The call that changed everything

Summers are quiet in the world of publishing. But even after the ten years I'd had to get used to this, it's still disconcerting when an author is dying to hear how a manuscript has been received. Particularly one that felt as risky as that which I'd submitted to my agent earlier in the year.

As July and August 2016 passed in a blur of lacklustre sunshine and school holidays, my nights started to become distinctly restless as the phone failed to ring. If I'm honest, I was almost getting used...