Maloney’s Law Contract with PD Publishing!

Great news today and time to put out the flags! I have a contract for the publication of Maloney’s Law in the US by PD Publishing – double hurrahs! And huge thanks to my agent, John for arranging the contract. I even get a (very) small advance, which is not something I’ve had before – so hurrah for that also! Apparently, it should be published somewhere around May 2008, and I’d better get on with doing the edits they want as they need them by 1 September. Oo-err! Though actually, it’s only really one scene they want major changes to, so hopefully I should be able to do that okay.

But I’m really excited – sorry, can’t help it!! Lord H is excited too, and has started calling me an “internationally published author”. Ho ho! Marital loyalty is showing its face here, I feel – though it’s definitely a champagne night on Friday!

And here at work, there are even more celebrations going on – the office is stuffed with chocolate and cakes, and we’ve even gone out for coffee again, huzzah! (I’ve altered that from “hurrah” as I thought it would be nice to ring the changes …). Celebrations include:

• Carol getting married next week
• David to become a father for the second time in November
• Colin’s 50th next week
• Andrea being here for a year
• And me.

And we’re partying now as today is the last time we’ll all be together before all these exciting things (or most of them anyway!) take place. A red-letter day indeed!

My meeting this afternoon has, sadly, had to be cancelled at the last minute due to staff family illness and the fact that our external attendees are in Oxfordshire and trapped by flooding (no trains). Bit of a pain for all really, but I’m hoping to reschedule over the next couple of weeks before everyone disappears on their holidays.

Oh, and did I say I’ve got a contract for Maloney’s Law?!...

Went for a stroll round the campus at lunchtime – just to get my head cleared from the noise it’s currently full of. Okay, that’s not a great sentence, but there you go. The ducks all seemed to be waddling somewhere very fast in Olympic lines. Very impressive really.

Tonight, I’m hoping to look at the Maloney’s Law edits, and see if the publishers have given me any further clues on what they’d like. And the new fantasy series, “Heroes” is on TV, so I’m planning to watch that too. Plus videoing the next instalment of Channel 4’s Gay Week. It’s all go here in the countryside, you know …

By the way, I’ve got a contract. Yes, I’m still screaming (for joy)!!!

And I've just finished Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother. A slow start but absolutely electric when it gets going. I couldn't put it down. Witty and deep and moving. Great stuff. Buy it! He's a truly great writer. Though there was one chapter I actually couldn't read - even though I suspect it was just as superbly written as the rest of it. It was just way too sad and graphic for me.

Today’s nice things:

1. Getting the Maloney’s Law contract (did I mention that?...)
2. General office celebrations – well done all!
3. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Pink Champagne and Apple Juice
Goldenford Publishers