They say the two greatest moments in an author’s career are
when they have their first manuscript accepted for publication and when they
get the first copy of their book land on their doormat.
The first happened to me the day – in fact the very minute –
my father died, and I will admit to cringing at the second – in the same way as
I cringe when I hear myself on a recording or see my image in a photograph.
But boy, I'm making up for it now!
Last week, completely out of the blue, I got a phone call at
home. It was an actor, now a producer/director, with some pretty hefty credits
to his name. We talked, and he requested a synopsis of The Eighth Circle of Hell, suggesting that we meet up in a few
days. And we did – at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms of Agatha Cristie fame.
As it happens, he liked it - very much. He liked it so much that he is going to work with me
to transpose the novel into a screenplay and hopefully...hopefully...HOPEFULLY,
turn the whole thing into a 5- or 6-part television series.
AND, not only did I finally get to go to Betty’s (despite
living in Harrogate for most of my life) but I got to meet a thoroughly decent
bloke with a social conscience who wants to make a difference.
Third time lucky, eh?
