You guys are pushing me too hard for new material - but I don't mind.
Just to let you know I'll be uploading yet another story tonight - British
Summer Time, though where the hell the spring has gone, I'm not too sure.
Latest story is entitled "Cote d'Azur a Londres - en 24 heures" and
describes a high speed run in a Herald over an uncomfortably long distance
and against the clock.
For what its worth, I'm currently in the process of re-editing one of two
small books.
One is called "In the Shadow of my Father" in which Dad's career with the
Standard Motor Company leads into my later 'Life at Triumph' stories. It'll
be a 2 in 1 with quite a number of early illustrations and which hopefully
might have appeal for Standard and Triumph enthusiasts. Probably will run
to about 150 pages in paperback and will NOT be appearing on the 'net.
The second book entitled "The Crocus and a Cornflower" describes the
somewhat dramatic escape from Austria to England of the then Standard
distributor in 1939 with his Jewish wife. This book was originally written
by me in 1983 as a Christmas present for the man's daughter who knew
nothing about her father's wartime life. Unfortunately, the 51/4" disks on
which it was written are presently at my home in France and I won't be
going back there until later this year. The original manuscript was
accepted for TV serialisation - but then it was discovered there wasn't
enough budget. I've done nothing more about it since then owing to other
pressures in life. Now I've got a bit more time on my hands, I'm planning
on re-editing the storyline and offering it to a publisher. I don't
envisage either publication to have a mass appeal. There's no sex, heaving
bodies in beds or individuals being disembowelled at gunpoint while still
conscious, so if either or both get to print, I'm not expecting more than
one print run.
Comments from anyone as to whether either exercise is likely to be worth
the effort in terms of eventual sale will be appreciated, as would any info
from anyone who knows a convenient back door into a likely publisher.
John Macartney
Now in the same museum as the cars he sold when they were new
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