Judging a book by its cover!

And so it's getting ever closer.

When I sat down to apply myself to writing my book last April, I didn't really have any perception as to how long the whole process from me typing the first word until publication would be.

In actual fact it will be just under 15 months to publication day on July 18. I'm told that this is quite quick, but then I'm also told that I wrote the book very quickly. I started with a week at my good friend Janie and Mike's house in France, and had finished actually writing it by the middle of July, three months later. The rest of July and August were editing and reworking certain sections. It came back from Nick Hern, my fantastic publisher, just before Christmas and I spent the second half of the Christmas holiday in the first week of January working through his emendations  and suggestions. It came back in May to be finally proof read, and I finished a final proofreading of it ten days ago before it went to the printers.

The added joy this week was that I got to see the cover for the 1st time. My name on the cover of a book! I have to say I'm rather proud of it. I couldn't have done it without the support of  Richard, and the contributions and suggestions of several friends who also work in the corporate market, but ultimately it's my book and even if the figures are the lowest selling of any theatrical publication ever published in the history of theatrical publishing, I'm proud of it.

 Actually the response to it has been rather positive from people who have read it. My very good friends Francesca Ryan and Marianne O'Connor read it just after I'd finished it last year, and had some first-class suggestions, while both of them thinking it was an excellent read.

At the proofreading stage this year, Richard got his hands on it, and he too enjoyed it.

It's been read most recently by Janet Rawson, one of the cofounders of Steps drama learning-a huge role-play employer, and actually someone  who was a year above me at drama school. She too loved it, and has been kind enough to give it a good recommendation.

The role-play techniques described in it won't be of use to lay readers, though immensely useful to young actors who want to get into the market, but I'm hoping the book stands up as a good read about the sort of things one gets up to in the corporate world.

This week my corporate antics whisked me off to Barcelona for a day. Having attended the press night of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, proudly accompanying Richard in his new role as Commercial Director at Really Useful Theatres, I drove down to Gatwick for a night in a Premier Inn,  before a sparrow-fartingly early flight  to Barcelona.

Red Carpet - Barcelona Style

On arrival, I then had 8 hours to stage an awards ceremony. On some of these corporate events I'm very lucky to work with brilliant production companies who have put an awful lot of good work in place by the time I arrive. On this occasion I was working with the best - Four Impact. A long hot sweaty afternoon ensued in the main hall of the Spanish finca, some 40 minutes drive from Barcelona where we were holding a dinner for 300 people who had all won senior management  awards. The logistics of getting a 40 piece gospel choir on and off stage, 64  winners to come up in the right order and collect their awards, five speeches from exceptionally senior members of the company on a global level, and an 8 piece dance band to start playing on cue were what occupied my mind until 11.30pm that evening. It was 2 AM by the time I flopped into my bed at the Barcelona hotel, but there are upsides.

The next day was free. A day to lounge around the beautiful rooftop pool, to take a lazy lunch, to get a little sun, and to read and relax. An early evening flight back home got me  into Sydenham  in time for Rich and I to get to pub quiz  and emerge as victors with our team.

If you fancy trying this, then perhaps you should read the book -  Although I should point out it doesn't contain any tips on how to win at pub quiz!