Judging by the comments on the previous post, (I nearly said 'last post' in the cause of linguistic simplicity, but that could mean at least two other things - such is the necessary nerdiness of the writer!) Inner Editors and Inner Critics, the discussion I linked to touched some tender spots in other writers as well as in me. Writers Girl's right, of course, a chill pill's what's needed for your Inner Critic. The difficulty is in recognising the IC, because s/he's a master of disguise. And then there's the difficulty of getting him/her to swallow the damn pill. After all, anyone with enough confidence in themselves to write in the first place can ignore him, can't they, let alone someone who's bagged a prize, a contract, a royalty cheque?

Well, yes, as they say, and then again, no.


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So it seems I have the dubious honour of posting the first review. Shame, then, to have to open with a caveat: this is not a new book, nor is it one that I read all that recently. The review itself appeared in a Belgian magazine a few months ago. That said, On Trying To Keep Still is a book that I continue to foist on everyone I know. Including you, dear reader.

Having enjoyed Jenny Diski’s essays in the London Review of Books for some time now, I only began to take notice of her properly in recent months. In particular, her wry piece on online “virtual worlds” captured my attention, and it was a happy coincidence that a few weeks later, a friend sent me the link to her blog (jennydiski.typepad.com). Diski’s subtly scathing entry on Bloomsbury’s reaction to the imminent demise of the Harry Potter franchise (“I wonder if much of their Harry Potter profit has gone on literary fiction, on keeping books in print rather than dumping them as soon as the sales drop, on developing new authors who will not be writing best sellers…”) clinched it for me. I promptly hopped onto Amazon and ordered On Trying To Keep Still.

In addition to her journalistic work, Diski has an impressive eight novels, two travel memoirs, two collections of essays and a volume of short stories to her name. On Trying To Keep Still is inspired by Montaigne’s observation, made in 1580, that “it seemed the greatest favour I could do for my mind was to leave it in total idleness.”

Diski’s attempt to achieve perfect idleness resulted, interestingly, in a year of travel. From a few weeks in New Zealand to two months in an isolated Somerset cottage and finally to the Arctic Circle, where she meets the Sámi people of Lapland, Diski peppers her book with digressions on spiders, fundamentalism and her childhood desire for ‘a condition’, as well as ruminations on ageing, a sore foot and her troubled relationship with her mother.She is by turns endearingly grumpy, vulnerable and amusing. I laughed out loud at her account of what it is to find oneself at the centre of a Maori greeting ceremony (“A twenty-minute choreographed assault by young men in loincloths making testosteronic gestures, offering violence against you… [while] behind them, women do much the same thing, though you sense that their presence has more to do with equal rights within the ethnic group than authentic Maori warrior behaviour. And we white international authors, properly liberal, stood in our best or least creased party clothes, smiling gratefully for the assault… Heritage, of course, but if a group of young men behaved like that to me anywhere else in the world, I’d have been inclined to tell them to fuck off and stamp on their bare feet”). On a gentler note, I sympathized with her almost comical dread of going out (“The weight of the thing-that-is-going-to-happen sits on my heart and crushes the present into non-existence. My ability to live in the here and now depends on not having any plans, on there being no expected interruption”). Despite the occasional reference to Nietzsche and Camus, On Trying To Keep Still is a wonderfully engaging read: a book to be savoured on those days when getting out of bed seems unduly overrated.


Little, Brown, 2006, 304 pp.ISBN: 978-1-84408-016-8




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Some good news on the book front! Goldenford are keen to publish Thorn in the Flesh early next year, possibly around February/March time so thanks very much, Golden Girls (or Golden Goddesses, as we now like to be known ...). It'll be lovely to get another book out in the public domain. It's also a quite unusual one for me as (a) my main character is a woman (b) she's bisexual and (c) there's only one - straight - sex scene in it. Well, poor Kate has so much else going that she doesn't have time for that kind of stuff. She's too busy trying to stay alive. Here's the working blurb:

"Kate Harris, a lecturer in her late thirties, is attacked in her Surrey home and left for dead. When she recovers, in order to face the threats she begins to receive, she is forced to journey into her past to search for the child she left behind. Can she overcome the demons of her own personal history and protect those she loves before it’s too late?"

And, before you ask, yes it is set in Godalming. Where else??! Well, somebody has to try to write the ultimate Godalming novel, and it might as well be me, eh!...

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This is just a mini update. I simply had to say: I love my web designer . . . I really, really do! She’s fantastic and full of surprises! She already has the new updates posted on my site! I figured I’d see them in a weeks time, but I came home from school to a pleasant surprise. You can now check out the “Fun Stuff” section of my site for activities and things to keep you, or your little ones, busy. Also the “About the Author “ section has been updated, and now includes a section that shares my inspiration for writing Laura and the Leprechauns. I hope you enjoy the changes. Also, the reviews I’ve received so far have been posted as well. You can access them from the homepage of my site. I hope you’ll drop by to visit, and feel free to leave any comments, feedback, or suggestions you may have on my “Contact” page. I’d really love to hear from you! Now, I’m off to bed for the night. Guten nacht. Take care and I’ll be in touch soon!

Amber
http://www.chrysalispress.com

Heard some birdsong in the garden this morning which we hadn’t heard before – but couldn’t see what was causing it, darn it. Lord H’s comment was : Goodness me, a bird with a different ring tone. How strange! Which makes me wonder if he’s quite got the hang of nature …

Anyway, wild panics at work today when we appeared to start the University open day with nothing to show potential students at all, at least in terms of care services. Sally and I rushed around and did a quick recce – as we feared that the porters might have taken the open day boxes to the library instead of where they should have been in the IT building (as we also had a care services library event later on) – but in fact we eventually found out they’d put the boxes in the IT building store cupboard. Yes, it’s a mystery to us all. But at least we had something on our table apart from free pens and a wild-eyed staff member. Eventually ...

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HOORAY! My two advance copies of Laura and the Leprechauns finally arrived! I’m absolutely tickled with the final product! It’s amazing to see the difference between the quality of digital printing compared to offset printing. There really is no comparison—offset printing wins hands down. The glitter accents make a big difference too. I’m glad I stuck it out and found a printer that could do the glitter. As of now, (until the entire shipment arrives), I plan to keep one copy for myself and the other one I will send to Amazon.com so that they can do the “Search Inside” program. I’m curious as to which pictures they will choose to display. So far I’ve only selected two pictures—other than the cover—to share on some blog sites. I am also considering submitting my book on Google Books, but I’m not completely sold on the idea yet. I’d like to get some advice from my editor who is more knowledgeable in these areas, so I’ll wait and see. I heard back from my web designer about the updates, and it’s a go! Everything I designed can be done, she just has to do the programming for it. I was very happy to hear this. She plans to start on the project next week so you should see some new content soon. I look forward to hearing your comments about the additions.

Another great thing that has been happening is that I’ve been receiving fabulous reviews from readers of the Advanced Review Copies I sent out to those who answered an ad I placed in Dan Poynter’s Marketplace newsletter. These customer reviews are from teachers, professional reviewers, and people who simply love to read books. They received a promotional package containing a bookmark, postcard, press release, author photo and the all-important ARC that I still had available after my submissions to the main book reviewers in the industry. But I have been so touched by the customer responses! I had no idea this book would be received as well as it has been, but it definitely has my spirits up! It’s a great feeling to know that people appreciate something you love to do and put so much time and effort into. And this book creation process has definitely been a journey. I’ll be posting their reviews on my website as well, so be sure to take a peek at them. Until then, I’ll be sure to keep you posted on any upcoming news. Take care!

Amber
http://www.chrysalispress.com

There is a corner of my garden that is overgrown. I like it that way. Birds love it too. But today, not having to do my duty, I did a bit of clearing, not too much. Felt better. The fish are still hungry and get fed twice a day. One, a fat boy, waits with his mouth open. Strange how they know meal times and circle the small fountain in expectation. I dislike pulling out summer flowers, poor things, they've bloomed for months giving us pleasure. Then get uprooted and bunged on the compost heap.

Received a good comment from Prospero regarding my flash. Must try to settle down and write a short story though. I will do it tomorrow.

Sometimes I think that the road to good intentions like blogging regularly is paved (or rather, not paved) by something fairly hellish. Some small devil, it must be, expert in constructing quicksands of laundry, cooking, phone-calls, tense nervous headaches of waiting to hear what my editor thinks of the latest version of the new novel, and, of course, loud music from the half-term children in the sitting room below.

And now it's gone eleven, and the washing machine's just finished and needs dealing with, and I've still got stuff to prepare for a seminar at Goldsmiths. Never mind the mega film deal, what I really need is Mrs Tiggywinkle. So rather than not post at all, I thought I'd provide a link to a really interesting online discussion I took part in, about Inner Editors and Inner Critics. It was in a private forum, but it's now been edited and made public here.

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Permanently tired today – must be the result of having an okay Monday yesterday. I’m just not used to it, you know. Still, at least the headache I picked up at Tesco last night with my shopping has finally gone, hurrah! This morning, I got in super-early to work in order to psyche myself up for my Surrey Park Clinic appointment and arrived with loads of time to spare. Goodness, it’s very posh up there – so posh that working out how to get in was a bit of a mystery and in the end I waited for someone else to come out. The same problem arose on the way out, and I was forced to return to reception and beg for the secret code. Which was apparently to press the big green button marked “Press Here to Exit”. Ah well, I’m not very good with words ...

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It's been an okay day. Did my duty as per and went through messages which I find useful. Others can point out glaring mistakes I'm unable to see. Uploaded a flash which once was a story of 1,500 words. As long as the weather stays sunny and I'm writing, I'm a happy bunny.

Torty has gone into hibernation. Last year it wasn't until November so maybe he knows more about our winter's weather than he's letting on.