Phew! I just finished my fourth novel, Finitude. It’s”¦ hmm, I need to work on my elevator pitch. Okay, how about this?
It’s a lighthearted climate change action story about an insurance salesman at the end of the world.
Normally I get all weepy when I finish a book, but with this one I have to say I’m relieved. It’s such a huge freakin’ topic — juggling all the different ideas I had in my head about it and wrangling them into a story was a lot of work!
I’m off to Canada next week for a reunion of the university theatre department I graduated from. It’s well-timed, getting to have a vacation after sorting out my work-work stuff and finishing this book. So I’m taking a wee break before tackling the next issue, which is the question of what to do with this book. Do I go through the whole manuscript submission meat-grinder process again, or do I jump straight into publishing it through my own micropress?
I’m open to suggestions. Informed ones, that is: Don’t say “Have you tried [X]?” if X is a publishing house — like Edinburgh’s Canongate — who don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. Now, if you have a cousin who’s an agent or a pal who’s an editor, let me buy you a beer.
