Reflexology and a publication date

Ooh, I’m definitely on the mend now – am sneezing again, which is always a good sign. Bizarrely. Apart from if I was suffering from the plague of course. One hopes that isn’t the case. Though, if I’d been anywhere near Suffolk recently, I’d certainly be worrying about bird flu …

Had a lovely email last night from Rhian at the Crimeficreader blog (http://itsacrime.typepad.com) – whom I remember meeting a few years back at a crime writing workshop run by the Annual Writers Conference (http://www.writersconference.co.uk). Always nice to catch up with people and, if she thinks it’s acceptable, I might send her over “A Dangerous Man” for review when (see below!) it’s published … Apparently, my writing at the time shocked and impressed her. Hard to say if that’s a good thing or a bad one of course! But, Rhian, if you’re reading – finish that Issy novel one day, please. You know you want to …

Chuntered along at work well enough today. At lunchtime, I had my rescheduled reflexology session from last week – bliss as usual, though I could have done without the long cold walk across campus to get there. And during the afternoon, I had a meeting with the Advice Centre about changes they’d like to their website. I do like fiddling around on the Care Services web pages (http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/scs) but having to use Portal is really limiting. Which is something of a shame for a University which prides itself on its technological capabilities. Ah well, in the educational world, budgets are always tight …

Tonight, it’s Guildford Writers (http://www.guildfordwriters.net) – but I've decided it's best for me and my nose to stay out of the public arena. I was beginning to terrify people at work with the vigour of my nasal passages ... Which is a shame as I was looking forward to it tonight - I'll have to try to get there for the next meeting though, as March is a GWs' wash-out due to evening appointments, holidays and work conferences, and I won't then see any of them till April.

And there's some great news on the onward journey of "A Dangerous Man" towards the light: Flame (http://www.flamebooks.com) tell me that review copies should be sent out next week, with the proposed publication date being February 16 February, on which day it will - all things being equal - be available to buy via their website. Argghh!! Cue whoops of joy and cries of startled horror - at the same time. Joy as it will be out at last, and horror as, ye gods, somebody might read it and know what I spend 90% of my waking hours thinking about. Well, one has to have something salacious to ponder over while one is minuting meetings, after all. I mean, no child has ever come running into its parents saying, "Hey, I really want to be a Minutes Secretary when I grow up", has it? There, I rest my case ...

Ooh, and I've just finished reading R.N. Morris' "A Gentle Axe" - a complex and interesting historical crime novel, with a steamy look at the dark side of 1860s' St Petersburg life. Well worth a read. At the same time, I've just finished the latest version of Envoi magazine (http://www.home-education.org.uk/envoi/) which is, I think, much better since Cinnamon Press took over. Though there is still way too much poetry about nature which takes you nowhere, and which I find too dull even to finish. I think if you have to write about nature, then at least let it lead you to some human or personal revelation - pretty words by themselves just don't grab me. Poetry has to mean something else - not just what it appears to be saying - otherwise, what's the point?

Today’s nice things:

1. Reflexology
2. The email from Crimeficreader
3. Getting an actual publication date for "A Dangerous Man"!

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