Being 50

In book terms that is. In years, well there’s little point in trying to pretend that the big five oh is any way ahead of me. I work on the thoery that it’s better to tell the truth about age and have people say ‘Oh you look wonderful for 94 !’ than to lop years off the real number and have them think ‘Hmmm – 45? She looks every bit of 302!)

Anyway – books –

I wrote yesterday about the next book I write being the 50th – but then yesterday afternoon I had an email from my editor to tell me that in fact, in editorial reckoning, The Second Sicilian is actually number 50 – apparently they work in titles while I was reckoning up books so that makes the difference.

(Incidentally, I was thinking that as I wrote another pair of linked Sicilian books in The Sicilian’s Wife 2002/3 and A Sicilian Husband 2003/4 then this current Second Sicilian should really be called The Second Second Sicilian. But that would be getting silly. Sillier? Sicilier?)


So I now find that TSSS is in fact my 50th title – because in editorial reckoning, my internet story Wife For Real, the one that started off The Alcolar Family trilogy is included in the total. So 50 titles it is. Which is both good and bad.

Good –

I get to reach this milestone achievement almost a year before I thought I might . The book is written and hopefully (barring revisions and Acts of God ie the Editor) will be out in 2007

I don’t have to wonder about what sort of a book to write to mark the very special milestone achievement – it’s done – TSSS is that title, whether I like it or not. And as the thought of ‘What makes a 50th title had started to look slightly paralysing, perhaps that just as well

Bad(ish)

Speaking personally, I’m actually prouder to say ‘My 50th book’ than my 50th title. And much as I love Wife For Real for the fun I had writing it, watching the serial episodes go up and discussing it with the readers on the eHarlequin board, it is only a short story and so I couldn’t put in the sort of character development and increasing plot twists that I would want to put into a full length novel

I was going to run a contest with a prize of being a character in my 50th book! That was to run through the summer while I pondered on the thoughts of what would make a 50th book plot and planned the characters etc. Oh well, I suppose I can still do that for the 50th book – just not the 50th title!

And I suppose that I can celebrate both 50s – title and book – next year when they are published.

But it is a sort of weird feeling that I’ve actually written that book - the one I thought was still to come.

So now I have to go and write a special Dear Reader letter to go into TSSS to mark the event of the 50th title. And I have a very special dedication to put into it. Luckily I had already had that planned – I just thought it would be for the next book, not this title. If you see what I mean.

And as it hasn’t got a publishing title yet but is still known as Vito’s Story , I need a title too for my 50th title – the book formerly known as TSSS.