I’m just waiting for my beta-reader to finish the manuscript of The Night Bus – the collection of poems and short stories I hope to publish later this month – with my fingers crossed that any further editing will be quick and painless. But what of the book I said I was just finishing, a couple of months ago?
Ah, yes. Having had my first beta-reader go through A Good Place and my mulling over both the feedback from their Red Biro Of Doom and my own thoughts about parts of it I already felt weren’t really strong enough, I’ve decided to sit on it for a while and then go back and change a few things. Well, okay, a lot of things. A huge number of things, maybe. In the meantime, I shall concentrate again on The Assassin’s Garden which continues to make steady progress in the background, and which slowly becomes more complex month by month.
And I was struck by something I heard on an interview with Phillip Pullman on Sunday TV, after the screening of the first episode of His Dark Materials; (which was excellent, BTW) he commented that after the books he had already written and published, His Dark Materials was the book, and by inference the world, he had always wanted to create. And I feel that way about the world I’m creating in The Assassin’s Garden. It both is this world and is not this world, with elements of both the fantastic and of fantasy (disclaimer – my definitions of those may not be exactly the same as yours!). And it feels like the culmination of all the fantastical elements I’ve ever written into stories in the past.
And don’t forget if you’ve already read Making Friends With the Crocodile and not left a review on Amazon / Goodreads / Anywhere else, I would be eternally grateful if you did. It’s a really important way of reaching others who might be interested in buying the book.
Is it time to open the wine, yet?
My glass is ready…..pour away
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I’ll do my best!
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As it happens I’ve just opened a bottle of Malbec – a Thursday ritual – one glass, half full, never empty – cheers to prose and poetry and The Night Bus coming through.
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Thank you! And cheers!
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Always a tense time, waiting for a reader’s response. Take care.
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Thanks, Jan. Chewing fingernails…
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Good luck with it! 🙂
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Thanks, Val.
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Just tonight, I downloaded “Making Friends with the Crocodile”, and hope to read it within the week … I will definitely leave a review on Amazon, and GoodReads. Looking forward to The Night Bus!!!
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Ooh, thanks Jill! I really hope you like it!
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I’m betting I will … now all I need is a few more hours in a day!!!
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That, I can’t do anything about.
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Drat! I was hoping you had some magic spell that would give me, say, another 6 hours in each day! 😉
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If I had that, I’d already be using it.
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Congrats on your progress. Yes, it’s time to celebrate.
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Thanks, Miriam. Not quite there yet…
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You’re welcome, Mick. It’s one step closer.
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Sounds like you’re juggling a lot of work but it must be so worthwhile and stimulating as it’s all your own work. Exciting times to be close to getting completion on a few of those projects.
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Sometimes it feels like one step forwards and two steps backwards, but I’m reasonably sure the collection will be out soon, at least.
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Must be hard work but at least everything you do is just for your own stuff.
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That’s true. Nothing I can blame on anyone else, though…
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Better late than never – just left a review on Amazon. And yes, it is always time to open the wine.
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Ooh, thanks, Peppy. Best open it now, then…
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Great news, Mick!
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Thanks, Pam.
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It’s always time to open the wine!
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Yes!
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Sounds like you’ve been busy. I struggle to write a blog post.
And you don’t need a major occasion to open a bottle of wine (or home brew). 😉
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Thanks, Dave. I take that as permission granted, then.
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