'You've got your hands full'

In the words of Ronan Keating: Life is a rollercoaster, you've just gotta ride it...*

I'VE shed a lot of tears in 2009.

Some came through joy and wonder as I lapped up sights I thought I'd never see, surrounded by people who love me or by the most fantastic of newly-found friends.

Anyone who has followed this blog over the last 12 months will know that blogging has taken me to the Bahamas and to Florida, to London and hey, Bognor Regis, among other places.

A big thanks and Merry Christmas

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to NACCPO to help me raise money to support families of children with cancer.

I originally set a target of £300 so to see the sum raised so far top £500 is absolutely brilliant. I am still hoping to reach £1,000 though so please do consider donating if you can. It's not just Tesco that every little helps. :) My JustGiving page is here.

I'm just unzipping my flak jacket to head for the supermarket. I can't wait for Christmas.

Thank you for reading my blog, commenting and linking in 2009, I look forward to lots more fun and friendship in 2010.

Cheers. The picture goes some way to explaining how I think of family Christmases in case you were wondering.

Want a copy of The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World?

I'VE had the opportunity to buy a quantity of copies of my book, the modestly titled Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World.

This was published in 2007 and has had some excellent reviews. Some are listed here.

Here's a couple:

"An excellent, must read book for any freelancer writer, whether novice or more established...At last, a book on freelance writing that actually gives proper, relevant advice that you can really run with. Linda Jones quite obviously knows her stuff and thankfully for us, isn't too precious to share it...I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to kick start their freelance career, whether a complete novice, or a more established writer who wants a fresh perspective on the business of freelancing. This book isn't going to tell you that you can make millions, but by following Linda Jones' excellent advice, you'll certainly be in with a fighting chance of making it as a jobbing freelance writer. Highly recommended. ."Kelly Rose Bradford.

"Freelance tips that actually work."(Five-star) Amazon review

I would like to offer some of the books free to anyone donating £5 or over to my JustGiving page where I'm raising money for the children's cancer charity NACCPO.

I'm trying to raise £1,000 and have so far reached £375. Thank you to everyone who has helped so far.

If you are interested in buying my book and in supporting children with cancer at Christmas time, I hope you can take this opportunity to donate and that you may consider donating more than £5. The book is available at Amazon for £4.12 and its cover price is £5.99.

Once you have donated, please send me your address by emailing linda[at]passionatemedia.co.uk with "NACCPO donation" in the subject line and include your name and full postal address.

Please note this offer will be limited and only applies to UK residents. The books will be sent through the post to anyone taking up this offer as soon as they are available.

Even if you don't want a copy of my book, I hope you will consider helping us reach our £1,000 target for NACCPO.

Thanks.

My favourite Christmas song: The little boy that Santa Claus forgot by Nat King Cole

LIZ at Livingwithkids asks: "What's your favourite Christmas song?"

This one is mine. Hope you like it. There's not a dry eye in the house here, let me tell you...

And the lyrics are here.

Wordless Wednesday: Inappropriate crush - who's yours?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Photo by Andy Woo on Flickr

I do.

Because it happened to me.

In fact I think it was love the first time I heard Neil's voice.

He called the newspaper where I was working to ask me to show him round.

Why? Because on paper I could be described as his new boss.

I'll never forget what he looked like that day he turned up for the tour.

As he stood there in reception in his green suit (yes a green suit, sounds bloody awful now!) I immediately thought phwoarr.

But it was more than that. It really was like a thunderbolt.

Thirteen years on and with two daughters aged 11, I'm still feeling its effects.

How lucky am I?

Please help me raise money for children with cancer

I HAVE a JustGiving page here raising money for NACCPO which is a charity helping children with cancer.

I'd be really grateful if you could consider making a donation, especially now as we approach Christmas time, to help families facing the sorts of challenges we prefer to not even think about.

So far, bloggers taking part in the Great Panto Review have raised £110 and there is more to come, which is great. I know times are tight but if you can afford to make a donation, however small, it will be very much welcomed and appreciated by this charity which does such wonderful work with severely limited resources.

The very lovely Rosie Scribble gives a full rundown here of what it's all about.

And you can see the posts so far at Have a Lovely Time here.

NACCPO website.

Thank you.

Write away: Bloggers offer their top blogging tips

THANK YOU for the feedback on last week's Write Away slot, which was about negotiating rates for freelance writers.

This week, I'm, addressing a question from NotSupermum.

She said: "I'd appreciate any tips on how to improve my blogging posts - I don't find writing easy so any help would be good."

Rather than restrict my answer to my own thoughts on blogging, I thought I'd open this one out to some established, respected and favourite bloggers.

Holiday of a lifetime

THE above video from a blogger called Classymummy shows how tourists can feed stingrays on Castaway Cay, Disney's private island.

I've finally written up an account of our holiday aboard the Disney Wonder which took us to Castaway Cay and to feed the stingrays, as well as swim with dolphins off the coast of Nassau. Thanks again everyone for the good wishes before we went.

You can read all about it here.

The Great Panto Review 2009: Open for business

The first post in our Great Panto Review is up at Have a Lovely Time and it's a review by me of A Christmas Carol at the Birmingham Rep.

For anyone who doesn't know, this is an attempt to raise money for a charity called NACCPO, which helps provide respite and support for families with children with cancer.

I'd really appreciate any support you could give by way or donating and/or blogging about this, every penny matters for this charity that has no budget to promote its excellent work with families for whom each day brings new heartbreaking challenges.