Time to post, time to write

After breaking up for the summer holidays (I'm a teaching assistant not a child...) I am now painfully aware of the need to do...something. Anything really. I am hoping this new found freedom of time will allow me to write. 

I am already a third (roughly) of the way through my sequel and have some related short stories on the way. The plan is to post some of the short stories on here to get a feel for what people think and I am hoping to put a website together (in the near future). 

What all of this means is unless I get incredibly lazy - there will be more writing on its way soon :) 

X

Just a quick one...

The hardest thing with being creative is trying to tie yourself down and be organised. 

Writing the book was remarkably easy looking back, and even the upload to the Internet was pretty straight-forward. But for me what I find difficult is the business side of things. How do I get the book in front of more people? 

So far I have sold 50 books - which for a complete novice in two weeks is OK (in my mind). Out of those 50, everyone I have spoken to has been overwhelmingly kind about the book and 5 star reviews are rolling in. So if I could get it in front of hundreds or maybe thousands of people I am confident the results would be the same. 

But how?

So far I have no idea, but I'm working on it...

I'll get back to you! 

The Day I will never forget!

OK, so it is definitely getting time to stop with the tennis blogs and I promise this will (probably) be the last one I write on the matter for a while. However, for the rest of my life, I will always remember the 7th of July 2013 because today, the 77 years of heartache for British Tennis is over. Today, (Sir) Andy Murray lifted the most important trophy in the world - the Wimbledon trophy!

What a match it was too - Andy winning in straight sets, but what tough sets they were and Novak making serving out the match for Andy as difficult as humanly possible! Truly breathtaking. 

But what is more remarkable is the weight of expectation that Andy had to deal with. As soon as Nadal and Fed went out the tournament people expected Andy to breeze through but no one stopped to think how tough playing tennis is with 60 million people sitting on your shoulders. Almost impossible. 

No matter what Andy goes on to achieve, this will never be forgotten. For no man could have worked harder and in the golden era of tennis to win 1 grand slam is surely a superb achievement. But to win 2 slams and Olympic Gold is something pretty special!

The Book is Live!

So this is pretty much the biggest day of my life thus far (with the obvious exception of the wedding day if my better half is reading this). Today my debut novel, 'The Pursuit of Emma', went live on the kindle store! 

Due to technical difficulties, you cannot search by title or author until the weekend but you can find it by visiting:

Http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DQVNN8G

Even if you don't have a kindle you can get it to read on any laptop, ipad or smart phone. It's only £1.53!!

I am deliriously happy to have got this far which seems an achievement in itself but I really need your help. Please, please, please ...buy the book, buy it again, review it (preferably nicely!), tell everyone you know and make them do the same. If I can move it up in the charts I have a chance of being an author (proper)! 

I am really proud of it and hope you all like it to. 

It's the perfect summer book...if I say so myself! Enjoy!

'Oh Nostalgia - I don't need you anymore...'

...as Patrick Stump so aptly put it - I have decided I don't want to experience nostalgia anymore. 

I work at a school and at this school there are some kids. Lots of kids in fact. Now most are bland and boorish, a few are infuriating but now and then you meet some that are special.

As a teacher you occasionally get a group of kids that get you and work well with you and when it happens...you feel like Charlie with his golden ticket. 

The problem is - they grow up. Over the last year I have spent almost 12 hours every week with the same group of Year 11 kids, helping them to grow and improve. Some I have had no impact on but one or two I would like to think would remember me for at least 6 months. 

Due to school being boring and me being fairly young, we have grown quite close and I used to like the fact that they couldn't wait to see me. Finally a group that will listen to me. And they did. We had a fantastic year and yesterday they enjoy their final assembly and prom. 

Now it is time for the world to take them and look after them and I highly doubt if I will ever see them again. I only wish them well and have high hopes that they will all succeed in whatever they chose to pursue. But what about me?

As self-centred and conceited as that sounds - what about me? I get left behind and the carousel starts up again. This, I am learning, is the life of a teacher. I have not developed the skill of staying detached and wouldn't want to but for now it means every year I get left behind by people I am used to having in my life.

I don't want to look back on the times we had with nostalgia. I want them to leave and have great lives and God knows it would be weird if they wanted to still see me but I hate change and have ended up in a career with bags of the stuff. 

I don't like it. 

The draw that opened up

OK so I should write for BBC Sport now. This is another Wimbledon blog - deal with it. It will last for two weeks ...unless Murray wins - it which case I will NEVER stop! 

With freak loses for Federer, Nadal and Tsonga I cannot see anyone who could stop the rampaging Murray making the final in double-quick time. 

Next for Murray is the rejuvenated Robredo but surely he cannot give Murray anything but a feeble challenge. In fact, in his half the highest ranked player left is Nicholas Almagro, the 15th seed. A decent player but nowhere near Murray's ability. 

In short, unless a ridiculous freak performance from one of the lesser players occurs, injuries are the only thing that could stop him!

In the final, he is most likely to meet the imperious Djokovic, but if he can save his energy and be fully fit he will fancy his chances. Could we have a British Wimbledon Champion in 11 days? Only time will tell but more than blind optimism leads to the answer yes at the moment. Good luck Andy!

Follow me on twitter: @chrisdohertywriter

The thing about Andy...

I am slightly worried that this will come across worse than I want it to. After watching the documentary on Andy Murray and am developing what can only be described as a non-sexual man crush on the man. 

This crush is not without justification either. I am not jumping on the trendy bandwagon now he has won a major and the British people actually love him. I have been obsessively following him since he won the US open juniors. As an ex-tennis coach I have 1% of an idea of how hard he has worked. 

Physically he is a beast!

The Dream Gold and silver medal Sunday win happened to fall on my birthday and what a gift that was. 

And of course his heroics in New York last year to end our wait for a grand slam winner was a moment I will remember forever. 

Now he just needs to win Wimbledon this year and I can build a shrine/10-foot statue of the man. 

What a legend!