Initially I had self-published my [first] book: Valhalla and the Fjord, I was pleased with this and felt quite satisfied. However, a local publisher has picked up and run with my initial vision and is publishing the book in the more traditional way, which includes getting an offician ISBN number. This has been somewhat dreamlike, but is exceptionally exciting. My publisher (which sounds so surreal to say), Seán has been unbelievably good and is currently editing the text. It's amazing how a fresh and knowledgeable pair of eyes can transform what was a flood of research and conscious thought into something cohesive and with a discernible narritive. His take on the text has been facinating, pointing out that some passages weren't aimed at a specific reader and needed refinement. This has, in itself, been a rewarding experience.The book is available via Clachan Publishing here: Valhalla and the Fjord: Clachan Publishing. We are aiming for a launch in a landmark Belfast venue and I have to say, the support I have received from friends has been touching (if the piss has been taken out of me from time to time!). I think I have been bitten by a bug, or at least unleashed something from within me. I have started work on the second book and I plan for this second book (tentatively titled Hibernia: Journals from a Motorcycle Volume I) to be the first of two volumes. It will follow the same[ish] format of writing about motorbiking as an experience in its own right, as well as about the stops at archaeological, historical and cultural sites. I will blog closer to the launch and after but these are exciting times!
