To Do... by Lily Harlem

There are still lots of things I'd like to do before I check out, most of them are not on any kind of tangible list or single events but are  simply dreams of a future with my family and friends, peaceful times with nature and the love of my pets, simple things that make me happy on a daily basis.

However, I do have a few grander plans! For example I'd love to go on a world cruise one day, walk on the Great Wall of China and finally get my karate black belt - it's been a long time coming!

Other ambitions are smaller. I keep meaning to plant a flower bed of bulbs in the front garden, but every year the autumn, the time for daffodil bulb burying, skips by me with yet another lack of bulbs by the old stone wall. This year, Lily, this year I MUST do that! I'll be glad I did when the spring comes.

Writing this post I realised that it's easy to look forward with 'I wants' and 'I wish fors' and forget to look at the past and all that has been achieved. Mr H and I were talking about this the other day, thinking about a holiday next year and where we'd like to go while we were actually on holiday! He added up that since we'd been together we'd visited, and walked around until our feet were sore, fourteen major cities in seven countries, not bad going for a 'see the world bucket list!' He's achieved one of his major life goals by running marathons in several of these cities and raising money for cancer charities, a wonderful achievement and I'm so proud of him.

We've also successfully rescued five animals from shelters in our time together, four of which are still with us and I hope, very happy with their final destination!

I got to thinking about my writing then. There was certainly a time when I was rushing around a hospital ward, caring for patients, my feet aching and my brain buzzing that I would have laughed if anyone was to tell me that one day I'd be a published author. I was too busy, life was a roller-coaster, yet here I am, with over... wait for it... 1.2 million words published in the last five years. Now that's a lot of finger tapping on the laptop.

The other great thing about writing, and one of those achievements you can't snap a photo of, has been meeting authors and readers. The erotica and erotic romance cyberworld is such a dynamic and on the whole super friendly place, and that is something I'll always be grateful for. Who would have thought that I'd also be able to write entire novels with two of the authors I've met, as if our brains have just jumped on the same train track and hurtled along on a wild ride. 

Grand Slam written with Lucy Felthouse is out today at Ellora's Cave and was a complete blast to write. Of course, talking about tennis (the hero in Grand Slam is a #1 seed) one can't help but remember Andy Murray winning Wimbledon earlier in the year. 

Talk about determination and the absolute raw, soul wrenching will to win. Lifting that trophy was definitely on his bucket list and congrats to him for ticking that box! Wonder who'll win the US Open? Best crack open the Pimms and settle down to watch war on the court, then maybe I'll go out and source those daffodil bulbs!

Lily x