1. Spoke to an audience of 150ish teachers who displayed varying degrees of interest (but mostly, it has to be said, interest) in my talk about reading, reading for pleasure, teenagers, brains and more about the brain.
2. Managed, mostly, to block the fact that one man in the audience was shaking his head most of the time.
3. Sold a book. And gave away masses of posters, postcards and info about dyslexia. Hooray!
4. Went to M&S on the way home and bought some scrummy ingredients for dinner, but then got a text from Mr M to say his train wouldn't get in till 9.30. And he'd have eaten. Never mind - there's always tomorrow.
5. Re-read and attempted to process an email from my agent yesterday, re a publishing decision which surprised me, and not in a bad way.
6. And took a phone call which included the word "television".
Well, Mr M may not be back, but I'm, frankly, celebrating.
Cheers!
I became known as the Crabbit Old Bat because of my honest advice about writing and publishing on another blog. But I've stopped all that and gone back to being a children's writer. HOORAY! So, welcome. Share the pleasure, the pain and the chocolate. But wipe your feet first.
Aw, I wish I'd been one of those lucky teachers in your talk! It is such a challenge to get my students to read, even when they have to do an exam on the novel!
ReplyDeleteOoh, excited for the good surprise and the mysterious phone call! Will wish you luck :)
(PS - hope you don't mind - I've followed you over from HINAP as I can't not have my Nicola Morgan blogging fix! You already read as much more relaxed and happy!)
Of *course* I'm delighted to see you here! Funny that you can sense me being relaxed and happy. Actually, at this very moment I'm not partic relaxed, as I'm attempting to do a task which I have absolutely no idea how to do but which I have to finish today and which will impact on the Mysterious Thing. A lot rides on this and I'm floundering!
DeleteOooh - wish you could come and repeat that talk here. I know a few people who need to hear it!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to! Business Class, please :)
DeleteSounds like a brilliant day. Maybe the man with the shaking head had a nervous twitch.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I'm not sure. Though I did once have the experience of someone doing that throughout a talk and then coming up afterwards and saying she'd agreed with every word and really enjoyed it! However, I don't this that was the case this time.
DeleteCrabbit, you are one big tease!
ReplyDelete*grins and continues to tease* You will be among the first to know - IF the exciting thing happens. The phonecall merely moved it from "95% unlikely" to "only 5% of projects get to this stage, so this is good". But, of those 5% it could well be that 95% get no further. I have no idea. Right outside my area of knowledge, and indeed comfort zone.
DeleteOh good, another excuse for a glass of wine. Celebrating with other people is just as good as doing it for oneself.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Cheers :)
DeleteFantastic news all round and am really impressed you were able to ignore the man with the shaking head. Why is it when you are talking and surrounded by people with smiling faces you are automatically drawn to the one who has the grumpy face. Fingers crossed for all the other exciting news
ReplyDeleteIt's the same when I'm talking to kids - there'll be one or two who are messing around or smirking and that will be all I remember. I'm sure everyone's the same.
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