I was given a long author questionnaire to fill in by my publicist, about me and my life and book and stuff to be used with journos and book shops and wotnot. I’m a bit strange in that I rather enjoy filling in questionnaires, and all was well until I came to this question: Please [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Writing'
Random House
October 16th, 2009 3 Comments
So last Wednesday I went up to The Big Smoke to visit Random House for the very first time. It’s impressive. Lookit: The occasion was my first publicity meeting, during which I would meet my new editor, Tom Avery, for the first time, along with Laura Mell my publicist and Vicki Watson from marketing. My [...]
Tags: Advice for Strays · novelling · Writing
Proof of the proofs
August 27th, 2009 9 Comments
Today, after a bit of postal service wrangling, I received two copies of the printed proofs of Advice for Strays from my publisher. I can’t really describe what it’s like to see my words as they will appear in the printed book, all small and perfect and lovely-of-font. So I won’t try. I spent some [...]
Tags: Advice for Strays · novelling · OMG · procrastination · Writing
Advice for Strays has a cover…and is on Amazon.
July 19th, 2009 2 Comments
Well suddenly it’s all happening. On Thursday I received the cover artwork for my debut novel, Advice for Strays, from Jonathan Cape/Random House, my UK and Commonwealth publisher. I didn’t even know they’d commissioned any and had no idea what to expect but was bowled over with what I’ve got. I mean, look at it: [...]
Tags: Advice for Strays · OMG · Writing
What’s in your head?
July 17th, 2009 No Comments
A short piece of writing today. … When you first meet him, the therapist gazes at you earnestly and asks why you have come here today. It’s the first question that has to be asked, of course, but you’ve been dreading it and have no idea what to say. How do you describe what is [...]
Tags: Writing
I would love to have a room of my own
April 29th, 2009 7 Comments
I originally posted this to my Tumblr. I’m putting it here as well. As you can see I’m a bit confused about what should go where, but ach. Whatever. I would love to have a room of my own. The room would be wide and long and white with a high, high ceiling. There would [...]
Tags: Writing
Unknown songs that make me smile
April 17th, 2009 7 Comments
There’s a man who walks across the grassy slope past my office window every day. Every day he passes at the same time. He must work at the University, as I do. He is unremarkable. He is middle-aged, balding. His grey suit fits. He neither hurries, nor dawdles. He carries a brown bag. But whatever [...]
Tags: Writing
My brain has done a mental
January 23rd, 2009 5 Comments
So for some reason my brain has done a mental today and I’ve decided to post the short story, written by me about 7 years ago, that inspired my debut novel. Which hasn’t actually ‘debuted’ yet so I’ll call it my first novel. Or possibly my only novel, as I’ve not finished the second. The [...]
Tags: Advice for Strays · Writing
Novel editing: the number 1 cause of procrastination. Fact.
January 3rd, 2009 8 Comments
So here it is (OK, it’s been here for a couple of weeks but there have been all those holidays to celebrate and there’s been all that champagne to be drunk and all those tables to fall off. I’m a busy person).* The manuscript of Advice for Strays, marked up for its very final edit [...]
Tags: Advice for Strays · procrastination · Writing
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