Loomings

The Bologna Book fair, the biggest international event for children's publishing has been and gone and I've heard nothing more than the fact that lots of publishers expressed interest in Alec Devlin. I have to admit, I have an unrealistic view of proceedings. Two years ago, the Sebastian Darke series came back from Bologna having been signed to ten publishers in four days, but I had no idea how unusual this was.

Furthermore, most of those publishers are only up to their first volume of Seb; indeed Random House USA publishes volume one tomorrow - so understandably, they are going to be somewhat cautious about throwing their hat into the ring for a brand new (and radically different) series and not just because of the awful exchange rate for the dollar! 

This hasn't stopped me creeping about the house looking as though I'm waiting for the news of an imminent birth; or twitching convulsively every time the phone rings. To compound matters, I'm waiting for my editor, Charlie, to come back to me about Sebastian Darke 3. 

I've fallen back on my old ruse of counting magpies. If I see two of them (and it's not unusual because we have a pair that nest in the garden every year) my spirit momentarily lifts... if I see a solitary bird, I become dejected and have to bellow my usual phrase at the poor creature until it (and the occasional passer-by) must think me quite demented. 

Let them, I'm past caring.