Edinburgh Book Festival Launch

Image: Stock

Gatecrash
Last night I wrote two of the best chapters I have ever written. They were for my new novel, GATECRASH, and contain some of the best dialogue and action, pulling on the two characters involved, their location and motivations, to bring the story to a heck of a climax right at the end of the second section of the book. It’s a page turner like I’ve never written before.

As I was writing them they gathered pace until I was quite literally glued to my chair, head forward, pumping out the action onto the page unable to keep my little fingers up with my imagination. When I was finished, I read it all back and the overwhelming feeling was of pure wholesome satisfaction. The chapters read like they belong in the kind of book I wouldn’t want to put down, which makes a change from the pain I went though with BACCARA BURNING.

Trees for Life
I sent off my submission to the Trees for Life project I was approached about. I selected four of the best Haiku I wrote for the project—one for each season—and sent them off. I’m very pleased with them so even if they don’t get used I’ll definitely do something with them. If they do get selected they’ll be used in the exhibition and catalogue, so I’m hoping they are what the organiser wanted. I was given a pretty open steer on it.

Book Festival Launch
Today is a big day for me because at 12 noon the programme for the 2011 Edinburgh International Book Festival will be launched at a special party in Edinburgh. More importantly however, it marks the start of the build up to the end of my writing year.

Those two weeks in August will be spent almost entirely at the festival, attending book events, author events, debates, seminars, networking, meetings, social occasions, and I’ll maybe even take some workshops again this year. I’ll also be reflecting on my past year’s work and looking forward to what I want to achieve and where to direct my energies over the coming year.

Until then though, comes the build up: working through the programme to plan out my August, picking out which events I want to attend, and watching as Charlotte Square transforms from a bland green square into a tented village of magic. Oh, and finishing off everything from this year too!

I’ll be online at 12 to see the initial reaction to the Edinburgh Book Festival announcement and read the press releases, and when my official programme arrives in the post in the next couple of days, I’ll begin the task of planning out how my August will look.

I am on the cusp of some exciting times.

Until tomorrow, peace out!