Just back from London where I had a gorgeous lunch with my new publishers. Here's a pic which the Managing Editor took for me with her i-thing. There were four of us altogether and we chatted for ages. It was so like the old days, when editors weren't stressed out of their brains and afraid for their jobs (I did mention that my NY editor got fired last year and was replaced by a ditz from Disney, didn't I?). We talked about books and films and art and life, rather than profit margins, sales, markets, mass retail etc A publisher that doesn't function on fear! Once I name them you'll understand how this is possible in the global recession, but I can't say until the contracts are signed. However, when it's all done and dusted we are talking publication in print and e by October of this year. HURRAH. Watch this space for further announcements.
I was born in Ireland and grew up in Toronto, Canada with my seven sisters and two brothers. Left home at seventeen to live in a commune, then headed off across Canada with my pal, Carole, and we hitch-hiked around California for months, then back up to Vancouver(Van as we called it then) and across Canada with two more pals, Linda and Peggy. A year later, headed off to Malaysia and Borneo with Jeunesse Canada Monde/Canada World Youth for a year. Baik-lah! Back home, went to Trinity College at the University of Toronto (posh blokes) while also joining the Canadian Naval Reserve as an Officer Cadet. Trained on the east and west coasts of Canada every summer. Great fun. Then what? Hmm. Started to write books, dodgy personal life (that's personal but let's just say it's been a long time between drinks) started to wander around the world, had a darling daughter, settled down in Ireland, wrote more books.