Contemplations from the fluffy navel

It has struck me that of late I haven't really blogged with any great detail - concentrating as I have on the publicity side of getting my book out there. But the reality is, if you want to succeed in this current economic climate, it's important to get it done. Since just before publication, I have done a launch (a magnificent success) and attended Crimefest where I was involved with my first panels. It was a surreal feeling being out there in front of afficionadoes of the crime genre and answering questions about me and my writing. You can't be a shrinking violet if you want to succeed as a published author.
My next 'duties' were to go on the road (or more correctly the rail) to do stock signing at various bookshops up and down the UK. Signed copies of my book can now be found in such far flung places as Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Wales, Brighton, Preston, Kirkham, Lancaster, Kendal, Carlisle, Glasgow, East Kilbride, Braehead and The Glasgow Fort.
While I was in Glasgow I recorded an interview with the amazing Alex Dickson to be featured this Sunday at 7pm on Glasgow's Smooth radio (105.2).
I have done a whistle stop tour of my home county of Cumbria as well, introducing myself to bookshop owners and managers.
Add to that telephone interviews with the Sunday Sun and Canberra Times, and also being with BBC Look North camera crew for a piece aired on 14th May, and also popping into BBC Radio Cumbria on 12th May and you can see that it has been a pretty hectic time. OOh, and let's not forget that I did a trip to London to meet and celebrate with my agent and editor and some of the Hodder team, as well as to record an interview with Mariella Frostrup for Open Book, alongside Karen Armstrong, another cop turned writer.
In the meantime I have been communicating with the USA about the launch of my book out there, and answering emails and messages from well-wishers who have read and enjoyed the book.
Tommorrow I'm at Carlisle library at 7.30 pm, alongside bestselling crime author Sophie Hannah. I met Sophie last year in Baltimore and am looking forward to seeing her again. What a lovely down to earth person.
Shortly I'll be jetting off to NYC for this year's Thrillerfest, which promises to be an amazing event. While there I'll be shooting a short promo video, doing signings at various bookshops, and hopefully having a great time. Back from NYC, I'm off to Bodies in the Bookshop in Cambridge, then back up to Harrogate for the Old Peculier Crime festival. The next date in my diary is in October, when I'm attending an event in Oldham with Mandasue Heller, another bestselling author. Then things will kick off with the paperback release of Dead Men's Dust and with the Hardback release of Judgement and Wrath.

So what was the point of all that? Other than restating what I've been up to, or will be very shortly, what I wanted to get across is an important message for anyone who has been following this blog from the start. My original reason for blogging was to give other aspiring authors an idea of the road to publication and beyond. Hands up how many people thought that writing was the difficult part.

The reality is that the writing is only the start.

Are you sure that this is what you really want?

My answer is: YES.

Keep on keeping on

Matt