Children of the Resolution — Update.

Yesterday I heard from an agent to whom I’d sent samples of Children of the Resolution. The rest of the manuscript has been requested and I was informed that she had been “utterly absorbed” by what she had read so far.

Naturally, it’s too early to draw any conclusions from this and I’m trying not to get my hopes up. I’ve done this too many times — and I therefore won’t be happy until I’ve heard her final response/decision.

It is, however, satisfying to know that someone within the industry seems to have “got” at least part of what I’m trying to achieve with Children.

Utterly absorbed is good. I can live with that 😉

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Project Guttenberg and Voice Recognition Software — My Saviours!

So I lost my copy of Her Privates We (also known as The Middle Parts of Fortune), Frederic Manning‘s (highly factual) fictional account of life in the trenches during World War I. It’ll probably turn up but, to be frank, I didn’t much fancy actually sitting down and reading it. I knew it would provide invaluable background for my new novel, but I have so much research to get through that as soon as I remembered that I had it somewhere I started trying to think of research shortcuts (i.e. ways of avoiding reading it!)

And, sure enough, one occurred to me — a fairly considerable one.

First, I took a look at Project Guttenberg to see if it was available as a free ebook, which, as it turned out, it was, along with lots of other books that could be highly relevant. So, I downloaded it as a plain text document and then, to save my poor old eyes, I sat back and, using the “Read This” function on my voice recognition software, listened to the opening chapter.

Now, it isn’t a perfect system. It has a number of “voices” but my voice of choice sounds very much like Stephen Hawking. Which is fine by me. The idea of having Hawking reading to me tickles me. However, I probably wouldn’t use it in any situation other than research. I wouldn’t read a book for relaxation this way because, well, the mechanical tone would quite possibly spoil it (although it isn’t half as bad as you’d probably imagine it to be.)

For this purpose, though, the combination of the Project Guttenberg texts and the voice recognition “Read This” function is pretty much perfect. I can even have it reading to me in the background whilst I do something else.

Ain’t technology brilliant?

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Looking Back…

It seems I’m pulling in quite a few new readers at the moment. My daily page hit count has been around 184 over the past week or so, jumping up to 233 on one occasion. Not exactly in the same league as some out there, but a definite improvement and rather gratifying nonetheless.

So, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank you all for helping my blog to grow. Your comments are always welcome (in fact, if you’re a new reader, please feel free to treat this as an opportunity to say hello — pimp your own blog, even, if you wish!)

Because so many new people are dropping by I thought it might be fun to look back at some of my earlier articles. I’ve picked five of my personal favourites. If you’re a regular reader and there’s an older article of mine that you like which I haven’t mentioned, please feel free to shout up!

Five of the Best.

1. Drawing the Line. February 25, 2008. I like this piece because it gives an insight into how I write and, in particular, how I wrote Children of the Resolution. It was good for me to read it again. Especially at this “between-projects” time.
2. Disability in Fiction. February 16, 2008. Another writing-related piece concerning expectation in writing.
3. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. November 26, 2007. The Richard Feynman Horizon interview — with a short introduction by me.
4. You Can’t Say That. June 23, 2008. A rant on our ridiculous fear of causing offence. In part a tribute to the late George Carlin.
5. Elvis, Marty Lacker… and Me. August 3, 2008. This is one of my all-time favourites because it provided me, quite unexpectedly, with the opportunity to exchange emails with one of Elvis Presley’s closest friends, Memphis Mafia member Marty Lacker. I may have a further update on this story in the not too distant future.

Well, I think that’s all for now. Take a look when you have time and enjoy. These five post probably epitomise pretty well just what I am about — or what my blog is about, at least!

© 2008 Gary William Murning

What Doesn’t Kill You…

… just leaves you bleeding and battered on the floor.

I guess today is just destined to be “one of those days”. No sooner had my foot started to feel better than I heard from the Acquisitions Editor at Kunati. As mentioned here, he had passed my novel, The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts, along to his associates with a recommendation. Unanimity was required, however, and, to cut a long story short, it didn’t bloody well get it.

I’m disappointed. I know it’s par for the course, and I certainly don’t hold it against the guys at Kunati, but this was a “close call”, and these are the rejections that are always the toughest to get one’s head around. Kicking something would help, but that probably isn’t wise, what with my dodgy foot an’ all.

Still, Children of the Resolution (a very different novel to Realm) is almost complete so I’ll just pin my hopes on that. I believe it to be a far more marketable novel.

Now, where have I heard that before?

(Please note: I’m not really as pissed off as I possibly sound, so I don’t need the number for the Samaritans. And anyone who thinks it might be funny to send me it anyway can just… well, try it. Go on, I dares ya 😉 )

Light at the End of the Sickbed.

Feeling rather grotty today (though I am on antibiotics and improving), I awoke to find some promising news in my mailbox concerning The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts. It has been under consideration with an American independent for a while now (not sure what the etiquette is regarding mentioning names at this stage, so won’t) and this morning I heard from their Acquisitions Editor apologising for the delay and informing me that “I have finished reading your novel and if you are still seeking a publisher I will pass it on to our two other readers with a recommendation” and that he “certainly enjoyed the book and [he thinks] there is a market for it.”

Unanimity is required, so it could still be a no. But it cheered me in my moment of need 😉

Cross anything you might have that’s crossable, please.