Mine is a world of contrasts at present. Two days ago I was in London meeting some film producers who are interested in my work. First meeting was in Soho House, a place where actors were lounging across leather sofas reading scripts, business was being done over lattes and freshly squeezed orange juice, a place fair alight with bursts of creative energy. Second meeting was in a cafe bar, where I had lunch with a charming gent from Dublin who I hope to be working with someday very soon on a film project. Then I went on to meet Ed Hughes, my film agent, and we spent a pleasant hour drinking ale and chatting over current contracts and possible future news.
All very pleasant.
Then I came home, and yesterday I signed contracts for my third movie option agreement this year. I can't reveal any more just yet - contracts to exchange, etc etc (but watch this space!) - and that felt very, very good.
Guess what I did today? Some quantity surveying. As I said, a life of contrasts ... and anyone who emails me with any Monty Python 'quantity sor-veyor' gags will be killed in their sleep.
The title of Metallica's new album (love it or hate it ... see the Forum for a discussion on this) comes from James Hetfield's idea that anger has as much need of a patron saint as anything else. It's a positive emotion, he asserts, not negative, and it should be used. Sometimes I agree with him. Too many of us spend too long bottling up our anger, whereas a good outburst now and then can clear the air, relieve tension and produce some positive outcomes.
Of course, it's not always practicable to launch into a tirade against someone who makes you angry. But here's one example where I wish I could:
I live in a lovely part of the world, in a village in South Wales. A minute in any direction and there's countryside; woods, a canal, nice walks, wonderful views, farms and wilds. A great place to bring up kids. A good place to live. Clean.
Well, not always.
Driving home a couple of nights ago I was amazed at the amount of litter along the roadside. The council had been cutting the verges and hedges, and in doing so they had revealed the detritus of a thousand journeys. Bottles, bags, McDonald wrappers, newspapers, cardboard boxes, a hundred other bits of refuse that ignorant dog dicks decided they couldn't keep in their cars until they got home, but which had to be ejected from their windows as soon as possible. It was truly offensive, this sea of litter and waste decorating an otherwise picturesque setting, and I muttered my usual curse against such assholes.
Of course, this has got nothing do with with writing. Unless ... well, maybe Metallica are right. Maybe I should embrace my anger, not let it filter out as a few choice words and a bottled up frustration at these people. Follow them home, perhaps. Empty my dustbins in their back garden. Or worse.
I guess it just means that there are two types of people in the world: those who respect the world we live in; those who don't. And out of those who don't, I wonder how many would kick up a storm if a great wind came and blew all their disposed-of rubbish back at them.
***
Tomorrow, I'm off to London to meet with some film companies. I'm nervous and excited in equal measures. I'll post something here to tell you about my London Adventure very soon.
So here I am in the Land of Blog.
It's taken me a while to get here, but now I've arrived I hope you may be interested in what I have to say. Sometimes I'll chat about current writing projects, where I am with them, interesting things in the pipeline. Sometimes I may drift off into discussing new cds I've bought or films I've seen. Sometimes it's quite likely that - ask my wife - I'll just talk bollocks. Whatever, I'm going to be posting here at least a couple of times each week, and if you have any opinions, questions or comments on anything I have to say, just pop over to the Forum page and leave a message.
***
The Cult of Celebrity never fails to piss me off, never more so than at the weekend when I read some publishing news in the paper. Someone's just signed up a major two-book deal to write two 'thrillers'. That someone is Pamela Anderson.
Now, I don't know Pammie (though I've seen the video!), so I'm in no position to comment on whether or not she can write... Oh, but hang on ... the newspaper article actually stated that the books will be written by a ghost writer. But don't panic, because they will contain Pammie's ideas, characters and 'voice'.
Voice. Something that takes writers years to establish, decades to progress, a lifetime to adapt and expand. But Pam's got it already.
Bullshit. What she's got is notoriety in the public eye, a continuing status of 'celebrity' even though the last film I saw her in was the abysmal Scooby Doo (and even that was a 30 second cameo), and a set of knockers that makes her the prime object of desire for anyone who'd rather sleep with several stones of plastic rather than real flesh and blood.
I'm sure the books will sell extremely well.
The advance was not mentioned in the article, but I'll guess that it's in seven figures. I just can't help thinking - hell, maybe it's naive of me, childish, and maybe it's imbuing businessmen with a sense of worth that just doesn't exist - but what if that publisher split that million dollars into 20 equal parts? That's twenty advances of $25,000 to up and coming writers, leaving $25,000 each for promotion, signing tours and investment into the future. Out of the twenty, maybe a handful would write books that could do very well. And out of that handful, maybe - just maybe - one would write a bestseller. And write it themselves.
But that'll never happen, because people like celebrity. It makes them feel safe. Maybe it gives them something to aspire to. Give me anonymity any day.
So here I am, with an exciting revamped and hugely upgraded website. For anyone who used to visit my old site there are plenty of new features here: a journal, where I'll post news, views, rants and random musings at least a couple of times per week; a forum, where I hope lively debate and discussion will be entered into (it just takes a minute to sign up, so I hope you'll feel inclined to join in); and a detailed Bibliography, with ordering links direct to Amazon.com and/or Amazon.co.uk, as well as a list of indie booksellers stocking my books on the Links page.
A huge thanks to Ariel who put this site together for me. He's done a wonderful job!
In the very near future I'll have a couple of bits of very exciting news to share here, one book related, one film related. I can't say anything yet because contracts aren't signed, but suffice to say I'm extremely stoked about them both. Watch this space.
I'll also be announcing a competition in the next couple of weeks, the first of many I'll be running through the site.
Meantime, please have a browse. Check out the Home page for details of new book releases and extracts. And if you have any comments or thoughts, feel free to drift by the Forum and let me know.
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