The Long Weekend Blog Tour - Guest Post + Giveaway

Today, I have the wonderful author of The Long Weekend, Savita Kalhan with me. She's going to be discussing what she does when she's not writing. Stay tuned at the end for a giveaway!


When I’m not writing – I always feel I should be! For a long time, I devoted hours to writing – every spare moment. Occasionally I still do, but now I try to find a balance. Being a writer in the world we now live in, there is so much to do that doesn’t involve writing! Writers need to learn to wear several different hats very quickly. They need to promote and publicise their work, organise events such as book-signings and school visits, attending conferences, book fairs and festivals.

So it is much more than a full-time job!

But I do try and squeeze a life in too! I have a son who is tennis mad and it’s my job to chauffeur him around to matches and lessons and other after-school activities. I play tennis too. We’re lucky in that where we live we have woods with a brook backing onto us, and right next to the woods there is a great little tennis club. It’s less than five minutes away, so there’s no excuse for not getting down there for a hit.

I enjoy gardening. I grow lots of herbs, tomatoes and chillies. I’ve tried lots of other things too, but they’re the ones that grow the best for me. I’m no fan of slugs – they’re the bane of my life, and unfortunately they seem to love my garden. I say death to them! I stopped trying to grow strawberries when my whole crop for two years running was pilfered by the pesky squirrels that are constantly foraging for food in my garden.

I try to get to the gym most days – it’s on way home from the school run, so I try and fit it in then. I find it really sets me up for a day spent sitting in front of a screen. I used to do ju jitsu, and stick-fighting, and I love boxing, and although it’s only with a trainer now, it’s still great fun and it’s one of the few things, apart from running, that’s guaranteed to leave me with the most amazing endorphin-high!

I love reading and watching films, and need a daily dose of either one, which does make me stay up later at night than I should!


Thank you Savita for telling us more about what you do when you're not writing!

As for the giveaway. One winner will winner a copy of The Long Weekend, open internationally and will end on February 18th. Fill out the form below to enter.