OCTOBER 2005

NEWSLETTER 17

WORK IN PROGRESS

I’ve now delivered Made in Heaven to my editor and my agent and they like it, which is good news. I’ve enjoyed writing this book enormously, partly because it’s a bit of a departure for me and quite different from both Facing the Light and Hester’s Story and partly because the subject, a family wedding, has been huge fun to work on, with all sorts of people helping me by telling me stories of their weddings or others they’ve attended. It’s going to be published in May 2006.

Now I’m moving swiftly on to thinking about the second Historical House book I have to write. I know it’s going to be set in 1895 but beyond that, a great gulf yawns. I will strive to think of a good story before too long.

I am also (perhaps) going to be writing a fictional diary for a historical book for young children based on the life of Cleopatra. I will be a servant in her household, I think, if the project comes off. A sample spread is going to the Frankfurt Book Fair and all fingers are crossed. It won’t be a long book but I couldn’t resist it when Kingfisher asked me to consider it.

EVENTS

On June 30th I spent a day at the the Kerem School in Hampstead Garden Suburb. That was exhausting, because I spoke to about five classes but good fun. On July 1st, I went to Anston Hillcrest Primary School near Sheffield and that was a real treat. The teachers and children were all tremendously enthusiastic and the whole place sparkled with joie de vivre. The lunch at a local pub with the Head, David Carter and some of his staff (Mrs. Asvadi, Mrs. Blades and Mrs Langrick) was wonderful. Many thanks to Chris Shepherd and Dinnington Library Services for organising it.

On July 13th I went to Lowdham, near Nottingham, for the Lowdham Book Festival. Jane Streeter of the Bookcase Bookshop arranged everything beautifully. I spoke at the primary school in the morning, met Linda Newbery and Cindy Jeffries of the SAS for lunch and spoke in the WI Hall after lunch. The tea and cakes element of the afternoon was heavenly…I’ve never had such scones in my life and Jane very kindly managed to get the recipe to me by email. I’ve made some of my own and they were very good but not quite in the same class as the ones at my event. The whole day was brilliant and it was good to see people from the SAS, like Helena Pielitchaty and Rowena Edlin-White…she looked particularly summery in a beautiful picture hat of the kind you imagine yourself wearing but somehow never do.

My two days at Charney Manor were wonderful…quite the best kind of break from work. It was wonderful to be among people who were all interested in writing, and children’s books and so forth. There were several very interesting presentations but the highlight for me was Celia Rees’s workshop and the presentation by Diane Hofmeyr and Alison Boyle about Power Point that was a real education. The house is most beautiful and the food was superb. And it was good to meet up with lots of friends whom you’ve only been speaking to by email for the last year. I’ve already booked my place for next year.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Waterstone’s in Manchester to the party given by Andersen Books for Melvin Burgess’s new novel, Bloodsong. I haven’t read it yet (Melvin and I agreed to swap novels…he’ll give me Bloodsong and I’ll give him Ithaka) but the bit he read out was suitably gory and the publicity postcard shows blood dripping from top to bottom of the page! It has had very good reviews and I’m looking forward to it.

Andrew Cant and Sue Steel of Simply Books in Bramhall were at Waterstone’s too, and they invited me to be their guest at the third birthday party of the bookshop, and launch Ithaka, a little ahead of time, on Saturday September 24th. That was good fun, with a cake and Greek nibbles ( delicious!) and there was someone on hand to provide anyone who wanted one with a genuine War Wound…these were horrifyingly realistic. One girl came in with one on her temple and at first when I saw it, I thought: Oh, the poor girl, how horrible for her…till I realized. It took me a good half-minute to cotton on that it was just face-painting with added oomph. Much more genteel was the manicure and hand-pampering put on by a local beauty salon and all the girls were very happy with their buffed-up nails. Altogether a very jolly occasion.

On October 6th, I visited New Hall School in Chelmsford at the invitation of their librarian, Jenny Bignold. It happened to be Founders’ Day and the lunch that we had to celebrate was delicious. The events went well, and Ottakars provided lots of books for the girls to buy….it’ll probably be the last Ottakars provision before they are taken over by Waterstone’s…very sad news, that , for all writers, I think. All the staff were so kind and it was good to meet Anne and David again. I travelled back to London with the poet Clare Pollard, who knows my daughter Sophie, so we chatted all the way to Liverpool Street. Then I went down into the Underground at rush hour and got to my hotel with about 15 minutes in which to change, and get ready for the taxi that was coming to take me to the Greek restaurant Lemonia in Primrose Hill for the launch dinner for Ithaka. This was a super occasion. The food was terrific. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones. David Fickling my editor said nice things about Ithaka, which got me as close to blushing as I get. All the guests were given copies of the book, and one of the waiters was going to take his on the plane to Cyprus the very next day. Many thanks to Random House for what was a really memorable night for me. Next morning I met with my Orion editor for breakfast. As we left the dining-room, I heard my name called out…and there were Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare. I went back for another cup of coffee with them. That was fun.

Then off to Henrietta Barnett School, in North London, where I thought the place was amazingly enlightened and modern…the English teacher, Eve, was looking great in blue jeans. Alas, this was only because I’d arrived on Wear Jeans for Genes Day…everyone was in denim! Lesley Agnew’s Muswell Hill Book Shop (which incidentally has just won the Children’s Bookshop of the Year award) provided a bookstall and lots of girls came in their dinner hour to hear my talk. I really appreciated their interest and friendliness...it seems like a super school. Emma and Eve the teachers (sorry…never picked up a surname) presented me with a bottle of red wine to take home. And when I got home, there was a bottle of champagne from David Fickling Books waiting for me: a splendid publication gift from a smashing publishing house. I hope such a terrific send off for the book augurs well for its fortunes in the coming months.

On Sunday October 9th, I chaired an event at the Ilkley Festival: a discussion of teenage fiction with Julia Clarke and Sue Limb. That went very well, as both writers are terrific speakers. We had about 40 people at the event, and it was great to meet Sue and Julia. On the way home, I travelled with Lucy Holden of Bloomsbury. She and I met up with Shannon Hale, the US writer and her husband Dean, so the journey to Manchester just sped by. Manchester Victoria station didn’t give a very good account of itself…we had to wait ages for a taxi, but otherwise, it was a very pleasant day.

On Thursday 13th I travelled to Marlborough School in Woodstock as part of the Woodstock Celebrates Books Festival. Jan Mark was there too and it was good to see her again. We worked out that it has been six or so years since we last met. Fiona Kenshole, who used to be my editor long ago, is now in charge of arranging events. My first session was with a group of Sixth Formers. They were uniformly interesting and interested and we had a good discussion. A tasty buffet was set up for us at lunchtime and after lunch I spoke to about 80 Year 8s about my work. Many thanks to Gemma for being such a good minder and to Angela Prysor-Jones for her support as well. The talk and discussion went very well…Joe took photos afterwards with much aplomb and Sam interviewed me for the school website, so many thanks to them, too. I had a really good day and the ride to Oxford station in Fiona’s Mini was a treat.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

On Sunday 16th, I’m speaking at the Tithe Barn at Bishop’s Cleeve, in Gloucestershire, as part of the Bishop’s Cleeve Festival, put on every year by Courtyard Books. More about that next time.

On Thursday 27th October, I’m in Huddersfield, doing an event for Kirklees Library Service.

BOOKS

Well, the summer has come and gone and some of the books I said I’d be reading are still unread on the shelf. I haven’t got to The Historian nor to The People’s Act of Love…not properly. I started this one and was not sucked in at once and I’m afraid I gave it up. I may go back to it.

One day during the summer, the Australian writer Ursula Dubosarsky came up to Manchester to see me. She’s a wonderful writer and a lovely person to spend the day with. We went to the Imperial War Museum of the North, and had a look at the exhibits there and also had a very pleasant lunch. She gave me two of her novels and the one I’ve read, Abyssinia, is a mysterious and spooky story of disappearances and dreams and childhood fears. I loved it and will read Theodora’s Gift very soon.

Much of my reading time has been spent on books for review, and I only review books I enjoy on the grounds that life is too short to slag off books you don’t like. Everyone of any age would enjoy Geraldine McCaughrean’s The White Darkness. To see what I said about it, just look here on the Guardian’s excellent website. Speaking of which, I hosted the Guardian’s monthly poetry competition on the site in August and that was huge fun. I love it when I’m considered to be a poet!

My friends, Jean Ure and Linda Newbery have new books out: Jean’s is called Boys Beware (Collins) and Linda’s is Lost Boy (Orion) They’re both terrific reads.

Best book of the summer was Little Children by Tom Perrotta. Fabulously readable and very well-written. I also enjoyed Mission Flats, by William Lindsay, which is a first novel and an excellent thriller. Some people have objected to the ending, but I thought it worked well.

Erica James’s new book, Gardens of Delight is… delightful. She is very good at getting inside the minds of her more elderly characters, which I like very much.

On the train to Oxford, (see above) I read David Sedaris’s Barrel Fever…fantastic. If you haven’t tried this writer, do give him a go…he’s not like anyone else in the world.

Next up, the new Alan Bennett, Untold Stories. I rushed out and bought that as soon as it was published. It weighs a ton but will be a pleasure from beginning to end. I also bought the new book by Bret Easton Ellis, because it’s had such good reviews and because my library doesn’t seem to be intending to order it…unbelievable. I had to tell them that I was officially ‘suggesting it as a stock option.’ They are going to be inundated with people wanting it… all those young men who loved American Psycho, of whom there must be thousands. And I shall say: I told you so, when multiple copies are bought. But I wanted to read it NOW…

Also on my bedside table is the Bob Dylan memoir, Chronicles. I’m longing to read that. Us Bobheads have been having a field day lately.

Do email me with all your thoughts on adele@adelegeras.com.

The next newsletter will be published in mid-December. Till then, goodbye.

Adèle Geras