Monday, March 05, 2007

Sales, appointments and submissions

Managed to sell one copy of “A Dangerous Man” (http://www.flamebooks.com) to Ruth at work today (hurrah!) but couldn’t persuade her to part with any more cash for “A Stranger’s Table” (http://www.poetrymonthly.com) – groan. The writer’s life is indeed one of swings and roundabouts. I’m trying to go easy on the copies of Michael that I sell directly as (a) I don’t get royalties from them, and (b) Flame don’t, I think, actually count them as copies sold (but you know me – I daren’t ask …). And, in the extremely slim-to-the-point-of-vanishing chance I have of getting them even to consider taking another novel, every copy counts.

However, there is some good news – Mother has just finished ADM and really loved it – hurrah! Apparently, she thinks it’s my best yet – ye gods, I didn’t know I was in competition with myself. But she is right, in my view. Still, no pressure on the next one, eh …? Much. I’m not sure I can write from that kind of place again either, to be honest. Heck, at least I managed to do it once. Maybe, along the lines of yesterday’s blog, it might be enough.

This morning, after catching up with last week’s stuff, I’ve tried to ring the surgery to arrange my usual round of medical check-ups (courtesy of half my family dying eventually of diabetes and the other half having nasty cholesterol/kidney problems – it’s astonishing I’m still here at all really). Apparently the system has changed utterly since last year and the three tests I used to have with the nurse and which took no more than a minute all together have now been divided up “for reasons of improved patient care” (bah, we say, bah!) and given lots of paperwork accompaniments. Which means that I now have to fill in a form for the blood test and go to the blood clinic. (Though the other tests I can still have together). This would be fine in theory, but they can’t fit me in till at least 2010 now, so they’ve suggested I fill in the blood form – when it arrives, having had to be signed off by my doctor who has to check I’m still alive – and then take it up to the hospital. Bloody hell. And “patient care” my arse. What a rigmarole. By the time I’ve done all that, I’ll probably have stress-induced diabetes and my kidneys will be shot to pieces. And who knows what I’ll pick up from the hospital. Sigh.

This lunchtime, I walked into town to put in Clayton’s (http://www.myspace.com/dwbsoho) cheque for ADM – thanks, Clayton! Hope you enjoy the read. And Monique from the University Health Centre has apparently bought me a new fluffy pen (what a star!) – I tried to pick it up in the morning, but she was too busy with patients, so will have to try later in the week. Maybe she can squeeze me in and give me the blood test herself … but I suspect that if we do that, we’ll all be beaten to a pulp by the PCT (Patient Care Trust) for trying to buck the system. Again.

Tonight, Lord H is at theology class – which apparently was supposed to be about homosexuality and advertising (my verdict – hey, bring it on, babe!... there should be more of both), but due to sickness is now about homosexuality and poverty. Which means that the Diocesan attempts to pair subjects in some vague way is now completely trashed. Hah! That’ll show ’em. I might do more to “The Gifting” while he’s out (as it were), as I think I need to get back into it after my slight break. But I’m hoping to be a TV slob too at some point. The video of “Primeval” beckons, I fear …

Oh, and I've submitted the synopsis for "Maloney's Law" and "Thorn in the Flesh" to The Friday Project (http://www.thefridayproject.co.uk) in a last desperate attempt to communicate with the outside (publishing) world on those ones. Seeing as my agent (http://www.johnjarrold.co.uk/about.html) seems to have vanished into the ether. Are you there, John ...? It's feeling quite lonely over here, you know ... Oh God, I'm being a Needy Author. The agent's worst nightmare. Someone pass me the arsenic.

Today’s nice things:

1. Selling one copy of ADM
2. Gaining parental approval for said book (ye gods, but I’m sad …)
3. TV.

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk

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