Bright colours and happiness

Thank you so much for all your kind messages and congratulations, everyone! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about all of this. It is such a relief, after two years of work and striving for publication, to reach this milestone.

At this stage, my editor wants to release the book in early 2011. Which seems like a long time to wait, particularly if you are blessed with the patience of a fruit fly, as I am, until you realise that it needs to be published at that time in order to have the best chance of succeeding. New books are generally released at the beginning of the year, after the big names have released new titles in the northern hemisphere's autumn, in time for Christmas. Early 2010 is only six months away, and so my book won't be ready in time. Hence the wait! I'm just happy that it's all coming true. (Yes, I am still checking and rechecking the emails to make sure it is not an elaborate hallucination).

A couple of you have asked whether I can reveal the title of the book. It would be my pleasure! The book is called 'Ngozi', which is a Shona word meaning (loosely translated), 'vengeful ghosts.' Here's an excerpt from my query letter, where I gave a brief blurb:

"Being a white Zimbabwean in the 1990s is a near-perfect life. Your clothes are always clean and ironed, there is always tea in the silver teapot, gins and tonics are served on the verandah, and, in theory at least, black and white live in harmony. As Mugabe’s presidency turns sour, however, this idyllic and privileged world begins to crumble into anarchy.

Told through the eyes of a young girl, Ngozi follows the struggle of one troubled white family to stay afloat in the collapsing economy and escalating horror of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. When the farm invasions begin, the violence threatens to destroy their way of life forever, and escaping the vengeful ghosts (‘ngozi’) of their past seems impossible. Can they stay, or must they go?"

Thanks again for all your support through this whole process - I appreciate it greatly.

P.S. The lovely vintage bag I'm carrying was a birthday gift from my friend Hannah. My old favourite is out of action after the dastardly mugger broke it, so I'm especially delighted to have a beautiful new bag!

Multiple exclamation marks are needed, for once!!!

I have been bursting to tell you this all weekend, but I wanted to wait until I had made the official announcement to friends and family at my birthday party. Now I can finally announce that, on Friday morning ...

... I accepted an offer of publication from an imprint of Random House UK!

I am so thrilled. I have had to re-check the emails every so often to reassure myself that it is real, and not a crazed fever-dream.

The editor said: "I think she has real talent and the accomplishment she shows in handling the tension and characterisation in this novel is incredibly impressive. I found myself completely drawn into Elise's [the protagonist's] world. I'd love to have Andrea on the list as she sums up what we are all about - quality writing with an international perspective."

My agent is negotiating a few points, and then the contract will be drawn up and signed. I'm heading over to the UK for the month of August, and I will meet with my agent (my agent!) and my editor (my editor!) then. I feel terribly glamorous saying that I am flying to London to meet with my publishers.

Thank you so much for your birthday wishes - it has definitely been my best ever birthday to date!

P.S. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.P.S. Hence the happy yellow jumping on Friday.

I have an agent!!!

See above.