My animal/spiritual memoir is nearly finished.

My Chronic Myofascial Pain has got lots worse.


I've been housebound since November 2017, only leaving the house to go to the dentist, the nurse and have a flu jab. There is nothing to do around here within walking distance except, on a good day, get to the edge of the nearby field and look across at the hills.

Fortunately, friends have come to the rescue, visiting me regularly. I've been able to continue my role-playing. I've also been able to continue my writing, although when it hurts to speak, it's hard to use the voice recognition. This pushes me into using my arms to type, which induces neuralgia. A rock and a hard place situation.

The good news?

I've been fostering a delightful pair of black cats. First, was Snib who came to stay for two weeks, and then Kuro, who stayed for five months while his mummy found a house in which to live. 

I've also nearly finished my animal/spiritual transformation memoir. I'm doing the book proposal now and intend to finish the last couple of chapters while I wait to hear from publishers. One of the joys of writing non-fiction is that you don't have to finish the manuscript before casting your net.

I'm learning how to market myself, which is something the authors of olden times didn't have to do. Dickens didn't do Instagram, though I think the Brontes would have loved Facebook and YouTube.

I'm doing my best, but it's a steep learning curve for an oldie like me.

I've now got a new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/helenellwoodauthor/?modal=admin_todo_tour

A new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K486DJXQ8vs&fbclid=IwAR2bWPEUlvxyZS7J7fqJUKWxPRwFzBVZk0jlFhUWhoaO5UJRXHtvQ5zedsM

And I'm hoping to learn how to use Instagram. It just shows you can teach an old dog new tricks.