’ mum.

When it comes to parenting Dottie’s just like you and me. She’s the mum that at times loves her children best when they’re asleep. She’s also the mum who loses her rag and then regrets it, finds dropping her kids off at school a reason to celebrate, and the mum who gets home only to realise that she’s left the lunch boxes in the hall next to the shoe pile.

  1. She Means Well

Dottie may have a knack for stumbling into the most chaotic of situations (green kids anyone?) but she does mean well. After Henry and the kids, her friends come first, and no matter how wrapped up in her own problems Dottie’s always there for her friends – usually with a bottle of wine and a few shots of gin in tow.

  1. She likes a drink… and her food.

Three kids, a husband that travels and on-going sleepless nights mean that Dottie copes the only way she knows how. With coffee, food, and of course, alcohol. She’s not afraid to admit she has no self-respect when it comes to a croissant or three. But most of all, she’s ready for ‘the bar to open’ as soon as the kids are in bed. She may have also been known to count down the hours. Oh, and of course, some of her best decisions are made when she’s had a gin or two.

  1. She loves her husband with all her heart – but he does her head in.

Dottie and Henry are perfect for each other. Initially you think it’s only Henry’s patience that’s commendable, however as with most marriages, he’s not perfect either. You see, Henry’s inability to see things on the bottom step of the stairs (IS IT INVISIBLE TO ANYBODY ELSE BUT HER?), and his knack for winding the kids up just before bed would infuriate even the best of us.

  1. She’s as confused as you and me.

Should she go back to work or stay at home with the kids? Why do fish fingers taste so amazing when cold and coated in bean juice and ketchup. How do men manage to sleep through the loudest of cries, and most of all – when will her children stop second guessing when her bum hits the toilet seat?

I could go on,  for example she makes me feel like less of a nightmare, and her hair is about as untameable as her toddler, but why don’t you check her out and let me know what makes you love Dottie the most?

Mothers Ruined is the fourth book in The Survival Series, and the first full. It follows the hugely successful novella Survival of the Ginnest, the much loved short story Survival of the Christmas Spirit, and Lush in Translation.

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