Rejections, writers and a bestseller status

Here’s today’s meditation. Joshua isn’t quite in the Promised Land yet, but he’s thinking about it. Sort of.

Meditation 178

So it begins,
that final part

of your journey:
and at the moment

of greatest trepidation
a glimmer of light:

generous words; the hope
of a future, love.

At work, I’m attempting to get the minutes from yesterday’s two meetings written, though I have to admit my enthusiasm quotas are low. Heck, aren’t they always? It would be nice to get one of them out of the way, but I’m not holding my breath. It’s a bit of a tricky morning though, as I’ve had not one, but two, rejections of poetry submissions in the email. Groan. What was even more humiliating was that one of them I’d only sent out late last night so they must have really really hated them. The other was worse though – as it told me I was a near miss with what I’d sent them. Deep sigh. I do wish publishers wouldn’t say that – it’s so patronising and doesn’t help anyone at all (after the first near miss rejection, which is I admit nice-ish, the experience quickly loses its charm, believe me). A simple “no” is the easiest way. Why on earth don’t they stick to it?

Anyway, at lunch, I took the last writers’ group meeting of the academic year. Today’s game was to make something of words and phrases I’d cut out of our selection of magazines on Sunday night – I think they enjoyed it. I know I did – I’ve started a comic piece set in the Garden of Eden with a rather irritated Gabriel. As you do. So I’ll have to see how that goes.

After work, I popped in to Tesco to get a few essentials, though I must admit Lord H was a hero yesterday and did a barrel-load of shopping even though it wasn’t his week for it. Talking of heroes, our work list for this week is James Anderson (something to do with cricket, I think, but I can’t rightly remember), the campus Transport Team (for doing a brilliant job with the current roadworks on site so we get through them relatively painlessly), Ruth’s dentist (for doing an equally brilliant job in his profession) and … um … me (for getting the boss a cheaper deal on his airport car parking that he hadn’t realised he could get, hurrah!).

And tonight it’s the new series of arty lurve, pain and angst – Desperate Romantics. I’m in two minds about it, I must be honest, but I’ll give it a chance and watch the first episode. I’m just not sure about these programmes that stuff as many famous, stressed-out young men in them and then expect that to be a plot. We’ll see.

Ooh, and The Bones of Summer is a Silver Star Bestseller at All Romance Ebooks. Well gosh indeed, and thank you!

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Writers’ group
3. New short story ideas
4. Heroes – including me!
5. TV – possibly
6. The Bones of Summer bestseller status.

Anne Brooke - a poetry reject but an eBook bestseller