I can confirm now though that what I’m writing will be sample text from a later book. I’ve had to spend some time thinking of the story for the whole book to work out where it fits in. It’s tricky because I want this piece to be easy to dive in on the situation and have a basic understanding of the importance in the grand scheme of things but without revealing exactly what. I’ll probably end up including lines about back story and character descriptions that will be removed or adjusted when put in the book.
The book it comes from will be the first from my second fantasy series (set in the same world as the first) meaning it will be a long time before the whole story goes to print. I’m still working on the time line in conjunction with the first series so it may even be that I don’t write it until I’ve written the first three of the first series. Add to that the novella I’m going back to work on after this, finishing the first novel I planned, (which got me started on the whole writing thing) as well as occasional short stories and it could be years. This is the power of the ‘Three Words’ section though! It means if the idea is good enough then you get to read the writing before it even reaches print!
Plus, I’ll admit I’ve been slacking again. I started playing Pro Evo again (09) and became obsessed. The 'Master League' mode is why I’ll choose Pro Evo over Fifa forever and a day. It took eight seasons starting in the second division but I have finally won it all on the hardest difficulty setting - with Bracknell Aces beating Barcelona in the Champions League final with a dramatic 6-3 score line! Bracknell Aces eh? Who’d have thunk it! But… I get the feeling this might be another slow writing month because I’ve just decided to try the ‘Become a Legend’ mode which was a new feature on this game - and I love it. A full eighteen seasons of my professional career beckons! Oh, and there’s that small matter of the US Open starting…
A quick opinion on Arsenal’s transfer activity. I’m glad we were able to get 40 million for Fabregas, we got a pittance for Henry. He’s been a great player for us and I just hope he doesn’t end up being a bench warmer for too long. I’m upset that Nasri left, but 20 million for a player in the last year of his contract is good business. I don’t know a lot about Santos but I can’t see him being signed as cover for Gibbs, and with the exit of Clichy and Traore I was hoping Gibbs would be first choice. We’ve lost a big character with Eboue’s departure and his replacement Jenkinson looked massively out of his depth in the drubbing against United but he was only ever signed as cover for Sagna. Mertesacker is an interesting one. He’s experienced and solid and could work well with Vermaelen (I’m not Koscielny’s biggest fan) but we’ve with been linked with him in the past and every time I worried about his lack of pace. The Premier league is quick, really quick - his positioning is going to have to be spot on.
The one year loan deal for Benayoun is a great piece of business whilst other new signings Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chu Young Park integrate, and don’t forget Miyaichi’s got his work permit now. I’ve heard good things about his time in Holland. Gervinho looks useful so long as he can work on his final ball and one of the commentators I heard was right - he’s a dribbler, not a typical Arsenal player, but I like what I’ve seen so far. And finally Arteta is a wicked signing. Very happy about this. Some are suggesting we’ve signed him a few years too late but I think the timing is perfect. Everton used to have a really good midfield and he was the pick of the bunch, but our midfield was better. With Fabregas and Nasri gone now though we needed to strengthen and not rely on Rosicky to be the sole source of experience whilst Wilshere, Ramsey and others develop. Arteta can do that and is good enough a player to slot straight in so long as he can keep clear of injury, his ability is unquestioned. All in all, it’s been a busy summer for Arsenal!
