Hello Blogites,
When music was great and videos were awful.
Blog soon x
Thursday, February 24, 2011
About themes
Hello Blogites,
I wanted to write a blog about the themes of my book. Well, actually, one of the themes of the book. The main theme as it goes. Without giving too much away (and if you've read the synopsis, this won't come as a massive surprise) the main theme of, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, is growing up.
When I imagined this book in my head, the first thing that came mind was the phrase, 'the good old days'. I think at some point in our lives, most of wish that we were eighteen again, or twenty-one (or insert a great period of your life, it could be when you were twelve). It isn't that we hate our current existence, but it's usually because we look back on our salad years with a clouded nostalgia. In our minds at least, this was a carefree time, when all we had to worry about was what pub/club we were going to at the weekend, how we were going to kiss that girl/guy we really liked and making it home from college/university in time to watch Neighbours. It was a simple time. We didn't have to worry about mortgage payments, relationships, having kids, not having kids and all the other trappings of adult life. In short, it was brilliant.
So, when we're in our thirties, about to become parents, homeowners, married etc...of course we look back upon our wonder years and long to have that simple life again. However, and here's the catch, as much as we want to go back we can't because it doesn't exist anymore. Every now and then, we all try to recreate moments from our past, whether it's going on holiday to the same place, nights out with the same gang, but it's never quite the same. Places change, people change and that old magic is lost in the corridors of time. It's sad, but true.
The only solution is to move on, embrace the now and plan for the future because if we're stuck living in the past, eventually we'll lose everything we have in the present. Again, without giving too much away, this is the dilemma faced by Harry in the book and I think you'll enjoy seeing how he deals with it. I think it's a fairly common theme and especially for men. Growing up is hard, accepting it is even harder.
Blog soon x
I wanted to write a blog about the themes of my book. Well, actually, one of the themes of the book. The main theme as it goes. Without giving too much away (and if you've read the synopsis, this won't come as a massive surprise) the main theme of, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, is growing up.
When I imagined this book in my head, the first thing that came mind was the phrase, 'the good old days'. I think at some point in our lives, most of wish that we were eighteen again, or twenty-one (or insert a great period of your life, it could be when you were twelve). It isn't that we hate our current existence, but it's usually because we look back on our salad years with a clouded nostalgia. In our minds at least, this was a carefree time, when all we had to worry about was what pub/club we were going to at the weekend, how we were going to kiss that girl/guy we really liked and making it home from college/university in time to watch Neighbours. It was a simple time. We didn't have to worry about mortgage payments, relationships, having kids, not having kids and all the other trappings of adult life. In short, it was brilliant.
So, when we're in our thirties, about to become parents, homeowners, married etc...of course we look back upon our wonder years and long to have that simple life again. However, and here's the catch, as much as we want to go back we can't because it doesn't exist anymore. Every now and then, we all try to recreate moments from our past, whether it's going on holiday to the same place, nights out with the same gang, but it's never quite the same. Places change, people change and that old magic is lost in the corridors of time. It's sad, but true.
The only solution is to move on, embrace the now and plan for the future because if we're stuck living in the past, eventually we'll lose everything we have in the present. Again, without giving too much away, this is the dilemma faced by Harry in the book and I think you'll enjoy seeing how he deals with it. I think it's a fairly common theme and especially for men. Growing up is hard, accepting it is even harder.
Blog soon x
Friday, February 18, 2011
This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary excerpt and I.T. support
Hello Blogites,
I'm still working hard editing my book, but I'm still very hopeful that it will be out in March. Our second child (a wee boy) is due at the end of March and so it needs to be done by then because after that I'm going to have very little time to write.
So, with that in mind, I thought that I should give you all the information you need to get your grubby little paws on a copy of my novel. It's very simple and to make it even easier for my beloved Blogites, here is a link where you download the Kindle app to your PC, Mac, Blackberries, iPhones and more. Once you have this app you can simply go on Amazon, purchase my book for the very reasonable price of $5 and presto, you can read my debut novel. If you're in England this works fine too and the price will be adjusted, so it will be about 3 of your English pounds. So, go here and download the app, so you're ready as soon as my book is available.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_352814002_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0D2YXYHB3ZSX20V3BE3G&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1279039382&pf_rd_i=1000426311
Another exciting edition to the world of This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary was born this week. It now has it's own official Facebook page, so please check it out and LIKE it. The more people I can get there and to LIKE it the better. Here's the link to that page if you haven't checked it out already.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Thirtysomething-Life-A-Diary/101681903245838?ref=ts
And to get you in the mood, here is another short excerpt from my novel, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. Enjoy with a cup of tea and a biscuit.
I'm still working hard editing my book, but I'm still very hopeful that it will be out in March. Our second child (a wee boy) is due at the end of March and so it needs to be done by then because after that I'm going to have very little time to write.
So, with that in mind, I thought that I should give you all the information you need to get your grubby little paws on a copy of my novel. It's very simple and to make it even easier for my beloved Blogites, here is a link where you download the Kindle app to your PC, Mac, Blackberries, iPhones and more. Once you have this app you can simply go on Amazon, purchase my book for the very reasonable price of $5 and presto, you can read my debut novel. If you're in England this works fine too and the price will be adjusted, so it will be about 3 of your English pounds. So, go here and download the app, so you're ready as soon as my book is available.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_352814002_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0D2YXYHB3ZSX20V3BE3G&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1279039382&pf_rd_i=1000426311
Another exciting edition to the world of This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary was born this week. It now has it's own official Facebook page, so please check it out and LIKE it. The more people I can get there and to LIKE it the better. Here's the link to that page if you haven't checked it out already.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Thirtysomething-Life-A-Diary/101681903245838?ref=ts
And to get you in the mood, here is another short excerpt from my novel, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. Enjoy with a cup of tea and a biscuit.
Tuesday January 17th, 7:00pm
At home. Eating bangers ‘n’ mash. Emily nibbling on a sausage (unfortunately, not a euphemism).
Begin rant.
We had to use the ladies' toilet at school today because of a blockage in the gents' (no doubt Bill Jenkins (Maths) was to blame. That man has the bottom of the devil). Still, it was quite an eye-opening experience. The ladies' toilet is lovely. They have pretty pink little towels, there are pictures of quaint English countryside scenes on the wall, they have hand lotion, hand moisturiser, the cubicle actually has toilet roll (and how soft it was) and they have a little box of potpourri next to the basin. I had no idea that the female staff had it so good in the lavatory department.
Going into the gents' is like visiting someone in jail. Hard, sandpaper towels, grey paint peeling off the walls, there’s never any soap, there’s always one half-square of toilet roll left (who uses half a square of toilet roll?), and God, the smell. The thought of having to pee or worse (number twos) starts a spiral of thought, which can take up an entire morning of teaching. Do I really have to go? Can I wait? Just bloody well clench-up and keep it in.
We’re intelligent human beings. We’re responsible for educating the next generation of industry leaders, artists and sports personalities, yet we have to defecate like monkeys in the rainforest, while the ladies get their girlie bits pampered like bloody royalty. It just isn’t right. Just because I’m a man, it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy a bit of potpourri and hand moisturiser from time to time.
Rant over.
Blog soon x
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Why I hate Valentine's Day
Hello Blogites,
OK, before all of you pro-valentiner's start boycotting my blog and calling me a bitter, unromantic old bastard, please listen. I'm not against romance in the slightest. In fact, I love some old school romance and nothing brings a tear to my eye faster than a bit of mush from time to time, but here's the thing. Valentine's Day isn't in the remotest sense, in any words pertaining to be to romantic, at all romantic. Valentine's Day is about as romantic as going to the toilet. It's about as romantic as watching a round of golf. It lacks every single element that makes something romantic. Let me explain.
In many ways romance is something indefinable. For each of us it's something different. For some people (the shallow vacuous ones) romance involves large diamonds and expensive gifts, for others it's something simple; a candlelit dinner under the moon, a picnic, a love note tucked into their lunch or a foot massage after a hard days work. What each of us defines as romantic is often significant to us. However, and I think here is the crucial element of romance, it shouldn't be contrived. Hence, why Valentine's Day is the most unromantic day of the year because it's the day we're told to be romantic. The day any old schmuck with twenty bucks in his back pocket can send his girlfriend/wife/lover a bunch of flowers or take them out to dinner and be oh so romantic. It's like giving a dog a treat because he sat down when you told him to sit down.
The worst part of Valentine's Day is the flowers sent to work. I don't apologise if this offends you because it's meant to be offensive, but only if your the sort of person who actually likes getting flowers at work. At my last place of employment all day flowers would come to the ladies amid ooohs and ahhhs and your so lucky, he must be the most amazing boyfriend/husband/lover, blah blah blah and all I could think was, those flowers aren't even for you. The flowers are to show everyone else in the office that you're married to such an amazing guy who just happened to have a spare twenty bucks in his back pocket. It's the worst sort of present. It's contrived, meaningless and actually quite selfish. My wife told me the other day that apparently in America, 15% of women actually send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day! Isn't that the saddest thing you've ever heard.
So, I'm sorry if you think I'm a miserable old git, but honestly I'm not. I love being romantic, getting romantic and all things about romance generally, but when you're being romantic because it's a "special" romantic day, maybe have a think about why it takes someone to tell you to be romantic to be romantic. We shouldn't need Valentine's Day to tell someone we love them, to buy them flowers or do something nice. And if you're wondering what Kristin and I will be doing on Valentine's Day, well the same thing we do every other day of the year, we'll be in love, which may involve a moment of spontaneous romance or it may not. Just don't tell us when we should be romantic because it just defies the whole point, it's being in love by numbers and we don't need numbers, just each other. See isn't that quite a sentimental, romantic last sentence and I didn't write it because I had to, because I had some spare cash or expect anything in return, but just because that's what romance is.
Blog soon x
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
About future stuff
Hello Blogites,
During my recent sojourn across the pond to England, I had a great deal of time to think about not only my current book, but also my next one. Us writers are never happy to be just thinking about our current projects, especially when they're almost finished.
I've been mulling over my next novel for a while. I've had all sorts of ideas and thoughts about where to go next. However, while in England, I suddenly got a huge dose of inspiration. I was in London, skulking around shops and museums, when I heard The Beatles song, All you need is love. I started mulling the words over in my head, all you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love, love is all you need, and suddenly it came to me. Obviously, it's just a shell of an idea, but this is how it starts. This is how This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, began.
I think This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary is in many ways my ideal first book. It's a comedy, it's about all of the things I love reading about and I think, hopefully, both men and women will be able to relate to it and appreciate it's humour. However, I want my next book to be something different. Something deeper, which is why I was so excited about this idea.
My next book is going to be called, Love Love Love. It's going to be about the three parts of love, falling in love, being in love and losing love, hence the title. It's still going to be a romantic comedy, but with much more drama than Thirtysomething. More a romantic dromedy if you like. Obviously, it's only a hollow shell still waiting to be filled in with the guts, but I'm already excited about it. I'm working through some ideas at the moment, characters, a very loose plot line, and I won't start writing it until the middle of the year at the earliest, but I love this process. In many ways, the beginning of a novel is the most satisfying part for me. That initial spark, meeting the new characters, finding out about their little flaws and quirks, it really is like the beginning of a new relationship.
Am I sharing too much? I just thought it might be nice to give you an insight into what I'm working on and how my process works. I think it's exciting and fun, but like people who find train spotting quite the hoot, I'm probably boring you to death, so I won't say anymore.
I hope that in a year from now, I'll be writing a blog about my wonderful new book, Love Love Love, it will be fully conceived and hopefully partially written. At least then you'll know how it all started. You can say you were there when it all began. You too can be one of the cool people!
Blog soon x
During my recent sojourn across the pond to England, I had a great deal of time to think about not only my current book, but also my next one. Us writers are never happy to be just thinking about our current projects, especially when they're almost finished.
I've been mulling over my next novel for a while. I've had all sorts of ideas and thoughts about where to go next. However, while in England, I suddenly got a huge dose of inspiration. I was in London, skulking around shops and museums, when I heard The Beatles song, All you need is love. I started mulling the words over in my head, all you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love, love is all you need, and suddenly it came to me. Obviously, it's just a shell of an idea, but this is how it starts. This is how This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, began.
I think This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary is in many ways my ideal first book. It's a comedy, it's about all of the things I love reading about and I think, hopefully, both men and women will be able to relate to it and appreciate it's humour. However, I want my next book to be something different. Something deeper, which is why I was so excited about this idea.
My next book is going to be called, Love Love Love. It's going to be about the three parts of love, falling in love, being in love and losing love, hence the title. It's still going to be a romantic comedy, but with much more drama than Thirtysomething. More a romantic dromedy if you like. Obviously, it's only a hollow shell still waiting to be filled in with the guts, but I'm already excited about it. I'm working through some ideas at the moment, characters, a very loose plot line, and I won't start writing it until the middle of the year at the earliest, but I love this process. In many ways, the beginning of a novel is the most satisfying part for me. That initial spark, meeting the new characters, finding out about their little flaws and quirks, it really is like the beginning of a new relationship.
Am I sharing too much? I just thought it might be nice to give you an insight into what I'm working on and how my process works. I think it's exciting and fun, but like people who find train spotting quite the hoot, I'm probably boring you to death, so I won't say anymore.
I hope that in a year from now, I'll be writing a blog about my wonderful new book, Love Love Love, it will be fully conceived and hopefully partially written. At least then you'll know how it all started. You can say you were there when it all began. You too can be one of the cool people!
Blog soon x
Friday, January 28, 2011
My life in songs
Hello Blogites,
The other day I started thinking about how music and writing are so intrinsically interlinked. The thing about music is that it conjures up memories. It reminds us of moments in our lives. Important moments, sad moments and happy moments. When I look back on my life, I can pretty much link every memory to a song.
So, in the spirit of blogging, I decided to give you a glimpse into my mind through the medium of song. These aren't my favourite songs of all-time, but songs that make-up who I am.
PS: Don't judge me.
Green Sleeves - Apparently as a young boy this was my favourite song and it used to make me cry. I must admit that hearing it again now did almost bring a tear to my eye. It's a beautiful song.
The La's, There she goes. I used to listen to this on the school bus. It was probably the first song I really loved and shaped my musical tastes thereafter. Ah, my old Walkman.
Status Quo - Rocking All Over the World - My mum's favourite band. I'm sitting at home, while my parents drink and dance in the lounge. I feel about seven or eight years old.
Oasis - Live Forever - My first band affair. I'm at art college. It's the beginning of Britpop, New Labour is just around the corner and anything seems possible.
Supergrass - Alright - Newquay, Cornwall. I'm about eighteen and on a lads holiday with my best mates.
Simply Red - Holding back the Years - this just takes me back to the Eighties.It was also in that episode of Only Fools and Horses where Rodney gets married and Del is alone at the end. I'm not even a big fan of Simply Red, but this is a classic and played at every wedding in England since it came out.
Like the R.E.M phase, I also went through the Grunge phase. It was the early nineties, just before Britpop surfaced and everything was about Grunge. Nirvana were the biggest band at the time, but I always preferred Pearl Jam. It was a simple time of checked shirts, crowd surfing and long hair.
Robbie Williams - Angels. I'm at university, probably at the student union bar, I'm drunk, it's the end of the night and I'm in a group hug with a bunch of complete strangers.
The Seahorses - Blinded by the sun - This takes me back to my first summer in London. I listened to this album all summer long. It reminds me of summer, red wine and being at that age when life seems like it will go on forever.
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army - riding on the Greyhound bus in America just outside Charleston, North Carolina - a very particular memory that one.
The Proclaimers - I'm gonna be (500 miles) The east coast of Australia - for some reason this is the unofficial backpackers anthem and is played at every backpacker bar in Australia at least five times an hour. I must have heard this drunk at least five hundred times in the space of few months.
James - Sit Down - I'm sat down at a dingy club at a sixth-form college party just like everyone else. A classic then and still now. Plus, you have to love this video.
Jason Mraz - Curbside prophet - I'm with Kristin, we're in Byron Bay, Australia enjoying our little beach side accommodation, chilling and falling madly in love. A simply wonderful time and this album that Kristin brought from America seemed to always be on.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I know there's more, but that will have to be in a different blog. I hope this gave you an insight into my mind and maybe even made you think about the songs that helped shape your life.
Blog soon x
The other day I started thinking about how music and writing are so intrinsically interlinked. The thing about music is that it conjures up memories. It reminds us of moments in our lives. Important moments, sad moments and happy moments. When I look back on my life, I can pretty much link every memory to a song.
So, in the spirit of blogging, I decided to give you a glimpse into my mind through the medium of song. These aren't my favourite songs of all-time, but songs that make-up who I am.
PS: Don't judge me.
Green Sleeves - Apparently as a young boy this was my favourite song and it used to make me cry. I must admit that hearing it again now did almost bring a tear to my eye. It's a beautiful song.
The La's, There she goes. I used to listen to this on the school bus. It was probably the first song I really loved and shaped my musical tastes thereafter. Ah, my old Walkman.
Status Quo - Rocking All Over the World - My mum's favourite band. I'm sitting at home, while my parents drink and dance in the lounge. I feel about seven or eight years old.
Oasis - Live Forever - My first band affair. I'm at art college. It's the beginning of Britpop, New Labour is just around the corner and anything seems possible.
Supergrass - Alright - Newquay, Cornwall. I'm about eighteen and on a lads holiday with my best mates.
Simply Red - Holding back the Years - this just takes me back to the Eighties.It was also in that episode of Only Fools and Horses where Rodney gets married and Del is alone at the end. I'm not even a big fan of Simply Red, but this is a classic and played at every wedding in England since it came out.
R.E.M - Losing my Religion. I think everyone has their R.E.M phase. I had mine from the age of sixteen through until I was about twenty. This is still one of my favourite songs of all time. It reminds me of my first first girlfriend and sitting in my bedroom being a sulky teenager.
Like the R.E.M phase, I also went through the Grunge phase. It was the early nineties, just before Britpop surfaced and everything was about Grunge. Nirvana were the biggest band at the time, but I always preferred Pearl Jam. It was a simple time of checked shirts, crowd surfing and long hair.
Robbie Williams - Angels. I'm at university, probably at the student union bar, I'm drunk, it's the end of the night and I'm in a group hug with a bunch of complete strangers.
The Seahorses - Blinded by the sun - This takes me back to my first summer in London. I listened to this album all summer long. It reminds me of summer, red wine and being at that age when life seems like it will go on forever.
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army - riding on the Greyhound bus in America just outside Charleston, North Carolina - a very particular memory that one.
The Proclaimers - I'm gonna be (500 miles) The east coast of Australia - for some reason this is the unofficial backpackers anthem and is played at every backpacker bar in Australia at least five times an hour. I must have heard this drunk at least five hundred times in the space of few months.
James - Sit Down - I'm sat down at a dingy club at a sixth-form college party just like everyone else. A classic then and still now. Plus, you have to love this video.
Jason Mraz - Curbside prophet - I'm with Kristin, we're in Byron Bay, Australia enjoying our little beach side accommodation, chilling and falling madly in love. A simply wonderful time and this album that Kristin brought from America seemed to always be on.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I know there's more, but that will have to be in a different blog. I hope this gave you an insight into my mind and maybe even made you think about the songs that helped shape your life.
Blog soon x
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A reminder about my novel
Being a Thirtysomething man isn’t easy (especially when you still yearn to be a Twentysomething man). Meet Harry Spencer. History teacher, lover of snack food and terrified of growing up. However, when his wife Emily drops the P-Bomb, Harry is suddenly thrust into the role of expectant father. Cue baby doctor visits, breast-pump demonstrations, morning sickness, food cravings, self-help books, family therapy sessions, cold sweats and the birthing class from hell.
However, when he’s tempted by the greener grass of an ex-girlfriend past, he must make the most important decision of his life. Will Harry have what it takes to become a man or will he succumb to the lure of adolescent fantasy? And when Emily finds out, will he be able to save his marriage or will his efforts to finally grow-up all be in vain?
Set in London, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary is a love story about what happens after we've fallen in love, when we’ve swapped frolicking in the bed for cigarettes in the shed and Match of the Day for Mothercare. Brutally honest, riotously funny and often heartwarming, this is a diary about one man’s bumbling journey on the road to adulthood.
About what I've been doing of late
Hello Blogites,
My most humble apologies for the distinct lack of entries of late. I've been incredible busy with one thing and another, but instead of giving you some wishy-washy excuses, I'm just going to tell you what I've been doing.
I just returned from a fleeting trip back home to England. The jet lag has finally worn off, so as I promised myself, I am writing this entry. England was great. I caught up with friends, family and digested large quantities of carbohydrates, alcohol and froze my pampered Californian bum off. It was a wonderful trip because even though I didn't actually do any writing, it gave me some quality thinking time and it helped me work through some issues with the book. I also had a cracking idea for my next book, so it was 7 days well spent I think.
Now I'm back home, I'm working hard on the final edit for This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. It's getting close which is both scary and exciting. Now it's almost ready to be let loose upon the world, I'm suddenly terrified that everyone is going to think, what a load of old shit. What if I've been deluding myself all these years that I have some talent, when in fact I'm like the literary equivalent of Westlife or worse, Brother Beyond (I'm showing my age there). I suppose it's inevitable. I just hope you all like it.
After this last edit, I will turn my book over to my long-term editor Kristin (the advantages of having a teacher as a wife). She will put her red pen to work, before it comes back to me for the final read through and them I'm done. I'm hoping it will be ready in March, so get ready for some serious giggles!
With regard the blog, I'm hoping to write the last two episodes of David Burrows Office Man soon, as well as some further bits and pieces about my novel.
I hope this entry finds you all happy and healthy. I hope it won't be so long again.
Here's some music to keep you going.
Blog soon x
My most humble apologies for the distinct lack of entries of late. I've been incredible busy with one thing and another, but instead of giving you some wishy-washy excuses, I'm just going to tell you what I've been doing.
I just returned from a fleeting trip back home to England. The jet lag has finally worn off, so as I promised myself, I am writing this entry. England was great. I caught up with friends, family and digested large quantities of carbohydrates, alcohol and froze my pampered Californian bum off. It was a wonderful trip because even though I didn't actually do any writing, it gave me some quality thinking time and it helped me work through some issues with the book. I also had a cracking idea for my next book, so it was 7 days well spent I think.
Now I'm back home, I'm working hard on the final edit for This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. It's getting close which is both scary and exciting. Now it's almost ready to be let loose upon the world, I'm suddenly terrified that everyone is going to think, what a load of old shit. What if I've been deluding myself all these years that I have some talent, when in fact I'm like the literary equivalent of Westlife or worse, Brother Beyond (I'm showing my age there). I suppose it's inevitable. I just hope you all like it.
After this last edit, I will turn my book over to my long-term editor Kristin (the advantages of having a teacher as a wife). She will put her red pen to work, before it comes back to me for the final read through and them I'm done. I'm hoping it will be ready in March, so get ready for some serious giggles!
With regard the blog, I'm hoping to write the last two episodes of David Burrows Office Man soon, as well as some further bits and pieces about my novel.
I hope this entry finds you all happy and healthy. I hope it won't be so long again.
Here's some music to keep you going.
Blog soon x
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary - News!
Hello my Darlings,
So, finally some exciting news for all of my loyal followers. This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, is going to be published on the Kindle! This means that any of you with a Kindle (like myself), will be able to pop along to the Kindle Store and just buy it! That's right. You can search for it and there it will be. Brilliant!
For those of you Kindle-less people, you can easily download the Kindle App to your phone, Mac or PC and buy my book on Amazon! I will have complete instructions for you nearer the time. This is terribly exciting for me. My book is going to be on Amazon!
I don't have a release date yet, but I'm hoping towards the end of February, so keep your beady eyes peeled!
Also, second piece of exciting news, is that I have a brand new cover. My darling wife Kristin designed it for me and I think she's done an amazing job. I hope you like it. Here it is for the first time. The cover for my first book.
That's it for now. Sorry I've been so quiet on the blog-front recently, but I've been working super hard on editing Thirtysomething. I'm also off to England for a week on Saturday, so busy times indeed. I hope to have some new blogs up soon to keep the saliva dribbling down your chins.
Blog soon x
So, finally some exciting news for all of my loyal followers. This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary, is going to be published on the Kindle! This means that any of you with a Kindle (like myself), will be able to pop along to the Kindle Store and just buy it! That's right. You can search for it and there it will be. Brilliant!
For those of you Kindle-less people, you can easily download the Kindle App to your phone, Mac or PC and buy my book on Amazon! I will have complete instructions for you nearer the time. This is terribly exciting for me. My book is going to be on Amazon!
I don't have a release date yet, but I'm hoping towards the end of February, so keep your beady eyes peeled!
Also, second piece of exciting news, is that I have a brand new cover. My darling wife Kristin designed it for me and I think she's done an amazing job. I hope you like it. Here it is for the first time. The cover for my first book.
That's it for now. Sorry I've been so quiet on the blog-front recently, but I've been working super hard on editing Thirtysomething. I'm also off to England for a week on Saturday, so busy times indeed. I hope to have some new blogs up soon to keep the saliva dribbling down your chins.
Blog soon x
Monday, January 3, 2011
A bright, sparkly (actually quite wet) New Year!
Hello my Blogites,
Sorry I have been a bit quiet of late, but with Christmas and New Year (plus working hard on my novel), it's been quite a busy festive period. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a drunken, debauched New Year. Mine was actually very quiet in terms of alcohol. Kristin and I didn't even make it to midnight on New Year (how sad us parents are). Anyway, in lieu of an actual blog, as I don't have the time at the moment, here is another sneak peek at my novel, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. It's going well and I'm hoping to have some exciting news soon!
Sorry I have been a bit quiet of late, but with Christmas and New Year (plus working hard on my novel), it's been quite a busy festive period. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a drunken, debauched New Year. Mine was actually very quiet in terms of alcohol. Kristin and I didn't even make it to midnight on New Year (how sad us parents are). Anyway, in lieu of an actual blog, as I don't have the time at the moment, here is another sneak peek at my novel, This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary. It's going well and I'm hoping to have some exciting news soon!
Sunday February 5th, 10:00am
In kitchen. Peeling spuds. Emily lying down. Bright, blue skies (no chance of rain). Squirrel outside with another squirrel. Still no response from Jamie.
Seriously, why are weather people never right? It’s probably the only profession in the world where you can be wrong most of time and still keep your job.
Squirrel outside with another squirrel and they seem to be quite amorous. Good for them. Steve, Fiona and their brigade of ankle biters will be here at noon. I’m not looking forward to it. I’ve spent most of the morning child proofing the house. I had to move all of the alcohol into the shed.
6:00pm
In shed. Having a cigarette. Drinking a cocktail (Sex on the Beach!). I might as well enjoy the fact that the alcohol’s now in the shed. Plus, I finally get to use the cocktail recipe book I got two Christmases’ ago. Steve, Fiona and ankle biters just left. My nerves are frayed.
I plied myself with red wine and then we told Steve and Fiona our good news. They went berserk. At one point Steve screamed, while Fiona just kept yelling. “OMG! OMG! OMG!”
They already have us down at a birthing class, family therapy session, pre-birth playgroup and something (if I heard them correctly), which sounded like a week away together to Cornwall, but that couldn’t be right. Emily did most of the talking, while I just smiled a lot and said things like. “It’s unbelievable. Really exciting. Doesn’t seem quite real yet.”
Emily was in her element and spent ages talking to Fiona about baby names, types of nappy and a whole hour about the importance of breast feeding. Steve even went out to their car to get their spare breast pump and then gave us a demonstration (on himself!). Emily got out the calendar, so we could see how many days our new babies are going to be apart. Apparently, they were going to be very close, which was fantastic news.
Luckily, I spent most of the time preparing lunch and so I managed to avoid the majority of the baby talk. I did, unfortunately, get stuck with Steve, while I was trying to sneak in a cigarette outside.
“It’s great news, old boy.”
“Yes, we’re very excited.”
“You know there’s this book...”
“The Bloke’s Survival Kit for Being a Dad?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I have a copy.”
“Oh, it’s a must read, really quite, you know, true. I think that us blokes need that little bit of extra help, don’t you?”
“I suppose.”
“And if you have any questions, anything, just let me know. Even the delicate stuff.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t want to ask what kind of ‘delicate stuff’ he was talking about.
“And we have that week in Cornwall, which will be great.”
“Right, yes, wait, what?”
“You know, we’re going to Newquay for the week in May? We’re thrilled you’re coming. The kids can’t stop talking about it.”
“Yes, of course, can’t wait.”
Emily had pulled a fast one and agreed to go on holiday for an entire week with Steve, Fiona and their clan. I must stop this disgrace. How could she do this to me?
The next few hours passed extraordinarily slowly. I played with the kids for a while, mostly to get away from Emily, who still didn’t know that I knew about Cornwall. Eventually, they all left and I came outside for a cigarette and a cocktail (Irish car bomb!) to compose myself, before I confronted Emily about our sham of a holiday to the West Country.
8:00pm
Apparently, we had a conversation about Cornwall last week and I agreed to it! I find this very hard to believe. I have no memory of the conversation in question. Was Emily using my ‘man-tention span’ against me?
“I don’t remember any conversation about Cornwall. I think I’d remember.”
“Last Wednesday, we were having dinner.”
“What did we have?”
“I don’t know. Pork chops I think.”
“Nothing’s coming back to me, Em.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
“OK, yes, I grant you, my memory’s a bit...”
“Shit?”
“Yes, but I think I’d remember a whole conversation where I agreed to go to Cornwall for the week with Steve, Fiona and their gaggle of J’s.”
“You’d think so.”
After our conversation, I started to wonder if maybe she’s right. Had we had a conversation about Cornwall? Was it possible that my ‘man-tention span’ was getting worse and I was losing whole chunks of my life? What else had I agreed too? Time to pop out to the shed for another cocktail.
Blog soon x
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