I recently read Alison McQueen’s new book Under the Jeweled Sky. I loved it! I am honored to have Alison as a guest blogger today. I hope you will enjoy her post and I encourge you to read her beautifully written book!

I am thrilled to be guest blogging for Rott-I-Tude today. So what shall we talk about? I have a book out this month, Under The Jeweled Sky, but let’s not dwell on that. I don’t get to see anyone’s reviews until they’re out there, so I can only hope that the one Lauri is putting up today is kind.

Quite apart from the books and the torturous business of writing, I do happen to have some very big news indeed which will overshadow everything else this year. And now, for the first time, in a major exclusive for Rott-I-Tude, I shall share that news with you: I am going to turn 50, the big Hawaii Five-O, and my husband is having kittens.

As far as I am concerned, all bets are off this year. I have had one whole career (in advertising), written a bunch of novels (when I couldn’t stand the advertising any longer), and raised a family. And that, my friends, entitles me to do whatever I want to for this one year. I have survived five decades without killing anybody in my family, and trust me, the temptation has sometimes been very strong.

I mentioned all this to my husband a couple of days ago. I think he thought I was joking. The Christmas just gone I really pushed the boat out, transforming the house into a scene from Narnia, inviting my disabled brother and his family for 4 whole days, looking after everybody, conjuring huge meals out of the kitchen three times a day for eleven people.

Everybody thought they’d got it made, that I had finally thrown in the towel and decided to surrender quietly and become the perfect wife and mother they have all longed for. Oh, the bliss of it. As they say: revenge is a dish best served after the cranberries have been eaten.

I’m so excited about the year ahead that I can barely contain myself.  In no particular order, a big house-wrecking party, a lovely US book tour, friends and aeroplanes, (no friends with aeroplanes sadly), and a long-awaited holiday in the fall with the demand that my husband takes a whole month off work. He looked genuinely panicked and reminded me that not everybody is able to fit their entire job into a small shopper.

So although it’s almost the end of January and a little late for things like this, I would like to wish you all every happiness for 2014. It’s going to be a very special year.

Thank you Rott-I-Tude. This has been fun.

Readers can connect with Alison at:

Website & Blog:
www.alisonmcqueen.com

Twitter:
@Alison_McQueen

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alison-McQueen/265035533524734

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/alisonmcqueen

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http://pinterest.com/alisonmcqueen/pins