I had intended to blog today about the release of my newest print book, Office Affair. I am truly delighted that this book that sold so beautifully in e-format is now available in print.

However, today put me way out of celebration mode, and straight into status panic.

What happened, you ask? Well, sit down, have a drink (I sure did) and let me fill you in.

It began early this morning as I walked into my office to check my emails. My usually twinkling computer was unexpectedly…Not twinkling. I mean it was dead. Seriously, my trusted Mac had checked out on me.

Pretending everything was fine, I simply rebooted it and waited for that screen to flicker happily to life. Which it did. For all of one minute, and then it checked out again. So I stopped, took a deep breath, and repeated the process. Several times. As did my hubby. He continued to do so as I dropped the kids at school. But even heroes cannot achieve the impossible, and heroic as Mr Dee is, he finally admitted defeat, and phoned the Apple store.

Two hours later I sat at that genius bar, pouring out my sad tale of woe to the guy helping me. Along with my woefully dead computer, I had our back up time machine. We thought I could take it along just to make sure I had my most recent back ups from the day before.

So, Mr Helpful at Apple gets us all plugged in, switches on my computer, does a thorough check on it, and proclaims it is still alive and functioning beautifully. (Cue my grateful tears of relief.) Then he checks our time machine, and informs me, in a very solemn voice, that while Mr Dee’s computer backed up yesterday, the last time mine backed up was in August. Of 2011. (Cue more tears, this time, not grateful ones.)

He closed down the computer and sent me home to back up everything.

Bless Mr Dee. He did just that, then a few hours later, returned to check it had all backed up. And guess what happened as he tried? You got it. My beautiful, faithful computer checked out once more. And guess what else? It hasn’t checked back in again. So now I have no idea what was backed up today and what wasn’t.

Okay, I’m trying breathe regularly. Seriously I am. But let me fill you in about another few details of my life.
1) I have a book due to my editor on 1st of May, of which I have written one fifth.
2) Next week, school breaks up til the end of April. I have to look after two kids full time for the duration of the holiday.
3) two days after school breaks up, Mr Dee heads overseas for a business trip for a week.
4) I leave for RT on the 26th of April. (Yes, this is wonderful. But remember the deadline? It means that the book I owe my editor needs to be finished beforehand, so my deadline moves up to April 25.)
5) as I checked my emails earlier (thank God for my iPad, giving me Internet access) I found a lovely email from that very same editor, with a first set of edits for More Than Lovers.)

Make no mistake, I love my editor very, very dearly, and thank the powers that be almost everyday that she is my editor.
But all of this, on top of my now defunct computer means only one thing for me:
FULL BLOWN PANIC.

So forgive me if I neglect to talk about Office Affair.
Forgive me for pouring out my tale of woe to you here, and forgive me if you don’t hear from me again for a while.
I am currently drinking a very lot of alcohol and doing my best to hold my life together as panic slams me straight between the eyes.

Jess