Carlton Books generously threw a small lunch party yesterday to celebrate the impending publication of my forthcoming book Help! I’m Turning Into My Dad!. Present and correct were the genius editor of the book Martin Corteel, the book’s cartoonist Mike Mosedale, and Gina McKinnon, who wrote the companion volume for budding Mums, Help! I’m Turning Into My Mum!.
After the debauchery and excitement of promoting Not In My Name with Julie, I could have done with a gentle few days but I let Martin twist my arm and pour me quite a few glasses of wine over the long lunch. I then recall Gina suggesting we move on to the pub, where hordes of Carlton staff joined us, one of them bringing his wonderful Dachshund dog called Arnie.
My next memory is staggering home late that evening. Chris showed me a review of Not in My Name in the Jewish Chronicle and I was delighted by that. Such praise would be welcome from any quarter, but coming from that newspaper it was particularly welcome. The fact they singled out my Israel chapter meant more to me than I can say. The reviewer writes “I had tears streaming down my face as I turned the pages” as she read my chapter. I shed a few tears of joy myself while reading her review.
As if all that wasn’t exciting enough, my agent just called to say the second serial rights for Not In My Name have been sold to The Sun. Kerching!