Just returned from a 3 week break to Bosnia and Serbia. It was hot, stunning scenery and half price beers. Trying to find food as a veggie was a bit problematic as they do like their meat. Ate a lot of pizzas and in spite of a lot of walking have managed to put on weight! Did think of the melody for a possible new song and managed to find a song that I have been hunting down for about the last 35 years. Heads Down No Nonsense Mindless Boogie by Albertos Y Los Trios Paranoias. Hear this a handful of times when I was 17 and adored it, then it just disappeared off the face of the earth. But with time on my hands and access to good old YouTube, I managed to locate a version, with only 50 views. Listened to it again after all these years and it didn’t disappoint. In fact so much so that I am going to suggest to the band that we should cover it. It’s our sort of song and enormously good fun.
Writing has been a funny mixed bag, met Charles Alvason who co-wrote the screenplays to Brazil and Jabberwocky with Terry Gilliam. Nice old chap, bit infirm now and living in Belgrade; he introduced me to his publisher. Unfortunately, his publisher while interested by my writing, just doesn’t have the time to take me on. So encouraging, but still a refusal. Then I got another rejection from an agent who I had sent my full manuscript to, “Although your novel has many things to commend it, I just didn’t quite fall in love with it, like I had hoped. So I am going to pass.” What more can I do? I feel that I am within touching distance of someone taking it on, but I just can’t get over the line. Tantalising, but ultimately destroying. Just keep going, it will happen. On a more positive note, I did think of an alternative ending to my second novel Saffron Walden (not sure about the title). This ending will be much better and will round off the novel in a more complete way. So I now need to get writing it.