Posted on September 11, 2008 - by MG

ICE SHOCK - proofs are here!

Well here it is, the final proofs of ICE SHOCK, waiting for me to check through the line edits and maybe add a line or two here or there…

A brilliant end to a wonderful week, which began on Monday with some wonderful news from my agent re JAGUAR’S REALM…can’t be more specific just yet. And a totally cool party at the London Transport Museum to launch the WOW 366 book. Have you bought it yet? Go and buy it, it’s terrific bedtime story material! My daughter and I are reading three per night. My fellow writer, our lead developer for the Alternate Reality Game we are making for  ICE SHOCK and Litopian, Richard Howse was there and blogged about the evening, including a nice photo of my agent, me and Rich.

After the party I went off to the Afro-Cuban Lounge at Buffalo Bar. Word on the street is that this is no longer the top Cuban club night in London (and therefore the UK) - rumour has it that there’s a place on Wednesdays that’s better. But I’m telling ya, this Monday night the Buffalo Bar was swinging. Lots of hunky guys and sexy latino women, all terrific dancers, a friendly buzz. I was even invited to join a rueda. God, how I love salsa.

Then on Tuesday, St Giles Fair - it being the first Monday and Tuesday following St Giles’ Day. I was feeling queazy,  a bit hung-over after my night of drinking and dancing in London until the small hours. So I had to say no to the Waltzer, usually the highlight of the fair for my little girl. Still managed the barbequed corn-on-the-cob at the Jamaican food stand, the fresh cotton candy and hot donuts… And I stood for a few minutes letting the atmosphere of the fair wash over me. Some years it has struck me as grubby, crass, loud and mercenary. This year, however, I felt nothing but the lurve; for carnie folk and good times, memories of being there as a student, with my first daughter and now my second.

Tradition. You can’t beat it.

Then I dropped by the office of our IT company and met no less than five new employees who have joined since I last happened by…wow! See how well they’re doing without me? Also had a good morning talking to Rich about the ARG, putting together a project plan and coming up with neat ideas. This game…is going to be so fun.

Hung out with Susie Day and talked about Blake’s 7, one of the great loves of my life, and probably something to which I owe my writing career, since that’s how I got started - writing Blake’s 7 fan fiction. Hung out with Julia Golding and talked about writing crime fiction for kids. Muhahaha. More on that anon…

This is what I have always enjoyed about work. Hanging out with top practioners and talking about how to get better. In the end it doesn’t matter if the work is science, business or writing. So long as you work with the best in the world, work is heaven. You can’t ask for more.

Went to sleep last night listening to stuff about the Large Hadron Collider, for which, major kudos!