News
Summer
2008
Dear
Hearts and Gentle People
I
didn’t realise there were so many of you until my son Cliff put a counter on
the home page. I had better watch
what I say. But welcome to our
narrow world – a hearty handshake from me, a hug from Monica, and lascivious
licks from Jim and his friend Jess, the little brindle bitch who didn’t have a
home.
The
Narrow Dog to Indian River launch is over – last radio interview
completed, and summer is arriving, than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.
Our
publisher Transworld got huge extracts from the book into the Telegraph
and Saga Magazine and 20 minutes with Sandi Toksvig on her travel show,
and Waterworld gave us a big slot on TV, and the regional papers and the
waterways magazines were generous in their coverage.
I hope there were some satisfied customers from Narrow Dog to
Carcassonne as well. Anyway Indian
River went straight into the Sunday Times and Observer
best-seller charts. (Carcassonne
did not appear in the charts until the paperback)
We
were delighted as we were competing with Jordan – Pushed to the Limit,
and The Brutal Truth about the Nolan Sisters.
(I must get the one about the Nolan Sisters – sounds great.)
Thank
you to the dear souls who came from a long way away to the launch of Indian
River at Langtry’s next door in April, and indeed the dear souls who came
from a short way away. I didn’t
manage to reach the buffet myself – my dear, the noise, and the people – but
I am told the pork pies were very good. The
Mayor of Stone kindly turned out. I
asked him the proper way to address a mayor and he said Mister Mayor, like
Larry the Lamb used to say in Toytown on the radio in the forties.
So remember that and don’t get it wrong, or somebody ought to be
ashamed of himself.
Photograph
- Granny Buttons
And
many thanks to those who came to Monica’s talk at Waterstone’s in Bath.
Robert the photographer jazzman came and his wife Pat – the folk who
went down the Cain Flight with us in Chapter Two of Carcassonne.
It was lovely to have a drink with them afterwards, meeting characters
from your own book – though I didn’t invent Robert and Pat – they were
there all the time.
Photograph
- Robert Coles
In
a few weeks we head south on the Phyllis May for two months, and in case
we forget about work Monica is giving two talks at the Saul Waterways Festival,
on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal down Stroud and Gloucester way, and we are running
a book-stall. The Festival is 4th
to the 6th of July – see you there.
The organisers are getting us a free mooring – no doubt where the
gongoozlers can poke us with sticks and throw us buns.
We enjoy the attention, to tell you the truth.
And then on August 23rd- 26th we are doing the same
jobs at the Inland Waterways Association Festival at Autherley Junction,
Wolverhampton.
Yes,
thanks, Jim and Jess are fine. I
don’t have to tell you about the canal towpaths in the early summer, and the
flowers. The two hounds sniff and
jump ahead and scream at the rabbits on the other side of the cut. Crazed with lust for blood, Jess has thrown herself from the
bank twice, but was so astonished by the water that she swam back.
Soon we will all be on the Phyllis May, giddy with the fume of the
May and when we moor we will have the best curtains in the world – the
gypsies’ lace along the banks.
We
will be afloat for nearly two months – our first real break since we got back
from the US a year ago. We are
looking forward to it – the alligators were such a worry, you know, and the
vultures can get you down if you let them.
Now there is a new fish in Florida, with a mouthful of teeth, which
crawls out of the water, eating everyone in its path – they call it Fishzilla. It is so nice to be home.
We
should be able to receive emails when we are afloat, because Monica is
installing a dongle. (Never let
your dongle dangle in the dingle.)
Yours
up the cut and down the drains and in the outlet.
I’m off to order that book about the Nolan Sisters.
Manly
regards, (love, yip, fart.)
Terry,
(Monica, Jim, Jess)
P.S.
Don’t you forget - if you press the Meet the Author button I
will address you in English.
P.P.S.
You think I am joking about Fishzilla?
You don’t have to make anything up about the East Coast wildlife.
Picture
- The Daily Telegraph