Rarely do us writers walk into a room with so many publishers, who in the course of the last few years sent us so many rejection letters and so few acceptances. So it was with a wry smile that I helloed Jo Fletcher of Gollancz, Peter Crowther of PS Publishing and happy to shake the hand of Steve Upham of Screaming Dreams, Terry Martin of Murky Depths and many others.

 This week a parcel arrived from America with a surprise ready to burst out inside. Galaxies and planets escaped as I opened the package to the delight of both my wife and I. A writer friend of mine, Maria, works at possibly the best place on the planet for a sci fi witer, the Space Telescope Institute in Maryland. She mingles with astronauts and sees fantastic images before we do! With a generous heart she made a pack of useful educational images and information sheets taken with the Hubble telescope. My wife’s school will make good use of that information so thanks a lot, Maria.