It's JFK, with clogs on ...

Well, after a month of editing, a hard drive crashing and flu, the 20 chapters have been sent off. I really hope Camilla enjoys reading them.

This last edit was a very good exercise - especially on the scenes where Leyla and her people appear. Jack's reaction to her, and them, has escalated from bemused confusion to doubting his sanity. The fact that he's on a collision course with General Falcon and FLAG means little to him at the moment, but it will. FLAG kills those who get in its way, not even Presidents are safe, so, a British Army Sergeant will be easy meat - or will he?

In Holland for the next five days. Catch you guys when I return.

Only eighteen to go!

On Thursday, writing buddy Rita and I spent five hours going through a hard edit of the next two chapters of the Messenger. On Saturday, when I managed to put the sixteen pages of alterations together in print, my laptop crashed and I lost it all. The machine crashed badly once before and I had the hard drive replaced, but I guess in the back of my mind, I knew there was still a problem. So, on Sunday, I bought a new laptop and transferred the story across - then spent until today rewriting and trying to remember what I had altered and how I had written it. Whoever is up there looking down on me is determined I will remain grounded and have to work my ba**s off for any success - which, I suppose, is the way it should be - and what I will do.

Does anybody else have a cat who won't pee unless it's done over a drain? I suppose we should be grateful it isn't on the carpet, but, in the middle of the night, it's a little disconcerting to find the cat in the bath using the plughole!

Say goodnight to the folks, Gracie.

It gets better ...

Camilla Bolton liked the revision, is 'intrigued' by the plot and has asked for the next 20 chapters. I must admit to being extremely pleased that an agent of her standing has taken an interest in my character, Jack Chandler. Camilla has kindly given me as long as I need to edit the work she has requested. Let's hope I can impress her with the next 20 chapters.
So, folks, even though outside it's raining cats and dogs, is cold and windy, I love today!

Changes rippled ...

Apologies - I haven't been around. I have been working like stink on rippling the changes, that Camilla Bolton suggested, through the rest of the manuscript. It took a while to do, but I have to say what she suggested has really helped - as you would expect from a professional in the business. I am working on the sequel and Rita and I had a meeting yesterday to iron out some ideas on it. Research is going to be a slog, but it needs to be done. Might need another trip to Slovakia to sort out one of the elements of the organisation I am going to incorporate in the story. Then of course, the chase scenes in Washington, will probably need more research too, haha. Now, when can I plan that for? The Fall is too long away.

Had an email from an old friend this week. It was nice to catch up and brought a lot of memories flooding back of when we used to work together in the seventies and eighties. Those were the days! Flares, shoes you could fall off, collars so long you could tuck them in your trousers - as for the men, that was a different matter. Hair, moustaches and sideburns were almost black then - although they've changed a little over the years - where there is hair, everything's silver!

Right, better get on with the sequel planning. Catch you again.

Will she won't she?

I've been busy these last three days incorporating the changes in The Messenger that Camilla Bolton suggested. It's not only made a complete difference to the opening of the story, but made me think hard about how the changes will ripple through the rest of the book. I'm hoping to get the end result off to her on Friday.

The girl's death scene which I slogged over for a week is now condensed into the first quarter page in a very different format - which actually strengthens the story - so, Camilla's advice has had a profound and beneficial effect in a way I would never have thought of. I just hopes she likes what I've done with her critique. Catch you guys soon.

Second chance to make a first impression?

My chosen agent, Camilla Bolton of the Darley Anderson Literary Agency, came back to me with a rejection on Saturday. However, the letter she sent wasn't the standard 'thanks, but no thanks'. It was a most complimentary and constructive acknowledgement of The Messenger. Camilla made suggestions as to how the story (which she thought exciting) could be improved by cutting portions of chapters and making a couple of other alterations - in general, it was obvious that she had spent time reading and inwardly digesting my story. I emailed her to say I was going to incorporate the changes she had suggested and thanked her for her time. I also acknowledged that the road to mainstream publishing was a tough one, but that I was determined to succeed. This morning I received an email from Camilla to say if I was willing to make the alterations and, if I wanted to re-submit to her, she would not only be happy to reread it, but would be happy to read anything else I write. What a brilliant lady! Obviously, there is a god after all.

Push it all the way in, Jack...

I read Brenda Brooks comments in the Plymouth Herald's 'Saturday thought' (a religious segment of the paper) about the survival of the people on the plane which landed in the Hudson River. Brenda states that the pilot told everyone 'to pray', unfortunately, I can find no reference to this statement actually being said. What I do find is that Captain Sullenberger's one instruction to the cabin was to 'prepare for impact'. However, whilst Brenda does give Captain Sullenburger some credit in this horrific accident, she implies his 148 passengers survived by the grace of her god through prayer. I was wondering if this is the same god who chooses not to answer the millions of prayers of those men, women and children caught in conflict, genocide, ethnic cleansing etc., throughout the world - or do their prayers and suffering not attract the necessary media attention for her god to act? Or am I being cynical?

Jill's digital movie camera broke just before we went to Slovakia and she bought a new one to take with us. Before purchase, she established with the store assistant that the camera would play the film she took on our TV as well as recording it to DVD and he suggested it would do all that she wanted. However, after the trip she spent hours trying to get it to play the film on the TV without success. She took it back to the shop yesterday and explained her problems. The assistant decided to try it on a TV the same as the one we have and it worked! Elated, Jill brought it back and plugged it into our set and guess what? It didn't work. We couldn't understand why - the set was the same as the shop, the leads were the same, the connections were the same - it just didn't make sense. Granddaughter Leah had a go and attached the cable from her video camera onto Jill's camera and images appeared on the TV screen - so, we were guessing the fault was with Jill's connection leads - which we tried once more and, yep, 'no joy'. Then I did what I should have done when Jill first had the problem a week ago. I checked the connection - and Jill hadn't been pushing the small jackplug all the way into the camera socket each time she did it! At least the camera is performing as it should now.

No news from Camilla Bolton on The Messenger, yet. Is that no news is good news, I wonder? Met up with Rita this morning to talk through the storyboard for the Jack Chandler sequel. I am finding the story research (on GM crops) alarming and more like fiction than fact with Terminator Seeds (Good name for a book, but terminology for male sterile seeds) which are modified to produce one crop only and regarded as intellectual property for the purposes of law. I gather the French have stopped (temporarily?) using a certain brand of GM maize. How do we know what the long term effects of GM foods and additives will be? Are we setting up our children and grandchilden to reap what we sow? I hope not.