I just wanted to start by congratulating Emily Maguire for making the short list for Miles Franklin Award and good luck for next month when the winner is announced.

I have finally finished Living in London, two years later. I began writing it during The Year of the Novel in 2015 and my final edit (I hope) was completed last week!

And with the completion of the manuscript, Pantera Press have expressed an interest in seeing the full manuscript for LiL after reading the first 20 pages.  Along with three publishers and an agent at a Literary Speed Dating held by the Australian Society of Authors.

Literary Speed Dating is not to find love of the amorous kind but to find a publisher or agent who will love your manuscript.  It’s extremely hair raising, as you try to summarise and sell your story in three minutes.  Not surprisingly, the first publisher I pitched to was not overly interested, however, every publisher after was.  I had hoped to pitch my children’s novel as well but ran out of time!  I would like to thank all the publishers and the agent I spoke to;

Curtis Brown Australia,

Harlequin

Harper Collins and

Penguin Random House.

And also Australian Society of Authors for running the event.  It was nice to see the faces behind the submissions process.

I have now forwarded my manuscript to all the above, so wait with bated breath for any news.

Something I did learn for future events is to be sure where your manuscript fits on a bookseller’s bookshelf. Despite all my reading I came up short when asked where my book would fit or even which books it was most similar to. I used Nora Roberts as a standard, despite it not being much like that at all.  Afterward, I decided it’s a cross between Jo Nesbo – Harry Hole series, Jo Jo Moyes, A J Patric, and Paula Hawkins with perhaps some Charlotte Woods!  Bit hard to explain all of that!

I am happy to say I can now start some new projects.  I am desperate to start my rural novel (still can’t think of a name) and a non-fiction book.

Reading this week has been rather slim – focusing on completing drafts before heading back to school.  I have purchased Jo Nesbo’s new Harry Hole book, The Thirst, so will spoil myself reading that over the next couple of weeks.