Portrait of a Lady (1)

Pretty soon it's been a year since 'The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy' came out and I think I need a birthday party. A year ago I was a terrified debut novelist virgin. Absolutely clueless. My publisher is a small British press so much of the promotion was up to me. I organised a small bash in London, invited mates and family, sent over some local prosecco and brought a nephew who knows how to keep glasses filled. I had to talk about myself and about my novel, and I was in a total fluster. I forgot my own name when I was signing books.

And yet it was a killer night for me, a real milestone in coming away out of my cocoon.

Around that time I also did a blog tour and grew absolutely sick of talking about myself, trying to sound interesting and plugging the book. Some of you have shown support there, so thank you very much. Then there were some literary festivals where I had a microphone in front of me, a jug of water and lights. Not my thing at all, but I battled through. A couple of times I even made people laugh.

Sales have not been in the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' category, but okay for an independent book. I'd have liked more, but hey, I don't have a marketing team, or any more than twenty-four hours in a day. Selling is very hard work. And unfortunately, however much you love or like your book and are pleased with your publishers and reviews have been satisfying, the most nagging feeling is that you haven't done enough. You haven't done enough readings, you haven't networked enough, you haven't secured enough reviews. It can feel so depleting.

And then there's the after-book void. What do I do now? Do I keep rattling on about this book? Won't people get sick of me? Shouldn't I have a second book in the wings? Will my publisher let me change genre?

I've ended up spending this year - as I imagine many authors do - polishing book two (which was thankfully accepted before the first came out), blogging like mad, sending off review copies. Some days I feel like Catherine McNamara's secretary, hoping she doesn't catch me on Facebook if she pops in from the other room. Other days I'm steeped in a new story and looking at the long editing-submission-acceptance-editing-promotion road ahead. Some days I receive the thrilling news that a story has been accepted, more often it's a rejection which I immediately hand over to the secretary next door...

But today I feel like doing a birthday giveaway. To those of you who haven't read DLC, or those of you who have but don't want to surrender your signed copy, how about jotting down below:

1. What you LOVE about Italy
2. What you HATE about Italy

I'll have my Italo-Aussie-Ghanaian tribe help me judge the winner and I'll send you a copy plus some flirty bookmarks!

In other wild news I have my own personal photographer flying in tomorrow to produce a glam portrait for promotion for 'Pelt and Other Stories' due out in July. Mark Ritchie is a brilliant Australian photographer who has made Spain his home. What on earth do I wear/attempt to convey? While DLC is heavy on divorcée humour, 'Pelt' is where I trot out my literary wares - tales of lust and dirt on the cusp between Africa and Europe.. (Having said all that I'll add that I lived with a photographer for five years, that I HATE having a lens in my face, and that most shots have me with my eyes closed. This is not going to be easy.)

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P.S. My story 'Taxidermy' was launched in Issue Two of 'A Tale of Three Cities' at Le Carmen Book Club in Paris on Sunday night! 'A Tale of Three Cities' is the first arts journal to salute the golden triangle cities of London, Paris and London. My piece is set in Berlin and will be included in 'Pelt'. Je suis très très heureuse!!