The long silence does not indicate that nothing has been happening - far from it!
I have been working on my uncle's war diary. Just before Mark died last summer he told me about the diary he had kept during the Second World War when he served in North Africa/Middle-East. It is a fascinating personal document which I have now transcribed, added some notes and published with Bombus. It is an amazing insight of a young man away from his Jewish home in Grimsby, for the first time,  and thrown into military life. Because of censorship we hear less about desert manoeuvres and more about the food, the sleeping arrangements, local night-life and the weather. Also included is my own father's recollections  of military service just after the Second World War. Thus the Brothers in Arms title. 
The book is available via the Bombus Books website 
www.bombusbooks.co.uk
or, for friends and family in London, via my cousin Sally Wallis.

So...the British Library & the Bodleian have our books deposited. It must all be real....seems very exciting to me!
We will be talking about our journey at Summertown Library on Monday 19 November at 6.30. The event is free but you will need to obain a ticket from the library. We are taking this "journey" very literally and are now beginning to plan our road show. so...if you see a Winnebago and a bunch of roadies in a street near you that may be us....

Today, Ann & I did our first market in Wallingford (WLPM - Wallingford Local Producers Market). It was a great experience. Fear we may have spent rather more than we earned - but it was another stage in our massive learning curve and great fun! Lots of interesting people and fantastic produce. The real bonus is that no cooking has been required today as I have been feasting off samosas and cheese (not together!) to die for....Most Saturdays in the Regal Centre in Wallingford.
Such a shame about the day job eating up my time

The selling continues in earnest. It is one thing writing and producing books. It is quite another telling everyone about them and persuading people other than friends and family to part with their money. We have had reasonable success and now have our books on sale in retail outlets in Oxford - including Christ Church College, Blackwell's, Albion Beatnik, The Book House, Flaggs, as well as locations around the county - Woodstock, Blewbury, Burford, Abingdon and next weekend we start market trading in Wallingford.
Wallingford Local Producers Market will be our first market and it is hard to know what to expect. I, inevitably have focused on the non-key issues. I have decided that the day will be impossible without a "proper" market trader's money bag so have ordered one up in shocking pink...so you should be able to spot me if you come to the market. Whilst this is a definite trial run I hope we have some success and can at last meet some of our potential readers!
We have also booked some Christmas markets too - at Radley College (Sobell House Christmas Fair) the last weekend of November; the Green Party Fair in Oxford Town Hall on 1 December & Wallingford Town Christmas Market on Sunday 2 December. Do come and support us!
I am also writing an article for Costwold Life about the journey our group has made from writers to publishers which should appear at the end of the year.
This self-publishing lark is a veritable roller-coaster that seems to be creating its own momentum!

The Oxford Times gave us some press coverage today - thank you Maggie Hartford! There is a picture of the cover of Imagine Oxford and details about both of our books and link to this website. I am preparing for the influx of orders as Oxford folk rush to order these "must have" books to their collections...

I seem to be having a dry run for old age...at least I hope it is a dry run. After my torn ligaments back in May I am - finally - now mobile again. However I have now lost my hearing. I have become completely deaf in one ear and, whilst this may have a positive side, the negative seriously outweighs it. I have religiously been pouring warm olive oil in my ear several times a day but even after this warm-up exercise ear syringing was unsuccessful...more oil, more waiting, more missed gossip until they will make a second foray. I am unsure what happens if this mission is unsuccessful - do I remain deaf? Meantime I am "re-assured" by my friends to watch out for the next sign of ageing and to stock up on Tena Lady! Such reassurance I could live without....Friends? who needs 'em?
In theory, now I am shut off from the world I should be able to settle down and write undisturbed. But reality inevitably is somewhat different..I prowl like a restless animal, constantlly attempting to clear my ears, constantly disappointed...Instead I settle into the next Mark Billingham novel and wait...

It has all been rather a shock since we received our books just how much time is required to sell them. Apparently, I read that 80:20 is the ratio of successful selling to writing which seems pretty depressing. But on we go...and we are selling some books. Both books have a very different market in our perception. Imagine Oxford we hope will suit the home crowd and its visitors and can be marketed relatively locally. Tell Tails is for animal lovers wherever so of course a much bigger potential audience but far more difficult to tap into.
Anyway here we all at one of our Thursday meetings feeling good about our books and longing to get them out there!

Whoo hoo - I have taken delivery of both "Imagine Oxford" & "Tell Tails" and here they sit in our state-of-the-art warehouse i.e. my office. I would be most grateful if you would buy, buy, buy so that I can get back to my desk!
The books look great...even the cats agree!
I guess I now need to turn my mind to the next book...but perhaps a day off...week off first....?

The wet weather and the build-up to publication has been too much for my cat. She has become a teenager and just stays in bed. She may wander down for her breakfast mid-late afternoon or not, demands a lot of attention and then just goes out...
For the rest of us life has been full-on as usual. It looks like we will take delivery of our books on Thursday and I hope to get copies out to everyone who has pre-ordered, by Friday (our local post office closes on Thursday afternoons). The jiffy bags are all labelled up ready in our slick Bombus postroom which doubles as my office! 
The sales and marketing continues....I was lucky enough to have a sound barrier placed by my desk at work this morning. This has provided me with a perfect marketing pitch just across from the front door in the sight line of every visitor. I have covered it with posters about Bombus and our books. It may not be there for long but thought I would grab the opportunity whilst I could!

Final cover proofs approved - check
Press releases done & out - check
Jiffy bags ordered - check
Comps slips designed - check
Point of salel/marketing material ready - hmmmm...still to be done...and more ideas in the pipeline...

We should receive copies of both books next week and I prepare to crank up a further few gears. It all feels very exciting and I am now just hoping that the world loves our books. My job now seems to be morphing into making sure that the world knows about them...I'm trying hard! Watch this space...
I hope I will be be able to send out pre-orders and review copies from 20 July -  ooooer.....