You read before you the words of a man who is beginning to feel the first nauseating twist of panic in his stomach. Tomorrow there is a television crew coming to my house. And it is not one of those shows where they clean up your house, and do some redecorating, and maybe give you a free TV. No, this is the local branch of the ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), who wishes to do a little segment on me and The Rook. I am simultaneously thrilled and nervous.
To begin with, I am a decidedly unglamorous writer. There is not an elegant chamber that I retire to, no artistically cluttered desk that I sit at. I generally write on the couch, with my feet on the coffee table. If I am feeling particularly self-indulgent, there may be a cup of coffee nearby. There may also be an action DVD playing on the TV. This is not the young artiste in his writing salon. This isn’t even the young artist in a garret. This is dude on the sofa, pausing in mid-sentence because it’s the part of Willow where Madmartigan does some sword stuff.
Meanwhile, the house is getting cleaned within an inch of its life. A biblical amount of vacuuming is taking place, and I am trying to figure out how one cleans the stuffed head of a wild boar. (I should add that my house is not filled with trophy heads, Trevor is the only one, and in Australia feral pigs are an alien species that wreaks havoc upon the delicate fabric of the et cetera.)
So, that’s what’s dominating my thought processes at the moment.
In other news, earlier this week, I did a Facebook chat thing for HarperCollins Australia’s ‘Summer of the Supernatural.’ A Facebook chat thing is a good time, but also kind of odd. You keep hitting ‘reload’ on the screen, and you’re never entirely certain if anyone is actually there. Then you’re relieved when someone writes a question, and you want to write a marvelous answer, but you’re also aware that for them, it’s just dead time. So, frantic typing ensues. But, I hope everyone had as good a time as I did.
The Facebook chat thing is available at http://www.facebook.com/summerofsupernatural , just scroll on back to the 13th of March.
Also, I just found a very interesting review of The Rook on Thirteen O’Clock. http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au/the-rook-by-daniel-omalley-review/
Okay, I must go scour some more.
Just wanted to leave thanks for the book! I just got finished with the intrusive medical examinations and laughed out loud at the names of the dentists: Weiss, Engel, Olivier. A nod to Marathon Man? 😉 “Is it safe?”
I’m so glad you picked that up! Did you identify the theme for the gynecologists?
Hi Daniel,
Yes, “chats” can prove unnerving. You’re either facing dead silence and thinking, “Is anyone out there?” or you have 50 hits a minute and are thinking, “How the h*ll can I possibly answer all these?”
I picked up THE ROOK because of the cover, bought it because on the jacket blurb and Jaye Well’s cover quote/recommendation.(I adored her debute Redheaded Stepchild.) I’m happy I did…I really LOVED this book!!!! Can’t wait for your next.
Wishing you the very best,
Sandy
http://www.SandyBlair.net
THE KING’S MISTRESS
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sandy. And I am a big fan of Jaye Wells as well. You can imagine how thrilled I was when she wrote a blurb for the book. Champagne was swilled in the O’Malley house that night.
i read The Rook in one sitting, it was that enjoyable. here’s hoping there’s a sequel, although since that barstid killed the duck, i have no one to ask.
Not to fret, Bob, I am labouring away on a sequel, even as we speak.
Congratulations on “The Rook”.
Best read I have had in a long while – couldn’t put it down and have recommended it to many others. Well done.
Congratulations Daniel! “The Rook” is very good. In fact, it is one of the best books I’ve read in ages! I also await the sequel 🙂
You must write a sequel – I can’t stand it if you don’t. I finished the book and immediately started at the beginning again. You have to pull me out of the loop by giving me some fresh material! More Chequey adventures, please! And I think the duck should have a cousin – with the same abilities. Plus a thirst for vengeance. Cheers!
Kendall, I am indeed working on a sequel, and I hope that you’ll enjoy it. In the meantime, Myfanwy Thomas has a twitter feed at @RookFiles. I don’t update it as frequently as I should, but it has some ongoing Checquy adventures to keep you going.