Today I reached the halfway mark and realised this means nothing. There is no such thing as getting ahead, just as there is no such thing as getting behind. You just are wherever you're at at any given time. Some days are more fruitful than others. I could write 5000 words tomorrow - or I could write none at all. The target is 50,000 for the month. If I reach that it will be a blessing and if I don't, well, words will always be there waiting for me to find them. It's not as if all the words will curl up and die at the end of November - I hope not anyway

Sneak peek Chapter twenty-nine

‘Where were you Carmel? We went to the shop and it was closed.’

‘It’s kind of creepy walking home sometimes now there’s no other kids coming this way.’

‘Miss said it’s turning into a ghost town. Is it Carmel?’

‘Whose ghosts?’

‘And the school might have to close.’

‘Well she shouldn’t have told you that.’

‘She didn’t. I heard her telling Amy’s mum.’

‘Whose ghosts?’ Timmy wouldn’t be ignored.

‘There’s no ghosts. It’s just a saying when there’s not many people in a town. Now drink your milk up.’

‘But there’s still people, isn’t there? I saw the dummy today.’

‘Don’t call him that. How many times do I have to tell you his name’s Seth?’

‘Sorry, forgot.’

‘Well I saw him today and he’s not a ghost, is he?’

‘No, he’s not a ghost.’ Although he may as well be, she thought, for all anyone sees of him. ‘Where was he?’

‘He came out of the front door of his place. From behind that old chair he sits in and then he walked down around the corner.’

‘I suspect he was taking a stroll then. Stretching his legs.’ This led to questions about how people stretched their legs and could they do it and was this the same as pulling people’s legs and she nodded thanks to St Jude for their quick wit and humour that brought light into her day. She waved her hand to indicate lowering the volume of their laughter and raised her eyes to the ceiling, smiling as she did so for she didn’t want to break the mood.