A Healthy Diet

Image: Noodle Pie

The Day
The patter of my yesterday followed Wednesday: up early; intense and stressful day at the day job; a relaxing hour writing poetry in Costa Coffee; an evening working on my new novel.

The only difference was the fish supper I threw into the gap between the coffee shop and home. It was a deliciously salty and vinegary piece of fresh haddock cooked in prime batter and laced with the finest Embra cut chips.

I am nothing, if not a healthy eater.

Around the World
One thing is for sure, I’m more healthy than the bloke from Russia who thought it would be fun to bury himself in the hope of finding good luck. Unfortunately nobody told him that period of good luck only lasts for as long as there is air left in the coffin that his mate buried him in, and he was found dead the next day.

On the bright side, here’s a fantastic story about the benefits that technology can have on a person’s life. This is tangible stuff for a change, none of that rubbish to track your belly’s weight or guess your penis size based on how much money you spend in Asda. It’s Mac tracking software and it works!

Friday
It’s Friday so that means it’s time for my Friday Vid. Not my Tuesday one—that would be silly—but my Friday one. Because it’s Friday and it works better that way.

This one sticks with the theme of technology benefiting humans. However, this is more subtle that the Mac tracking software, this is living machines, check it out:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKyHmjyrkA

Fiction
* Submit GREENER IS THE GRASS – 1st choices have closed or now require agent; still looking.
* Begin work on solidifying good draft of GATECRASH – IP; going very well
* Submit and recycle fiction – done; some recycling of recycled stories too.
* Write new short fiction – no new fiction in May

Poetry
* Assemble and develop Edinburgh/Leith life & work chapbook – IP; poems still being written; gathered work together.
* Write London chapbook on location (11th-15th May) – done; lots of great work completed on site; new poems still being written and assembled.
* Meet with local artist to develop ideas for SP3 release in summer – have “hired” Kamila Ratajczak; starts June 1st; ideas and first drawings already coming through though.
* Develop and prepare SP3 manuscript (see separate work plan) – IP; almost complete.

Editing
* Finalise RR issue 15 for June – not done yet. Now urgent.
* Send interview questions to Rob for Septemer issue interview – not done, though might see him in Edinburgh.

Freelance
* Keep all my websites updated and relevant – done: news updates mostly.
* Update website with Signed Books page – carry forward to June – not done.
* Develop more ideas and for Hidden/Secret page on website – not done.
* New gigs lined up for review – Roger Waters, Adam Ant – Done apart from Roger Waters (still in draft).
* Keep GGP website up to date – done
* Work on new GGP Boudoir website – no movement; customer still pondering.

Marketing
* Publish Podcast #1 – not done.
* Continue to promote the Kindle books – done
* Start work on HUNTING JACK marketing (see separate work plan) – not done; move to 2011/12 GDR
* Start preparing marketing material for July’s Edinburgh Book Shop launch – not done; priority upped.
* Make contact with Elvis Shakespeare on back of EBS success – not done; priority upped.

Things That Turned Up
Nothing worthy of note. Lost two weeks due to operation, which impacted the good run I was on. Most important thing was to keep writing, which I have continued to do.

Submissions Activity Summary
Several submissions made to new and existing magazines I have my eye on that “fit with my work”. Some poetry too (one returned for an embarrassing failure to properly read the guidelines!)

Successes
Short story REGRETS accepted for publication in the next issue of the Dublin Quarterly.

Failures
None. Working around my operation, I’ve had a very productive month on my chapbooks, the output from London and on my new crime novel.