Four days to go

I’m happily safe home from Uganda, and it was a fascinating and hugely enjoyable trip. I’m grateful for the health of the team, which meant that no one missed anything due to sickness; for the beauty of the land; and for the hugely generous welcome we received from Ugandans generally, and members of the Church of Uganda in particular.

More in future posts.

But of course I’ve come back to a flurry of preparation for the publication at last of “The Servant’s Voice” next Tuesday. On this day it ought to be possible to buy the book in paperback form from Amazon and a few other sources; it’s already possible to pre-order the ebook.

I have sent out the press releases, and booked the launch party, to which you are of course all invited!

(Middle St Resource Centre, Beeston NG9 2AR, 15th November, 7.30 pm). I am flooding Facebook with reminders.

I’ve drafted a poster, which hopefully will be going up soon wherever anyone will let me put it… and then I need a revised flyer/invite. I’m also dithering about advertising in the local press.

I need to remind friends who aren’t on Facebook, write my speech for the party, and give some attention to other social media outlets (Linkedin and Twitter).

And of course I need to buy a geranium or similar.

Why a geranium? Because of what it says on the poster:

THIS BOOK CONTAINS TWO OR THREE MURDERS, ASSORTED RESCUES, BRAWLS AND ESCAPES THROUGH WINDOWS, A POLITICALLY SIGNIFICANT GERANIUM AND TWO PEOPLE ON TRIAL FOR THEIR LIVES.

(I may also need a napkin with stitching on it…)

Thank you all for your support, and for putting up with a rather scrappy entry this week. Your reward is this teaser, which I put on the Swords Without Misogyny page yesterday:

CHARACTERS

Name: Hridnaya

Age: 30

Occupation: Voiceless servant to the b’Nida Family

Aim: To discover whether her uncle was murdered and if so, by whom

Said about her: “Is she capable?” “Very capable at getting into trouble, and yet staying alive.”

 

Name: Mej (Mejorad b’Shen)

Age: 19

Occupation: Aristocrat intended by his family for the priesthood

Aim: To delay training for the priesthood as long as possible

What others think about him: “He was a highborn noble; he might be a murderer’s accomplice, but he was also a silly youngish man.”

What he thinks of himself: “He was like his father, the monster. No mother would love such a son, and he couldn’t please her, so he might as well be bad.”

 

Name: Kelji

Age: 26

Occupation: Foreigner bringing a gift to the Great College

Aim: Not to be executed for espionage

What she says of herself: “My name is Kelji, daughter of Shanell. I was sent here by the Queen of Jaryar, my cousin, and I come from the finest city in Ragaris.”

What others think of her: “She was a cross difficult woman, and no one was really going to hang her.”

Or were they?

Find out more on or after 5th November!

Love from the PPI Blogger

3 Comments
  • Malachi Malagowther

    1st November 2019 at 5:30 pm Reply

    Mej sounds like a highborn ne’er-do-well who is bored and dissolute. I seem to remember he rips out pages from rare and valuable books and sets fire to them just to annoy his family. He is an upper-crust version of the neighbouring boy Sid in Toy Story. If anyone deserves to come to a sticky end it is him!

  • Stephen Sheridan

    10th November 2019 at 10:23 pm Reply

    Great stuff – I have just got 3 copies on Amazon and 2 additional copies each of your first two. I have spoken to an independent London bookshop near where I work and I hope they may promote the copies I am bringing. They do a lot of books from small publishers and less mainstream subjects. I shall keep you updated.
    Good luck with all.

  • Penelope Wallace

    14th November 2019 at 11:17 am Reply

    Thank you very much, Stephen!!

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