A Little Glamour at Last!

On Wednesday October 18th November, I was privileged, as a contributor, to attend the Launch Party for the RNA anthology 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not' . A lovely evening at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly, with champagne flowing, and here we all are, photographed sympathetically on the grand staircase by Phil Weedon. (I'm in the front row, fourth from right, and now I'm wondering whether I should have worn that hat!)

Another Rejection Slip for the Wall!

It took nearly four months, but at last the inevitable happened---the first three chapters of my novel thudded back on to the mat, complete with a standard rejection letter. And then, as I skimmed through the work and the pitch letter I'd sent, I decided the agent was absolutely right---the whole thing needed a revision and a polish. So--not a negative thing at all, I've been spurred on to work harder.

And meanwhile, there's been the excitement of seeing 'Loves Me, Loves Not' appearing in bookshops like Waterstones and W.H.Smith, with my name in it, and my short story, 'Holiday Snaps' alongside the names of writers like Katie Fforde and Joanna Trollope. And the Mechanics Institute Review 6 is out too, containing my other short story. So I'm in a 'my glass is half full' kind of mood....

And I've visited the post office again...nil desperandum!

And while I'm here......a link....

http://rnaanthology.blogspot.com/

to the RNA anthology that I'm appearing in later this year----rubbing shoulders with many famous names and getting excited about it, I admit!

May Update

More (for me!) exciting news---I've had a short story accepted for the annual anthology 'The Mechanics' Institute Review' and this will be appearing the autumn. It's a ghost story, 'Last Bus to Elsinore', set in South London in the early fifties---- Hamlet meets austerity Britain! I'm particularly fond of this story and am hoping to incorporate into a longer work.

Last week, I packaged up the first three chapters of my vampire novel and posted it off to an agent, but I'm not holding my breath. I know how these things usually end, and I expect the gentle thud of jiffy bag upon door mat any day now.......and I've also sent off another short story to a magazine known for its 'feelgood' stories. I don't do 'feel good' very often, (although I often do write positive endings)----but there are lot of ghosts, vampires and murders on the way, definitely a 'no, no' for this particular publication. So I've really had to rein in my penchant for the dark here.......

Did I pick the wrong vampire?

A few years ago, I happened to mention to a literary agent that I was working on a vampire novel. 'Forget about writing about vampires', he emailed back, 'There's no market for vampire stories'. Well, all I can say is that I hope that the said gentleman was not approached by Stefanie Meyer with her 'Twilight', trilogy, or by now, he will be feeling even sicker than the man who turned down 'Harry Potter'.

Vampires have never been more zeitgeisty. Not only has there been the phenomenal success of 'Twilight', there's also been the Swedish best seller , 'Let the Right One In', and, as everyone knows, since the literary agent told me to 'forget' vampires, we've had Buffy on TV and all the spin off books from that. And the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and 'Undead and Unwed'---there are countless others!

None of which means, of course, that my book is going to get published, although it does prove the literary agent wrong. (Maybe he was the same person who told Richard Adams not to write about rabbits---anyone for 'Watership Down'?) But there is one thing. All the popular vampires at the moment are young and sexy. Think Robert Pattinson. Or at least they look young, even though they've been dead for 100 years or so. My vampire is elderly, elegant, charming and very camp---definitely not a suitable love interest for my heroine.

Oh dear----I'm reminded of the old joke---the vampire rises from his coffin, and seeing Van Helsing holding out a crucifix, says, in a yiddish accent, 'Have you picked the wrong vampire!!"

Well, have I?

Here's a link......

http://www.authonomy.com/Profile.aspx


To my page on the Harper Collins 'Authonomy' site, where aspiring writers can post their unpublished work. My novel, The Practical Woman's Guide to Living with the Undead, is there in its entirety----I describe the book as 'Divorce Lit with vampires'--it's a romantic fantasy for the reader ready to venture into the dark territory beyond the Aga!

To begin on a positive note......

I've had a short story accepted and it will be appearing in the anthology 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not' which is being published by Mira books in the Autumn of this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Romantic Novelists Association---this is very exciting as, although I have had a few short stories accepted in the past by several small press publications, this will be my first appearance in a fully professional anthology, and I will be alongside such well known names as Katie Fforde and Joanna Trollope. My story is called 'Holiday Snaps' and was inspired by a rather dreadful trip to Leningrad that I went on in 1974, when I was still married to my first husband. All characters and incidents are, of course, fictitious and, unusually for me, the story doesn't include any ghosts or vampires......

Groans from My Garret

Saturday 7th March 2009

This blog will describe the tragedies and triumphs of an ageing, aspirant writer. If anyone doesn't like the sound of that, then maybe this blog isn't for you.... If, on the other hand, you like to read about literary endeavours, books and the slings and arrows of outrageous rejection letters, then read on....