Dear CWAP Diary
Ten days back in the bosum of Romney Marsh. And I’m just about over the couple of days it took me to get back home from Turkey. Couple… of… days…
You just know things aren’t going to go your way when your suitcase comes around the carousel at Baggage Reclaim looking like this.
You know that old joke about luggage in London, you in Istanbul etc. It’s not funny.
So because of flight delays and connecting flights missed and ‘luggage issues’ I didn’t get back to the UK until late Tuesday night having spent most of Monday and Tuesday stuck in Istanbul and in the same clothes for forty-eight hours.
I made the London Book Fair for the last day: Thursday. It was much as expected – lots of book industry people doing lots of book industry things. Busy people. Nothing there for me. But up on the top floor Amazon had a good set up. I caught an open chat on writing for children – a genre I have ambitions to write in – so, interesting. And then I had the good fortune to catch a couple of Amazon’s best-selling authors who were very friendly, down to earth and good to talk to.
Amazon’s Kindle Scout got back to me this week with editorial feedback on Deep State. (When Amazon accept a book for publication part of the deal is that they have the manuscript looked at by editors from Kirkus.)
Feedback was generally positive with some suggestions for minor alterations and the like. Nothing major and most of the recommendations were related to making the text more American, which is feedback wasted because Acer and I are British. One of the good things about the feedback is the understanding that recommendations are just that and the author is free to accept them or not as they wish. Now I must make time in my DIY schedule to look at the text, deal with it and send off the final version.
I haven’t written anything new since I’ve been back home. Here’s why:
I’m enjoying my new set of challenges and renewing old acquaintences with my tools, even if many of them are, like me, a bit rusty.
I’m taking a day off today to catch up with computer related stuff and look seriously at Deep State now that I’ve had a few days to mull over the suggestions.
Ten days and I still haven’t had a rasher of bacon. I’m intending to rectify that this morning.
Oh, and I’ve got a letter to write to Turkish Airlines…
Oliver Tidy 
You would have been better coming back on a magic carpet and good luck with the house ,go for it with the children’s books you have the gift .
Thanks, David. If the magic carpet was part of Turkish Airline’s fleet, with my luck it would probably have started to unravel somewhere over Germany.
Best wishes.
First of all welcome home to the Marsh…and the wind and the cold and the rain…looks like you have a fair bit of sorting to do going by photos…
Yesterday i intoduced 2 people to your books both very intrested and will be ordering..1 from Asford and 1 from Folkestone..i know they will enjoy them as much as i have…
Last topic i have just finished reading
WHITE KNUCKLE CHRISTMAS….i really enjoyed it …dont suppose you could squeeze another one out at some point…i like Romney and Marsh ..all the best
Thank you , Veronica. It’s good to be back, although it is cold in comparison to Ankara.
Word of mouth recommendations are so important to writers like me, so thanks very much for speaking up on my behalf.
Great to know that you enjoyed AWKC. I haven’t completely sworn off writing another R&M File but if and when I get back to them it’ll be a while. So many other writing projects I want to have a go at.
All the best to you. 🙂
Welcome home… Looks like a fun few weeks of hard work, you never know their might be a body or two hiding there for a good olstory in one of your books… Have fun take care don’t strain anything. Sherley
Sent from my iPad
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Haha… thanks, Sherley. Yes, lots to do. A change is as good as a rest, they say. Don’t believe them – I’m exhausted already.
Best wishes
Tell your publisher I don’t need you to be more American; I read you because you’re British.
I’m very unhappy about Grimes despite the fact that you wrote it brilliantly. I rarely cry over characters, but I made an exception for him.
Hi Lynn
Thanks for your comment.
Fear not, Acer won’t be wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots yet.
Sorry about Peter. It upset me, too. Thanks for sharing that it moved you. I take that as a real compliment.
Best wishes.
Hi Oliver – You may remember that I once coveted the building you own that became the bookstore in the Booker and Cash series. I have a feeling the pix are of that self same space, and if so, I’ve changed my mind! I do hope you’ll enjoy some aspects of your being “home” and that we’ll get to hear of your adventures. Very best to you, Dianne
Hi Dianne
Yes, I remember. On that, there is good news and bad news. The good news is, it’s not upstairs at Bookers. The bad news is, upstairs at Bookers is worse.
I’m at a little cottage around the back. When that’s done I’m going to sort out the other place.
Best wishes.
Let your characters stay British. Americans can cope. I use a British slang dictionary and find a bit of joy in appreciating that tea, pudding, chips, bacon butties, brew, and the boot all mean something else in another part of the world. I am glad, however, that one of the later Romney & Marsh clarified that Bodicca (spelling?) was an historical figure so I looked it up.
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your comment.
It’s very good to hear from the other side of the pond on the matter.
The editor is recommending ‘trunk’ for ‘boot’ and the like. It just wouldn’t work and, like you say, there is joy to be had in discovering new language.
Best wishes.
OMG. What a mess to come home to. Can’t believe your luggage. Keep the Romney Marsh books coming. I have them all.
Hi Lillian,
Thanks for your comment.
Yes, a real mess. But it’s only the upstairs. Downstairs was sorted out a few years ago.
Good to know you’ve enjoyed the R&MFiles. Thanks.
Best wishes
Looking forward to Deep State. Good luck with all those “little” jobs you have to do around the house.
Thanks, Hilary. I’m pressing on with the editing in the evenings after the day job in the flat. Getting there. Slowly.
Best wishes.
Don’t listen to Amazon, keep it British.
Thanks, Susan.
Acer will continue with his Britishness in everything and I will never call the ‘boot’ of a car the ‘trunk’.
Best wishes.
Yes don’t listen to Amazon. I’m glad you’re safely home and can’t wait for the next instalment of Acer.
I have had R and M 7 on my Kindle now for a month and I have not read it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t believe I have lasted this long but I only have 4 days now to my holiday. Unfortunately I believe the possibility of this being the last outing for Dover CID( sob sob !!) may have something to do with why i have managed to wait given that I’ve usually read the rest of them within a couple hours of downloading them
Best of luck with the DIY and don’t give in to Amazon
Hi Denise
Sorry for my delay of response.
Don’t worry, I’m keeping Acer as British as I can. Still working my way through the line-edit. Hope to have it done in a week or so and then it will be back off to Amazon.
I’m impressed with your restraint re R&M#7. I do hope you find it worth the wait in the end. Two days to go ’til your holiday?? I sincerely hope you have an enjoyable break. Spare me a thought when you’re drinking cocktails in the sun – I’m the one freezing in the UK trying to work out the wiring.
Best wishes