Marketing Queen and a Thorn review

Came in in Lord H’s car today as he’s kindly taking mine in for a service, so had to pop into Security to get a car pass and attempt to negotiate my way into a space. I’m only used to driving Fiestas, you see – the Laguna is like driving a tank. A tank that’s rather more in control than I am. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve killed anyone yet –though as it’s so big I can’t really tell what I’m driving over …

Anyway, at work I’ve been plunged straight into the thick of various marketing mini-projects today, and sorting out papers for meetings this week – well, at least it meant I didn’t have to stress the fact of Monday morning too much, hurrah! It was nearly lunchtime by the time a natural pause occurred.

I’m also fighting off a horribly large fly (I hate flies and wasps and bees etc with a passion) which insists on using my head as a landing pad. Now if only the Dean were here, he’d sort it out for me – he’s a whizz on insect maintenance in the office – but sadly he’s away, so I have to keep shrieking, flapping the air with an old brochure and failing entirely to kill the damn thing, Curses. Not only that, but Starbucks has no sandwiches and I haven’t bought in my own lunch today. For once. Double dammit. The petrol crisis is beginning to make its mark, you know. I may have to resort to a blueberry muffin and looking sadly at Carol’s Ryvitas instead. Sigh.

Ooh, but the lovely and talented Mick Dementiuk has given me a boost with a review of Thorn in the Flesh which I include here:

“I have just finished Thorn in the Flesh by Anne Brooke; unfortunately it’s not available in the USA but well worth the effort to get it from a publisher who doesn’t deal with Amazon. A nicely well-done story; had me on the edge of my seat and I really hated the villain after I found out who he was. But what kind of re-telling of the Oedipus/Electra complex story is this? A great one, if you ask me. That question has been in our minds since the earliest of times and Anne Brooke has simply retold the tale nicely leading us deeper and deeper in the story until we can do nothing but answer in rage at what was being done to the heroine and the characters around her.”

Thanks, Mick – much appreciated. It's nice to get positive feedback for sure.

I wandered round the campus at lunchtime – always lovely to sit by the lake and listen to the chaffinches. And to look for sandwich crumbs of course. Not to mention psyching myself up for the journey home. I’ll pop into see Gladys on my way back and see if she likes me any better this week. I’m not holding my breath – she could only bear about five minutes of me last time. Still, who can blame her?

Meanwhile here’s a poem:

Thursley Common

These flat lands, stretching
to the distant line of poplars,
hold me up to the sky.

I am embroidered in light
by dragonflies, dancing
diamond-winged over water.

Like them, I follow your lead,
watch the hobby split the air
and expand the heart.


And tonight, there’s a programme on Charles Dickens’ private life. Culture and naughtiness – hell, what more do you need?

Today’s nice things:

1. The Thorn review
2. Lunchtime walk
3. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Goldenford Publishers