Century Up!

This is post number 100 and with it I celebrate the first sale of my book. A student of mine said he wanted one, he paid me and I gave him a copy...and so it begins!

It has been a bit gruelling the last 10 days or so. Driving back from Liverpool and then plunging straight into an all day intensive English course from Monday to Friday. Now I have a bit of a weekend when I only have to do a couple of translations and all my paperwork from the week - and then it is back into intensive course mode next week.

All good honest graft I suppose and at least it means the kids will have something to eat for another week ;-) ...

Devoting my limited brainpower to thinking up ways to keep adults interested in learning English all week has prevented me from putting in the last chapter of PAME! though. It should be going in over the weekend. I hope I won't seem mercenary if I put a link on the last section of PAME! where readers who have enjoyed the story can send a donation in...I suppose I will seem mercenary actually because I am being mercenary...oh well...ho hum...and all that.

I am also going to start from next week a regular Friday post with a quick mention of a favourite book and a favourite quote from it - we authors have to stick together.

Whoops, almost forgot - I was dragged through the snow last night to watch the latest Harry Potter film; "Whatever It's Called". I should say at this point that I am not particularly a fan - I got to page 39 of the first book, having been put under duress by certain family members to read it but gave up as I ..erm .. couldn't sort of get into it (I have to be careful as I am surrounded by HP freaks - it's the same with "Lord of the Doodahs", all the kids went mad about the films and I had to sit through them one very long afternoon during which I spent my time trying and failing to work out who was fighting for who against whom and what the buggery they were fighting for in the first place...).
Anyway, the latest HP offering is an entertaining romp through startlingly impressive landscapes and includes a nicely observed subtext on the stirrings of adolescent desires. The story line is a bit weak and straightforward - apparently, according to a somewhat irritated Tanja-Maria afterwards, they had cut out a lot of the intricate twists and turns of the plot in the book - but that was probably just as well as otherwise I would have been fighting and failing to keep up with all that too.
The two and a half hours passed by pleasantly enough and unlike most of my other late night visits to the flicks I didn't fall asleep...so "well done Harry Potter!"

So, before I sign off and nod off for the night, let me wish you all a pleasant weekend!