Hi all, firstly my apologies as it is a good few weeks since my last blog of any substance.
Sadly we had a death in the family which has turned everything marginally upside down. My Gran, who had fabulously made it to ninety-two years old sadly passed away in the middle of September. Today’s blog is dedicated to her, a women who seemingly invented the word resilience and passed her great sense of humour and sense of positivity to all who met her. RIP.
In the world of books, sales continue to grow at a steady pace and I was fortunate enough to hedge my way to 40 five star reviews on Amazon yesterday. The book talks are coming thick and fast and each presents a new opportunity. I very much enjoyed my first appearance on my home turf of Barnsley, where curious townsfolk turned out to see me. From this, another two bookings were made with a local writers group and also further afield in Wakefield. I must be doing something right or alternatively, I am simply a modern day freak show. The latter seems more likely.
I have now become convinced that the only way to get anywhere in the industry is to a) to write a bloody good book and b) promote, promote, promote.
I have also been lucky enough to be invited to speak in the Doncaster library ‘circuit’ and will also be shortly embarking on creative writing talks in Moorlands prison. I am not sure there was a good way to tell me, but I instantly stored the comment made by the Head of Education and Library Services who honestly stated that, “I had the demeanour and look of someone who would fit in well at the prison.” That kept me laughing all the way home.
I’ve also featured alongside Toby Foster and the hugely talented Pete McKee on Radio Sheffield again and I am hoping for a TV performance by the end of the month. Do watch this space. Television? The freak show goes countywide.
The Off the Shelf literary festival draws ever nearer, which I am really excited about. I am also excited about being in the audience for the superb talent of Jeremy Dyson (think League of Gentleman not vacuum cleaners) at Ilkley Literature Festival a week tomorrow. If you are there, do say hello.
Finally, work on The Page has slowed to an almost complete standstill. I am hoping to get going again when my mind is clear enough. Perhaps you can all do me a little favour and tweet or simply tell one person about The Radio this week. That would be great.
Thanks to you all so much for your support to date. As Frank Turner said, “sometimes it’s hard to remember, I couldn’t do this on my own.”