One year on…

So, did the dream of writing a bestseller actually happen? Am I in fact writing this from my private beach by the turquoise waters of Lake Geneva, with a Mojito to hand? That’s what people who write bestsellers do, isn’t it?

Today is the one year anniversary of my book launch – that for The Sudden Metropolis – and I’m still writing. It’s been one of those hard days and I’m looking for any distraction… ‘Aha, my blog needs updating’.

Some things aren’t the same: The Forum café, where we had the launch, is no more. I often walk past the bolted doors and darkened interior, and remember the special evening when my friends packed the place out. Now, on my writing days, I sit in a small study at home instead.

The sales haven’t exactly been in the thousands, more like the hundreds, but the real treat has been the feedback – people who have read the books have really enjoyed them (see the Amazon comments). At the end of a consultation this week, the following exchange occurred:

Patient: “Can I ask you a question?”

Me: “Sure…” (Our ten minutes is up…Now what?)

Patient: “The Indian stretcher bearer who carries Freddie from Spion Kop, is that Ghandi?”

Me: “Yes!” (Very surprised to hear him referring to a scene from The Sudden Metropolis)

Patient: “I thought so!”

For a few seconds, on seeing his deep interest, I felt as if I had written a bestseller, and that I was on my private beach by the turquoise waters of Lake Geneva, with a Mojito to hand.