So, Birdie is out in the world, in shops, Amazon baskets, brown paper bags and jiffy envelopes; a piece of my baggy old heart for everyone to open like a locket. Careful then how hard you bend her pages back. Publication week was lovely, but as someone who spends the majority of her life covered in dog hair, not wearing a bra and having daily existential crises, the social aspect broke me a little. When my editor made her speech at my launch event, I thought my face was going to burst into flames. Then I got tearful, then I forgot to thank her for all her hard work, and I forgot to thank a load of other people properly (like Andrew who makes this newsletter look and sound as professional as it can, coming from me) and then I went home worrying who I’d offended or left out. So, in summary... don’t worry y’all. Fame won't change me, I’m still the sweaty little mess I’ve always been. Enzo didn’t mind the event but prefers to have me all to himself. Wiener strutted about thinking it was for her, obviously, and Buddy stayed at home on the sofa, waiting for a piece of the cake.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I work my claws to the toe beans editing this newsletter and you didn't thank me. I was very offended.]
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This month has also seen me unlock a new achievement - I'm thrilled to have had my first short story published in a magazine. Big thanks to the team at My Weekly for presenting Mary in their 5th April edition. Although not dancing naked behind superimposed flames as strange, swirly harpsichord and saxophone music plays (you may be pleased to hear), I'm almost channelling a Tales of the Unexpected vibe in this one. It's now up on my website so you can have a read. | | |
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ICYMI - Min shares her cleaning tips... |
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"Min’s way of making herself at home is to put on a housecoat over her blouse, pull a bottle of disinfectant from her bag and start cleaning." In Goodbye Birdie Greenwing, the formidable Min knows a thing or two about good, old fashioned cleaning techniques. To mark publication day, we created a short video featuring just a few of her top tips. In case you missed it, you can take a look over on my website. | | |
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My Book of the Month Award for April goes to... Hold Back the Night by Jessica Moor I just cannot stop thinking about this book and I will never forget the descriptions of what happened in that hospital. Jessica shines a light on things we all should know about. Truly outstanding. You can find out more on Jessica's website and Instagram. [EDITOR'S NOTE: If I was selecting Book of the Month then it would have to be the amazing Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller. Are there any of those sausages left?] |
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What I learnt writing my second book |
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SPOILER ALERT! Writing a second book is jeffing hard and not for the faint of heart, but it was all OK in the end. Here's what I learnt from writing Goodbye Birdie Greenwing... Book one was for me. Book two was for my readers. Oh, the pressure. The fear of failure, of letting people down. Of being a one hit wonder... all totally normal, like a scary but benign mole. Writing book two is a bit like trying to drive a car with no brakes, or windscreen wipers. Actually, you know the car the Flintstones drove, the one with no floor? I didn’t have a clue where I was going or how to get there. I was on the road to nowhere. For ages. And that’s okay because all roads lead to Rome - or in my case, slightly better drafts. |
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I had to dig deep, search hard. I had to pick at scabs until they bled. And finally, within a deep ravine of my imagination I found my characters (versions of me, my family and other animals, smeared in Marmite and given new identities). I had to look at myself in the mirror with the bright overhead light on and it was a lot but it made me a better writer, and I exorcised a few ghosts at the same time.
It took a lot of drafts, and nervous wobbles. The final version is so different from the first that for a long time all I saw was cut and pasted paragraphs. But I got there. Dog Days has a scrappy little sister. Book two is like that fashion fringe you cut in yourself then immediately regret it. It was a pain in the arse to grow out, but grow out it finally did. |
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Connie wants to see your mugs |
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In Goodbye Birdie Greenwing, Connie works in the WRVS Hospital Coffee Shop. She serves drinks using her large collection of mugs featuring strange, amusing and, some would say, inappropriate slogans. To celebrate the humble mug, we'd love to see YOUR favourite drinking vessel. They don't have to feature funny slogans or elaborate designs, we just want to know what you use for your cuppa of choice. We'll be showcasing some of Connie's favourites and even some that didn't make it into the book alongside your mugs on Instagram starting next week. |
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Where books have taken me this month |
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Birdie may have taken flight this month but thanks to a whole host of fantastic books, I've been on quite the journey myself... This month I have helped a one-legged, pudding shaped octogenarian in a wheelchair solve a murder (The Night in Question– Susan Fletcher) and sleuthed with an AI hologram to find a serial killer who digs crucifying his victims (Leave No Trace - Jo Callaghan). |
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I’ve been working with a secret crime-fighting unit based in Madrid, including neurodiverse Antonia Scott and a policeman stood down for planting drugs on a pimp (Red Queen - Juan Gómez-Jurado). I have been trapped on the east side of the Berlin wall in 1961 while my newborn baby was being held in the west (The Silence In Between – Josie Ferguson). I have been in and out of love seven times with Margot and then had to make a brutal decision alone (As Young As This – Roxy Dunn). I have opted to commit suicide with my husband in a year’s time, we just need the kids to be okay with it first (The Days I Loved you Most – Amy Neff). I have infiltrated a vampyr colony in Alaska to see if they are responsible for the recent spate of murders in the town of Deadhart with the out-of-shape, smart-mouthed Barbara Atkins (The Gathering – CJ Tudor). I have been a Y2K, unpaid intern, trying to live the dream in New York under pressure from my parents who fled Mao’s cultural revolution, hoping for a better life (Real Americans – Rachel Khong). I have been a nerdy Mexican boy, falling in love with my athletic roommate under the stars before it all went horribly wrong (How We Named The Stars - Andrés N. Ordorica). And I have witnessed patients go through conversion therapy in the 1950s before going on to care for AIDS victims in my house in Pimlico when the doctors and hospitals turned them away in the 1980s (Hold Back the Night – Jessica Moor). [EDITOR'S NOTE: How lovely. As long as you're back to open the dog food at 5.00pm.] |
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You can read my concise reviews of these titles and many, many more over in the Reading section on my website. |
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Enzo's Short Story Competition - THE WINNER |
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The votes are in.. They've been counted and verified (and one of them was chewed and crumpled a bit by an enthusiastic Bambino Sphinx cat). But, I can confirm that the winner of Enzo's Lil Old Short Story Competition is... Dee's Book Blog Congratualtions Dee! Drop me a message and we'll sort out your prizes. | | |
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Upcoming In-Person Events |
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Here's where I'll be over the next couple of months, signing copies and talking about Birdie. Please come and say hello. 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, 7.00pm - WATERSTONES, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON Misfits and Mysteries: Ericka Waller and Samuel Burr in conversation at Waterstones Trafalgar Square Sam Burr and Ericka Waller will be tackling a jigsaw together in store as they discuss their older characters going on new adventures, what makes a compelling mystery, and their latest books: Goodbye Birdie Greenwing and The Fellowship Of The Puzzlemakers. Tickets available HERE. Waterstones London - Trafalgar Square, The Grand Building, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5EJ Telephone: 020 7839 4411 Wednesday 5th June, 7.00pm - WATERSTONES, BRIGHTON An Evening With Catherine Newman & Ericka Waller at Waterstones Brighton. Both Sandwich by Catherine Newman and Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller are witty, tender novels celebrating friendship, family and hope. Whilst one is set in Cape Cod and the other in Brighton, what unites these books is the memorable female characters, wry humour and deeply affecting observations, making Catherine and Ericka a perfect pairing. Tickets available HERE. Waterstones, 71-74 North Street, Brighton, BN1 1ZA Telephone: 01273 206017 |
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The Parting Shot(s): A Birdie Launch Special |
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Another big THANK YOU and much love to everyone who attended and helped to organise my Birdie launch event at Waterstones Brighton this month. I'll leave you with a few snaps from the evening for posterity. |
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Well, I reckon April 2024 is a month I shall remember for quite some time. Again, thanks to everyone who was a part of it. We're sending love and dog licks out into the universe in gratitude. See you next time. Peace and paws out, people
Ericka (and Enzo) |
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