June 2004, part 2

Writers lives are uneven.. nothing happens, no news, then everything happens and there`s a lot. Of course a new book coming out makes things happen ..
THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN continues to puzzle reviewers. THE TLS had a long, respectful one but the writer felt there was a hollow at the centre and seemed to think there was no principal character – that he was shadowy, and no murders/crimes.
Er… right.
I thought there were quite a few murders actually… and Simon Serrailler is there all right, just seen through the eyes of others, at least for some of the time.
In the next book, THE PURE IN HEART, this doesn`t remain true but having someone seen through the eyes of others is quite a usual fictional device.

Andrew Taylor, distinguished crime writer himself, reviewed it in The Independent and didn`t so much write about what the book is as complain about what it is not.. it is not ground-breaking, doesn`t make huge new strides in the crime novel genre. Help. Give me a chance, this is a first, I`m feeling my way forward. Besides, why does any writer have to break a mould.. I`m happy with the mould as I have found it, at least for the time being.

Meanwhile, the book continues to sell.. Number 7 again in The Indy bestseller list of new hardback fiction. And a kind person writes a generous letter about it and adds the welcome news that it is on sale in Waitrose. Great. I didn`t know that. Someone else told me they spotted a poster for it on Platform 3 at Waterloo. Hey.

On the Review front, my little book of short stories THE BOY WHO TAUGHT THE BEEKEEPER TO READ has had universally fantastic reviews, both when it came out last year and now for its paperback. I`m really really pleased about this … it contains some of the best things I have ever written and it`s wonderful to see them receive praise.
JEANETTE WINTERSON came to supper the other night and told me about something Robert Graves said in an interview. A writer has ‘Sacred Places’.. in his case, these were his poetry. They are given, cannot be written on demand, and they are done for their own sake. Asked why he wrote the I, CLAUDIUS novels, he said ‘For money of course.’
Jeanette is always full of helpful references…. And the short stories in THE BEEKEEPER are my ‘sacred places.’ Various Haunts.. was written for fun. And for money. Of course the short story collection earned me money.. rather a little. If I had to survive on the Sacred Places, I`d be shelf-stacking by night – at Waitrose, natch.

ON WEDNESDAY 23RD… I will be at Methvens Bookshop in Windsor, talking about VHM… they have sold a lot of tickets so I`m not sure if there are any places left but if you want to come and talk to me, there won`t be any other chances this summer. I don`t run round doing the full tour bit.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK has been well adapted for radio, as a play, which will be broadcast on October 2nd… I shan`t be able to hear it. My elder daughter gets married that day.

Meanwhile, on the football front, I have no interest Europe, as I am still too depressed about my team`s poor season. What team ? What….. Manchester United of course. I have been a fan since the day the Busby Babes plane crashed all those years ago. But things went from bad to worse as last season progressed and it was agony to watch the deadly enemy Arsenal, doing well. When I am in London, I am a Chelsea supporter. Or Spurs… or almost anywhere bar Arsenal.

But the best time of year is now, and the cricket season in full swing. My team is Chipping Campden, of which I am proud to be Chairman. We are in the Cotswold Hills League.. and were doing very nicely thank you until last week, when we met Ashton under Hill, about which match the less said the better.

SUSAN HILL