I can’t believe my book is selling so well! Who would have thought that people actually wanted to read a story about a simple plumber going about his daily life in Melbourne? Definitely not me, that’s for sure. I just assumed that this was a book which would never see the light of day. I only sent it to one agent, Janet McCallom, who rejected it pretty quickly. After that, I wasn’t even going to try to get it published.
This was purely a passion project and I was totally fine with that. I got the idea while getting some plumbing supplies in the Cheltenham area. Looking down at a plunger, I just had a sudden urge to write this story. Who is this plumber? Where is he from? Where is he going? Where does he live? They were questions I had to answer.
It was only when I attended the Victorian Festival for Writers That Don’t Want to Be Published and met an editor from HarpyColons that the publishing ball started rolling. I started talking to an editor, explaining what my book was about, and why I thought it shouldn’t be published. The editor pretended that he was there for reasons other than to find an author to publish, but as I finished my summary of the book, he pulled me aside and told me that he’d love to read it and maybe even buy it. It was against the rules of the convention, but I went along with it. Why not?
The next thing I know, I’m at my book launch, held at the hardware store close to Bentleigh where I first had the inspiration for this book. It just felt right to have it there. Thousands of people lined up for the launch at 5 am. I couldn’t believe it. One week later, it was official: New York Space bestseller. People loved the non-adventures of Jack “Double G” Plumbington. Now there’s pressure to write a sequel, but I’m really not sure l have it in me. I’d rather write a book about a mechanic next, or even better, an air conditioner repair company.