Previous News from Joanne
~ September 2010 ~
And suddenly the entire summer seems to have vanished in a puff of (cold, damp) air. Not entirely unproductively, although I’m always vaguely appalled at my own ability to fritter away time. I blame Twitter (another thing I swore I’d never get involved with, and found myself doing anyway). Still, the good news is that I now have a finished first draft of RUNELIGHT, which should be complete with revisions by (shall we say?) Christmas – that is, assuming my publishers are happy…
Other projects: well. I’ve been playing with a new idea, but so far it hasn’t really been very co-operative. I’m also trying to write a screen adaptation of LOLLIPOP SHOES, which I think would work beautifully on screen (with the right director), though everyone who has approached me so far has just wanted to remake CHOCOLAT in a slightly altered form – which I don’t think would do justice to the book at all, or to its readers.
Otherwise, I’ve just come back from the Edinburgh festival (always one of my favourites), where I did a reading for Amnesty International in support of imprisoned writers as well as a reading and Q&A on BLUEEYEDBOY. As always, everyone was terrific – a packed house, and for the first time in ten years, no-one asked the Johnny Depp question…
Before that, I spent two weeks in Alaska with Anouchka, researching a piece for The Times on wilderness holidays – a marvellous experience, to which I hope my piece will do justice. I’ll try to post a date as soon as I know it’s when going to run. Meantime, heartfelt thanks to everyone at Tutka Bay Lodge, Camp Denali, the Copper Whale in Anchorage and the Alyeska hotel in Girdwood for their terrific hospitality.
Next week I’ll be at the Ripon Festival, after which I have a number of trips planned, including a series of events on the Queen Mary II and promotional tours in Portugal and Italy. Hopefully, I’ll also manage to get some time to persuade my current project to come out and play. More of that later, if I succeed. Till then, you can find me on Twitter as Joannechocolat – just give me a nudge if you think I’m wasting too much time…
~ July 2010 ~
Click here to listen to the Yorkshire Post podcast of Joanne talking to
David Behrens at the Harrogate Crime Festival
~ June 2010 ~
Finally, a chance to update after a very hectic couple of months! The launch of blueeyedboy on April 1st meant a month’s touring the UK and Ireland, then a quickie tour of Canada before setting off to Moscow for some readings for the British Council, which basically means that whilst dodging clouds of volcanic ash, I’ve been travelling practically non-stop since then. So, heartfelt, if belated thanks to: Tony from Formby; Gemma from Waterstones; the organisers of the Harbourfront festival in Toronto; the British Council, my translator Marina and everyone who made me so welcome in Moscow; plus, of course, every one of you who took a chance on blueeyedboy, knowing you’d have to work at it.
It’s tricky, launching a different kind of book, especially such a difficult one. Literary Marmite just about covers it; which means that I’ve had about as many rave reviews as rubbishing ones. Not a bad result, as far as I’m concerned; if literature’s role is to incite and to challenge, then clearly I’m doing something right. Thanks for all your feedback! It’s interesting, though, how poisonous some critics manage to be whilst calling themselves “great fans” of mine; and how dismissive some online critics have been - without even having read the book! I guess at this stage in my career a little bitchiness comes with the territory, but I do resent being criticized by folk who can’t be bothered to actually read what they’re objecting to, or who begin a review by quoting some other person’s opinion. Similarly, it’s probably a good idea for would-be readers to look at the jacket and read the blurb before actually buying the book, rather than just assuming that all my books are exactly the same. Don’t judge a book by its cover, so the old saying goes; but actually, isn’t that the point? A lot of hard work goes into jacket design, precisely so that readers will have some idea of what the book is going to be like. The only better way, I guess, is to read the book for oneself, preferably with an open mind and without too many false expectations (*See my new addition to the Nuts & Bolts section: Everyone’s A Critic: an Idiot’s Guide to Reviewing). Just my way of saying, in the nicest possible way: Caveat lector.
Moving on…
Right now I’m finishing the first clean-(ish) draft of RUNELIGHT, which means that soon I’ll be in a position to run it past my publishers to see what they think. I’m also trying to write a screenplay version of THE LOLLIPOP SHOES, which is great fun to do as an exercise, even though I don’t have a producer at this stage. Still, if I write it, backing may come. As always, I live in hope. I’ve also been writing short stories this year, which is quite unusual for me. I don’t write many of these as a rule (I often find them quite difficult to write), but with the launch of BECAUSE I AM A GIRL in February, WRITING ON THE EDGE in May and STORIES* this month, I already have pieces in three anthologies before the year is half over. Good news, I guess, for those who enjoy my short fiction (and the first two are for the benefit of PLAN and MSF, both excellent charities, and well worth supporting). If I go on at this rate, I may have enough for another short story collection of my own sometime in the next twelve months…
~ 31 March 2010: blueyedboy Launch at the Union Club ~
~ Update, March 2010 ~
It was Ian Rankin who gave me my most useful piece of professional advice. Writing’s easy, he told me once. It’s the author s**t that’s hard. Well, this is what happens when you succumb to the author s**t. You run out of time to do anything else, including your own website (not to mention any books you may be committed to writing this year). Nevertheless, it has been an interesting few weeks – and getting more so now that the new book is hitting the shelves, after what seems like a long, long wait. I’ve just got back from the Oxford Literary Festival (my favourite festival in so many ways), where Anouchka interviewed Philip Pullman about His Dark Materials (his first official interview with a teenage reader) and I was kept busy chairing panels, interviewing Penelope Lively and Rose Tremain, discussing Because I am a Girl with Debbie Moggach and Kathy Lette, and, of course, launching Blueeyedboy. So far, the buzz has been very good, if somewhat polarized on gender. Men (who seem to like puzzles and lists) have responded enthusiastically, while some women find it more challenging. Certainly those expecting food, shoes or a sunny, easy beach read may be disappointed. Though it is to some degree a black comedy, some may find it, like Gentlemen and Players, chilling as well as complex. Fortunately, my readers tend to be a smart, resilient lot, and I don’t believe the odd glimpse into the shadows is really likely to traumatize them. Next week (and until the end of the month) I’m touring up and down the country, stopping by at the Essex Literary Festival and the UEA Spring Festival, along with a little jump to Dublin before I embark on my Canadian tour. Given how fast this year has waxed, all this jumping around makes me a little nervous, especially as I still haven’t finished Runelight, or properly started on my new novel. Still, I won’t tell Transworld if you don’t. Okay?
~ New Book Covers ~
Although we all liked Stuart Haygarth's covers for my books, 10 years after Chocolat we felt it was time for a change of design. I am happy to have had the chance to work with Jeff Cottenden who has designed the cover of blueeyedboy and redesigned the covers for some of my other books. I hope that you agree they look fantastic.
Hopefully, by next year, we should have new cover art for all of my books. Start collecting them now!! Click Here to see the first four of the new covers.
~ Joanne's Visit to Lithuania ~
~ Joanne and Kirkwood Hospital ~
After helping to host a chocolate event at the Kirkwood Hospital in Huddersfield a few weeks ago, where she saw for herself how important the hospice is to the community, Joanne has recently become a patron of the charity.
On 20 January 2010 she officially opened Kirkwood's 15th charity shop at Peel Street in Marsden, Huddersfield. Joanne's schedule only allows her to support a handful of charities, but she was very enthusiastic about this one and would urge you to see for yourselves the work they do. (click here for their website).