I NEED TO STOP BUYING BOOKS!
My suitcase is going to be so heavy by the end of the semester that the airplane won’t even be able to lift off the runway. But this time I swear I have a good reason! (I know I always say that, but I always do, ok?)
This evening I went and saw Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days, in the local Waterstones bookstore. So you see, I had to buy the book. I had to.
Peggy Hillcoat is eight in 1976 when she’s taken by her father to a cabin in a remote European forest. She isn’t seen again for another nine years. —Our Endless Numbered Days
The first time I saw Claire Fuller speak at an event was a year ago at my university before her debut had even been published. I liked her and the book sounded good, but I had more self-control back then so I didn’t get a copy. Since then, however, the book has exploded and I have been kicking myself for not grabbing a signed copy while I had the chance. No worries, I’ve got one now! Also, I like the paperback cover a lot more than the hardcover one, so that’s a bonus.
Claire told us a bit about the “making of” and the “behind the scenes” which I always love hearing about, even if I technically already know the steps to take a book from inception to shelves. But each story is always different and I’m endlessly fascinated by it all.
Our Endless Numbered Days got one rejection letter before an agent picked it up. One. That’s fewer rejection letters than the number of times I’ve said “rejection” in this sentence. After the agent picked it up, three publishers wanted it and it went to auction. It took seventeen (I think?) months from when the publisher bought it to its release date. It’s Claire’s debut novel and she wrote it as part of her MA in Creative Writing at, drumroll please, the University of Winchester! And she’s working on another novel called Swimming Lessons which sounds pretty cool, too.
I can’t promise I’ll review it because 1, I have no idea how long it will take me to read it and 2, I really like Claire Fuller so my opinion might be a little biased. But if I don’t do a formal review, I might mention it sooner or later. We’ll see.
You can follow Claire on Twitter @ClaireFuller2 and she’s also got a cool blog at clairefuller.co.uk with flash fiction and other cool stuff.
Precarious Writer 