As I write, it's the beginning of the half term break - my daughter has just finished Year 11 and is readying for her future at college and beyond, and I've come to the end of another half term working in education. Since January, I've been working in a very different school than most others: it's a school in a hospital for young people facing mental health challenges. There couldn't be more of a need, I think, in these stranges times, for understanding that so many people - children and adults - find the demands of modern life immensely challenging.
I'm particularly challenged at the moment by my massive to-be-read pile of books, but that can hardly be a complaint. I plan to climb at least some of that mountain in the coming half term week. But I've also set myself another mountain to climb. This one is Mount Promotion, where we're seeking places to get A Hundred Years to Arras reviewed and talked about, and encourage bookshops to order copies in. I'm a naturally reticent person when it comes to promoting my own work, so this is something I have to get better at! As supporters, it would be great if you could also continue to help spread the word. The challenge now is just to let people know: tell your book clubs; tell your local bookshops; point press and media in our direction; whatever you can do.
You'll see that the status of the Unbound page has changed from 'Edits in Progress' to 'Preparing to Print', which means that the interior proof-reading is (hopefully) all done, artwork has been approved pending a final tweak, and all that remains is assembling the list of named supporters inside the book. That includes you, of course.
It was a rocky road to funding, but I've found the editing process relatively painless: every change I've made has made th book better. And now, whilst I wait for the next stage, I've started work on what I hope will become my next novel. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 19th August is the publication date, so we're less then three months away. Hopefully your supporter copies will be in your hands long before the book appears in the shops.
Before Lockdown, I contemplated the idea of a launch party, but now, even though we're starting to emerge, we have to be cautious, so I don't yet know whether any kind of launch event is going to even be possible. It would be interesting to know if that's something you'd like to see: a physical event or something virtual, or not at all. Feel free to comment below if you have any ideas or preferences. I'm certainly putting myself forward as available for book signings, book clubs and literary events, so who knows where that might lead?
