Dear all,

Hello and welcome to the fourth (no, I can’t believe it either!) Mike Gayle newsletter. First of all I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who bought The To Do List in Hardback at the beginning of 2009 and made it such a success. It really has been great hearing how much you’ve all enjoyed the book and about all our own To Do Lists. Secondly, a huge thank you to everyone who bought The Life and Soul of The Party when it came out in paperback. Again it’s been a real thrill hearing how much you all enjoyed it.

            2009 has been a really great year for me and aside from writing and editing book 10 (more on that later) and doing a lot of thinking about book 11 (more on that even later!) I also managed to squeeze in a few other projects too. In July I headed up north to the Arvon Foundation’s Lumb Bank residence to in my role as guest speaker for the Commercial Fiction writing course, which I enjoyed immensely. In September I finally completed a quick read that I’d been working on (http://www.quickreads.org.uk) entitled Men at Work, which should be published May 2011. And I’ve been continuing in my role as patron of The Six Book Challenge (http://www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk ).

Anyway, here is pretty much all the Mike Gayle related news I’ve got plus a very special competition, which will see five readers, win copies of the To Do List, which will be signed directly to the winners with a personal message from me!

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1. The To Do List

The To Do List ('Brilliantly funny'—Daily Mail ) is due out in paperback Christmas Eve! As very few retailers ever stick to the publication date the chances are that you’ll be able to get hold of a copy some time around now, which will be handy for anyone who still has “Do Christmas Shopping” on their To Do List!

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Online you can get hold of copies at the following retailers:

Tesco.com

http://www.tesco.com/books/product.aspx?R=9780340936757&bci=4294875363|Mike%20Gayle

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Play.com

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/11639596/The-To-Do-List/Product.html

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Waterstones.com

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/mike+gayle/the+to-do+list/6588137/

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Amazon.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/do-List-Mike-Gayle/dp/0340936754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261040635&sr=1-1

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Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Do-List-Mike-Gayle/dp/0340936754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261040681&sr=8-1

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2. Book 10

For any of you that might have missed it just a quick note to let you know that my next novel The Importance of Being a Bachelor now has an official release date of 13^th May 2010. And for those of you desperate for a little teaser here’s the official blurb from the book:

George and Joan Bachelor are the proud albeit slightly disappointed parents of three grown-up boys whose lives have turned out any way other than what they had hoped for… ....

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Adam the eldest has a problem with women…he can’t resist them; middle brother Luke is still coping with the scars of his savage divorce; and Russell is head over heels in love with someone he shouldn’t have fallen in love with. ....

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But when months shy of his 40^th wedding anniversary George Bachelor announces he’s leaving the family home to try his hand at the single life everything the boys have ever taken for granted is thrown into turmoil. And now as well sorting out their own love lives they’ve now got out to sort out their mum and dad’s too…....

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3. Mike Gayle Audio Books

Great news for those of you that like to hear books instead of reading them! Unabridged audio books of The Life and Soul of The Party and The To Do List are now available to buy at http://www.wholestoryaudio.co.uk/catalogue/artist/author/mike_gayle/459

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4. Book 11

Yes, it’s finally official. Ten years down the line Turning Thirty is finally getting a sequel. I’m nowhere near finished writing it but I have to say I really am enjoying being back in the company of Matt, Ginny and the rest of the gang. Hope to have it written, edited and ready for your consumption by the early part of 2011.

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5. Twitter and Facebook etc

Not so much news more a huge thank you to everyone who has added me on FB or MS, joined the group or is following me on Twitter. Life as a writer can be pretty isolated so to be able to interact with you all is fantastic and like having my own virtual office where there’s always someone to chat to about last night’s TV!

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Myspace:  www.myspace/mikegayle

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/mikegayle

Facebook group: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2422702591&ref=ts

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6. To Do List Competition

Want to win one of 5 copies of the paperback of The To Do List and have it personally inscribed by yours truly? Then all you have to do is email me at: todolistcompetition@googlemail.com and tell me which is your favourite Mike Gayle book and why. This is a world-wide competition and will run from now until midday on Christmas Eve (UK time). The winners providing the best five answers as deemed by me will be announced live in Twitter and Facebook on Christmas day.

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So that’s pretty much it. Thanks for reading this far, any comments or observations on this newsletter or anything else you have on your mind please feel free to drop me a line at the usual address mike.gayle@gmail.com

Have a great Christmas

Cheers

Mike Gayle
Author of: My Legendary Girlfriend, Mr. Commitment, Turning Thirty, Dinner for Two, His 'n' Hers, Brand New Friend, Wish You Were Here, The Life & Soul of The Party and The To Do List.

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PS. Date for your diaries if you live in or near Essex: Thursday 11 March at 8pm I’ll be appearing at Loughton Library. For more details see:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/EBF/

PPS. No other author appearances confirmed yet for 2010 but do check the website and of course sign up for the newsletter (if you haven’t done already) for updates throughout the year.

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Hello and welcome to the third (no, I can’t believe it either!) Mike Gayle newsletter and here is all the Mike Gayle related news I’ve got: 

1. The Life and Soul of the Party is now officially out in paperback (the small kind that fits perfectly in suitcases) so please if you haven’t already got it go out and get it now because even though I say so myself it’s a great read.

You can buy it from the following:

1. Tesco

2. Amazon

3. Play.com

2. For those of you who aren’t on Facebook or Twitter here’s a bit of news for you: I‘ve finally finished book 10! It was initially going to be called The Bachelors but that’s now changed to The Importance of Being a Bachelor (which may or may not end up being the actual title). It’s about three brothers and their various relationship problems and the word from my editor who has only just this second read it is that it’s “completely and utterly unputdownable.” All being well it should be available to buy (April 2010).

3. Those completists of you out there might like to know that I’ve contributed a short story to a book called Paint a Vulgar Picture: Fiction Inspired by the Smiths: Fiction Inspired by the "Smiths." My story is entitled This Charming Man and is about an author who betrays his friends. Other contributors to the anthology include Kate Pullinger, Catherine O’Flynn, Helen Walsh, Mil Millington, Alison MacLeod, Matt Beaumont, Scarlett Thomas and Jeff Noon. 

4. I’m absolutely thrilled that so many of you have enjoyed The To Do List so much and that so many of you have started lists of your own. I keep thinking that I ought to set up some kind of website for To Do Listers to congregate and encourage each other with their own lists but I never seem to be able to find the time. Maybe I ought to add it to a To Do List! 

5. No news on the film front with regard to MLG I’m afraid although recently someone did come sniffing around His ‘n’ Hers, which I think, would be a great one to see on the screen.

6. Talking of His ‘n’ Hers I only recently discovered that the abridged audiobook version was co-read by none other than David Tennant, the UK’s current favourite actor and star of Dr Who! You see? I’ve always been ahead of my time! It’s currently out of print but I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to pick up second-hand copies on eBay if you’re a Tennant fan.

7. As I’ve already mentioned as well as being on Myspace and Facebook (by the way I’m absolutely fine if you want to add me or feel free to join the group “We love Mike Gayle” if you feel so inclined) I'm now also on Twitter. Now, if you were on Twitter too you would be able to discover what I was doing a few Sundays ago at around 11.45 pm (arm wrestling a Rugby playing Tongan) and you’d also be able to see which of the six hats that the nice people at Kangol sent (it’s a long story) looks best on my head. Alternatively you may prefer to watch paint dry.

Myspace: www.myspace/mikegayle

www.twitter.com/mikegayle

Facebook group: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2422702591&ref=ts

8. And finally…now that book 10 is done I’ve got to start thinking about book 11 and for the very first time in my writing career I’m giving some serious thought to writing a sequel! Which book is it going to be? Well before you start guessing let me just say why I’m thinking of doing this:

i) Because pretty soon it will have been ten years since this particular book was published.

ii) Of all my books this one was always felt as though there was a lot of unfinished business between the main characters.

iii) I’ve got a feeling that it will be a lot of fun to write. 

So to put you out of your misery the book I’m thinking about writing a sequel to is (cue drum roll): Turning Thirty.

So that’s pretty much it. Any comments, observations on the Turning Thirty news or anything else in this email please feel free to drop me a line at the usual address mike.gayle@gmail.com

Have a great day

Cheers

Mike Gayle

Author of: My Legendary Girlfriend, Mr. Commitment, Turning Thirty, Dinner for Two, His 'n' Hers, Brand New Friend, Wish You Were Here, The Life & Soul of The Party and The To Do List.