Rat Ascendant II

Ratty has ascended New Zealand, distorting it a little under the weight of summer raspberrries with cream and the quiches served at the top of every pitch.

He finds himself in a cosy nest near Whangarei, but is alarmed to be sharing digs with a Tonkinese, as sinuous, sensuous and gregarious a cat as a rat could hope to avoid, one who remembers in every fibre the former goddess status of her species.

While he's hiding from the cat, I'm happily revising and receiving and sending out contracts. The next to be acted upon will be an aching, frank and tender memoir, The Linen Way, by US poet Melissa Green.

Meanwhile, warm comment is being made by readers about The Happiest Music on Earth. It's only 3 USD, a good start for readers trying out their new reading devices.

The year looks exciting, but that's all I have time to say just now. The rat has bundled up his swimming togs (remember the mankini?) and is hopping about impatiently in the doorway. Have to go.

Keen rat in ratkini

Happy new year to you all. May we all find our way through 2013 doing what we love: hopping over the hurdles, dismantling the roadblocks, enjoying the scents, vistas and friendships along the way.

Inspired by summer sights on the beaches of Buenos Aires, Lily has whipped up a pair of swimming togs and insisted that if he wants his lunch Ratty must first try them on. With water rat in his ancestry, Ratty tries to recall an instance when a swim might have been enhanced by the addition of .07 m of green spandex with a twisty-tie doing duty for shoulders.

Like Ratty, we are trying to rationalise what we own as we pack up the house and take as little as possible with us on the next (unknown) leg of our journey.

Meanwhile, fresh thought is going into RMB. Ideas are percolating. Last week I talked with Lorraine Steele of Lighthouse PR ("A guiding light in book publicity" — check out the very cool website) about the challenges of selling ebooks. I appreciated her enthusiasm, open mind, and generosity. We'll be keeping in touch, but meanwhile she's given me plenty of resource ideas to follow up.

I talked with Dorothee, too, about the audio book almost ready for release, which is The Glass Harmonica read aloud in her melodic voice. I'll let you know as soon as that's available.

Meanwhile, The Happiest Music on Earth is with the formatter and I've come upon its successor in the 10k series — an exciting new voice in fiction.

Right now, I'm keen to look at 10,000 word essays for consideration. Pass it on.

The ratadilloes are having a ball with the mankini offcuts.