I find myself developing...

... an irrational fear of Russian-speaking gentlemen in restaurants and cafes. There were two at a table in the sandwich bar this lunch time and one of them looked distinctly peaky. I got out of there pretty sharpish, I can tell you. Now, anybody know the symptoms of radiation sickness?

For more about the anxieties of urban living, try this.

Tom Saunders on Rob Saunders (or should that be Job Saunders?)

Tom Saunders, Pushcart Prize-nominated author of the excellent short story collection Brother, What Strange Place is This? made an interesting - and I think very insightful - throw-away remark.

"Rob Saunders is obviously Job from the Old Testament. It's hinted at in the title Taking Comfort."

He actually meant it as a joke, but it stunned me because one of the projects rattling around in my brain is the idea of writing a modern retelling of the Book of Job. Tom (no relation to Rob) made me realise that I'd already done it! It's the first time I've thought of Taking Comfort in this light, but I have to say I have long been fascinated by the Book of Job, mulling over its meaning, and the roles of God and the Devil in it... ever since I read Jung's Answer to Job many years ago.

Thanks Tom. It seems I can now tick something else off my to-do list.

O.J. Simpson book pulled by Rupert Murdoch.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha!

Important notice from amazon.co.uk

This item will be delivered in time for Christmas in the UK.

Apologies.

Every now and then a blogger will apologise for not posting regularly enough. Now it's my turn. My excuse is I'm trying to finish the first draft of a novel by the end of November. Oh, and before you ask, I'm not taking part in nanowrimo (national novel writing month). I did start this one some time before the beginning of November.

Nanowrimo participants may be interested in this, by the way.

Of course, I still have time to google myself.

1,197 and counting.

The last time I looked, the trailer for Taking Comfort on aol uncut had received an amazing 1,197 views. That's far more than on any of the other video hosting sites I've put it. Two people have ranked it. But no one's left a comment. Anyone fancy being the first?

Sad news.

Sparky, one of the two goldfish Luke got for his birthday last Monday, has died. Goldie seems to be thriving.

Significant developments in America.

Apparently there have been some elections and Bush got a big dose of shock and awe, but it wasn't that I was thinking of. No - it was the fact that you can now pre-order the trade paperback of Taking Comfort on amazon.com.

It seems that some people already have.

Mentioned in dispatches (well, the FT).

There's an article on page 12 of today's FT by Danuta Kean, headed 'Vampires and cannibals find prey online'. It's about publishers, authors and filmmakers using myspace to reach new audiences.

I get the briefest of mentions:

"Last week, Macmillan author Roger Morris held a virtual reading of his novel Taking Comfort on myspace."

Not much, but then Toby Litt only got two more words than me and there were only five authors mentioned altogether, three of whom were Thomas Harris, J.K.Rowling and Mr Litt. So I didn't do bad.

Every little helps.

Today.

Is my son Luke's 7th birthday. We got him two goldfish (plus all the accoutrements). He called one Goldie and the other Sunshine, though he is thinking of changing Sunshine's name to Sparkle.

On the subject of gifts, crimeficreader has a few suggestions of her own for Christmas.

Only one more copy left...

... on amazon.ca.

Some kind Canadian put it out of its misery, please. There will be more - the trade paperback edition is being released in Canada next Spring. This could be a last chance to own moment.

(Slightly surprised to learn that my Canadian amazon ranking is higher than my UK amazon ranking, but these things change daily, if not hourly, or minute-ly, or second-ly. Not that I check that often. Honest.)

The man with the funny head.

That's what my kids call Noel Edmonds.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: buy this book.

Do it for the kids.

The genius of Pushkin.

From James E. Falen's translation of Eugene Onegin:

Her sky-blue eyes, devoid of guile,
Her flaxen curls, her lovely smile,
Her voice, her form, her graceful stance,
Oh, Olga's every trait... But glance
In any novel - you'll discover
Her portrait there; it's charming, true;
I liked it once no less than you,
But round it boredom seems to hover;
And so, dear reader, grant me pause
To plead her elder sister's cause.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Carry on.

(By the way, that's Pushkin on the cover of the book, and yes, he was black, or of black descent - and proud of it.)