Square Eyes!

North Slope finished its free run with a free download of about 4700. I won’t know the final figures until the end of this week when Acclaimed Books (AB.c) publish them for me. Then I’ll be interested in my post-promotion sales figures. I have been working on HELL’S GATE (Hale, 2007), proof reading and copying the file on to a Createspace template. This will be converted by AB.c to a PDF file, which, if there are no problems, will mean the paperback will be available by the end of this week. I have great hopes for this book. It is set in British East Africa in 1898, and is inspired by true events there: the building of a railway line from Mombassa to Lake Victoria by the British, and the problems caused by the politicians of the day, and the sheer, physical endurance of the men who worked on the line. Terrific stuff. It’s a must for Wilbur Smith fans, believe me. I have also been scanning pages from THE DEVIL’S TRINITY, which could be available by the end of the year. It’s another thriller that was published by Robert Hale, and now that I have the paperback rights, it will go on Amazon. I used to have the file on disc, but I’ve lost it, or thrown it away. Never throw your discs away! I’ve also been busy arranging our trip to Australia and the Far East. We’ll be visiting our son who emigrated out there with his young family about seven years ago. Stephen is in the Royal Australian Air Force. He’s a Flight Lieutenant Air Traffic Controller. His wife, Lisa works as a local school assistant. She’s a qualified teacher but prefers the hours that her current job gives her. Their eldest boy, Sam is a member of the Australian swimming squad and is currently at Auburn University in Texas on a swimming scholarship. Jake, their second lad is studying medicine at Sydney University, while their third boy, Jamie is still at school but training hard in the pool hoping to emulate his eldest brother. Been glued to the box every evening watching the Olympics. I always feel sorry for those who don’t quite make a medal after all the years of hard work they’ve put into their sport. But failure is something most of us have experienced. But then failure isn’t really that; failure is when you don’t even try. Keep the faith!