March 2024

Is your sap rising?!

 

April is going to be a very busy month with Birdie finally taking flight. Dog Days came out in lockdown so I didn't get to go and visit my boys in their shiny jackets on walnut tables and shelves or do in-person events. Now I have a 'PR' schedule (fancy wench that I am) with some properly good authors and everything. I have invested in some new (Vinted) trousers and a (Vinted, also) jumper with ducks on for the occasions. All the details (of the promo events, not my new clothes!) are down below.


Will this be the last time I publish a book? Will anyone buy Birdie? Will they like it?

 

I am trying to learn to control the controllables. With that comes the lesson that I can't control anything. Zero has taken to peeing in the hall. Wiener refuses to do anything I ask her unless it comes with a piece of cheese. Buddy has developed selective deafness when asked to stop begging or move out of the way or get in or out of the car. Enzo had to have a little haircut and you'd have thought I was trying to murder him. How does one trim round the eyes of a squirming, thrashing demon?

 

Someone in my house has always lost something, it seems. One of us is eternally crying and another is late for something or refusing to leave. Remember that game where you used to have a scarf tied round your eyes, get spun fifty times in one direction, then the other, then had the scarf whipped off and were told to walk in a straight line? That's my life, that exact feeling.

 

But... spring is here and I've been out in the garden to say hello to my plants, and the evenings are getting lighter and there are so many good books to get lost in. Life, it's all a game of Snakes and Ladders isn't it?



[EDITOR'S NOTE: I didn't need a haircut. I'm going for a kind of Johnny Depp look.]

Fountains of (love for) Wayne

 

Not only is Wayne Kelly an all-round lovely bloke, he's also a great writer. You should absolutely check out his twisty, gritty, unputdownable debut novel Safe Hands.

 

As if that wasn't enough, Wayne is also a talented singer-songwriter. His band is The Wry Dogs and they've only gone and written, recorded and released a song inspired by my new book. Really, I couldn't be more thrilled and grateful. I love it so much! We put together a little video - you can also check out the song out on Spotify. (The link below will take you to this edition of the The Enzograph online - you can also go straight to the video on YouTube).

 

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Writer, musician, singer... A bloody Renaissance Man, no less. I may have to do a wee on him when he next visits, just to keep him grounded. And I still don't understand why he didn't just call it 'The Birdie Song'.]

 

  

 

 

 

Book of the Month

 

The highly prestigious 'Ericka Waller Book of the Month Award' for March 2024 goes to...

 

In the Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

 

This book gave me great In Memoriam vibes with some fantasy elements all of its own. I could not put it down. Gory and gruesome in its depiction of war, you’ll learn stuff, cry buckets and be massively rewarded at the end. Really, I can't recommend this one enough.

Five Things...

 

As we hurtle towards publication day for Goodbye Birdie Greenwing, I've been musing on Five Things that Blow My Mind About Being an Author...

 

1: Scrolling on Instagram and seeing a photo of Goodbye Birdie Greenwing in someone’s 'To Be Read' book pile. That my characters made it, from my head to a Word document and then beyond. All those drafts and notes and panicked ‘I just thought of something’ moments mid-ablutions. That Birdie, Jane and Ada didn’t end up languishing in a My Documents File named ‘Shit, use for cleaning drains’ which was the name of my mother’s first, and only attempt at making wine.

2: Reviews. There are a billion books in the world, and a lot of them are fecking brilliant. It amazes me when people chose to read mine. That they check out the blurb on the inside page, which to me always reads like a dating app, or the details of a dog that needs rehoming, and decided to give it a go. It gives me thrills. I like to picture my readers - hidden in cupboards away from housework, or sitting under their duvet with a torch in the middle of the night – recklessly gulping down pages. ‘No!’ I dream of them saying ‘I won’t make dinner, I am too busy reading Goodbye Birdie Greenwing. Do it yourself!’

 

3: When People Think I am Good At Stuff. I bumped into Tracey (@booksbirdsbeetles) at an event last week and she said something like ‘you are so creative and good at things.’ I was horrified and immediately launched into a list of all the things I am crap at. Cooking. Food Shopping. Any directions to anywhere ever. I didn’t give her the full list because we didn’t have hours but there are so many things I suck at. Ask my husband (Ew, not like that). I can’t swim on my back, I can’t say the word wolf (woolve), I don’t like any adult food. I am a walking example of the t-shirt ‘I came, I saw, I had anxiety so I left.’ I can’t count. I can’t remember anything. I am a walking sieve. I don’t like to try new things. I have OCD about housework. I can’t ever live in the moment. I have terrible teeth. I don’t pronounce my t’s. I get tired by 1pm and need a nap. Don’t ask me for a lift because I’ll have no fuel, a balding tyre and will get us lost.

 

4: That None Of The Above Matters.  Because we love the book, not the writer (unless the writer is a proper ****). It doesn’t matter that I dropped out of my A-Levels; disregard that six-month period I didn’t leave the house. Or that I didn’t say NO that time. I am not my characters. They are whoever I want them to be. They can go to places I never will. They can have large, luscious breasts or a pair of hairy balls. They can speak five languages and run marathons and save lives. They don’t have to be me, and while I am writing them, I don’t have to be me either.

 

5: That I will leave something of myself behind. I like to think that my daughters will always have my books, left here in the real world while I am gone, decomposing or however they chose to dispose of me. It comforts me to think there is something solid that they can hold onto. Morbid, I know, but I’ve lost too many people too suddenly not to learn that lesson. I like the thought of them in some far flung country, a paperback of mine in their bags, all tatty and worn, but with them still.

 

 

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I concur. There's a whole load of stuff that you're not very good at. But you're not bad at doggie cuddles.]

 

The latest book reviews

 

As ever, I've been updating the Reading section of my website with lots more mini book reviews. Looking for a recommendation? Head over there and check out what I've been enjoying of late.

 

 
My Latest Mini Book Reviews

Julietta's life-changing reads

 

I just keep lucking out with the contributors to my regular

'5 Books That Changed My Life' feature. This time, I'm thrilled to welcome the fantastic author and fellow dog lover Julietta Henderson.

 

Horses, hobbits, Hornby - and a whole lot more. Have a gander at Julietta's truly eclectic selection of life-changing books over on my website.

 
Check out Julietta's 5 Books

Read the Short Story Competition entries - and vote!

 

We've collected together the entries to Enzo's Lil Old Short Story Compeition in a single page on my website for your persual.

 

We actually only received four entries (sadface) - and one of those was mine! Although I'm not "officially disqualified," Enzo has pointed out that it would be a poor show if I declared myself the winner. So, please take a look and drop me a line to let me know which one is your favourite. I'll announce the winning story in the next edition of The Enzograph. Big thanks to those who did enter.

 
Read all the entries...

#birdiequotes

 

I hope you've been enjoying the quotes from Goodbye Birdie Greenwing that I've been posting to socials for the past few weeks. I wanted to give you some intriguing and, hopefully, amusing little tasters of what you can expect from the book. Keep a look out - there are more to come. Here are a few of of my favourites so far...

 

EVENTS ROUND-UP: Come out and see me sometime

 

I'm packing up my knapsack and girding my loins, readying myself to head out on the road for lots of Goodbye Birdie Greenwing promotional events. All the latest details are below. I'd love for you to come and say hello if I'm going to be in your neck of the woods...

 

 

Saturday 13th April, 12.30pm - BERT'S BOOKS, SWINDON

Shhh - don't tell anyone but you can get a copy of Goodbye Birdie Greenwing a little early. I'll be at Bert's Books in Swindon, signing copies.

Bert's Books, 54 Godwin Ct, Swindon SN1 4BB

Telephone: 07949 190 977

 

Tuesday 16th April, 11.00am - GOLDSBORO BOOKS, BRIGHTON

I'll be signing copies of the book at Goldsboro Books in Brighton.

Goldsboro Books, 22b Ship Street, Brighton,BN1 1AD

Telephone: 01273 770 606

 

Wednesday 24th April, 7.00 - 9.00pm - CHAPTER 34 BOOKS, SHOREHAM-BY-SEA

An Author Event (oo-er) at Chapter 34 Books in Shoreham-by-Sea.

I'll be chatting about the book with the fantastic Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man and The Bonestter Woman, and I'll be taking your questions. More info HERE.

Entry is £5.00

Chapter 34 Books, 32-34 Brunswick Rd, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 5WB

 

Thursday 25th April - THE KEMPTOWN BOOKSHOP, BRIGHTON

At The Kemptown Bookshop, I'll be 'in conversation' with the lovely Tilly from Tilly Loves Books. We'll be discussing Birdie and I'll be signing copies. It's an evening event - exact time TBC.

Kemptown Bookshop, 91 St George’s Road, Brighton BN2 1EE

Telephone: 01273 682 110

 

Friday 3rd May, from 6.30pm - WARWICK BOOKS, WARWICK

I'm a guest at 'An Evening with Georgina Moore' at Warwick Books. Tickets are limited so book now! The price is £6.50 including a booking fee and you can book via ticketsource HERE.

Georgina is the author of the brilliant The Garnett Girls.

Warwick Books, 24 Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4SL
Tel: 01926 499939

 

Saturday 11th May, 11.30am - TASTING NOTES LIVE, KENILWORTH

I'm appearing at The Booktaster's 'Tasting Notes LIVE' event at The Priory Theatre in Kenilworth. It's a whole book festival in a day! Doors open at 9.00am and the event kicks off at 10.00am. I'll be giving a reading from Birdie and taking questions in my slot from 11.30am. Tickets go on sale soon.

Tasting Notes LIVE, The Priory Theatre, Rosemary Hill, Kenilworth, CV8 1BN

 

Thursday 30th May, time TBC - WATERSTONES, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON

I'll be chatting about Goodbye Birdie Greenwing with Samuel Burr at Waterstones Trafalgar Square. We'll be completing a jigsaw together as well. Yes, really. More details soon.

Waterstones London - Trafalgar Square, The Grand Building, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5EJ

Telephone: 020 7839 4411

 

The Parting Shot

 

By popular demand, I'll leave you with his Lordship, giving puppydog eyes and snuggling up with Birdie. Butter wouldn't melt...

 

 

Happy Easter!

 

That's it for now. Hope you all have the best time over the long Holiday weekend. Please go ahead and devour as many chocolate eggs as you want and we'll see you next time.

 

Peace and paws out, people
Ericka (and Enzo)

 

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