Apologies for the lateness of this blog - it should have gone up at the beginning of the month, but I thought Lola hadn't sent it, while Lola thought it had gone up and she'd missed it. Sigh. It's a hard life bringing you red hot chick lit news every day...
Over to Lola...
Last month, I spent an amazing 24 hours at a spa in Sussex, courtesy of my publishers, for a really special event. They’d hired the WHOLE venue too; acres of land, buildings from the 13th century, peacocks… So, I walked into my room – I mean suite – and kissed goodbye to any specs of decorum as my camera appeared and I started snapping away at anything, including the four poster bed WITH CURTAINS, immediately noticing a huge paper bag with my name on it. I peered in, imagining it to contain a full length cocktail gown (too many girly flicks) and was equally delighted to see it full of book proofs by authors gathered at the event – including my own!
What a moment THAT was.
So then it’s lunch, massage, nails, rest, drinks, dinner. Then a speech (eek!) in front of EVERYONE. So, I began on my freshly prepared speech, all neatly typed up, only to give up half way through. Why? Because I realised something; I know my book! I have lived breathed and slept it for a year and a half now and didn’t need a piece of paper reminding me of what to say… (Besides, I wanted to clock the various bored/excited facial expressions). So I completed my speech from the heart, minus paper. Explaining the feelings and motivations behind why I wrote By The Time You Read This… And I’m pleased to say there wasn’t even a yawn in the house!
So what can I say? Twenty four hours of lovely food and brilliant
company. I even exchanged emails with a couple of authors who I fear
may soon change email addresses in an attempt to cut me off. It was so
good to find out what it’s like being a published author. And I realise
I have so much to learn. Like the rules of carrying a good pen
around. You see – and get this – I GOT ASKED TO SIGN MY BOOK FOR THE
VERY FIRST TIME! It was during a full English breakfast, the day we
were leaving. The author Camilla Lackberg tapped me on the shoulder and
asked for my signature! So what if it was for a first proof? Let’s not
get technical, I WAS ASKED. Of course I didn’t have a pen which was
embarrassing, especially as I had to ask for her one! Then bestselling
crime novelist Alex Barclay asked for an "autograph" too. This no pen
lark must NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN I decided, before joining in the momentum
by asking Gavin Esler from Newsnight to sign his book (yes, he was
there too) as well as John Drake who has written a prequel to Treasure
Island!
Okay, enough name dropping. I am here to talk about the spa and April and one of my best weeks as a soon to be published author...
I will say, the spa was far from being an excuse to get pampered and preened, it was about networking, getting to know people, oh and getting pampered and preened and HELLO sitting in an outside hot tub in the middle of the Sussex coast!!! (Sorry.) I have been trying to think if it all felt surreal and I can honestly say it didn’t. But what did feel weird for a few seconds was zoning out during a speech and clocking the sight of my book proofs piled up and displayed neatly on various window ledges and side tables - now that was kinda surreal... Like, "oh, that’s my book…"
I got back to London the next day and felt as if I had just left another world. Some other universe where I was an author with shapely nails and pretty dresses with bows.
Tuesday 22nd: I found out that America is going to publish my book…!
Thursday 25th: Attended my first book launch with my writer friend Sam Mills (who a year ago I hadn’t even met in person before). It was a good thing to do (even though I had never met the writer before) as it gave me ideas for mine, which I am pleased to say, doesn’t have to be a party with bells on as I naively first thought. I will now tout it as "a coming together of friends, colleagues, family and publisher to celebrate the launch of my book with a few drinks, embarrassing speeches and a book ‘sign off’ at the end". Simple. Must cancel male Go Go dancers.
Throughout the excitement of the week, I managed to get on with my new book, which has now at last taken on a life of its own…
So, the ending of April 2008 marks a year to the day (or days) that my life changed. Because it was around that time in 2007 that I found out that Harper Collins were interested in my manuscript – then called The Manual (take a look at my first Blog if you’d like to relive those days with me).
It’s definitely been a life enhancing week and a life changing year. Oh and I have under two months to go until the publication of my book and I’m still relatively calm…
By The Time You Read This… By Lola (her name was…) Jaye is out 1st July 2008, Harper.
Her website’s ‘live’ at www.lolajaye.com
