Well, the combination just has to be good for you. And today oranges are the only fruit. Or at least they are in the Lord H/Brooke household, where the supply of apples and bananas has reached the vanishing point. And no chance of me getting to the shops before Wednesday. Ah well. I do have a small supply of dried apricots, so should still be able to keep scurvy at bay.
The usual Monday morning drag today. It was an effort being awake, let alone attempting to look like a competent administrator. I think it’s the same for everyone though, as we were all heads down and no talking. Or perhaps we were all actually asleep and the typing noise was simply everyone’s noses rebounding off the keyboard. Wouldn’t surprise me, but I couldn't be arsed to turn round and check.
Took the minutes for the Wellbeing Group at lunchtime. It was a bit fluid, but we do have some ideas - hurrah! One of which is the Students' Union coming up with the goods once more. They're organising a "Know Yourself" month during February and March, with a focus on mental wellbeing and self-awareness. Sounds great to me - luckily staff are included, so we won't have to chain ourselves to the door and beg to be let in to the fun stuff again. That'll make a change.
This afternoon, I found myself sinking into a slough of despond again, and only managed to drag two pages of the minutes out of my notes and up onto the screen - when really I could easily have got the whole lot done. Got quite tearful a couple of times, but I don't think my immediate colleagues noticed. Thank God. I do hate explanations which involve weeping. Mine, that is. Though Sally from Student Advice did pop in and had a lovely chat with me - I can always talk to her (thank you, Sally!) - and we've arranged to go for coffee when we're both free in a couple of weeks' time, so that will be nice. Apparently, this may not - for once! - be all my own fault though, as today is supposed to be the most depressed day of the year. Bloody hell - I didn't know there was a rule. Think we should have been warned! Still, at least Lord H sent virtual hugs through the email, which are always appreciated, as in: (((Anne))). He's a genius with the keyboard ...
Oh, and I made two important decisions last night – mainly for my own mental wellbeing, let alone anyone else’s. I’ve decided to stop putting “Maloney’s Law” in the marketplace and have offered it to the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) Gang. One reply is keen so far (thanks, Irene!), but no response from the others yet. But don’t get too excited if the answer is yes, as it’ll take its place in the queue along with everything else, so I imagine the back end of 2008, at the very earliest. But there's lots of other good Goldenford stuff coming before then, so don’t forget to save up for the best books in the south!
And I’ve decided to self-publish another poetry collection – my last one was in 2004, so it’s about time for another, I think. I’m not going to wait for any more small publishers not to respond (there’s really no point trying the main poetry publishers – unless you’re related to Hughes or Plath, they don’t even bother replying …), so I’ve sent an email to Poetry Monthly Press (http://www.poetrymonthly.com) to see if they’re interested in printing it. They run a small self-publishing facility for poets, and it would be nice to get something out there this year that I can at least control. And it’ll have some award-winning and magazine-published pieces in, so probably worth a couple of quid or so. And hey stop press on this - Martin Holroyd from PMP has asked me to send him a floppy disc of the collection, which I'm calling "A Stranger's Table" after one of the poems in it. So I've spent tonight getting it organised and copied to disc. It's now wrapped in an envelope within an envelope ready for posting tomorrow. I hope he agrees to let it go through his system, as I know he doesn't take everything.
Ooh, and the lovely Sue Haywood has decided to opt for playtime advertising of "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice", a picture of which you can see here: http://www.teafriendsandchocolate.com/sue/ - under her blog of today's date. Great picture, Sue! Thank you very much! Not sure what Health & Safety would say though ...
And Lord H (bless him!) has bought apples and bananas, to add to our orange supply - so they're not the only fruit after all ...
Today’s nice things:
1. Making two publication decisions
2. Getting through Monday - thank God!
3. Seeing the picture on Sue's site.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
ANNE BROOKE BOOKS: Independent writer of modern fiction
Showing posts with label Mondays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mondays. Show all posts
Monday, January 22, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Ratings and rejections
Another day with an okay centre and a bloody bad ending. Ye gods, you'd think I'd be used to it by now - but no. Still at least all the crap is firming up my decision not to put my next novel out to the commercial marketplace. Believe me, it's not worth the hassle. I think these days I'd most definitely advise any halfway decent writer to self-publish or set up their own company with like-minded friends, and give the whole bloody commercial (ha! so-called) publishing world a wide berth.
Anyway, the day started sensibly enough - I spent most of it typing up the minutes I took last week at the Nursery Management Group meeting, and sorting out the boss's idiosyncratic meeting arrangements. Note to bosses everywhere: it really is far better if you just let your secretary do the organising. You don't have any abilities in this field. Trust me. And the normal grey hell of Monday took on a brighter hue as Ruth, one of my colleagues, had brought me a spare chocolate Santa left over from Christmas. Bliss indeed. Mind you, I worry about Ruth - how can anyone have "spare" chocolate? It's a mystery. But I'm not complaining, as it was two minutes of pure pleasure while I ate it.
At lunchtime, I sauntered round the lake and stared at the birds, trying to decide which was a coot and which a moorhen. Had to google it back at my desk in the end, and I now have the definitive answer: those with white beaks are coots and those with red beaks are moorhens. So now you know. And talking of birds, we have finally decided that the wonderfully lyrical bird which performs each day at 4pm outside the office window is definitely a blackbird. We checked the BBC birdsong site to find out, and it's an almost perfect match. Another mystery solved - hurrah!
And Stephanie at the Health Centre has brought me back a kiwi in a snowstorm from her trip home to New Zealand. Marvellous! I can now add it to my snowstorm/fluffy pen collection. Never say I don't have a mission in life. I also have the Holy Family in a snowstorm, and the old Pope too - so I think the kiwi will add essential secular gravitas to the desk.
Some good news on the Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk) front - my rating on "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" has shot up to be only 5 figures today, so some wonderful person must have bought it. A thousand blessings upon you, and please God you enjoy it, whoever you are. I shall bask in the temporary glory to the full as, no doubt, next week I shall be back to my usual six figure rating. Ah well. And speaking of potential misery, those no-good bastards (I speak only of my opinion of course ...) at Two Ravens Press (now to be known as Two Bastards Press - and no I'm not giving you the web address as I really can't be arsed) have rejected "Maloney's Law" on the grounds that it's not literary enough for them, even though they think it's an exciting read and a good thriller. Well, up your arses then, TR(B)P - oh sorry, I see there's a broom handle already up there. That'll explain your narrow-minded stiffness. I'll say it again - bastards. Which means there's only one more publisher considering M's L now, and I utterly refuse to send it out anywhere else, as I really seriously can't take any more bloody grief about it. I've chased that particular publisher today and if they say no then I'll try Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) to see if the gang might want to consider it. Because when push comes to shove, I'm really not being beaten by these bloody narrow-minded commercial publishers who are too much up their own arses to give a good novel a chance. Oh, if I had any power, I'd make sure they all go to the wall and leave room for good, decent novels to see the light of the day, rather than the unreadable crap they make us put up with. You heard it here first - so watch this space.
Today's nice things:
1. See above for any - sorry, but I'm too angry and pissed off to do this tonight.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
Anyway, the day started sensibly enough - I spent most of it typing up the minutes I took last week at the Nursery Management Group meeting, and sorting out the boss's idiosyncratic meeting arrangements. Note to bosses everywhere: it really is far better if you just let your secretary do the organising. You don't have any abilities in this field. Trust me. And the normal grey hell of Monday took on a brighter hue as Ruth, one of my colleagues, had brought me a spare chocolate Santa left over from Christmas. Bliss indeed. Mind you, I worry about Ruth - how can anyone have "spare" chocolate? It's a mystery. But I'm not complaining, as it was two minutes of pure pleasure while I ate it.
At lunchtime, I sauntered round the lake and stared at the birds, trying to decide which was a coot and which a moorhen. Had to google it back at my desk in the end, and I now have the definitive answer: those with white beaks are coots and those with red beaks are moorhens. So now you know. And talking of birds, we have finally decided that the wonderfully lyrical bird which performs each day at 4pm outside the office window is definitely a blackbird. We checked the BBC birdsong site to find out, and it's an almost perfect match. Another mystery solved - hurrah!
And Stephanie at the Health Centre has brought me back a kiwi in a snowstorm from her trip home to New Zealand. Marvellous! I can now add it to my snowstorm/fluffy pen collection. Never say I don't have a mission in life. I also have the Holy Family in a snowstorm, and the old Pope too - so I think the kiwi will add essential secular gravitas to the desk.
Some good news on the Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk) front - my rating on "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" has shot up to be only 5 figures today, so some wonderful person must have bought it. A thousand blessings upon you, and please God you enjoy it, whoever you are. I shall bask in the temporary glory to the full as, no doubt, next week I shall be back to my usual six figure rating. Ah well. And speaking of potential misery, those no-good bastards (I speak only of my opinion of course ...) at Two Ravens Press (now to be known as Two Bastards Press - and no I'm not giving you the web address as I really can't be arsed) have rejected "Maloney's Law" on the grounds that it's not literary enough for them, even though they think it's an exciting read and a good thriller. Well, up your arses then, TR(B)P - oh sorry, I see there's a broom handle already up there. That'll explain your narrow-minded stiffness. I'll say it again - bastards. Which means there's only one more publisher considering M's L now, and I utterly refuse to send it out anywhere else, as I really seriously can't take any more bloody grief about it. I've chased that particular publisher today and if they say no then I'll try Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) to see if the gang might want to consider it. Because when push comes to shove, I'm really not being beaten by these bloody narrow-minded commercial publishers who are too much up their own arses to give a good novel a chance. Oh, if I had any power, I'd make sure they all go to the wall and leave room for good, decent novels to see the light of the day, rather than the unreadable crap they make us put up with. You heard it here first - so watch this space.
Today's nice things:
1. See above for any - sorry, but I'm too angry and pissed off to do this tonight.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
Monday, December 11, 2006
Lunch with Julia and gay fiction writing
Quite a nice day at work today. For a Monday. Managed to look like a professional for most of the time and even get a few emails sorted. The good news is that I won’t have to come in on Friday after all, as the meeting scheduled for then has been postponed till after Christmas. Hurrah. Suits me, sir. And I looked like a young, cool person by taking in my new iPod and dropping it into the conversation every five minutes. Any conversation. At last! - I have a gadget that nobody else in the office has got. The sad thing of course is that any vestiges of coolness I might have been able to snatch at are washed away by the sort of music I actually downloaded onto the damn thing: um, that will be The Seekers, Tony Christie, the Monkees and a bit of Mozart. Ah well, I never was a rock chick. Even when young … Anyone want to know the way to Amarillo?
Lunch with Julia was grand, although Chancellor’s was packed with exam-demob happy students, so we were crushed into a corner on the bar facing the crowds. I had the same food I always have, but h. there’s a comfort in familiarity, you know. Actually, it’s been one wild social whirl this afternoon – I also popped into the Advice Centre’s Christmas do for a mince pie and a coke. Last of the great party animals, eh? In spite of being a social coward, I had a good conversation with the Deputy Dean of Students about writing and novels, and how the h. one does it all. I think I’m more of an organic writer than a high-powered planner to be honest; when I’m at the top of a page, I never know quite what’s going to happen at the end of it. What a contrast to my usual timetabled-to-the-point-of-obsession daily life indeed …
I’ve also been thinking today about why I write gay fiction – it’s a question posed by Clayton on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com) and it’s certainly a good one. I can’t give a logical reason (sorry, Clayton …) but it’s simply where I feel most at home. I don’t actually know what girls think (query: did I miss that lesson at school?...) but the man in my head (ah hello, Michael – I wondered where you’d got to) knows what he thinks all the time, and why, and I feel most fully alive when I’m plugged into him and his concerns. I suppose that, once again, it’s something organic and instinctual. I’ve been asked many a time why I don’t write from the point of view of a straight girl – and I’ve tried to fit in with what people seem to want (believe me, I’ve tried!) – but I’m never really happy with it for myself, although “Pink Champagne and Apple Juice” has been well received in the small circles it’s found itself in. But, hell, even there I gave that novel a strong secondary gay male character to make myself happier. I just don’t feel comfortable doing “straight” as a genre; it’s simply not “me”. I hope that makes some kind of weird sense. And, yes, I do realise (I’ve been told often enough!) that the fact that in my everyday life I’m a straight female makes it almost impossible to sell the books I produce. But, in the end I’m writing for me first and foremost, and for self-expression, and the rest of the game will have to play itself out as it may. Brave words, eh?...
Tonight (back to the mundane here), it’s shopping at Tesco, and a TV slump. Thank goodness for a night in.
Today’s nice things:
1. Lunch with Julia
2. Thinking more deeply about why I write
3. Showing off my iPod!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Lunch with Julia was grand, although Chancellor’s was packed with exam-demob happy students, so we were crushed into a corner on the bar facing the crowds. I had the same food I always have, but h. there’s a comfort in familiarity, you know. Actually, it’s been one wild social whirl this afternoon – I also popped into the Advice Centre’s Christmas do for a mince pie and a coke. Last of the great party animals, eh? In spite of being a social coward, I had a good conversation with the Deputy Dean of Students about writing and novels, and how the h. one does it all. I think I’m more of an organic writer than a high-powered planner to be honest; when I’m at the top of a page, I never know quite what’s going to happen at the end of it. What a contrast to my usual timetabled-to-the-point-of-obsession daily life indeed …
I’ve also been thinking today about why I write gay fiction – it’s a question posed by Clayton on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com) and it’s certainly a good one. I can’t give a logical reason (sorry, Clayton …) but it’s simply where I feel most at home. I don’t actually know what girls think (query: did I miss that lesson at school?...) but the man in my head (ah hello, Michael – I wondered where you’d got to) knows what he thinks all the time, and why, and I feel most fully alive when I’m plugged into him and his concerns. I suppose that, once again, it’s something organic and instinctual. I’ve been asked many a time why I don’t write from the point of view of a straight girl – and I’ve tried to fit in with what people seem to want (believe me, I’ve tried!) – but I’m never really happy with it for myself, although “Pink Champagne and Apple Juice” has been well received in the small circles it’s found itself in. But, hell, even there I gave that novel a strong secondary gay male character to make myself happier. I just don’t feel comfortable doing “straight” as a genre; it’s simply not “me”. I hope that makes some kind of weird sense. And, yes, I do realise (I’ve been told often enough!) that the fact that in my everyday life I’m a straight female makes it almost impossible to sell the books I produce. But, in the end I’m writing for me first and foremost, and for self-expression, and the rest of the game will have to play itself out as it may. Brave words, eh?...
Tonight (back to the mundane here), it’s shopping at Tesco, and a TV slump. Thank goodness for a night in.
Today’s nice things:
1. Lunch with Julia
2. Thinking more deeply about why I write
3. Showing off my iPod!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Monday, December 04, 2006
Art and a good Monday
Ye gods. A good Monday. I never thought that would happen. Well, not good, in that I was at work instead of at home, but still it was perfectly acceptable for the start of the working week. So much so that I didn't even stare balefully at the clock during the morning wondering when on earth 12 o'clock would turn up. It was actually 1.30pm before I noticed! Not that I had a great deal of urgent stuff to do, but I did loads of work on the Student Care Services website, and checked the links etc. Hell, but I'm a nerd sometimes.
At lunch, I visited the new art exhibition - it's marvellous! Lots of pictures of gorgeously coloured pots and the sea. I was stunned and inspired by the use of colour and the energy of it all. There was some equally energetic real-live pots too - and a quirky, funny Nativity set which was large, and ugly-beautiful. Great stuff. The woman's a local artist apparently - lives in Compton - Mary Wondrausch is the name, I think (though my spelling is probably up the creek) and she's about 180 years old. Allegedly. But is obviously producing far better stuff than Vaughn Williams could manage at 80. (Bitch, bitch ...)
Tonight, Lord H is at his last theology class of the term, and I'm planning to do a bit more on "The Gifting". Famous last words, eh ... And I've just finished Margaret Gill's book for teenagers - "The Eye of the Mandala". Great plot, lots of action and some good main characters. I enjoyed it.
Today's nice things:
1. The arty pots
2. Writing
3. Having a better Monday than expected (bloody hell!)
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
At lunch, I visited the new art exhibition - it's marvellous! Lots of pictures of gorgeously coloured pots and the sea. I was stunned and inspired by the use of colour and the energy of it all. There was some equally energetic real-live pots too - and a quirky, funny Nativity set which was large, and ugly-beautiful. Great stuff. The woman's a local artist apparently - lives in Compton - Mary Wondrausch is the name, I think (though my spelling is probably up the creek) and she's about 180 years old. Allegedly. But is obviously producing far better stuff than Vaughn Williams could manage at 80. (Bitch, bitch ...)
Tonight, Lord H is at his last theology class of the term, and I'm planning to do a bit more on "The Gifting". Famous last words, eh ... And I've just finished Margaret Gill's book for teenagers - "The Eye of the Mandala". Great plot, lots of action and some good main characters. I enjoyed it.
Today's nice things:
1. The arty pots
2. Writing
3. Having a better Monday than expected (bloody hell!)
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Monday, November 27, 2006
The minute queen
Spent the whole day typing up the minutes of last week's Student Affairs Committee meeting. I'm now the expert in whatever is going on which involves students. Hell. Can't see that lasting for long. It was a disaster of a morning - felt bloody depressed, so much so that I think I even managed to irritate my colleague, who is normally very cheery. Ah well.
Escaped from the drudgery at lunchtime and took a walk to the cathedral - where I bought myself a Childrens' Good News bible on the grounds that even if I don't like the words at least the pictures are nice. Also bought a gift book for myself called "356 blessings for women" - which gives me a paragraph and a brief bible quote for each day. That has pictures too, which is also nice. Bloody hell, that might be all I can cope with right now - we'll see.
The afternoon flowed much more smoothly - how I hate Monday mornings! I have decided to take things slowly and do fewer things involving parties and people. I think those just upset me, so why put myself through it?
This evening, Lord H is out at his theology class, at which the Bishop of Dorking (nice bloke, average sermons) will be presenting a talk on the Eucharist. Cue much joking about whether one has to kiss the bishop's ring or not. I advised not - either way! Tee hee. I'm hoping to get an odd line or two done on "The Gifting" sometime this evening, but I'm not pushing it. And I've had my fix of the "Strictly Come Dancing" update, hurrah! So I feel a little better - but for how long?
Today's nice things:
1. Buying a picture bible & gift book
2. TV
3. Getting the first draft of the minutes done.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Escaped from the drudgery at lunchtime and took a walk to the cathedral - where I bought myself a Childrens' Good News bible on the grounds that even if I don't like the words at least the pictures are nice. Also bought a gift book for myself called "356 blessings for women" - which gives me a paragraph and a brief bible quote for each day. That has pictures too, which is also nice. Bloody hell, that might be all I can cope with right now - we'll see.
The afternoon flowed much more smoothly - how I hate Monday mornings! I have decided to take things slowly and do fewer things involving parties and people. I think those just upset me, so why put myself through it?
This evening, Lord H is out at his theology class, at which the Bishop of Dorking (nice bloke, average sermons) will be presenting a talk on the Eucharist. Cue much joking about whether one has to kiss the bishop's ring or not. I advised not - either way! Tee hee. I'm hoping to get an odd line or two done on "The Gifting" sometime this evening, but I'm not pushing it. And I've had my fix of the "Strictly Come Dancing" update, hurrah! So I feel a little better - but for how long?
Today's nice things:
1. Buying a picture bible & gift book
2. TV
3. Getting the first draft of the minutes done.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
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