BBC Broadcasting Charley

Oh hey guys. Guess what.

I've been interviewed by the BBC.

Well, BBC Solent - they cover an area in the south of England, with some bits of coverage in Dorset (though, unsurprisingly, it doesn't get quite as far as my tiny little village).

Might as well have got a phone call from the Queen - that's how surprised I was.

It was a pretty wicked experience, I have to say - but I won't say I wasn't terrified. I heard about it the night before when one of the teachers asked me if I would be okay with doing an interview for them. They'd picked up on the article done by my school's PR, and decided they'd like a word with me.

So, I sat down for soup and a sandwich with a BBC journalist, and then we set off to find a suitable place to conduct the interview which, in his words, "wouldn't echo like a public toilet".

I actually ended up really enjoying myself. I read a couple of extracts from St Mallory's Forever!, talked a bit about writing a book together when two of the authors have only met once in "real life", the value of internet relationships, and even a bit about what I thought about the future of publishing.

But I'm not here to brag - rarely am, though it may appear otherwise.

St Mallory's Forever! isn't even a month old yet, and we've already got multiple five-star reviews on Amazon, some wonderful reviews by other bloggers, and now we've got an interview with a department of the national radio station under our belts as well.

To me, this was a real eye-opener. It showed me that being an author was not just for the elite few bestellers who toured the world signing the sausages of armies of squealing fans. And it's most certainly not limited to the world of traditional publishing, either.

Our lovely publisher, Mark, kept us going throughout the writing process with encouragement, telling us all about the potential and opportunities and excitement that doubtless awaited us upon publication. I was a bit sceptical - usually am, just by nature - but as we saw the reviews start to come in, saw that people loved the book, my whole perspective changed.

Everything is possible, and it doesn't matter if you're indie or trad published, seventeen or seventy two.

The chances are there. All you've got to do is take them.

Want to hear the interview? Well, good news: the journalist said he'd send me an MP3 some time after it's aired on Friday, as we can't tune in to the station ourselves.

Stay tuned!

~ Charley R