When an ocean becomes a sea.

I do like to find out something new especially when it takes you by surprise, like today when I read a wonderful article in my local paper, the Eastern Daily Press. It was about old maps of the area, some hundreds of years old and I learnt that the North Sea which is not far from where I live was known for hundreds of years as the German Ocean.

So during the first world war the Germans lost an ocean and the British gained a sea. I don't now if people in Germany still call the North Sea, the German Ocean, but it has kindled an interest in finding out.

Getting back to my main point. It was only a short while ago when I was taken by surprise, and learnt something new at the same time. It was the day when I got a knock on the door. I answered it and there stood a delivery man. He had a parcel which I signed for. It was a total surprise to me. What could it be? What could be inside?

I walked through to the kitchen and used a knife to open the parcel. When I pulled out what was inside I learnt that day what it felt like to be an author, for in my hand I had my author's copy of Frenzy.

Here it was, after nearly two years of hard work, rejections, financial hardship, fumbling in the dark and upsets, here it was, my book, my dream, and I stood there in a dream state.

After a minute or two of silence I broke and started to dance about the kitchen. I didn't now if it was through joy or relief, or maybe both, but it was a wonderful feeling.

Then I had to sit down and have a cup of tea, just to steady my nerve.

My next feeling turned to nervousness because now I could call myself an author, but the next stage on my journey was to start, because now I needed it to sell it if I wanted to stay an author, and not be forced back to my previous life.

Frenzy is out on the 21/3/13 and from this date this is when it counts, but then if you can turn a German Ocean into a sea, I should be able to sell some books!