On Saturday, as I was rehearsing my speech before the book launch for the final time, the courier who usually parks over my driveway while he delivers parcels to my neigbour ran up my garden path carrying three large boxes. They had the Little, Brown sticker on them – I knew straight away what they were. My books. All the way from New York city. Whisked across the busy streets of New York in a mail van, stacked in the underbelly of a large jet, flown to Brisbane, and couriered to my door. Twenty-five copies of glossy hard covered novel! I couldn’t actually hold them all, they’re very heavy. I know this photo doesn’t show the books in all their gorgeousness so I’m going to stack them up on my desk and take a nice photo of them. First I need to move all the clutter on the table. Here is what I share my writing space with: last weekend’s newspaper book review sections; a Lego aeroplane instruction book; my coffee cup; disk with social pics from Launceston’s book launch; coloured paper, glue and scissors for my daughter’s latest craft creation; a set of Snap cards; a wooden toy gun and my husband’s cycling magazine. I can only dream of one day having a designated, writer’s only space and not the kitchen table! But I have more exciting things to think about right now… less than two weeks until my novel is published in the US and the UK. Who cares about desks and privacy to write when your novel is about to be read in America and the United Kingdom?!
Today I’m beginning the edit on my second novel. My agent, Julia Kenny, has given me some notes, so I need to make her changes. It’s not a pleasant feeling sitting down to revise a 150,000 word maunscript, only because I now know how long it will take me to finish it! Not just this edit, but if the publishers are interested, their edit, then the proof reader’s line edit and then, because I am obsessive about typos, another three close proof reads by me. It will take forever – but a good problem to have. So no more procastinating by updating my blog. Bye for now – I have novel writing to do!
