A better day today. Thank goodness. Even managed to get the draft minutes done from yesterday and with my boss for checking, so I’m very nearly on top of it all. For now … And talking of being on top of it all, I mustn’t forget to welcome the last of the year’s calendar firemen. So hello to Dave whose hobbies include weight training, skiing and motor cycling. He’s really very cute, but should be wearing less, to my mind. Not that I’m fussy.
Sally from Advice popped into the hospital with me to see our old work colleague today. She’s been moved out of Intensive Care and into a normal ward, so that’s a good thing. Still very frail though, and there are further complications, so we’re hoping that they can sort things out soon for her. It’s not a great way to approach the festive season, and it’s frustrating that there’s so little we can do. We’re hoping to be able to pop in next week though and see how things are then.
This afternoon, I put my brain into blancmange mode by attempting to find something interesting in “Perspectives”, the magazine of the Association of University Administrators. Yip. As I thought. Nothing interesting there. There’s not a lot you can do with an article entitled “Markets, Mathematics and Sustainability” really. Apart from burn it.
Talking of burning things, here’s a piece of flash fiction I’ve written for the Writewords Flash Fiction II Group. The task was to write something which included the phrase: “Inside the cover, I found the note”:
Note on a Candle
Inside the cover, I found the note. Which I later burnt in time-honoured literary fashion. If you’re reading this book, it said, you’re an idiot. Charming, I thought, glancing again at my name on the front. Everyone’s a ruddy critic.
Tonight, it’s an evening in – double hurrah! I’m planning to chunter away on The Bones of Summer and am hoping for an early night. It’s about time I had one. And I now have both a front and a back cover for Maloney’s Law from PD Publishing! Which I love hugely. The artist has focused in on Big Ben on the front cover more, but left the rest mostly untouched, and has also given me a wonderful back cover, complete with whisky glass and essential timepiece (both very important in Paul’s mixed-up life …) plus a zappy new blurb:
“Paul Maloney, a small-time private investigator from London, reluctantly accepts a case from his married ex-lover, Dominic Allen. Before he knows it, Paul finds himself embroiled in the dark dealings of big business and the sordid world of international crime. The deeper he pushes, the closer he comes to losing everything he holds dear. Can he solve the mystery and protect those he loves before it’s too late?”
She’s also added a line or two about the novel being shortlisted for the Royal Literary Fund Award and the Harry Bowling Novel Award, which is nice. So thanks hugely, Tracey from the US – I’m very grateful indeed!
Oh, and I've just finished reading Gyles Brandreth's Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders. It took a while to get into - but the style is very different. But once you're there, it's fab. Like a souffle with unexpected bite and there are some wonderful scenes. I also thought the ending was very powerful, but I could have done with more detecting in the middle of the book - though I do see that he's setting up characters for what I hope will be a series. I'd certainly buy into that.
Today’s nice things:
1. The Maloney’s Law covers & blurb
2. Getting the minutes done
3. Flash fiction.
Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Goldenford Publishers
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