Feeling rather drained today and am hoping to lie low at work and not get involved with anything. Or anyone. So no change there then. In fact Lord H and I are thinking of starting up our own secret Hermits’ Society – it’s just a shame we probably can’t ask anyone to join, as it would rather defeat the object. Ah well.
In the midst of all that, I’m vaguely wondering about writing a long poem. Not something I’ve ever tackled before, or even thought of – as my usual approach is that if a poem doesn’t say what it wants to say in the first ten lines then it’s not worth reading on. It’s only a vague thought though, but we’ll see. UPDATE: I've started something, am quite enjoying it and will see how it goes.
And – relief! – the weather was good enough to go for a walk round campus at lunchtime. Which was much needed before settling down to take the minutes of the Nursery Group this afternoon. Actually, in spite of my child allergy, it’s not too bad a meeting to minute and usually ends early, which is nice. And the members tend to be the most complementary of all my meetings about what I provide in terms of notes etc, so that’s nice also. Always good to be appreciated here in the slow lane!
Oh and this week’s heroes are (a) the Health Centre – who saved someone’s life last week who was having a heart attack (huge well done to them!); (b) the Mayor of Mount Isa in Queensland who has a welcome ready for “beauty-impaired” women (hurrah!); (c) Andrew Marr for having lovely diction; (d) Gillian Magwilde from Bonekickers – what a super-heroine and a role model for us all indeed; (e) Mary Poppins for being practically perfect in every way; and (f) Team GB at the Olympics.
We’ve been rather confused this afternoon by the email from the Marketing department to let us know that they were stuffing polylopes with information for new students to be sent out tomorrow. We’d never even heard the word “polylope” before – but a swift piece of research tells us that it isn’t a type of antelope after all (sending an antelope with new student information on its horns would have been the ultimate in pizzazz for our forthcoming Freshers, I feel …), but simply an entirely polythene envelope. There you go then. Shame though.
Tonight I’m popping into see Gladys, who probably hasn’t realised I’ve been away at all. After a couple of weeks, it’ll definitely be time to refill the bird seed pot. UPDATE: actually she was really glad to see me and we had a half-hour chat, hurrah! Which was only marred slightly by the jolly Philippine nurse commenting on what large noses we both had and were we related? Hmm, time for me to rush to Queensland where I might be more appreciated, I feel ...
And later it’s the second episode of “Maestro” on TV – though I doubt Lord H will watch. He was traumatised by it last week – he hates it so when people struggle, whereas I was concentrating on the parts where they did well. Anyway, I’ve always rather fancied conducting – a marvellous way to get people to do what I tell ’em. Pause for evil laughter. Dream on, eh …
Today’s nice things:
1. Lunchtime walks
2. Thinking about a long poem
3. Polylopes
4. TV.
Anne Brooke
Anne's website
ANNE BROOKE BOOKS: Independent writer of modern fiction
Showing posts with label minutes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minutes. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Back to school ...
Oh Lordy, but going back to work after a bank holiday is hell!! Absolute hell! Have felt really twitchy and low (not sure you can be twitchy and low - but you know what I mean ...) all day. And, in the run-up to the start of term next week, there's so much ruddy stuff to do. Groan.
Spent most of the morning saying as little as possible and attempting to recover my professional face from the wastepaper bin I must have left it in last week. Honestly, but the cleaners should know by now to leave it on my desk for the start of Monday. Or in this case Tuesday ... I have also been attempting to sort out a structure for our new-look web pages (so don't hold your breath, people), chase up the outstanding appointments for the upcoming Freshers' Week, and trying to persuade people to turn up to Steering Group this lunchtime. The latter was something of a failure really, as only half of those who usually come turned up. So my "heading them off at the pass" skills could obviously do with an update. Bugger. And get me a faster horse. Afterwards, we had so many sandwiches left over, we could have fed the 5,000 with them. Without the need for a miracle. And I'm not even mentioning the muffins. Well, you wouldn't, would you ...
So, this afternoon, I have been struggling with the minutes for the meeting, trying to look bright and breezy (ho ho), and chewing my way through acres of muffin. (Steady, people, steady ...). What joy, eh. Roll on retirement. As they say.
Tonight, Lord H is gathering provisions at the shops, and we will be attempting to book our October holiday. North Wales, if you're asking. God, but I hope it doesn't rain every day while we're there! And I think there are a couple of comedies on TV later on, so will be glued to them. With my requisite glass of whisky. Or should it be gin tonight? Hell, we'll see ...
Today's nice things:
1. Muffins
2. Getting to the end of the day without screaming and jumping out of a window
3. TV.
Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Spent most of the morning saying as little as possible and attempting to recover my professional face from the wastepaper bin I must have left it in last week. Honestly, but the cleaners should know by now to leave it on my desk for the start of Monday. Or in this case Tuesday ... I have also been attempting to sort out a structure for our new-look web pages (so don't hold your breath, people), chase up the outstanding appointments for the upcoming Freshers' Week, and trying to persuade people to turn up to Steering Group this lunchtime. The latter was something of a failure really, as only half of those who usually come turned up. So my "heading them off at the pass" skills could obviously do with an update. Bugger. And get me a faster horse. Afterwards, we had so many sandwiches left over, we could have fed the 5,000 with them. Without the need for a miracle. And I'm not even mentioning the muffins. Well, you wouldn't, would you ...
So, this afternoon, I have been struggling with the minutes for the meeting, trying to look bright and breezy (ho ho), and chewing my way through acres of muffin. (Steady, people, steady ...). What joy, eh. Roll on retirement. As they say.
Tonight, Lord H is gathering provisions at the shops, and we will be attempting to book our October holiday. North Wales, if you're asking. God, but I hope it doesn't rain every day while we're there! And I think there are a couple of comedies on TV later on, so will be glued to them. With my requisite glass of whisky. Or should it be gin tonight? Hell, we'll see ...
Today's nice things:
1. Muffins
2. Getting to the end of the day without screaming and jumping out of a window
3. TV.
Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Rained-off golf and some quick PR
Frightful weather today, Carruthers. Honestly, no wonder Blair is going if he can't control the weather any more. Good riddance is what I say! Spent this morning typing up the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) minutes (at last!) and writing a press release for us. Which I have now sent off to the usual suspects. I'm hoping Writers' News (http://www.writersnews.co.uk) might take it, but I sent it off to the Surrey Advertiser as well with a heavy heart - knowing that I am always invisible to them. Sigh!
Because of the rain, we didn't bother with golf, but Marian & Siegi came to lunch instead, which was nice. If exhausting, as I am definitely socialised-out by now. Once again they're astonished we haven't been to church - get over it, people!! Why is it that the most hassle we're getting comes from people who haven't darkened a church door since their baptismal days??? Do church people provide some kind of insurance policy for the rest of the population, who can't take the shock to the system if we should dare to break the routine?? Really, sometimes you have to paddle your own Canute, as they say ... I'd be more phlegmatic about this peculiarity if I'd even been the sort of person who berates people for not being church-goers. But I've never been that, so I don't see why I should have to be berated for being a lapsed one. Double sigh!
Socially though, I can't take the pace - I'm utterly exhausted! So much so that I have flagged until later an email from one friend suggesting meeting dates, as I simply can't think about it today or possibly for the rest of this week, and ignored a phone call from another friend, who I haven't heard from for two years anyway so, to be frank, I'm not jumping to it now. The week to come stretches ahead like an oasis though - four nights in!!!! Hurrah!!! And the fifth night out is to the theatre with Lord H, so it's not like going out proper.
All this means that I have so much recorded TV to watch that I am never going to catch up with myself. I think I might have an aerial installed inside my head so I can just pick up programmes I want to see without the need for sitting in front of a television. That would be soooo convenient. I'm surprised it hasn't already been invented really.
Tonight, I'm going to fit in some historical viewing if I can, and also finish looking at the second part of the bizarre "Dalziel and Pascoe" story. And then get to bed as soon as I'm damn well able to.
This week's haiku:
From the train window:
Through grime and shadow,
two bay horses gallop, grass
and sunlight flying.
Today's nice things:
1. Staying in
2. Putting the house back the way it should be, post-lunch
3. TV.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.pinkchampagneandapplejuice.com
Because of the rain, we didn't bother with golf, but Marian & Siegi came to lunch instead, which was nice. If exhausting, as I am definitely socialised-out by now. Once again they're astonished we haven't been to church - get over it, people!! Why is it that the most hassle we're getting comes from people who haven't darkened a church door since their baptismal days??? Do church people provide some kind of insurance policy for the rest of the population, who can't take the shock to the system if we should dare to break the routine?? Really, sometimes you have to paddle your own Canute, as they say ... I'd be more phlegmatic about this peculiarity if I'd even been the sort of person who berates people for not being church-goers. But I've never been that, so I don't see why I should have to be berated for being a lapsed one. Double sigh!
Socially though, I can't take the pace - I'm utterly exhausted! So much so that I have flagged until later an email from one friend suggesting meeting dates, as I simply can't think about it today or possibly for the rest of this week, and ignored a phone call from another friend, who I haven't heard from for two years anyway so, to be frank, I'm not jumping to it now. The week to come stretches ahead like an oasis though - four nights in!!!! Hurrah!!! And the fifth night out is to the theatre with Lord H, so it's not like going out proper.
All this means that I have so much recorded TV to watch that I am never going to catch up with myself. I think I might have an aerial installed inside my head so I can just pick up programmes I want to see without the need for sitting in front of a television. That would be soooo convenient. I'm surprised it hasn't already been invented really.
Tonight, I'm going to fit in some historical viewing if I can, and also finish looking at the second part of the bizarre "Dalziel and Pascoe" story. And then get to bed as soon as I'm damn well able to.
This week's haiku:
From the train window:
Through grime and shadow,
two bay horses gallop, grass
and sunlight flying.
Today's nice things:
1. Staying in
2. Putting the house back the way it should be, post-lunch
3. TV.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.pinkchampagneandapplejuice.com
Monday, April 30, 2007
Steering Group and Book Circle
Was it just me or was last night's offering of "Kingdom" on TV slightly better than the week before? More jokes and sharpness, thank God. If they could only shake off the trappings of ruddy "Heartbeat", they'd be laughing. Oh and get rid of the irritating sister - a waste of space in my opinion. There, rant over. Phew
Have taken my calming pills to work today due to this evening’s University book circle discussion of A Dangerous Man (http://www.flamebooks.com). Am being good so far though and have only taken two. Am definitely saving two for later though – plus the Rescue Remedy spray. Oh, I’ve already taken one of those, darnit. And it’s only 11.45am. Ah well. Our family isn’t known for personal courage, you know. We always hide or indulge in dubious black market activities during war time. It’s in the genes. Anyway, thank you to all who’ve sent messages of support and good thoughts through the airwaves (and some funny ones too – thanks, Clayton – http://www.myspace.com/dwbsoho) – all very much appreciated. And, talking of which, I see the University Arts Office website has misspelt my name, so goodness knows how anyone’s going to be able to buy the book afterwards, should they wish to. Still, I’m used to that by now – sometimes my own mother misspells my name, so I’m lucky to have an identity at all really.
This morning, I have tidied up my emails, even dealing with some of them, and also updated parts of the website. So I’m not a complete quivering wreck, aha! It’s the Steering Group meeting at lunchtime, so I shall have to look knowledgeable about all sorts of stuff about which I know nothing. No change there then. But at least it will be something to do – and also nice to get back into some kind of work routine. Hurrah!
Spent the afternoon attempting to write the minutes up and hyperventilating. Maybe I’ll take one of my fluffy pens (possibly more!) with me tonight. I fear I may get stuck with Author’s Block – which is when you can remember absolutely nothing at all about a book you’re supposed to have written. Or is that just me? Or heck, I might even enjoy it – we’ll see. So maybe I should just stop moaning. For once. Ha! But then what would I blog about, eh??
Oh, and last night I hit 115,000 (exactly! Which appeals to my OCD tendencies sooo much!) words of The Gifting, with more plot to come. So there’s life in the old dog yet. Was even thinking about possible sequels – but whoah there! Let’s not run before I can walk. Have to edit the darn thing and then sell it yet. So at least four years’ work there, m’dears!
Sigh - we've got an email from the new vicar - addressed only to Lord H (hello? I've been leaving church for 18 months piece by piece, and not a single damn one of you has noticed??...) saying how sorry they are to lose him and if there's anything they can do to bring him back to St Peter's. Bloody hell, how about addressing a missive to Mrs Lord H? That might have bloody done it. Too late now though - and it's a shame, as the new vicar was human to me the only time I met him. Hmm, that trait must have been removed by now ... Ah well.
Anyway, I shall endeavour not to be bitter & twisted (though if you hear a scraping sound, it's probably the gnashing of my teeth ...), as there is good news below and I don't want to spoil it ...
Stop Press! Have just come back from the book circle. It was bloody brilliant!!! I utterly, utterly loved it and I utterly, utterly had a fantastic time!! So you all have full permission to beat me to a pulp with your keyboards until I beg for mercy for being a complete wimp. (I promise not to enjoy it). The group were lovely, they'd read the book, they'd got really into it, they couldn't stop talking and they asked loads of really interesting questions. Hurrah!! I even managed to sell one more copy, plus a copy of A Stranger's Table (http://www.poetrymonthly.com), so I am just soooo happy!
Today’s nice things:
1. Kind comments from nice blog readers – thank you!
2. Hitting the 115k word marker – precisely!
3. The book circle – hurrah!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Have taken my calming pills to work today due to this evening’s University book circle discussion of A Dangerous Man (http://www.flamebooks.com). Am being good so far though and have only taken two. Am definitely saving two for later though – plus the Rescue Remedy spray. Oh, I’ve already taken one of those, darnit. And it’s only 11.45am. Ah well. Our family isn’t known for personal courage, you know. We always hide or indulge in dubious black market activities during war time. It’s in the genes. Anyway, thank you to all who’ve sent messages of support and good thoughts through the airwaves (and some funny ones too – thanks, Clayton – http://www.myspace.com/dwbsoho) – all very much appreciated. And, talking of which, I see the University Arts Office website has misspelt my name, so goodness knows how anyone’s going to be able to buy the book afterwards, should they wish to. Still, I’m used to that by now – sometimes my own mother misspells my name, so I’m lucky to have an identity at all really.
This morning, I have tidied up my emails, even dealing with some of them, and also updated parts of the website. So I’m not a complete quivering wreck, aha! It’s the Steering Group meeting at lunchtime, so I shall have to look knowledgeable about all sorts of stuff about which I know nothing. No change there then. But at least it will be something to do – and also nice to get back into some kind of work routine. Hurrah!
Spent the afternoon attempting to write the minutes up and hyperventilating. Maybe I’ll take one of my fluffy pens (possibly more!) with me tonight. I fear I may get stuck with Author’s Block – which is when you can remember absolutely nothing at all about a book you’re supposed to have written. Or is that just me? Or heck, I might even enjoy it – we’ll see. So maybe I should just stop moaning. For once. Ha! But then what would I blog about, eh??
Oh, and last night I hit 115,000 (exactly! Which appeals to my OCD tendencies sooo much!) words of The Gifting, with more plot to come. So there’s life in the old dog yet. Was even thinking about possible sequels – but whoah there! Let’s not run before I can walk. Have to edit the darn thing and then sell it yet. So at least four years’ work there, m’dears!
Sigh - we've got an email from the new vicar - addressed only to Lord H (hello? I've been leaving church for 18 months piece by piece, and not a single damn one of you has noticed??...) saying how sorry they are to lose him and if there's anything they can do to bring him back to St Peter's. Bloody hell, how about addressing a missive to Mrs Lord H? That might have bloody done it. Too late now though - and it's a shame, as the new vicar was human to me the only time I met him. Hmm, that trait must have been removed by now ... Ah well.
Anyway, I shall endeavour not to be bitter & twisted (though if you hear a scraping sound, it's probably the gnashing of my teeth ...), as there is good news below and I don't want to spoil it ...
Stop Press! Have just come back from the book circle. It was bloody brilliant!!! I utterly, utterly loved it and I utterly, utterly had a fantastic time!! So you all have full permission to beat me to a pulp with your keyboards until I beg for mercy for being a complete wimp. (I promise not to enjoy it). The group were lovely, they'd read the book, they'd got really into it, they couldn't stop talking and they asked loads of really interesting questions. Hurrah!! I even managed to sell one more copy, plus a copy of A Stranger's Table (http://www.poetrymonthly.com), so I am just soooo happy!
Today’s nice things:
1. Kind comments from nice blog readers – thank you!
2. Hitting the 115k word marker – precisely!
3. The book circle – hurrah!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Friday, April 27, 2007
The editing queen
I have worked like a trooper today and deserve countless gold stars, I'm sure. Well, maybe one anyway. For starters. First off, I must say how much I enjoyed the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) meeting last night - it was really good in terms of (a) taking me out of my slough of despond, and (b) planning ahead for our two books of this year. It was also nice as Jennifer has read A Dangerous Man (http://www.flamebooks.com) now and says she thinks it's the best thing I've written. Thanks, Jennifer - actually I think so too (if I'm allowed - as a UK female - even to type that ...), though I know my two genres are very different. She might even be able to pop into the Book Circle discussion on Monday, which will be great as there's a woman who can talk (sorry, Jennifer!).
Anyway, our two books of this year are:
1. The Gawain Quest by Jay Margrave, which you can find here: http://www.goldenford.co.uk/main.pl?quest
or here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gawain-Quest-Medieval-Mystery/dp/0953161358/ref=sr_1_1/202-0915331-5590251?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177688801&sr=8-1
and which is, frankly, the best and raunchiest historical mystery you'll read in a long time. With a very punchy main character too. And I know because I edited it. It's available in June, but order now to avoid disappointment. As they say!
So this morning, I've typed up the Goldenford minutes and edited our autumn book, which is also our first non-fiction one - a quirky and extremely interesting book on weird and wonderful eBay sales entitled Sold ... to the Lady with the Lime-Green Laptop by Irene Black. It's great. I really enjoyed editing it. Wonderful pictures and stories behind the sales too. This one will be ideal for your Christmas reading/presents for sure. We're anticipating an August publication date for that one. So good for late summer hols too!
Ooh, and I've also received a very kind review of ADM from Roger Morris, author of "Taking Comfort" and "A Gentle Axe" (both available on Amazon and well worth a read) on the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) site here: http://www.writewords.org.uk/forum/97_141651.asp and which I reproduce below:
"Michael Jones, the dangerous man of the title, is driven by overwhelming ambition and desire: the ambition to make it as an artist, and the desire to show the world his true talent and vision by putting on the first ever exhibition of his drawings. (Surely a storyline that will resonate with many of us here on Writewords!) Michael is a complex and contradictory man: to begin with, here is an artist who seems to have a horror of colour. Indeed, the suppression of colour from his art is ominously intriguing. Colour, perhaps, is metaphor for truth, because the life Michael comes to live is only viable if he rigorously excludes the truth of his disturbing past. If art aims at self-expression, the artist who seeks to edit and trammel his self is heading for trouble.
What makes this scenario even more interesting is that Anne Brooke has chosen to make Michael her narrator. If there are things that Michael cannot admit to himself, then he’s certainly not going to share them with the reader. Connoisseurs of ‘the unreliable narrator’ take note.
There are layers of revelation and deceit in this novel. Confidences that are shared with some characters (Frank, the landlord at the Soho pub where Michael turns tricks to support his art habit) are withheld from others (notably Jack, Michael’s rich lover and benefactor). And then there are the things that no one is ever told, or at least not directly. But which surface nevertheless. We can’t help noticing the disturbing quirks of Michael’s behaviour, which hint at something dark in the past and something darker yet to come. The tensions that are set in play inevitably lead to violence, at which we may be shocked but not surprised. But there is also an uncontrollable outpouring of self-expression, a kind of rampage of artistic creation. Anne Brooke writes well about art, but of course we can never see Michael’s drawings. So we can never really know whether he has any talent as an artist. This is where her choice of Michael as narrator works particularly well. Is his self-belief justified? Or are those characters who are rather less enthusiastic about his work more to be trusted?
As we all know, the creative artist has to have a degree of self-belief, as well as self-will. Michael has both to excess. But does he have the necessary self-awareness? Possibly. At one point, commenting on his own ability to exploit an emotionally charged incident in his relationship with Jack, he confides to the reader: “Nothing we do is pure…” He then goes on to assert, perhaps protesting too much: “though I loved him, I swear it.” Michael’s best visual art, it seems, comes when he allows the difficult truth about himself to break through the emotional carapace that is, in fact, his greatest creation. But the process, of course, destroys him.
Anne Brooke tells a gripping story (at one point I missed my tube stop!) in a direct, conversational style that pulls you along. She is particularly good, I think, at delineating the power shifts and dynamics of Michael’s developing relationship with Jack. The honesty that a relationship demands is completely beyond Michael. The scene where Michael is introduced to Jack’s family is very well done, with the tension between Michael and Jack’s mother extremely well observed. Michael is dumbstruck by the family’s apparent ease together, even more than by their wealth. It turns out that the potential for happiness is a greater divider than class.
Although the author uses some of the tricks of a thriller writer to keep the reader guessing, I read ‘A Dangerous Man’ ultimately as a tragedy. Michael Jones may be guilty of wishing for too much, but we cannot help being moved by his fate. Given that he is in many ways a selfish and ‘unsympathetic’ character, this is a remarkable achievement."
Gosh, thanks, Roger. Hugely. More than hugely. And hey maybe it might tempt one or two more readers into the BSRS (Brooke Select Readership Society)! You never know. Come and join us ... you know you want to ... [cue creepy music and wild unearthly laughter, aha!]
Anyway, after all this I nipped into Godalming and bought a local paper and a present for my stepfather (birthday in May). I also bought a panicky last-minute present for a friend whose 40th birthday is on Tuesday, but I'd forgotten it was the big 4-0. Whoops. Ah well. It's in the post now, and I hope it's suitable, John!
My head is now throbbing with all this computer work. Might do some scribbling (by hand and on paper!) of The Gifting tonight, but don't count on it. I also have to think about the cleaning (argh, no, no!) and of course there's Friday TV comedy night to look forward to. And a weekend. Bliss.
Today's nice things:
1. Editing Irene's book
2. Roger's review of ADM
3. Being up-to-date with birthday obligations.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
Anyway, our two books of this year are:
1. The Gawain Quest by Jay Margrave, which you can find here: http://www.goldenford.co.uk/main.pl?quest
or here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gawain-Quest-Medieval-Mystery/dp/0953161358/ref=sr_1_1/202-0915331-5590251?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177688801&sr=8-1
and which is, frankly, the best and raunchiest historical mystery you'll read in a long time. With a very punchy main character too. And I know because I edited it. It's available in June, but order now to avoid disappointment. As they say!
So this morning, I've typed up the Goldenford minutes and edited our autumn book, which is also our first non-fiction one - a quirky and extremely interesting book on weird and wonderful eBay sales entitled Sold ... to the Lady with the Lime-Green Laptop by Irene Black. It's great. I really enjoyed editing it. Wonderful pictures and stories behind the sales too. This one will be ideal for your Christmas reading/presents for sure. We're anticipating an August publication date for that one. So good for late summer hols too!
Ooh, and I've also received a very kind review of ADM from Roger Morris, author of "Taking Comfort" and "A Gentle Axe" (both available on Amazon and well worth a read) on the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) site here: http://www.writewords.org.uk/forum/97_141651.asp and which I reproduce below:
"Michael Jones, the dangerous man of the title, is driven by overwhelming ambition and desire: the ambition to make it as an artist, and the desire to show the world his true talent and vision by putting on the first ever exhibition of his drawings. (Surely a storyline that will resonate with many of us here on Writewords!) Michael is a complex and contradictory man: to begin with, here is an artist who seems to have a horror of colour. Indeed, the suppression of colour from his art is ominously intriguing. Colour, perhaps, is metaphor for truth, because the life Michael comes to live is only viable if he rigorously excludes the truth of his disturbing past. If art aims at self-expression, the artist who seeks to edit and trammel his self is heading for trouble.
What makes this scenario even more interesting is that Anne Brooke has chosen to make Michael her narrator. If there are things that Michael cannot admit to himself, then he’s certainly not going to share them with the reader. Connoisseurs of ‘the unreliable narrator’ take note.
There are layers of revelation and deceit in this novel. Confidences that are shared with some characters (Frank, the landlord at the Soho pub where Michael turns tricks to support his art habit) are withheld from others (notably Jack, Michael’s rich lover and benefactor). And then there are the things that no one is ever told, or at least not directly. But which surface nevertheless. We can’t help noticing the disturbing quirks of Michael’s behaviour, which hint at something dark in the past and something darker yet to come. The tensions that are set in play inevitably lead to violence, at which we may be shocked but not surprised. But there is also an uncontrollable outpouring of self-expression, a kind of rampage of artistic creation. Anne Brooke writes well about art, but of course we can never see Michael’s drawings. So we can never really know whether he has any talent as an artist. This is where her choice of Michael as narrator works particularly well. Is his self-belief justified? Or are those characters who are rather less enthusiastic about his work more to be trusted?
As we all know, the creative artist has to have a degree of self-belief, as well as self-will. Michael has both to excess. But does he have the necessary self-awareness? Possibly. At one point, commenting on his own ability to exploit an emotionally charged incident in his relationship with Jack, he confides to the reader: “Nothing we do is pure…” He then goes on to assert, perhaps protesting too much: “though I loved him, I swear it.” Michael’s best visual art, it seems, comes when he allows the difficult truth about himself to break through the emotional carapace that is, in fact, his greatest creation. But the process, of course, destroys him.
Anne Brooke tells a gripping story (at one point I missed my tube stop!) in a direct, conversational style that pulls you along. She is particularly good, I think, at delineating the power shifts and dynamics of Michael’s developing relationship with Jack. The honesty that a relationship demands is completely beyond Michael. The scene where Michael is introduced to Jack’s family is very well done, with the tension between Michael and Jack’s mother extremely well observed. Michael is dumbstruck by the family’s apparent ease together, even more than by their wealth. It turns out that the potential for happiness is a greater divider than class.
Although the author uses some of the tricks of a thriller writer to keep the reader guessing, I read ‘A Dangerous Man’ ultimately as a tragedy. Michael Jones may be guilty of wishing for too much, but we cannot help being moved by his fate. Given that he is in many ways a selfish and ‘unsympathetic’ character, this is a remarkable achievement."
Gosh, thanks, Roger. Hugely. More than hugely. And hey maybe it might tempt one or two more readers into the BSRS (Brooke Select Readership Society)! You never know. Come and join us ... you know you want to ... [cue creepy music and wild unearthly laughter, aha!]
Anyway, after all this I nipped into Godalming and bought a local paper and a present for my stepfather (birthday in May). I also bought a panicky last-minute present for a friend whose 40th birthday is on Tuesday, but I'd forgotten it was the big 4-0. Whoops. Ah well. It's in the post now, and I hope it's suitable, John!
My head is now throbbing with all this computer work. Might do some scribbling (by hand and on paper!) of The Gifting tonight, but don't count on it. I also have to think about the cleaning (argh, no, no!) and of course there's Friday TV comedy night to look forward to. And a weekend. Bliss.
Today's nice things:
1. Editing Irene's book
2. Roger's review of ADM
3. Being up-to-date with birthday obligations.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Luggage? You must be joking …
Bloody BA. Bloody BA courier. What the bloody hell do they think they’re doing?? Honestly, they’re so thick they couldn’t stuff a bloody luggage trolley up their own arses and turn it. And how I wish I could do the deed for them – that would be sooooo satisfying. We waited up till nearly 11.30pm last night for the non-existent ruddy delivery, and I am shattered today as I then lay awake worrying about it. Their bag-tracking system & website information is bloody hopeless. It told me my case had landed in Gatwick and had been picked up by the courier between 6pm & 7pm. We waited for the promised phone call, but none materialised. Bloody hopeless bearing in mind they’d said we’d get the case yesterday.
Anyway, this morning, Lord H rang the BA baggage people who couldn’t understand why the case hadn’t been delivered. They then ran around like the proverbial and rang us back to tell us (a) they couldn’t get in touch with the courier as they wouldn’t answer the phone; (b) the case may have landed in Gatwick but it has to first be transported to Heathrow as the courier only works from Heathrow. (Ye gods – aren’t courier services supposed to travel??? Isn’t that what they’re for???); (c) The courier promises a six hour delivery turnround but only delivers up till midnight, so as the case arrived at Heathrow at 7pm, they didn’t action delivery as they couldn’t guarantee the six hour turnround as it was then only 5 hours to midnight. Ye gods!!!! Shouldn’t we have been told this information when we filled in our form at Gatwick on Saturday? Shouldn’t some so-called customer service representative at least have (a) updated the website with the correct information or (b) even had the courtesy to ring us to say they couldn’t deliver, and then name a date when they could?? It doesn’t take much to pick up a phone and give us those details. They’ve had our ruddy number after all!! I am sooooo pissedd off it’s almost untrue. After all, they could even have dropped the ruddy thing in on the drive between Gatwick and Heathrow – we’re only a few miles off the bloody M25 route between the airports after all!!
Anyway, Lord H asked them to deliver the case to his work address, but I’ve left notes with the neighbours just in case. I simply don’t trust BA or their bloody courier any more. They’re all bloody liars. Give me back my effing case!!!!!! It shouldn’t be this hard!!!! There’s definitely a big complaint letter and a demand for compensation coming on. Angry of Godalming? Just clear the ruddy route for me …
Rant over. For now ... Meanwhile, at work, I finished the first draft of yesterday’s minutes and by lunchtime was very much in need of my soothing Reflexology session. Somebody give me a chill pill … However I think the Reflexology worked as I felt much more grounded this afternoon – Emily is a miracle-worker indeed. Have spent most of the rest of the working day wondering where my luggage is – answer: we don’t know. Still. It was supposed to be delivered by 3pm to Lord H, but its absence continued apace. My working theory is that it’s doing a tour of UK airports and, having been to Gatwick and Heathrow, is now on its way to Luton. I have yet to have this theory confirmed however. Anyway, I cracked and I went shopping tonight to stock up on all the items I’ve been missing. At the very least, I shall buy a comb and stop looking like the Wild Woman of Borneo. Some hope there then.
On other fronts, Jo at the University Arts Office has confirmed my date with “A Dangerous Man” (http://www.flamebooks.com) at the University Book Circle on 30 April. Gulp. Heck, Michael and I will enjoy it, I’m sure. If he’s stuck, he can always scowl at people and draw something. So, I’ve done some marketing for that and hope that people will come along and talk. And the University bookshop is going to stock him too, so we’re both pleased about that. It's the first time in my whole writing life that any bookshop has actually rung me up and asked to stock something I've written!! Normally, I'm banging on their door, weeping and begging, while they hold it shut against me. So a Red Letter Day today then, and almost like being a real writer then...
Oh, and the lovely Lady Sister-in-Law-to-be (Lady S-I-L-t-b) (http://www.peterandsusan.co.uk/blogs/susansblog.asp) has just finished “A Dangerous Man” and has blogged a very generous review under 26 March, the second entry down. Which I have copied below also:
"I finished Anne’s book yesterday, ‘A Dangerous Man’. For the first few chapters of the novel it was constantly in the back of my mind that I knew the person who had written it and therefore I was thinking things like ‘I wonder how Anne came up with this idea’, ‘I wonder how she researched this bit’, etc etc.
However, as I progressed through the book these thoughts slipped away as the characters became real for me and took hold. I thought the novel was suspenseful, unsettling and well paced and took me into a world that is totally alien to me. Although the main character, Michael, is not your normal type of hero - in fact he is a very dark personality indeed - I felt a real empathy for him and I found myself rooting for him until the end (even when he had stepped over the boundary into criminality).
The final chapters of the book are gripping as the shadows that have been stalking Michael come to the surface and threaten to ruin his all too brief taste of success. As things head towards a climax there is a sense of foreboding and you become aware that the unattractive character, that is Jack’s mother, is feeling the same as you, the reader, that there is surely tragedy ahead for her son, Jack, and Michael. I thought the writing throughout was excellent, paticularly in the final more violent scenes, and I found it easy to visualise what was being played out in front of me. I was sorry to be coming to the end of the novel so I left the final few chapters until later in the day to savour reading them – what a sign of a good book that is!
Anne, if you are reading this, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and think that you have definitely found your genre! I look forward to reading The Gifting!"
Gosh. Thanks, Lady S-I-L-t-b – knowing how much you love dark books and your high standards, that means a huge amount. Thank you! And I think I’ve just outed your and Lord B-I-L’s real names. Sorry … And thank you again.
Tonight, I’m planning to watch “Life on Mars” and wonder where my luggage has got to. What an exciting life I lead for sure.
Stop Press! Update on the Godalming Luggage Crisis! When Lord H got home, he discovered a note through the door saying the courier couldn't raise anyone (have the downstairs neighbours all died? Oh no, I just saw one in the garden ...) and delivered my case to the house next door instead. Lord H retrieved this from the lovely lady there, but by the time I'd spoken to him I was already in the process of buying all my restocked items in the shop. I shall probably now not run out of anything till the next Millennium. At home, everything in the case looks intact, phew - even my triangular Madeiran house in a snowstorm. I am indeed an Arbiter of Taste ... But in the meantime, the BA Baggage Handlers have left three messages on our phone this evening saying they've asked the courier to take the luggage back to the depot and deliver it to our home address tonight. Frankly, m'dear, we here in the home counties don't give a fuck. And we're certainly not ringing up the bastards to say we've already got the delivery. So we wait with interest to see if any case will be delivered here tonight and, if so, whose it might be.
Ye gods, no wonder we lost the Empire, eh ...
Anyway, today’s nice things:
1. Lady S-I-L-t-b’s review of “A Dangerous Man” - thank you!
2. Reflexology
3. The University bookshop planning to stock Michael – hurrah!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Anyway, this morning, Lord H rang the BA baggage people who couldn’t understand why the case hadn’t been delivered. They then ran around like the proverbial and rang us back to tell us (a) they couldn’t get in touch with the courier as they wouldn’t answer the phone; (b) the case may have landed in Gatwick but it has to first be transported to Heathrow as the courier only works from Heathrow. (Ye gods – aren’t courier services supposed to travel??? Isn’t that what they’re for???); (c) The courier promises a six hour delivery turnround but only delivers up till midnight, so as the case arrived at Heathrow at 7pm, they didn’t action delivery as they couldn’t guarantee the six hour turnround as it was then only 5 hours to midnight. Ye gods!!!! Shouldn’t we have been told this information when we filled in our form at Gatwick on Saturday? Shouldn’t some so-called customer service representative at least have (a) updated the website with the correct information or (b) even had the courtesy to ring us to say they couldn’t deliver, and then name a date when they could?? It doesn’t take much to pick up a phone and give us those details. They’ve had our ruddy number after all!! I am sooooo pissedd off it’s almost untrue. After all, they could even have dropped the ruddy thing in on the drive between Gatwick and Heathrow – we’re only a few miles off the bloody M25 route between the airports after all!!
Anyway, Lord H asked them to deliver the case to his work address, but I’ve left notes with the neighbours just in case. I simply don’t trust BA or their bloody courier any more. They’re all bloody liars. Give me back my effing case!!!!!! It shouldn’t be this hard!!!! There’s definitely a big complaint letter and a demand for compensation coming on. Angry of Godalming? Just clear the ruddy route for me …
Rant over. For now ... Meanwhile, at work, I finished the first draft of yesterday’s minutes and by lunchtime was very much in need of my soothing Reflexology session. Somebody give me a chill pill … However I think the Reflexology worked as I felt much more grounded this afternoon – Emily is a miracle-worker indeed. Have spent most of the rest of the working day wondering where my luggage is – answer: we don’t know. Still. It was supposed to be delivered by 3pm to Lord H, but its absence continued apace. My working theory is that it’s doing a tour of UK airports and, having been to Gatwick and Heathrow, is now on its way to Luton. I have yet to have this theory confirmed however. Anyway, I cracked and I went shopping tonight to stock up on all the items I’ve been missing. At the very least, I shall buy a comb and stop looking like the Wild Woman of Borneo. Some hope there then.
On other fronts, Jo at the University Arts Office has confirmed my date with “A Dangerous Man” (http://www.flamebooks.com) at the University Book Circle on 30 April. Gulp. Heck, Michael and I will enjoy it, I’m sure. If he’s stuck, he can always scowl at people and draw something. So, I’ve done some marketing for that and hope that people will come along and talk. And the University bookshop is going to stock him too, so we’re both pleased about that. It's the first time in my whole writing life that any bookshop has actually rung me up and asked to stock something I've written!! Normally, I'm banging on their door, weeping and begging, while they hold it shut against me. So a Red Letter Day today then, and almost like being a real writer then...
Oh, and the lovely Lady Sister-in-Law-to-be (Lady S-I-L-t-b) (http://www.peterandsusan.co.uk/blogs/susansblog.asp) has just finished “A Dangerous Man” and has blogged a very generous review under 26 March, the second entry down. Which I have copied below also:
"I finished Anne’s book yesterday, ‘A Dangerous Man’. For the first few chapters of the novel it was constantly in the back of my mind that I knew the person who had written it and therefore I was thinking things like ‘I wonder how Anne came up with this idea’, ‘I wonder how she researched this bit’, etc etc.
However, as I progressed through the book these thoughts slipped away as the characters became real for me and took hold. I thought the novel was suspenseful, unsettling and well paced and took me into a world that is totally alien to me. Although the main character, Michael, is not your normal type of hero - in fact he is a very dark personality indeed - I felt a real empathy for him and I found myself rooting for him until the end (even when he had stepped over the boundary into criminality).
The final chapters of the book are gripping as the shadows that have been stalking Michael come to the surface and threaten to ruin his all too brief taste of success. As things head towards a climax there is a sense of foreboding and you become aware that the unattractive character, that is Jack’s mother, is feeling the same as you, the reader, that there is surely tragedy ahead for her son, Jack, and Michael. I thought the writing throughout was excellent, paticularly in the final more violent scenes, and I found it easy to visualise what was being played out in front of me. I was sorry to be coming to the end of the novel so I left the final few chapters until later in the day to savour reading them – what a sign of a good book that is!
Anne, if you are reading this, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and think that you have definitely found your genre! I look forward to reading The Gifting!"
Gosh. Thanks, Lady S-I-L-t-b – knowing how much you love dark books and your high standards, that means a huge amount. Thank you! And I think I’ve just outed your and Lord B-I-L’s real names. Sorry … And thank you again.
Tonight, I’m planning to watch “Life on Mars” and wonder where my luggage has got to. What an exciting life I lead for sure.
Stop Press! Update on the Godalming Luggage Crisis! When Lord H got home, he discovered a note through the door saying the courier couldn't raise anyone (have the downstairs neighbours all died? Oh no, I just saw one in the garden ...) and delivered my case to the house next door instead. Lord H retrieved this from the lovely lady there, but by the time I'd spoken to him I was already in the process of buying all my restocked items in the shop. I shall probably now not run out of anything till the next Millennium. At home, everything in the case looks intact, phew - even my triangular Madeiran house in a snowstorm. I am indeed an Arbiter of Taste ... But in the meantime, the BA Baggage Handlers have left three messages on our phone this evening saying they've asked the courier to take the luggage back to the depot and deliver it to our home address tonight. Frankly, m'dear, we here in the home counties don't give a fuck. And we're certainly not ringing up the bastards to say we've already got the delivery. So we wait with interest to see if any case will be delivered here tonight and, if so, whose it might be.
Ye gods, no wonder we lost the Empire, eh ...
Anyway, today’s nice things:
1. Lady S-I-L-t-b’s review of “A Dangerous Man” - thank you!
2. Reflexology
3. The University bookshop planning to stock Michael – hurrah!
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Branding, minutes and more reviews
Relatively early to bed last night, so feel much less like a squeezed-out sponge today, thank goodness. Mind you, I’ve been feeling specially cheered by “A Dangerous Man” (http://www.flamebooks.com/) reader reactions, including Jane H’s brother, who thought it was excellent (thanks, Jane’s brother – much appreciated!) and Ruth at work who thought it was terrifying and gripping (thanks, Ruth!). Both comments mean a lot.
Also, Rhian from Crimeficreader (http://itsacrime.typepad.com/) has at last received a copy of ADM for reviewing – the first one is still wandering around Wales somewhere – and says she thinks Flame have done an excellent job on the look and layout. Yes, I think so too – so thanks to Flame for that. Now, all I have to do is wait for Rhian’s review … scary …
I’ve also managed to get the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk/) minutes done – we’re looking forward to the publication of Jay Margrave’s “The Gawain Quest” in June, and are also looking into our first non-fiction book, focusing on eBay sales. It’s nice to ring the changes, and I hope they both do well. They deserve to. Oh, and in case anyone is curious, as of this point “Pink Champagne and Apple Juice” has sold 104 copies since last June. This may be small fry to you big hitters out there, but I’m always pleased when I go over the 100 marker. Believe me, it doesn’t happen often. Oh, and … um … actual sales of “A Stranger’s Table” (http://www.poetrymonthly.com) – rather than those I’ve given away as review copies or presents – is six. Which just goes to show that (a) poetry doesn’t sell, no matter how many awards you may have won for the contents, and (b) you should never produce two books in one month, as one will suffer big-time. Well, I’ve certainly learnt my lesson there, believe me!
This lunchtime, we had the Student Support Services Branding Project meeting – which isn’t, as Lord H thinks, a cunning plan to brand students when they join so we always know which department to send them back to. No, even we in the shires aren’t that cruel. Yet … aha! No, we’re trying to link different support services across our very higgledy-piggedly campus together so students can access everything they might need when they see our new brand sign. This should prevent them getting lost and milling round weeping. Oh no, sorry, that’s what I do when I can’t find my way (again) to the Management School. I have, as Carol at work tells me, special geographical needs … heck, I always knew it! All that said, it was a really good meeting (shock! horror!) – I feel quite inspired about our hoped-for improvements. Lots of website & new brochure stuff for me to do – I like to get my teeth stuck into something. Hope it works out all right.
Oh, and joy! Les M at the meeting told me (with real astonishment in his voice) how good the poems in “A Stranger’s Table” were – heck, that’s cheered me up no end as regards the poetry! Now if only I can persuade him actually to buy something …
And, talking of which, I’ve (possibly sadly?) written a poem about Michael. Maybe this is another way of saying goodbye. Again, we’ll see. Here it is:
A Dangerous Man – a final act
I want to write something
to say you’ve been here,
both friend and enemy
at different times,
sometimes at the same time.
You’ve never been dull,
even when I have been so.
Gripping, seductive, wild
in a way I can never be,
you’ve enticed me away from my self
towards a deeper self
I’d never know before.
You’re a part of me,
you see,
though I set you
as a man apart,
someone I talk to
in my mind’s dark caverns,
someone who talks to me,
whose story I can tell,
have told now.
Michael, you’re still so close
that I can feel you moving
under my skin.
My blood pulses with yours,
your limbs align to mine.
You’re the life I’ve never dared
to live
and at the heart of it we are one:
my tantalising shadow
to the sun.
Tonight, I’m worshipping at the great Tesco’s mall, and then it’s an evening in – at last! Might try to catch up on “Life on Mars” which I videoed yesterday. We’ll see.
Today’s nice things:
1. Getting nice reader feedback for “A Dangerous Man” & “A Stranger’s Table” – hurrah!
2. Michael finally arriving in Wales successfully – phew!
3. Selling 104 Champers all in all.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com/
Also, Rhian from Crimeficreader (http://itsacrime.typepad.com/) has at last received a copy of ADM for reviewing – the first one is still wandering around Wales somewhere – and says she thinks Flame have done an excellent job on the look and layout. Yes, I think so too – so thanks to Flame for that. Now, all I have to do is wait for Rhian’s review … scary …
I’ve also managed to get the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk/) minutes done – we’re looking forward to the publication of Jay Margrave’s “The Gawain Quest” in June, and are also looking into our first non-fiction book, focusing on eBay sales. It’s nice to ring the changes, and I hope they both do well. They deserve to. Oh, and in case anyone is curious, as of this point “Pink Champagne and Apple Juice” has sold 104 copies since last June. This may be small fry to you big hitters out there, but I’m always pleased when I go over the 100 marker. Believe me, it doesn’t happen often. Oh, and … um … actual sales of “A Stranger’s Table” (http://www.poetrymonthly.com) – rather than those I’ve given away as review copies or presents – is six. Which just goes to show that (a) poetry doesn’t sell, no matter how many awards you may have won for the contents, and (b) you should never produce two books in one month, as one will suffer big-time. Well, I’ve certainly learnt my lesson there, believe me!
This lunchtime, we had the Student Support Services Branding Project meeting – which isn’t, as Lord H thinks, a cunning plan to brand students when they join so we always know which department to send them back to. No, even we in the shires aren’t that cruel. Yet … aha! No, we’re trying to link different support services across our very higgledy-piggedly campus together so students can access everything they might need when they see our new brand sign. This should prevent them getting lost and milling round weeping. Oh no, sorry, that’s what I do when I can’t find my way (again) to the Management School. I have, as Carol at work tells me, special geographical needs … heck, I always knew it! All that said, it was a really good meeting (shock! horror!) – I feel quite inspired about our hoped-for improvements. Lots of website & new brochure stuff for me to do – I like to get my teeth stuck into something. Hope it works out all right.
Oh, and joy! Les M at the meeting told me (with real astonishment in his voice) how good the poems in “A Stranger’s Table” were – heck, that’s cheered me up no end as regards the poetry! Now if only I can persuade him actually to buy something …
And, talking of which, I’ve (possibly sadly?) written a poem about Michael. Maybe this is another way of saying goodbye. Again, we’ll see. Here it is:
A Dangerous Man – a final act
I want to write something
to say you’ve been here,
both friend and enemy
at different times,
sometimes at the same time.
You’ve never been dull,
even when I have been so.
Gripping, seductive, wild
in a way I can never be,
you’ve enticed me away from my self
towards a deeper self
I’d never know before.
You’re a part of me,
you see,
though I set you
as a man apart,
someone I talk to
in my mind’s dark caverns,
someone who talks to me,
whose story I can tell,
have told now.
Michael, you’re still so close
that I can feel you moving
under my skin.
My blood pulses with yours,
your limbs align to mine.
You’re the life I’ve never dared
to live
and at the heart of it we are one:
my tantalising shadow
to the sun.
Tonight, I’m worshipping at the great Tesco’s mall, and then it’s an evening in – at last! Might try to catch up on “Life on Mars” which I videoed yesterday. We’ll see.
Today’s nice things:
1. Getting nice reader feedback for “A Dangerous Man” & “A Stranger’s Table” – hurrah!
2. Michael finally arriving in Wales successfully – phew!
3. Selling 104 Champers all in all.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com/
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Handbooks and mad professors
Busy bee today - hardly had time to go to the loo at all. Which was probably a good thing bearing in mind the extreme chill of the day. Spent the whole of the morning redoing the mentoring handbook and fiddling around with fonts. There's nothing like a good font fiddle to get the blood racing really. I do so love getting my teeth into a good secretarial task. Just like the old days when I used to do audiotyping and take letters etc. Marvellous. In fact, I was twice asked my opinion on how to do a Word task today, and found myself saying phrases like "source data" and "interactive textboxes". Goodness, how impressed we all were - me most of all. Sometimes I even sound like I know what I'm talking about, and have to lie down for half an hour in a darkened room to recover. It's what they always say - if you can spout the right language in the right context, you can fool 99% of the people. But don't worry - at heart, I still don't have a bloody clue.
Spent a happy, if exhausting, lunch-hour at my back strengthening class. I think the honeymoon period is over for sure now, as we were stretching parts of our quivering bodies that not even the trainer was sure we had. Mind you, I think we gained several inches in height afterwards, so by the time our five-week course is over, no doubt we'll all be 7 foot, blonde and ten years younger. It's amazing what the University sports centre can do for you ...
This afternoon, I minuted an extraordinary meeting of the Student Affairs Committee - which was a riot: an hour of intense conversation which included several inspirational thoughts (mainly from my boss, who's a top-class ideas man); followed by five minutes at the end when our professorial chair (bless!) told us what was in fact going to happen as, because it wouldn't be like last year anyway, he'd already decided what to do. Well, perhaps he didn't say that in so many words, but that was the gist ... My, how they all laughed. Not. Mind you, I do love a man who can run rings around everyone on the politics front, and it's always a pleasure to see a star performance, in any circumstances. And at least he can now say, hand on heart, that the discussion has ... um ... taken place. Kind of.
The delights of food shopping after work, then home to TV and collapse. Oh, and the rejection from Smith's Knoll poetry magazine has arrived - but goodness, they're slack this year; they've taken a whole six days to return my envelope. My my, dears, I'd get your act together if I were you. Anyone would think you'd actually considered the stuff ... Mind you, they did say they'd like to see more, so I can't be too scathing, I suppose. (On second thoughts, nah, being nice wouldn't be natural.) Maybe they can save me paper & money next time by sending me my poems back before I've actually written them? Now, that would impress me.
And I've had some nice comments on the section of "The Gifting", which I uploaded onto the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) site a few days ago - which is a boost, as I wasn't sure about that particular piece. Best get on with some more writing then sometime.
Today's nice things:
1. The back class
2. Doing secretarial stuff
3. Getting nice comments on Writewords.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Spent a happy, if exhausting, lunch-hour at my back strengthening class. I think the honeymoon period is over for sure now, as we were stretching parts of our quivering bodies that not even the trainer was sure we had. Mind you, I think we gained several inches in height afterwards, so by the time our five-week course is over, no doubt we'll all be 7 foot, blonde and ten years younger. It's amazing what the University sports centre can do for you ...
This afternoon, I minuted an extraordinary meeting of the Student Affairs Committee - which was a riot: an hour of intense conversation which included several inspirational thoughts (mainly from my boss, who's a top-class ideas man); followed by five minutes at the end when our professorial chair (bless!) told us what was in fact going to happen as, because it wouldn't be like last year anyway, he'd already decided what to do. Well, perhaps he didn't say that in so many words, but that was the gist ... My, how they all laughed. Not. Mind you, I do love a man who can run rings around everyone on the politics front, and it's always a pleasure to see a star performance, in any circumstances. And at least he can now say, hand on heart, that the discussion has ... um ... taken place. Kind of.
The delights of food shopping after work, then home to TV and collapse. Oh, and the rejection from Smith's Knoll poetry magazine has arrived - but goodness, they're slack this year; they've taken a whole six days to return my envelope. My my, dears, I'd get your act together if I were you. Anyone would think you'd actually considered the stuff ... Mind you, they did say they'd like to see more, so I can't be too scathing, I suppose. (On second thoughts, nah, being nice wouldn't be natural.) Maybe they can save me paper & money next time by sending me my poems back before I've actually written them? Now, that would impress me.
And I've had some nice comments on the section of "The Gifting", which I uploaded onto the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) site a few days ago - which is a boost, as I wasn't sure about that particular piece. Best get on with some more writing then sometime.
Today's nice things:
1. The back class
2. Doing secretarial stuff
3. Getting nice comments on Writewords.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Monday, January 29, 2007
Film city
Another sick day, ye gods. Will they ever end?!? Woke up way too early this morning feeling like shit. Nothing weird - or at least no weirder than normal - just a rather nasty cold and the old catarrh problem. Hurrah - not. What I should have done of course was drag myself up when I woke in order to start on the first of today's Lemsips, but foolishly I ignored the issue and stayed in bed till I felt doubly worse. So no work today - which makes me feel guilty as I should have been minuting the Steering Group which had a special guest appearance from our new registrar, and it means Ruth probably had to do it instead, and she's snowed under anyway. Still, it couldn't be helped.
The day has also brought no significant improvement, I have to say - I didn't even bother getting dressed, which is most unusual. Still, at least I managed to wash, at about 2pm when the energy levels rose slightly. Must be the ley lines, or some such nonsense ... I also typed up - slowly - the writing I did over the weekend, but couldn't be arsed to do anything else remotely creative beyond that. Instead, I attempted - and largely failed - to do some sudoku and the odd crossword, and spent the rest of the day watching the video/DVD. Films viewed: (a) Down with Love. Verdict - badly written, badly acted shit. To be brutal. Which was pretty astonishing since it starred Renee Zellweiger (or however you spell it ...) and Ewen MacGregor (however you spell that ...). I wouldn't bother, if I were you. (b) My Beautiful Laundrette - which is always a class act no matter how often you see it. You can't really go wrong with a young Daniel Day Lewis with his kit off. Phew - hot stuff. I even forgot to finish my Lemsip with that one. Oo-err, missus (c) Sense and Sensibility. Ah, perfect. And it has the utterly gorgeous Alan Rickman, so what more do you need? As always, I cried like a baby at the end. I am such a wimp.
Lord H came home after work with fresh stocks of ginger beer, Lucozade and the essential chocolate buttons - which are the only things which make being ill worthwhile. Tonight, he's out at his theology class, continuing to look at ethics (ah, if only we had some ...), so I think I'm going to slump once more in front of the TV and watch my video of Emma. Well, now I've unearthed the Jane Austen theme, I might as well stay the course ... And I can drool over the adorable Jeremy Northam, which will cheer me up once more.
God, I hope I'm better tomorrow, though at the current moment, I'm not confident.
Today's nice things:
1. Films
2. Chocolate
3. Ginger beer
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
The day has also brought no significant improvement, I have to say - I didn't even bother getting dressed, which is most unusual. Still, at least I managed to wash, at about 2pm when the energy levels rose slightly. Must be the ley lines, or some such nonsense ... I also typed up - slowly - the writing I did over the weekend, but couldn't be arsed to do anything else remotely creative beyond that. Instead, I attempted - and largely failed - to do some sudoku and the odd crossword, and spent the rest of the day watching the video/DVD. Films viewed: (a) Down with Love. Verdict - badly written, badly acted shit. To be brutal. Which was pretty astonishing since it starred Renee Zellweiger (or however you spell it ...) and Ewen MacGregor (however you spell that ...). I wouldn't bother, if I were you. (b) My Beautiful Laundrette - which is always a class act no matter how often you see it. You can't really go wrong with a young Daniel Day Lewis with his kit off. Phew - hot stuff. I even forgot to finish my Lemsip with that one. Oo-err, missus (c) Sense and Sensibility. Ah, perfect. And it has the utterly gorgeous Alan Rickman, so what more do you need? As always, I cried like a baby at the end. I am such a wimp.
Lord H came home after work with fresh stocks of ginger beer, Lucozade and the essential chocolate buttons - which are the only things which make being ill worthwhile. Tonight, he's out at his theology class, continuing to look at ethics (ah, if only we had some ...), so I think I'm going to slump once more in front of the TV and watch my video of Emma. Well, now I've unearthed the Jane Austen theme, I might as well stay the course ... And I can drool over the adorable Jeremy Northam, which will cheer me up once more.
God, I hope I'm better tomorrow, though at the current moment, I'm not confident.
Today's nice things:
1. Films
2. Chocolate
3. Ginger beer
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Monday, January 22, 2007
Oranges and poetry
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
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
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Reflexology, religion and guilt
A dull day in the office today. Most people were out in the morning and I was the only chicken left for a while. Last one out turn the lights off, eh?... Managed to get some more minutes sorted and continued reading about religions and higher education. Today’s focus: Christianity. The content of the brochure didn’t fill me with much confidence though, especially as the writer appeared to be splitting hairs between the religion of Jesus (aka live as the historical Jesus lived) and the religion about Jesus (aka live with Jesus as an inner spiritual presence). Well, that’ll muddle the pew-dwellers for sure. Ye gods, what’s wrong with having both? Why does everything have to be an either/or situation? And what the hell does it all mean anyway?? I know I’m not very keen on the whole Christianity circus right now, but even I know that’s not an issue that keeps the Pope (or indeed the Archbishop) awake at night. It makes me wonder about the accuracy of the other brochures though …
Anyway, the desert of the day was punctuated by the oasis of reflexology at lunchtime. Much-needed bliss. Wish the therapist might be able to make me feel better about the ruddy publishing world, as well as physically, while she’s at it. But I accept that may well be beyond her remit, or even skills.
Tonight, it’s our first Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) meeting of 2007, and I’m supposed to be doing the minutes as usual. But I have to admit that I really don’t feel up to it at the moment, as yesterday’s rejection winded me and I’m still feeling raw – and not only that but my last half hour at work was spent having something of a contretemps with a colleague, which left me feeling pulped. Not that I did the sensible thing and said something reasonable about it at the time though – no, being me, I went for the laugh it off and lie option, so I now feel doubly shit. And at home, I’ve been hit by a wave of depression (hurrah – what a jolly evening I’m having, folks!) so I’m really not capable of going out tonight. Luckily one of my fellow Goldenford directors has said she’ll take minutes - so thank you hugely, Irene (http://www.thisthatfromireneblack.blogspot.com). However, I am still overcome with guilt at not going when I really should. Oh well, Dr Tim in the depression book tells me that guilt is better than resentment or exhaustion, so I suppose I’ll just have to live with it.
Oh, and I’ve written my first piece of flash fiction for a long time – which feels okay. Haven’t done that for months, possibly years. At least it makes me feel like I’m being creative in a fictional sense, rather than staring at my novel and weeping at the hopelessness of it all. Bloody hell, never say I don’t over-emote. Anyway, here is the piece:
Telephone list:
When the phone rang, she smiled. He always rang on Fridays. Today his call was not unwelcome. Stepping over congealing blood and just a hint of smashed bone, she picked up the receiver. ‘Good morning. May I help you?’ After a pause, she spoke again. ‘Oh yes. You were next on my list of people to see,’ she said. ‘Do come round.’
Oh, and for good measure, here’s another one:
The lesson:
‘What do you mean you don’t have the instructions?’ Grimes hissed, glancing at the couples passing by on the lane only a few yards away. Miranda felt her face redden. ‘I thought you had them,’ she whispered. ‘Aren’t you always telling me you’ll take care of the technical stuff?’ ‘Yes, but …’ he paused and she watched spittle form at the corners of his mouth. ‘How are we going to get the stash if we don’t know where it’s hidden?’ ‘I dunno,’ she shrugged. ‘We’ll have to search for it, I suppose.’ With a sigh, Grimes leaned over and began to rummage in the nearest dustbin. ‘Stupid cow,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll teach you a lesson later for sure.’ Miranda just smiled and felt her fingers close round the cold, metal bar in her pocket.
Today’s nice things (you see, Elle – I remembered!):
1. Reflexology
2. Writing two pieces of flash fiction
3. Not being at work right now.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
Anyway, the desert of the day was punctuated by the oasis of reflexology at lunchtime. Much-needed bliss. Wish the therapist might be able to make me feel better about the ruddy publishing world, as well as physically, while she’s at it. But I accept that may well be beyond her remit, or even skills.
Tonight, it’s our first Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) meeting of 2007, and I’m supposed to be doing the minutes as usual. But I have to admit that I really don’t feel up to it at the moment, as yesterday’s rejection winded me and I’m still feeling raw – and not only that but my last half hour at work was spent having something of a contretemps with a colleague, which left me feeling pulped. Not that I did the sensible thing and said something reasonable about it at the time though – no, being me, I went for the laugh it off and lie option, so I now feel doubly shit. And at home, I’ve been hit by a wave of depression (hurrah – what a jolly evening I’m having, folks!) so I’m really not capable of going out tonight. Luckily one of my fellow Goldenford directors has said she’ll take minutes - so thank you hugely, Irene (http://www.thisthatfromireneblack.blogspot.com). However, I am still overcome with guilt at not going when I really should. Oh well, Dr Tim in the depression book tells me that guilt is better than resentment or exhaustion, so I suppose I’ll just have to live with it.
Oh, and I’ve written my first piece of flash fiction for a long time – which feels okay. Haven’t done that for months, possibly years. At least it makes me feel like I’m being creative in a fictional sense, rather than staring at my novel and weeping at the hopelessness of it all. Bloody hell, never say I don’t over-emote. Anyway, here is the piece:
Telephone list:
When the phone rang, she smiled. He always rang on Fridays. Today his call was not unwelcome. Stepping over congealing blood and just a hint of smashed bone, she picked up the receiver. ‘Good morning. May I help you?’ After a pause, she spoke again. ‘Oh yes. You were next on my list of people to see,’ she said. ‘Do come round.’
Oh, and for good measure, here’s another one:
The lesson:
‘What do you mean you don’t have the instructions?’ Grimes hissed, glancing at the couples passing by on the lane only a few yards away. Miranda felt her face redden. ‘I thought you had them,’ she whispered. ‘Aren’t you always telling me you’ll take care of the technical stuff?’ ‘Yes, but …’ he paused and she watched spittle form at the corners of his mouth. ‘How are we going to get the stash if we don’t know where it’s hidden?’ ‘I dunno,’ she shrugged. ‘We’ll have to search for it, I suppose.’ With a sigh, Grimes leaned over and began to rummage in the nearest dustbin. ‘Stupid cow,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll teach you a lesson later for sure.’ Miranda just smiled and felt her fingers close round the cold, metal bar in her pocket.
Today’s nice things (you see, Elle – I remembered!):
1. Reflexology
2. Writing two pieces of flash fiction
3. Not being at work right now.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
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
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Art, religion and children
Not the ideal mix, but there you go. Staggered nobly into work today once more, and attempted to look like a keen administrator ready for anything. Ha! My acting skills sometimes astound even me … The morning was spent going through brochures on major world religions and how these affect student life, so I am now the acknowledged expert. At least within the four walls of the office and while I can remember the stuff, so best ask any questions today as by tomorrow all that wisdom will have vanished.
Also posted a copy of “Champers” to Diane from MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/detoxnurse) today – so thanks, Diane, and I hope you enjoy the read! If not, I promise to try to improve for next time … I also picked up a late Christmas card from an artist, Michael Strang (http://www.michaelstrang.com) who exhibited at the University last year. I wrote a poem about one of his pictures at the time, and he saw a copy of it and liked it, so was kind enough to drop a line of thanks. His pictures are great, in my opinion, so take a look at the site and enjoy!
Come the afternoon, come the next meeting of the Nursery Management Group. Groan. Definitely not my favourite, as (a) I never quite know what’s going on as it’s run by Human Resources, and they are of course a mystery to us all, Gawd bless ’em, and (b) I hate children. Indeed, I am the only member of the group that’s never actually seen the nursery, and I’m determined to hold fast to that act of faith as long as I’m able to. Still, I’m only there to take the minutes, so meeting a child isn’t a requirement. Phew. And, talking of which, the HR woman who runs it has suddenly announced that she's off on maternity leave in March. Hope she uses the ruddy nursery if she comes back ... And just what is wrong with people anyway?! Anyone would think children were desirable, or is it just me ...? No, don't answer that! I was so confused by it all on my way home that I tried to get into the wrong car in the University car park. Still, all black Fiestas look alike to me and there were three of them all together. Safety in numbers, I imagine.
Tonight, I intend to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV and do as little as possible. Might even turn the TV on, if I can find the energy. I need the rest, as it happens - as there was another rejection waiting my return. Sigh. This time from Arcadia Books for "Maloney's Law." Still, at least they didn't try to overegg the pudding by trying to be nice - an omission for which I am as always more than grateful.
Today’s nice things:
1. Posting a copy of “Champers” to Diane
2. Getting a Christmas card from Michael Strang
3. Not having to meet a child.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Also posted a copy of “Champers” to Diane from MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/detoxnurse) today – so thanks, Diane, and I hope you enjoy the read! If not, I promise to try to improve for next time … I also picked up a late Christmas card from an artist, Michael Strang (http://www.michaelstrang.com) who exhibited at the University last year. I wrote a poem about one of his pictures at the time, and he saw a copy of it and liked it, so was kind enough to drop a line of thanks. His pictures are great, in my opinion, so take a look at the site and enjoy!
Come the afternoon, come the next meeting of the Nursery Management Group. Groan. Definitely not my favourite, as (a) I never quite know what’s going on as it’s run by Human Resources, and they are of course a mystery to us all, Gawd bless ’em, and (b) I hate children. Indeed, I am the only member of the group that’s never actually seen the nursery, and I’m determined to hold fast to that act of faith as long as I’m able to. Still, I’m only there to take the minutes, so meeting a child isn’t a requirement. Phew. And, talking of which, the HR woman who runs it has suddenly announced that she's off on maternity leave in March. Hope she uses the ruddy nursery if she comes back ... And just what is wrong with people anyway?! Anyone would think children were desirable, or is it just me ...? No, don't answer that! I was so confused by it all on my way home that I tried to get into the wrong car in the University car park. Still, all black Fiestas look alike to me and there were three of them all together. Safety in numbers, I imagine.
Tonight, I intend to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV and do as little as possible. Might even turn the TV on, if I can find the energy. I need the rest, as it happens - as there was another rejection waiting my return. Sigh. This time from Arcadia Books for "Maloney's Law." Still, at least they didn't try to overegg the pudding by trying to be nice - an omission for which I am as always more than grateful.
Today’s nice things:
1. Posting a copy of “Champers” to Diane
2. Getting a Christmas card from Michael Strang
3. Not having to meet a child.
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk
Monday, October 23, 2006
Morning strop and Goldenford event
Completely lost it this morning prior to work - spilt my whole breakfast tray, fruit juice 'n' all, off the breakfast bar and over myself, and then went on a 10 minute swearing bout whilst Lord H hid in the bath. I was just soooo cross, and all the frustrations of the last month (no news from Flame Books - http://www.flamebooks.com - on the publication date of "A Dangerous Man"; no news on whether anyone likes "Maloney's Law; no word from my agent - http://www.sff.net/people/john-jarrold/about.html - on publisher responses to "Thorn in the Flesh"; no news on whether Pighog Press - http://www.pighog.co.uk - like my poetry collection; the general feeling of being a failed writer and nothing literary ever working out for me - God) spilt over into a frenzy of rage and tears. Lord, and I hate Mondays anyway. Thank goodness, Lord H and I managed to have some kind of healing conversation before we both had to get out of the flat.
The rest of the day was pretty crap, all in all. We were in a room the temperature of an ice-box for the Steering Group lunchtime meeting, and I just got worse and worse, health-wise. By the time the meeting was over, I felt like lying down and giving up entirely. But necessity meant I struggled through the beginning of the write-up - though my boss took pity on me (thank you, David!) and said I didn't have to minute the last item, which was very confusing and went on for ages, as it would all be changed soon anyway. Lord, I must have looked sick ...
This evening, I was at the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) "Crossing the Genre" event at Barclays - part of the Guildford Book Festival (http://www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk). It went surprisingly well - but how I hate doing these things as I'm not a natural at presentations - and Lord H, Liz & Robin turned up (huge thank you, guys ...) - and we even sold some books, though not "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice unfortunately. Lord H made me feel terribly humble as he turned up with an identical version of the shirt he thought I might have ruined this morning - Lord, he's way too nice for me, which is something I've always known of course!.... But it was great to see him, and our day has ended well. Marriage - where would I be without it, eh? And it was nice that one of the Barclays people said how much she was enjoying "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" and looking forward to seeing how things went. And - even better news! - they've invited us back for a Christmas reading event at the end of November. Result!
Today's nice things:
1. Lord H's kindness
2. The Goldenford Barclays event
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
The rest of the day was pretty crap, all in all. We were in a room the temperature of an ice-box for the Steering Group lunchtime meeting, and I just got worse and worse, health-wise. By the time the meeting was over, I felt like lying down and giving up entirely. But necessity meant I struggled through the beginning of the write-up - though my boss took pity on me (thank you, David!) and said I didn't have to minute the last item, which was very confusing and went on for ages, as it would all be changed soon anyway. Lord, I must have looked sick ...
This evening, I was at the Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) "Crossing the Genre" event at Barclays - part of the Guildford Book Festival (http://www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk). It went surprisingly well - but how I hate doing these things as I'm not a natural at presentations - and Lord H, Liz & Robin turned up (huge thank you, guys ...) - and we even sold some books, though not "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice unfortunately. Lord H made me feel terribly humble as he turned up with an identical version of the shirt he thought I might have ruined this morning - Lord, he's way too nice for me, which is something I've always known of course!.... But it was great to see him, and our day has ended well. Marriage - where would I be without it, eh? And it was nice that one of the Barclays people said how much she was enjoying "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" and looking forward to seeing how things went. And - even better news! - they've invited us back for a Christmas reading event at the end of November. Result!
Today's nice things:
1. Lord H's kindness
2. The Goldenford Barclays event
Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
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