A phoney calm

It's now two weeks and one day (not that I'm still counting) until publication of Shadows of Justice, and all is calm... at least, on the surface.

This is a strange time in the life of an author.  The work is done - all two years and more of it - so all that's left to do is wait.

The final edits have been signed off, the cover and blurb, the marketing copy, it's all complete.  Now it's just a question of awaiting publication day.

It's a curious feeling.  Every day, I have a thought about the printing presses running with page after page of my scribblings.  A marketing department contacting bookstores, libraries, readers groups and so much more.

And I just count away the days to May 1st.

There's not much else I can do.  After the launch day, it's into signings and book talks and all the rest of the promotional efforts.  But until then, to borrow a very fine phrase...

"He waits.  That's what he does.  And I tell you what: tick followed tock followed tick followed tock followed tick..."

It's like so much of life - waiting for a holiday, or a concert, or a much anticipated day out, or an interview, or whatever.  The darned time will flow slow until it comes. 

And so it flows... in a glacial manner... and I wait.  That's what I do.  With growing nerves and excitement.

But! I do find distractions. (Otherwise you just go mad.)

One of which is my careers work, and I'm still aglow with pride at my mentee, Sanya, getting into City University, London, to study journalism.

Simon Sanya 3.jpg

This is us at a mentoring event at Exeter University, with Sanya giving a talk on how our partnership went - how proud do I look?!  And that feeling has only grown.

And this is a shot of the two of us afterwards - I include it because you get so many photos of me, and at least half of this snap is attractive.

Sanya and simon 1.jpg

Thanks to all who sent their best wishes and congratulations to Sanya as she went through the ordeal of the interviewing process for City - it was much appreciated.

So then, after distracting myself for a while with this little musing, it's back to waiting.  Two weeks and one day...

Tick tock, tick tock...