This has been a great few days. First a couple of awesome book reviews for DS and Parrish, then the retreat and now this...

SUBURBAN BOY - Dave Warner

I wake up every morning with no-one beside me
I wake up every morning and my mother will chide me
I’m just a Suburban Boy, just a Suburban Boy
Saturday night, no subway station
Saturday night just changing TV stations
I’m just a Suburban Boy, just a Suburban Boy
And I know what it’s like
To be rejected every night
And I’m sure it must be, easier for boys from the city
I go to the football to cheer for my team
I go to the football to hear myself scream
I’m just a Suburban Boy, just a Suburban Boy
Sunday Session – I’m down at the hotel
Staring at girls that I don’t know, well
I’m just a Suburban Boy, just a Suburban Boy
And I know what it’s like
I’ve been rejected every night
And I’m sure it must be, easier for boys from the city

 

 

 

Well the Orbiteers finished off their retreat with champagne, palm readings (courtesy of Fiona) and cheesecake (thank you Mark!). I hope they're going away inspired and encouraged and I look forward to seeing what happens with their manuscripts in the next incarnation. So to Fiona, Janette, Susan, Jo, Jo, Jody-Ann, Jeremy, Terry, Luke and Graham, may the universe look after you. I have happy memories of badminton, after dinner readings, palmistry and enjoyable individual chats. And whatever you do, don't allow a pinkie in your paranoia.

Aussie Blogger has this to say about the girl. Shall I write more Parrish? If you think so shout out.

I'm blogging while Kate is running a talk on synopses and query letters.

Well, we're up to day four and it's been an orgy of writing information and ideas. The first night we had an all around discussion with Tara Wynne (Curtis Brown), Ron Serdiuk (Pulp Fiction) and Bernadette and Deonie (Orbit). The next day the ten authors had their individual sessions with Bernadette and Deonie, who gave them feedback on their manuscripts. This was tiring but exhilarating for the authors. And nobody cried!

From them on everyone has been working away on changes to their novels. My role has been varied. I've spoken to most of the attendees individually and tried to support and inform them on the their area of interest. For some this had been related to their manuscripts but for others it has been marketing, networking, psuedonyms.

On top of that Kate Eltham and I have delivered talks on Agents and Web promotion. These have been interesting (I hope) and have ended in drinks around the table. Last night the writers each read two pages from their mans. and talked about the challenges they are facing to make their books better. This was highly entertaining because the manuscripts were so diverse and, of course, well written.

I'm loving it! (nothing to do with having three meals a day cooked for me.) 

More soon...    

Lynne emailled us today to say that Periphery is on the TLA bestseller list.

Am off to Bribie Island tomorrow to work with the ten writers chosen by Orbit to develop their manuscripts. Will be great to also catch up with Bernadette, Deonie, Kate, Ron and my lovely agent Tara Wynne.

Now if my back would just behave itself...

As a ps: Periphery is also no, 7 on Amazon UK's SF anthology category.