"Destination Saigon" at Phuket Airport!

My gorgeous friend Sandy Weir is just about the most brilliant woman in Australian publishing, and pretty glam to boot. And dammit, she knows a good book when she sees one.
Recently she was on holiday in Phuket - cue global shortage of pina colada mix - and, on her way home, spotted Destination Saigon at the bookstore at Phuket airport and took this great shot for me. Right near Paul Theroux, no less!
I always get very excited when my book is sighted overseas. So far I've heard it's being sold in pirate editions in the backpacker districts of Ho Chi Minh City, at Bangkok International Airport, bookshops all around Hong Kong, Monument books in Phnom Penh and at Siem Reap airport.
And now at Phuket!

Destination Saigon in Siem Reap!

I had a wonderful email from my old friends Beth and Peter at the Bay Bookshop in gorgeous Batemans Bay.
They have just come back from Cambodia (where, incidentally, I'm headed at the end of this year to write my second book), and they were overjoyed to discover my book, Destination Saigon, at Monument Books in Siem Reap International Airport!



How wonderful.
Last week I heard from a friend who has just come back from Bangkok, and he says that Destination Saigon is prominently displayed in the airport bookshop there, as well.
And of course, it continues to be a fixture at airport bookshops across Australia.
It's so woderful to hear that my little book has struck a chord with travellers to Asia, and a great big thanks to all of those shops that continue to support it!

Proof Copy

As many of you know, I worked in bookselling, distribution and publishing for many years before I made the leap and became an author. I learned how incredibly tough it is being a first-time author, and how publishing companies can sometimes leave you to sink or swim.
But my experience has been the complete opposite. My publishing company, Allen & Unwin, has showered me with energy and enthusiasm and good wishes, and I am really pleased with how seriously they seem to be taking me and my book.
One of the most amazing and exciting things for me was to see some uncorrected proof copies of the book distributed to booksellers, reviewers and key players in the industry. In Australia the production of such proofs is costly, and therefore quiet rare - particularly for a first-time author. I was just blown away that Allen & Unwin saw my book as so important that they produced the proofs.
Actually holding a copy in my hands was an excitement beyond description. It is really just one minute step away from the finished product, and therefore almost the culmination of decades of dreaming and planning! I was only allowed one copy of the proof, as they are precious, and it really is better that they should find proper homes among people whose opinions count. I have already heard back from several who have read it and loved it, so the excitement builds.