Just found out from the President of our local branch of the Association of Speakers Clubs that I've been awarded the annual 'Most Improved Speaker of the Year' Award. It will be presented to me at a meeting on 22nd June. I've had problems all my life with shyness, so getting an award for (of all things!) Public Speaking is ... well, I'm speechless!
On the book promotion front, things are starting to take off now that some advance copies have been sent out. I'm going to London on 2nd June to be interviewed by a Sunday Times editor who read my book. I've also got some encouraging endorsements. The psychologist and writer, Dorothy Rowe, requested a copy, liked it, and now she has written about my book in her article for the next issue of Openmind magazine. Other things are in the pipeline. It does make me realise that if my book had come out in February, as originally planned, there would have been little publicity in place for it. I was so disappointed at the time when the release date was postponed, but now I feel it has definitely been for the best.
That's often the way with disappointments, isn't it? What we feel at the time is a bad thing sometimes turns out to be good in the end, so perhaps we should always be optimistic and look upon our disappointments as exciting possibilities for better things in the future. (OK, get off your soapbox, Jean. I'll probably remember these philosophical musings the next time I get a kick in the teeth, and think Grrrrr!).
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Not much happening
Well, I had intended to report back on the Society of Authors Spring Meeting in Liverpool, but, before lazybones me got round to it, someone bet me to it and has done a good job of it. So, if anyone is interested, you can go over to Helen P's blog and scroll down to her 27th April posting.
This was my first SOA meeting and I was pleasantly surprised at how approachable and friendly everyone was. It was also my first time in Liverpool and I wish I'd given myself more time to stroll around after the meeting before I had to head for the train.
Publishers look at blogs, we were told at the meeting. Oh dear, I'll have to do better with mine than what I've been doing lately. Speaking of which, I can't tell how many (if anyone) looks at mine now since it seems the Google counter has been changed to only go up in tens. All I know is that less than ten people looked in the past week (no, less than eight, because I looked twice). Come to think of it, I don't suppose the title of this post is exactly right for enticing anyone to take a look, but I'm blowed if I can think of another just now.
I'm trying to get back to writing a novel that I started some time ago. I'd got the first rough draft finished before putting it aside. Now that I'm looking at it with fresh eyes I'm not happy with what I see. I knew it would need a lot of work doing on it, but now I'm wondering whether to scrap the lot and start afresh with something new. I've found before that putting a manuscript aside for a while is a big help in seeing what needs doing. But trouble with this one is I put it aside not just for a couple of weeks but for nearly a year! That's far too long. It's going to be very hard to get back into it now.
Meanwhile, as I'm trying to decide what to do, I'm not doing much at all. Realising I hadn't blogged for over a week made me spring into action. Ah, yes, said I, I'll blog from my notes to report back on the meeting, but first I'll just see what others are blogging about ...
I'm sitting here feeling cross with myself for being so wishy-washy, and I'm getting fat. Think I'll have a date & walnut flapjack to cheer me up and renew my energy. And then you won't see me for the sparks flying from my fingers.
This was my first SOA meeting and I was pleasantly surprised at how approachable and friendly everyone was. It was also my first time in Liverpool and I wish I'd given myself more time to stroll around after the meeting before I had to head for the train.
Publishers look at blogs, we were told at the meeting. Oh dear, I'll have to do better with mine than what I've been doing lately. Speaking of which, I can't tell how many (if anyone) looks at mine now since it seems the Google counter has been changed to only go up in tens. All I know is that less than ten people looked in the past week (no, less than eight, because I looked twice). Come to think of it, I don't suppose the title of this post is exactly right for enticing anyone to take a look, but I'm blowed if I can think of another just now.
I'm trying to get back to writing a novel that I started some time ago. I'd got the first rough draft finished before putting it aside. Now that I'm looking at it with fresh eyes I'm not happy with what I see. I knew it would need a lot of work doing on it, but now I'm wondering whether to scrap the lot and start afresh with something new. I've found before that putting a manuscript aside for a while is a big help in seeing what needs doing. But trouble with this one is I put it aside not just for a couple of weeks but for nearly a year! That's far too long. It's going to be very hard to get back into it now.
Meanwhile, as I'm trying to decide what to do, I'm not doing much at all. Realising I hadn't blogged for over a week made me spring into action. Ah, yes, said I, I'll blog from my notes to report back on the meeting, but first I'll just see what others are blogging about ...
I'm sitting here feeling cross with myself for being so wishy-washy, and I'm getting fat. Think I'll have a date & walnut flapjack to cheer me up and renew my energy. And then you won't see me for the sparks flying from my fingers.
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