In January this year, when I published Changing Trains, I thought 'all I have to do now is sit back after all that hard work and watch it fly off the bookseller's real and virtual shelves'.
'It's bound to be a hit', I thought. It's a super lovely, touching and actually quite sexy coming-of-age tale set against the back drop of 'old Europe', just before it turned into the super Euro-state that Britain is now in the process of leaving.
The story is fun, poignant, adventurous, sexy and full of sunshine. Okay, so I don't expect it to garner any major literary awards, but I hope those who read it will enjoy the nostalgia of an age just before the internet, mobile phones and all this social media stuff changed our lives forever.
So far, trying to find an agent has been tough, as has finding a publisher. You have to keep plugging away at it. You need to hope that at some point someone will pick up your work and 'decide' they are going to champion it.
It reminds me a little of some of the people I've interviewed over the years as a journalist. You do all the normal day to day stuff like interviewing company bosses, finance directors an so on, and then, very rarely, a huge celebrity name falls into your lap.
For example, there was that night when I interviewed Giorgio Armani in front of a live audience in Dubai. It was years ago, but nonetheless a fab experience to meet him and he was a complete gentleman.
Sadly, I had the worst flu at the time, having just returned from a trip to London the day before. I also didn't have any Armani clothes and ended up wearing a borrowed Louis Vuitton tie and blue Massimo Dutti pinstripe trousers.
However, any shame I felt soon dissipated when I was introduced to the world's most famous fashion designer. Our Giorgio was stood before me in what I could only surmise was a shell suit. A very expensive one, but a shell suit nonetheless.
I couldn't quite believe it. But almost immediately I thought 'hang on, this is GA himself, so shell suits MUST be cool now.'
Despite my feeling horrendously overdressed, the interview went very well. Although I envied how relaxed and chilled he looked compared with me in my formal tie, off-the-rack trousers and runny nose.
The conditions of the interview were a bit odd for me. I was told that I should direct my questions to the Italian designer in English, but that he would reply to me in Italian. Then, his translator, who was sitting just to my right, would relay the answers to me in English.
Signore Armani is estimated to be worth around $9bn according to Forbes Magazine. I worked out that he could pay my entire mortgage off by using just 0.00002% of his fortune to buy around 20,000 paperback copies of my little novel for his friends, and he'd probably make that back in interest alone within the week!
It's a lovely thought, but then I'd probably have to sign every one, so I plough on, hoping others will help me survive by buying my book instead.
Next time, I may tell you how I ended up on a desert island with Sir Richard Branson with nothing but a telephone box and a glass of Champagne to get us through the experience.
Arrivederci!
'It's bound to be a hit', I thought. It's a super lovely, touching and actually quite sexy coming-of-age tale set against the back drop of 'old Europe', just before it turned into the super Euro-state that Britain is now in the process of leaving.
The story is fun, poignant, adventurous, sexy and full of sunshine. Okay, so I don't expect it to garner any major literary awards, but I hope those who read it will enjoy the nostalgia of an age just before the internet, mobile phones and all this social media stuff changed our lives forever.
So far, trying to find an agent has been tough, as has finding a publisher. You have to keep plugging away at it. You need to hope that at some point someone will pick up your work and 'decide' they are going to champion it.
 |
| Me and Mr Armani, just like (ahem!) old pals |
It reminds me a little of some of the people I've interviewed over the years as a journalist. You do all the normal day to day stuff like interviewing company bosses, finance directors an so on, and then, very rarely, a huge celebrity name falls into your lap.
For example, there was that night when I interviewed Giorgio Armani in front of a live audience in Dubai. It was years ago, but nonetheless a fab experience to meet him and he was a complete gentleman.
Sadly, I had the worst flu at the time, having just returned from a trip to London the day before. I also didn't have any Armani clothes and ended up wearing a borrowed Louis Vuitton tie and blue Massimo Dutti pinstripe trousers.
However, any shame I felt soon dissipated when I was introduced to the world's most famous fashion designer. Our Giorgio was stood before me in what I could only surmise was a shell suit. A very expensive one, but a shell suit nonetheless.
I couldn't quite believe it. But almost immediately I thought 'hang on, this is GA himself, so shell suits MUST be cool now.'
 |
| Armani and the man (well me) |
Despite my feeling horrendously overdressed, the interview went very well. Although I envied how relaxed and chilled he looked compared with me in my formal tie, off-the-rack trousers and runny nose.
The conditions of the interview were a bit odd for me. I was told that I should direct my questions to the Italian designer in English, but that he would reply to me in Italian. Then, his translator, who was sitting just to my right, would relay the answers to me in English.
Signore Armani is estimated to be worth around $9bn according to Forbes Magazine. I worked out that he could pay my entire mortgage off by using just 0.00002% of his fortune to buy around 20,000 paperback copies of my little novel for his friends, and he'd probably make that back in interest alone within the week!
Next time, I may tell you how I ended up on a desert island with Sir Richard Branson with nothing but a telephone box and a glass of Champagne to get us through the experience.
Arrivederci!
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