Launches, Lemsip and Lucozade

Book News:

Much to my relief, the launch party for The Gifting went surprisingly well last night. I was a total jelly beforehand, taking 2 sets of Quiet Life pills to try to achieve normality, and going to the loo at least 16 times before it began - but in the end everyone who was able to come seemed to enjoy it, hurrah. And, hey, I even sold some copies, plus a selection of my backlist - and even some poetry, well gosh! - so I think I've actually made a small profit. Gosh indeedy, that doesn't happen often! And everyone - as they always do once you can get them there - loved the quirky charm and fascination of Godalming Museum, which is one of the town's best kept and most interesting secrets. Definitely worth a visit if you're passing through at any time ...

Plus I met the lovely Hilary from Vulpes Libris for the first time, which was a delight - and Hilary very kindly bought me a puffin in a snowglobe to add to my growing collection - thank you, Hilary, and I absolutely love it!

And my evening was truly complete to find my first official review of The Gifting - many thanks, Amos - that's very much appreciated.

Here's the next line of The Gifting:

She is in mourning, but he knows it is time for her mourning to end.

Though, as it's Isabella we're talking about here, we can never really be sure ...

This week, The Art of the Delaneys also gained a review at Three Dollar Bill Reviews - thank you, Indigene. And I've finished off my edits to my literary romance, Dido's Tale, and have sent that back to Bluewood Publishing.

NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.

Talking of tricky situations, I must say I'm rather irritated by the attitude of The Society of Authors, who have decided to offer me Associate Membership only as my e-publishing and small press print-on-demand record are not deemed good enough for Full Membership. Hmm, not much reactionary nonsense there then ... Ho hum. Talk about making an author feel good (um, not)! Anyway, I've complained about this approach - which does seem to discriminate against a lot of perfectly reasonable authors just because they're not with the "mainstream" press - but I don't expect a positive response, as I suspect the modern times may not have caught up with them yet. Ah well.

This week's meditations are:




Meditation 545
The Philistines
are an uncertain folk.
They decide one thing
and then another.

Firstly, King David’s
a noble bloke
and then his fame’s
not worth the bother.

So when you sit
making up your mind,
weighing the scales
of what to do

stick with the choice
you eventually find,
take a deep breath
and see it through.




Meditation 546
The people of Israel
rejoiced so much
they brought
numerous sheep to kill

which gave all the folk
a party or two
but, for the sheep,
something less of a thrill.


Life News:

Good news! The house in Elstead has accepted our revised offer (double hurrahs!) and we are back on the trail of conveyancers and mortgage surveys, the latter of which takes place today. Though I must say our initial visit to our new conveyancer was rather downbeat as the receptionist couldn't have been more disinterested in us if she'd tried - I hope the actual solicitor is rather more enthusiastic ... This is the third time we've been in this position over the last year, so I'm really hoping it's third time lucky, please God. I can't take yet another disappointment ...

We've also had a lovely coffee and chat with the neighbours upstairs whom we didn't manage to get to see at our previous party - so hello, Lesley & Kit, and we must catch up again some time.

Less good news (for me, selfishly) - though it's totally brilliant for her! - is that my lovely colleague at work, R, has been promoted in the echelons of management and will therefore be moving upstairs, in every sense. It's wonderful news, but heck I'm really going to miss her ... Selfish sob! The office begins to be a vast desert with only a faithful few left, alas ...

With my mind still on the concept of change, but on a far more trivial level, I'm sorry to see the end of the first series of the very classy crime drama Scott & Bailey on Sunday night TV. Fantastic to see three strong female leads in any programme, and I'm going to miss them hugely. There'd better be a second series or I'll have to chain myself to something at ITV, perish the thought.

Meanwhile, the thrush family outside the spare room window is thriving - we think there are two or possibly three chicks in the nest and they're making rapid progress, which is delightful. They seem to have no fear of us opening and shutting the window though we're trying to be as quiet as possible. I really hope our neighbourhood fox (lovely though he also is) doesn't get them.

Oh, and post-launch, I have a stinking cold, dammit!!! So I'm on the Lemsip, Lucozade & Sudafed run, and hoping a miracle cure arrives shortly. Still, whilst I'm snorting and snuffling into my tissues (delightful image, I know ...), I can ponder on the mysteries of why on earth my phone isn't being hacked at the moment (shocking though the facts of the matter appear to be), seeing as everyone else's apparently is - can it be that my life is really so incredibly dull?? Hmm, I must start making more interesting calls, obviously ...

Anne Brooke