Don't rain on my parade

20^th. October 2019.

Something of a mixed bag week for me. Pat’s condition has improved, but only marginally. She had a heart monitor fitted on Monday, which I returned on Friday. There were no dramas and no need to fill in a report. I have now started helping her to complete one puzzle a day from a quiz book for Seven year olds and above (I’m 78, so I qualify). It’s to help Pat’s brain get the stimulation it needs, and is a recommended therapy from different specialists. We are still waiting for an appointment with the neurologist. I phoned the hospital but they weren’t helpful. I’ll phone again tomorrow: plague the life out of them.

On the book front, my week exploded with a smashing article in the Daily Express about my latest book, No Time to Die (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WFQMQV4). It appeared quicker than I expected. I thought it was well conceived and brought a lot of attention too, including 479 reactions (to date) on the SPF Facebook group. It was also picked up by BBC Radio Sussex. Their web crawlers flagged it. They contacted me that day and I had a short interview on their breakfast show the following day. So, a lot of excitement in my book world.

I have finally managed to get accounts with Amazon Advertising in UK and Germany. It’s early days yet for the UK ad, and I don’t really expect much from the German ad. I put The Eagle’s Covenant (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LZRKJ4O) up for that. The book is set in Germany and I was able to research German police procedures etc., courtesy of the German Embassy in London, when I wrote the book. It’s a gripping thriller and ticks all the boxes, including a completely unexpected twist at the end. I just hope the German nation suddenly become English language aficionados and buy the book. We’ll see. For the other sites, my book sales and KU read throughs are creeping up a little. Not too much.

Going back to the 479 reactions on my FB post: one guy criticised the journalism, said he was an “ex journo” himself. No matter how many people enjoy your moment in the spotlight, there’s always someone who wants to rain on your parade, isn’t there? Tosser!

Another great family week too. Our grandson Sam spoke to us on Facetime during the week. We weren’t able to get to his wedding last month for obvious reasons, so it was nice of him to get in touch and have a natter. On Friday, our number 2 son came over with his daughter, Gemma and great grandson, Orin. And yesterday, Saturday, our number one son, Vincent came down from Norfolk with our grand-daughter, Sarah for the day. I even managed to get out down the pub with Vince for an hour and have a couple of pints. Haven’t done that for almost a year now. It was good therapy.

I have to accept now that my writing time must be limited because of the need to spend more time with Pat. It’s only fair for her that I don’t spend most of my free time stuck on my computer in my room. We don’t know how much time we’ll have together, and I pray to God that Pat will come through this and we can enjoy more years in the autumn of our lives. We’re looking forward to our 60^th. wedding anniversary in January and I have to believe we’ll make it. So, limited progress now and a fresh look maybe in the New Year. Wish us luck!