In the spotlight

It's almost publication time (as I may have mentioned once or twice before)... and here's a strange analogy for the feeling. 

It's like being caught in a very bright spotlight.

I don't mean that in a bad way.  I suppse it's like an actor's nerves, when he or she is about to step onto the stage. It's what they do, what they've worked towards for all this time, but it's such a big moment and it's charged with electricity.

It's not just about me, either, these feelings.  I can sense the pressure of the expectation of others upon me.

Most importantly, there are my dear and long suffering readers, I've been so touched by how many people have been kind enough to get in touch to tell me they're looking forward to reading Shadows of Justice.

Thank you all, very much.

But here's the curious thing.  I'm also feeling the pressure from my imaginary friends, my beloved characters.

It's as if they're with me, clustering around me, sharing the anticipation of the moment when they can be freed into the world again. 

There's the delightful Claire, wondering what the idiot Dan will be up to next and how she can cope with him.  Adam is waiting as impatiently as ever for his next case, with all his usual dedication to solving it.  El is hovering in that dark and dirty way of his, seeking a seedy but lucrative snap.

And as for Dan himself - it's the usual fretting about his emotions, trying to do his day job and report on the story, whilst secretly settling himself into the case and doing his best to solve it.

People keep asking me about the plot of Shadows of Justice and I'm so keen to blurt it all out, but I've managed to stop myself.  All will become clear in just a few hours now.

In the meantime I shall try to distract myself from the excitement.  With a run around the river in this wonderful sunshine (at last), thinking about some teaching I've got coming up, sketching out the plot for a new tvdetective novel, anything that helps to pass the time.

There are some events going on to mark publication.  If you're interested in coming along, you'd be very welcome.  You can find the details on the news and events page - http://www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

For now, I shall go back to counting the seconds as they pass.  Yours, breathlessly...