So this is Summer?

Hello, I hope your day is much sunnier than mine is! What am I saying? I actually quite like the rain, but perhaps, not so much during these 'warmer' months!
So what have I been up to recently? Well I've finished typing up the Uganda journals, 26,000 words for a first draft is not bad at all I think. In the process of involving an editor at the moment, a lady from a small independent publishing house based in Bristol. Then once it's at a presentable stage, I'd like to start submitting it to proper, big publishing houses. The ones I have in mind are two giants from the christian publishing world, Authentic Media and Christian Focus Publishing. Authentic's website is sadly down at the moment, but the CFP one is really good, with a detailed section on how to submit to them for publication. They do a really nice range of Christian missionary biographies where I think mine would fit in nicely. So heres hoping I can get things moving quickly and see where it all goes.
Speaking of authetic media, they are holding a poetry competition judged by Adrian Plass, so I'd like to have a go at that. Other competitions I'm working on - Leaf Books have a really good travel one, a 300 word postcard type thing. I've got two written so far and I'd like to submit four, and the style of them are quite fun rather than your normal informative travel. I did recentyl submit to the Telegraph for their weekly travel competition, which looks really good. I've been eyeing it up for a while and so I'm glad I finally submitted!
What else? I've just had two poems published in Island Ink, a local writing magazine back home in Guernsey. The calibre of the work is getting better every time, and I can't wait to submit for the Christmas issue, and also the 2011 calander. So much to do!
Off to Paris in about two weeks, so I'd love to get some writing done then, lots of travel stuff. So...that's me. Just editing 'Georges War' at the moment and the poetry I wrote in Keswick, hopefully to submit to Other Poetry magazine.
Come on sunshine, just a little! It's the weekend for goodness sake!

Faber New Poets

Last night I went to an event at Toppings, Bath, showcasing the work of four poets from the new Faber series . These are the voices of tomorrow...today! Nothing like a nice cheesy catch line to get an audience - and an audience they got! The four poets were Joe Dunthorne, Annie Katchinska, Sam Riviere and Tom Warner. Each has a surprisingly different style, with some excellent works and other that I found a little iffy. But all the same, an excellent night, lots of young talent out there which is really inspiring.

I am submitting again to Island Ink since my publication in this months issue, so hopefully they will look favourably on my work again. I've just finished Uni for the year (crazy, long summer) so will have lots more time for my writing and things. I plan to go to a lot more readings, as they always make me leave wanting to get writing! Toppings is only small, but it puts on an impressive amount of readings.

Book is almost all typed up now, just two chapters to go. By no means is that the end of the journey - I get the feeling that I've barely passed through the beginning. Lots of editing is coming my way...oh yays!

Can it be summer?

Hello!
Things have been very busy recently, it being the assignment season and all. Getting a bit of other work done. I'm currently in the process of typing up my novel, which is taking longer than I thought! Once that's done I'll start editing it - the second draft being the one I want to bulk up, and the third draft will be the one I condense down. It's nice to be working to a plan!
Haiku Hundred is still going well, I've written almost thirty now and a few of them are pretty good. The trouble with Haikus is that you can't really edit or workshop them, as they have such a strict structure, it's easier to start again really than it is to edit one.
Other than that...not much news. Still waiting on a response from the Rialto, and a poem of mine will be appearing this week in the 4th edtition of 'Island Ink' which I'm quite excited about hopefully they will want to publish me again soon!