Dash meets the publishing team

The big news this week was our trip to the publisher’s, Summersdale. We drove from Oxford to Chichester through freezing fog and rain (not nice) and had a full day of meeting and greeting, lunch, treats and generally being made a fuss of (very nice indeed). It’s hard to get four lovely ladies in one photo, but they are: Jennifer (glasses; Editorial and Rights Director), Nicky (beads; Sales Director) and Elly (polka dots; PR Manager). All of them are dog-owners or dog-lovers ... and now confirmed Dash-admirers. Dash herself took it all in her stride. She even managed to scale four sets of stairs to meet Abbie, the Editor of the book. As we made the last few corrections to the manuscript, Dash lay under the table and napped supportively. The final encounter of the day was with Alastair. More important than being the Managing Director, he’s the owner of one of Summersdale’s most prolific and best-selling authors: Milly Brown (a chocolate Labrador, no less). All in all, you’d be hard pressed to find a more dog-friendly and charming team!

Dash's auntie approves of publication

Another pair of endorsements for ‘Dash’ to report this week! First of all, from novelist Barbara Erskine: “A heart warming thoroughly enjoyable romp – a must for all dog lovers, everyone contemplating dog ownership and everyone contemplating marriage.” And this lovely one from Hilary Johnson of the Authors’ Advisory Service: “A true romance – the entrancing story of a man’s love for a woman and of how a retired racing greyhound captured both their hearts.” It also turns out that Hilary’s greyhound, Marie, is closely related to Dash. In fact, she’s her auntie! Since the offspring of stud dogs or ‘sires’ can go into the thousands, perhaps it’s no surprise … but it’s a nice discovery nevertheless. Let’s hope the world of book-reading greyhound owners is as closely connected and extensive as that of their hounds!

Three months to go till publication!

Phew! We’re finally here in the new house in the Oxfordshire village of Eynsham. During the couple of days it took to move and unload, Dash stayed with a fellow greyhound owner. When she arrived on Tuesday, everything was unboxed, installed and ready in an attempt to minimize any anxiety. Her mat was in its usual place at the foot of the sofa; the DAP (dog-appeasing pheromone) was on full blast. Pity it’s also the fireworks season! Last night – after a barrage of bangers went off in a neighbours’ garden – she shot upstairs and hid under one of the beds. Not even a Toulouse sausage could tempt her out … and her trembling was enough to shake the bedframe. Poor thing. Quite a noisy and stressful salute to signal three months to go till publication!