More January sales and a new publisher

Book News:

Much to my delight, gay comic romance Angels and Airheads, which was originally published by Torquere Press but went out of print last year, is to be republished by Musa Publishing, so I'm really excited by that. I've just now sent the signed e-contract back so it's great to be part of their line-up.

At the same time, the January book sales are still here, so don't miss out! You can get 40% off ALL my Untreed Reads books, provided you enter the coupon code NEWYEAR at the checkout.

Plus you'll find 25% off ALL my Lulu Books, so long as you search for my name and enter the code LULUBOOKUK305 at the checkout. Hurrah!

In terms of books yet to be published, I've now uploaded the first chapter of children's book The Origami Nun onto the Biblical Fiction website, so I hope you enjoy the beginning of that story.

Over at Vulpes Libris Reviews, you can see my opinion on Nicci French's novel Complicit - a book which at the very least does tell us what not to do at a crime scene. You never know - this could come in useful one day ...


Here are meditation poems so far this week:


Meditation 608
That deadly correlation
between holiness
and possessions

makes those of us
who don’t quite
have enough

appear distinctly second-class
just for the lack
of brass.


Meditation 609
Truth is not found
in the great number
of people who tell you
a thing.

It is as small
and delicate
as a bird
about to take wing;

therefore be still
and wait, trusting
for its magic
to sing.


Meditation 610


Ahab

All day he waits
for death,
that single pointed fire
in the joints
singing him to darkness

and when it comes
at last
its accompaniment
is the flash and wild flame
of the fast fading sun.


Life News:

I'm working odd days this week due to an important meeting at work on Friday, so I do feel rather unsettled. Really, the only thing lying between me and complete lunacy is my familiar routine, ah well.

Still, it was utterly lovely to meet Jane H (hello, Jane!) at Costa Coffee in Godalming for a few drinks and a chat yesterday. Though we were both rather overcome by the sheer size of the large cappuccino I ordered - makes mental note to go for the medium sized one next time. Really, what with the amount of caffeine in my system, I didn't manage to scrape myself entirely off the ceiling for hours, hey ho.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Biblical Fiction
Gay Reads UK

Monday gloom and the book group

Am utterly suffused by Monday gloom today, groan. Maybe it’s the time of year. Or (more likely) probably just me. Double groaning. Am so bad today in fact that I am barely able to communicate with the outside world at all and have taken to opening my eyes wide and sighing as a means of conveying the angst. Words being a concept entirely beyond me at the moment. Somebody pass me the smelling salts. The Quiet Life pills and the Rescue Remedy just ain’t working, dammit.

Anyway, I have struggled through the working day by clamping firmly down on the need to run screaming through the campus and by focusing on the shadowy complexities of last week’s minutes instead. Which are many and varied. Triple sigh.

And I’d only just managed to work out some headings for that particular delight (working out the headings of a set of minutes gives me a false illusion of control, and really I’d be nothing without my false illusions …) when I had to go and minute the monthly steering group meeting as well. At least that’s more familiar territory and I know roughly what might happen. Less to write down too, thank goodness. But I really don’t like having two sets of minutes to deal with – it feels as if they’re weighing down my head and I’ll never be able to see over the top of them.

In the meantime, Ruth has very kindly put together my new document holder for me, which means I don’t have to balance my old one on top of two reams of paper. Mind you, it took a lot of brute force and cursing, and we quickly abandoned the instructions. Made no sense to anyone. Anyway, I’ve tightened up the hinges and it’s in the right position now. So hopefully my neck/shoulder problems will be better. Hey, we live in hope.

Mind you, I’ve managed to sneak in a Starbucks decaff cappuccino special and that has been total bliss. I think it’s something to do with the foam. It’s the only thing getting me through the day, slowly slowly …

Tonight, it’s the University book group and we’re looking at Per Petterson’s wonderful novel, Out Stealing Horses. My favourite of the group choices so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing what other people think. And who knows – by then I may even have worked out how to communicate with other human beings again. Hmm, don’t wait up is my advice.

Once home, I’m planning to slump in front of the TV, though I fear there will be some ironing to do. Then again, when is there not?

Today’s nice things:

1. Illusions of control
2. Starbucks coffee
3. The book group
4. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - battling through the day ...