Successful Scanning and Stuff

I've got a new scanner! Well - I've got one of those wonderful print, scan, photocopy all- in - one machines - and it's brilliant.

My equally brilliant computer hero, Andy the PC Doctor, tells me that the problem was that older scanners never had the drivers to work with Windows XP and that's why I wasn't getting decent results. Now I am - and, even more wonderful, Blogger is cooperating too and letting me upload pix - so let me give you some decent versions of scans that didn't work.

Starting with Simona -

Here's the cover of the original book. With Michele there in the centre in red. Looking definitely the hero - and looking not at all 14!!

I've also added this cover where I originally planned it to be - in the post More on The Hero Jigsaw



And here is a decent scan of the picture that was in Once Upopn a Time . . .Going Back to The Beginning - the Portrait of the Artist as a Young Author. And now that you can see this clearly, you can also see that - just like Michele - I don't look 14 but in the opposite way!
The extra wonderful thing about this new machine is that it now means I can rescue vulnerable and elderly photographs, making scans of ones that the family only has a single, fragile copy of and reprinting them as crisp, strong photos again. Which has given me a great idea for a Christmas present for my MIL. Now all I have to do is to deputise the BM to get hold of the originals and find a really nice album . . . .

Right, now it's time to look at the TBD list again

1. Write Greek book
2. Scan and copy photos (see above) and put in album for MIL
3. Write Greek book
4. Plan and put up details of my Christmas Competition (yes - I said that C word)
5. Write Greek book
6. Plan Romance writing course for Writing Weekend in Wales
7. Write Greek book
8. Plan and set up a blog poll so you can decide what Goood Gifts I'm giving as your Christmas Cards this year
9. Write Greek book
10. Find the pic of Uffa the baby Guide Dog and rescan that so that you can see more clearly just how terminally cute he is
11. Write Greek book.
12. Get back on track with the story of the Kate Walker hero before Anne McAllister demands to know what the blank blank blank happened to Jess.
13. Write the Greek Book

Though of course if I spoke to my editor, that list would read:

1. Write the Greek book
2. Write the Greek book
3. Write the Greek book

She cracks her whip ever so nicely, The Editor -she even makes me feel that it's my fault she wants to crack it at all because I write books she want to read so much . . . Now that's a clever editor.

But she's also one of the reasons why the Crows of Doubt come circling - because I never want to disappoint her - just as I never want to disappoint my readers - which is why those C of D never ever go away, even when you've written dozens of titles.

So - today's plan is - Write the Greek book.