A reader and a review

Kate Allan has sent the press release off to all the major newspapers etc. She had two emails back. One from the Mail on Sunday that said she was way too late in her timing. And the other from The Northern Echo agreeing to review the book. The Northern Echo is based in Darlington and does try to support local North East authors. But it is very good news that The Lady Soldier is going to be reviewed in a newspaper.
The publicist at Hale let Kate and I know that she had received a card from one of the competition winners from The Newcastle Journal Culture magazine's contest. The person was already finding the book a good read. I had not even realized that the books had gone out to the competition winners. As nobody I know has told me that they won TLS, I assume these are all unknown people. Wow. How to feel like a writer.
I sincerely that the person continues to find it a good read all the way through and tells other poeple about the book, maybe lending it, or maybe suggesting they get their own copy (!) Hopefully as well all this publicity will mean that it will be stocked in a few book stores in the North East.
It is all very exciting, and I am sure that the first time is special.

In sadder news: the duckling decimation continues. We have now penned them in to prevent the crows from taking them after losing 2 yesterday morning. We only had enough netting for half of the pen so my husband and sons rigged up boards and rocka to block off the uncovered half. We also stuck old cds in the trees as crows don't like shiny things.
But there was a stampede and one duckling became stuck and got crushed against the rocks. My husband has gone out and bought more netting. Now the entire duck pen is covered in netting and prevents the crows from getting in. The rocks and boards have been removed and the ducks are now free to wander in the pen. Because of the difficulties, all the ducks are in the pen.
We are down to 8 duckings but the littlest one -- Tips (so called for the white tips the duckling proudly sports) still survives.