Entry #40

Wednesday, 13 September 2023

9.30am

I’m back from Italy and am ready to hit the ground running, but hadn’t quite realised how much I’ve got to do today. First of all, I need to go over the copy edit – which is the final editorial pass to pick up typos and mistakes in spelling and punctuation – of my Quick Read Game On, and then send that back to my publisher. I need to read through my treatment for the Hans Christian Andersen ballet and send it to a friend of mine who’s a dancer for his feedback before I can then formally submit it to the choreographer. Plus, the senior team at a major ballet company have fixed me up with a meeting with another choreographer who’s pitched an idea for a gay-themed ballet to them – and they think I’d be a good person to write the scenario. That’s at 4.30 so I need to watch some of the choreographer’s work beforehand. But – most importantly of all – I need to prepare for a big meeting with the wider team at my publisher’s about the campaign for One Love. And that’s at 2.30.

I was slightly nervous about seeing my agent at this meeting considering I’m laying the foundations to leave her, but she’s pulled out – apparently she needs to take her nephew to A and E as he’s got an ear infection – so is sending her assistant in her place. I don’t doubt my agent’s story is legit but her decision to do that and find someone to take her place at the meeting – rather than the other way around – is a welcome reminder that I’m doing the right thing by leaving her. Or trying to do the right thing: I still haven’t heard back from either the manager I met or the other agent so I’ve no idea if they want to represent me… Or if I’ll be stuck where I am…

Anyway, none of that’s urgent. What is, however, is the preparation for my meetings…

7pm

I’m sitting on the tube home on something of a high.

I had a great meeting with my publisher and everyone has terrific ideas for making One Love a success. My new marketing manager was present and seems competent and energetic. Rather than moaning or being defeatist about the hold TikTok has over the book market, she suggested several ways of working with this. And I came out feeling positive and excited. And I haven’t felt like that about my publisher for ages. It really took me by surprise - but in a great way. Maybe things are going to buck up?

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I went straight from that to my meeting with this new choreographer, over a drink in a members’ club. These introductions are always tricky as you spend the first part of the session working out if you like each other on a personal level, then you have to work out if you’re creatively compatible. But the answer to both was a resounding yes. The choreographer’s idea is to do a ballet on the life of Alan Turing. I love Alan Turing and have long been intrigued by his story as a gay man. The only thing is, I’m not sure I have anything to contribute and it feels like his story has already been told – without shying away from the queer element. Having said that, I only really know the story from the film The Imitation Game and the earlier Enigma. So I probably need to delve into it a bit more.

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We did bounce around some other ideas and both agreed we’d want to make some noise with this piece so decided it would be good to adapt an already existing text or work with the life story of a queer figure from history. But the challenge with this is finding something that has a happy ending, or just some kind of queer joy. Delving into the past gives you an emotional punch – as there’s always persecution or oppression involved – but happy endings are hard to come by. And Alan Turing’s story certainly doesn’t have one. Unless I’m missing something? Anyway, the choreographer seems set on it so I need to find out. I don’t want him to push on with this project without me. Especially as the ballet company introduced us with a view to developing it. Especially as I really liked him and felt like we had a great creative connection. So I need to switch back into research mode – and see if I can find something to say about Turing!

Although I’ve no idea when I’m going to fit this in as I’m starting my first draft of the Italy-set novel A Castle in the Sky on Monday. And not only am I excited about writing it but after the last few days in Italy it’s like it’s ready to come bursting out of me… So I won’t let anything get in the way; my book has to come first. I absolutely can’t let myself get distracted, even if I do feel like I’m on a high. So I’m sorry, Turing, you’ll have to wait!

The Castle of Stories - new title! - is out now, published by Pansy.