Binden Shovel

Churchill's Secret Skills is my first book. So I am newbie to this whole publishing malarkey.

I am not a full time author, the research and writing has been squeezed in around my work and home life over the last four years

I am the wrong side of 40, have a career as a manager in a big company in the UK. I am lucky enough to live with my wife and kids in a lovely part of the English countryside.

Whilst I find the subject absolutely fascinating I have finally worked out that for those around me such as family and work colleagues I have become a Churchill bore. I went through a phase on talking about Churchill and my book all the time, I can't quite put my finger on when it happened but I realised that people's eyes would start to glaze over when I started talking about Churchill.

I was like a windup toy. someone would only have to mention the War or Churchill and I was off, almost unstoppable as I spewed out a great diatribe of information.

Thankfully I have managed to get things under control now, I have a simple approach I just don't talk about Churchill or my book, and when asked by a colleague I limit my response.

I wonder if other authors end up the same way.

Now that my book has been published we get to the nerve jangling issue of reviews.

I have so far had 3 reviews each one better than the last. When you have spent years working on something for so long, almost in a vacuum, you really want people to like it. It's no good trusting to the opinion of family and friends as they won't tell you your book is rubbish as they don't want to hurt your feelings.

When an e-mail comes in from a reviewer that you have never met who lives thousands of miles away with a link to a review it is very exciting. I have been very lucky so far as each review has put a smile on my face for days.

I have posted the reviews on my author blog.