Excitement

It's now nine days until The Balance of Guilt is published, a good time I think to respond to the question - what's it like when a book comes out?

Incredibly exciting is the answer!

The only comparison I can make is like being a child at Xmas time.  You know the big day's coming, you know something special is going to happen and you find yourself counting off the days to get there.  And often impatiently so.

I thought the excitement might dim a little as The Balance of Guilt is the fifth in the tvdetective series, but it hasn't at all.  If anything, it's heightened. It still feels like the heady culmination of a very large amount of work, the chance to actually hold the end product in your hand.

And believe me, I do - when a new book is published, I adopt one copy and carry it around with me, like a new and favourite friend.

As if that wasn't enough, the excitment doesn't stop on publication day, by no means.  Actually seeing the book on the shelves of a shop, or in a library is an even bigger back shiverer. 

The next stage is a little more daunting, and that's when I start to get feedback and reviews on the new book.  That can be very nerve wracking, the thought of people actually reading it and forming an opinion as to its quality. 

Finally, there's the stage which for me is the most powerful of all.  It's when I do a talk about the new book, and read a few minutes of a sample to an audience.  To see the reaction of people to the action, characterisation, scenery, or some of your author's attempts at trickery of words is an incredible sensation. 

So, nine days to go, and counting... to finish on my initial Xmas theme, maybe I should make myself an advent calendar to accompany the publication of each new book?!

Lastly for this post, I will be doing a few events to mark the publication of The Balance of Guilt.  If you're interested, keep an eye on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html