I had a very pleasant surprise over the weekend. I was invited to do a book bio on the Independent Author Index site for In a Milk and Honeyed Land by Faydra, who runs that site.. This is a bit like an author interview, and has a few questions in common with that – such as “What did you like most about writing this book?”. But it’s more about the book than it is about the author. So faced with such an offer, naturally I put a bit of time into replying!

The result can be seen at http://indaindex.com/book-bio-in-a-milk-and-honeyed-land-by-richard-abbott/, and I am really pleased with the appearance. Just to be clear, the look and feel is chosen as part of the site design, but responsibility for the content (and any typos) is mine. I had a lot of fun wondering what, in fact, I had most liked about writing it!

The single thing that took most thought was one of a series of checkboxes on the web form. Most were easy – there are no descriptions of how to make weapons of terror, or such like, for example. But then I got to a difficult one – “are there descriptions of sexual acts between consenting adults?” The question (and associated age rating) makes perfect sense since the site lists all manner of books, from young children’s through to decidedly adult, and part of the purpose of the bio is to help potential readers choose something suitable.

Now, on one level the answer is easy – yes there are, in particular when Damariel and his childhood sweetheart Qetirah consummate their relationship.

But inevitably things aren’t that easy. When I was looking at the preview of how my responses would appear online, I realised that the answer needed some clarification. After all, if someone read that and then rushed off to buy the book expecting to enjoy erotica, then they would be sadly disappointed! So I talked it over with Faydra – who must be kept very busy running this site – and she came up with a compromise. A very pleasing minor change that – hopefully – will alert parents wondering whether to get the book for their children, without unduly raising the expectations of those looking for something explicit. The end result is at at http://indaindex.com/book-bio-in-a-milk-and-honeyed-land-by-richard-abbott/. Everyone should be happy…

In passing, if you are a writer or reader, the Independent Author Index site (http://indaindex.com/) is full of great resources and contacts and is well worth checking out.

Finally, looking ahead a little, don’t forget the book signing event for In a Milk and Honeyed Land coming up in a few weeks now – Saturday November 17th at Cornerstone Books, from 10:30 or so until 3:30 or so. Cornerstone’s contact details are: Cornerstone Books, 45-51 Woodhouse Road, London N12 9ET, 020 8446 3056, http://www.cornerstone.co.uk/pages/1648.htm