Ah, the joys of LEGO Star Wars. The painful stats: Number of pieces: 1,328 (approx.) Number of hours wasted in construction: about 7 Number of hours wasted in rebuilding after it fell apart: 2 Number of hours spent explaining that although, yes, OK, this is a toy, it’s not really designed to be played with: 612 Number of 8-year-old tantrums: …
Last minute tweaks
Final, tiny polish before submission tomorrow: exorcising last remaining anglicisms. I found one “pavement” and seven “autumns”. Damn. Thank God for search and replace. Scratching my head trying to think of other tell-tale signs…
Distractions and Prevarications
One of the many ways I have found to avoid doing any writing: indulge your children in utterly worthless and time-consuming (but fun) projects like this one: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDJlL6TSNgI]
Next hurdle jumped
Big news today. We heard from Emma Sweeney, the US literary agent in New York who has been reading the manuscript of Paradise. She was on holiday last week in Maine. What was she doing in Maine, you might ask? (Well, you might.) I’ll tell you: apparently she was reading my book, and apparently she liked it. Bruce has written …
If it's not one thing…
… Having resolved the knotty issue of what to call myself, we move seamlessly on to the question of the novel’s title… BtA likes “Paradise”, as do I, but we know there’s something better out there. Just gotta work out what it is. I have volunteered to trawl through barbershop lyrics in search of the perfect title. If you’ve ever …
A New Man?
I feel like a new man. Not sure if anyone remembers this post, but after much thought and deliberation, it has been decided by the powers-that-be that henceforth I shall be A.H. George. Not exactly an earth-shattering difference. Still, I like the initials. And it is still me. (Although I did like someone’s idea of using the very rock n’ …
Movin' On
Just a quick note to announce that a new website, and new blog, are in the works. I have been spending the last few weeks polishing the manuscript and it’s about ready to go back to Bruce the Agent, and out to publishers. Also, we’re off to France for two weeks as of tomorrow. Am debating whether or not to …
Developments
Much frenetic emailing between yours truly and Bruce the Agent. BtA had a couple of technical issues he wanted to see addressed. (I’m guessing he had some traumatic encounters with Baptists at some point in his life.) All good points, though, hopefully accomplished without too much pain. Some issues have proven a little knotty to nail down – one of …
The Oracle Has Spoken…
So, just as I was getting ready to post a blog wondering how long I should wait before I started to pester Bruce the Agent and quizzing him as to how he was getting on with the book, lo and behold he writes. He’s read it. The good news, dear reader, is that he likes it. He had one or …
Domestic Violence, Not
I know this is going to sound odd. I just made my wife cry – and it’s the best news I’ve had all day. She’s reading the book (again), and has this evening finally got to uncharted territory for her – right towards the end of the book. There’s a scene there that I almost pulled, worried that it might …