Home again

June 1st. 2019

I have a big smile on my face because I now have Pat home from the hospital. We won’t know the outcome of her surgery for a week or so because the results of the biopsies usually take about fourteen days to come through. Now we can begin to get her fitter and stronger. The surgeon said to me it would be better for Pat to be at home being nursed by me than having to put up with being stuck in the hospital; something I think most of us would agree with. It’s been difficult for both of us: Pat having to put up with major surgery and me having to traipse up to London every day. One of the ironies of my visits to St. George’s is that I used to live just a couple of miles away from the hospital in Earlsfield but couldn’t enjoy a leisurely trip down memory lane and thinking how it used to be in my young days. I did actually spend some time in St. George’s myself when I was about five years old. A lot different now of course.

Spending so much time in the car and sitting beside Pat’s bedside gave me a chance to catch up on some thinking and some reading (not while I was driving!). I mentioned the two books last week — well, I had to give up Alex Shaw’s book Code Black. I did try, I must admit, but in the end I found it too formulaic and more like a tourist guide around the town of Kviv in the Ukraine where Mr. Shaw lives. I didn’t give up reading though; I downloaded Her Last Breath by Charlie Gallagher. It’s a crime novel about a serial killer. Although these kind of crime thrillers can be similar, I found Gallagher’s book thoroughly enjoyable. It was well written with well-drawn characters. It kept me guessing about the who, the how and the why, and there was a neat little twist at the end to tie it all together. I’ve now started on another Robert Harris novel, The Fear Index. Should be good. I realise I won’t be able to get through my reading as quickly as I have in the last couple of weeks though.

I have also given a lot of thought to my WIP, which has been ‘Work NOT in progress’, and have started rearranging the chapter sequences in my mind and even the opening. I do wonder why I’m doing that, but I have read of some writers who rewrite their novels several times before getting it right. The problem for me is that I know if I continue down that road, I’ll never finish the damn book. I have also been dabbling — in thought, not in deed — about my proposed follow-up to Hunted, my pulp fiction thriller. I don’t know why I’m doing this; it will only end in tears.

My book sales are still flat-lining (almost). I tried one promotion of The Boy from Berlin with Fliploud which resulted in no sales, and I have just come to the end of a one week promotion, same book, with Author Shout. No sales there either. Hopefully I’ll get back on to AMS and BB ads once I’ve settled into a manageable routine with Pat. Wish me luck.

Between Books

It’s been quite a week for me because of having Pat in hospital. Worse for Pat because of the major op they performed on her lung. Her recovery isn’t going too well and I don’t expect her to come home until tomorrow. I haven’t touched my writing this week but have managed a fair bit of reading because of spending five hours each day sitting by Pat’s bedside. When she’s sleeping I can read. My ‘free’ time is four hours in the car going up to London and back each day, so no writing; only lots of thinking. Anyway, I finished reading one book and started another, and the contrast between the two simply highlights the gulf between gifted writers and those who are not so gifted but still sell.

The book I finished was An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris. It’s about Alfred Dreyfus who was imprisoned on Devil’s Island by the French after an illegal trial and trumped up charges. The writing is superb and so well researched it was almost exhausting just reading the credits and how many documents and accounts Harris read in order to come up with a stunning classic. Brilliant writer who leaves many of us hopefuls standing.

The next book I started is a complete contrast. It’s called Code Black by Alex Shaw. I met Alex at the UK Southern Book Show last year. He wasn’t exhibiting but was in UK (I think he was at Worthing) and we got chatting, naturally. He is under contract with Harper Collins digital publishers. Alex writes the usual all action stuff: ex SAS soldier, Russians gangs etc., etc. It’s a kind of pulp fiction fare for a train or plane journey; easily read and filled with the usual jargon you would expect from this kind of book. But Alex has a good and creditable CV, so probably has a big fan base, and you can’t knock it. He lives in the Ukraine too, where he probably picks up a lot of intel on old Soviet matters. But two completely contrasting books and authors.

Where would I put myself in this company I wonder? Well, somewhere between the middle I guess. To give you some idea, this is an extract from an email I received from an unknown source via my blog post on Blogger.

I found you through the SPF Booklab podcast and thought you were wonderfully gracious about the dissection of your prologue and blurb. I don't take criticism well and would have fallen apart. I will be reading your book The Boy from Berlin - the new prologue is fantastic and raises lots of story questions. I was sad to hear about your wife's cancer and operation - will be praying for her recovery. The worries and stresses of the world certainly keep me from writing and any other creative pursuit. I know I should trust more but I'm not perfect yet. Go easy on yourself in this difficult time. May God bless you both. You're a great writer and I'm pleased to have found you. Prayers and best wishes from Victoria in Australia.

Naturally I want to thank the ‘Unknown’ person for that, but it came via a ‘no reply’ address. So if you’re reading this Mr. or Mrs. Unknown, thank you for your lovely words.

That’s my lot for this post. Hopefully I’ll have Pat back home tomorrow. We have an appointment with the surgeon at our local hospital in June. With luck he will have the results of the biopsies, which have gone to three London hospitals (again!) and be able to tell us what the next, positive step will be. Wish us luck!

Rocky road

I thought I might make some progress this week on my WIP and reach a point where I could begin editing and reshaping, but it wasn’t to be. We were called in to the hospital on Monday for a chat with the surgeon from St. George’s hospital in London to explain to Pat how he intends to operate on her tumour next week. So that put a spoke in the wheel in more ways than one. I did manage to get to my book briefly but only managed 500 words. It’s disappointing from a target perspective, but means nothing compared to what Pat is going through. Had family here yesterday (Saturday): three sons, two grandchildren (both adults), and one daughter-in-law. Cheered Pat up enormously.

I tried my luck with some ads on AMS and BB. I knew when I created the campaigns that my mind wasn’t focussed enough and as a result I only sold three copies of my book, The Boy from Berlin. I might have another go next week but I’ll be travelling up to London each day to see Pat, so it’s unlikely I’ll worry too much about the ads. Incidentally, when I created the BB campaign and went searching for a target author, I came across my name (my photo) and have been credited with over 14,000 readers. I think that must be a result of my previous featured deals with BB. On my dashboard I am only credited with 192 followers.

I have mentioned in my earlier blog posts that I believe the Indie world has metamorphosed into a replica of traditional publishing, and the more I see interviews or FB posts with other ‘successful’ authors, the more I’m convinced that the bottom feeders are being squeezed out. Just this week there has been a change in the way Mail Chimp will be pricing it’s service by including all those who have unsubscribed from your list of subscribers, and will be charging accordingly. This is to prevent authors keeping their subscriber lists below 2000, which is free, which can be done by automation, a service Mail Chimp provided as part of their free package. I have seen FB posts of disgruntled writers now planning to switch. The biggest of those is David Gaughran who had been a champion of Mail Chimp for eight years.

And it’s the same with us being priced out of the market by AMS and BB. I saw a featured deal on BB last week for Zane Grey, author of many Westerns. I remember my brother-in-law used to devour his books when I was a teenager. As far as I know, Zane Grey has been dead for donkey’s years, so I suppose the owners of his estate feel it worthwhile spending upwards of $600 on a featured deal. And these daily emails from BB often include NYT and Sunday Times best-selling authors.

Getting back to the hospital visits; I’ll be taking Pat in on Monday, operation Tuesday and then probably six or seven days before she’ll be allowed home. I’ll be going up to London each day of course, so no time for writing. It’s a major op on her lung, so recovery time will be quite long. All this to try and identify a cancer that has remained hidden for seven months now. Once they have nailed it, Pat will probably be on chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Last Monday I posted my romance, Past Imperfect, off to the book reviewer I mentioned in my blog post last week. She has not promised to read it, but will try. Hopefully she’ll love it and kick start my career in another direction. Who knows? Wish me luck.