May 26th. 2019
It’s been quite a week for me because of
having Pat in hospital. Worse for Pat because of the major op they performed on
her lung. Her recovery isn’t going too well and I don’t expect her to come home
until tomorrow. I haven’t touched my writing this week but have managed a fair
bit of reading because of spending five hours each day sitting by Pat’s
bedside. When she’s sleeping I can read. My ‘free’ time is four hours in the
car going up to London and back each day, so no writing; only lots of thinking.
Anyway, I finished reading one book and started another, and the contrast between
the two simply highlights the gulf between gifted writers and those who are not
so gifted but still sell.
The book I finished was An
Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris. It’s about Alfred Dreyfus who was imprisoned
on Devil’s Island by the French after an illegal trial and trumped up charges.
The writing is superb and so well researched it was almost exhausting just
reading the credits and how many documents and accounts Harris read in order to
come up with a stunning classic. Brilliant writer who leaves many of us hopefuls
standing.
The next book I started is a complete contrast. It’s called Code Black by Alex Shaw. I met Alex at
the UK Southern Book Show last year. He wasn’t exhibiting but was in UK (I
think he was at Worthing) and we got chatting, naturally. He is under contract
with Harper Collins digital publishers. Alex writes the usual all action stuff:
ex SAS soldier, Russians gangs etc., etc. It’s a kind of pulp fiction fare for
a train or plane journey; easily read and filled with the usual jargon you
would expect from this kind of book. But Alex has a good and creditable CV, so
probably has a big fan base, and you can’t knock it. He lives in the Ukraine
too, where he probably picks up a lot of intel on old Soviet matters. But two
completely contrasting books and authors.
Where would I put myself in this company I wonder? Well, somewhere
between the middle I guess. To give you some idea, this is an extract from an
email I received from an unknown source via my blog post on Blogger.
I found you through the SPF Booklab
podcast and thought you were wonderfully gracious about the dissection of your
prologue and blurb. I don't take criticism well and would have fallen apart. I
will be reading your book The Boy from Berlin - the new prologue is fantastic
and raises lots of story questions. I was sad to hear about your wife's cancer
and operation - will be praying for her recovery. The worries and stresses of
the world certainly keep me from writing and any other creative pursuit. I know
I should trust more but I'm not perfect yet. Go easy on yourself in this
difficult time. May God bless you both. You're a great writer and I'm pleased
to have found you. Prayers and best wishes from Victoria in Australia.
Naturally I want
to thank the ‘Unknown’ person for that, but it came via a ‘no reply’ address.
So if you’re reading this Mr. or Mrs. Unknown, thank you for your lovely words.
That’s my lot for
this post. Hopefully I’ll have Pat back home tomorrow. We have an appointment with
the surgeon at our local hospital in June. With luck he will have the results
of the biopsies, which have gone to three London hospitals (again!) and be able
to tell us what the next, positive step will be. Wish us luck!
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