I KNOW I have said it before, but this time it’s true.
Next week I should receive the first printed proofs of my novel The Choreography of Ghosts, a mere 11 years after starting it.
The time it has taken almost makes it the literary equivalent of Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, though it will sound much better - only the gentle waft of the turning of a page will break the silence - or a Pete Wylie record (look up The Mighty Wah! and at least buy a best of!).
I couldn’t have completed the formatting, the technical stuff or the cover without the fabulous Matt Bird, and hopefully when it arrives next week it will meet my expectations.
I already know how it reads so the words can’t exceed or fall below them.
Over the next couple of months, leading up to a launch party in Rotherham, there will be promotion, the opportunity to pre-order a copy and the launch of a new Substack column, possibly written by the novel’s central character Michael Morrison, but I will see how that idea pans out.
For now, here’s the cover and next week I will be sharing the opening of the envelope (as a journalist I always turned up for those, so it’s only right that you do) that contains the proof with you.
The Choreography of Ghosts will be available in print and digital formats from Monday April 14.