As you know, just before I went away I signed contracts with Crooked {Cat} Publishing for The Filey Connection, first of the reinvented Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries. I then jumped on a plane and cleared off to the Canaries for a week. It just as well. If I hadn't gone then, I wouldn't have had time.

We came back early hours of Sunday morning and since then, aside from a few blog posts, I have not written a single word. Instead I've been tearing round like a blue-arsed fly preparing for the official launch on March 2nd.

For me, this is one of the great pluses of e-books. The last time I signed a paperback contact, it was almost a year before the book appeared, and that was good going. With e-books, there is little to do in the way of layout, so all that's need is cover art and formatting. Cover art is the work of a few days, formatting is done in minutes by special compiling software. It means that from delivering the final manuscript to putting the book out can be as short as 48 hours.

But when you're up to your arse in Facebook pages, Twitter announcements, targeted blog posts and answering the goodwill messages from friends and peers, it's hard to remind yourself how thrilling it all is.

I'm getting there. As of today, the Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries have their own Facebook page. You'll find it at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanford-3rd-Age-Club-Mysteries/196279330469973 Why not pop along there and like the page?

There's a video trailer for the book, which you can find on the Facebook page or go direct at: http://youtu.be/Eu_qa7-fYlQ and finally, if you'd like to listen to a few minutes from the opening chapter, you can find a podcast at http://dwrob96.podbean.com/2012/01/25/the-filey-connection/

As if all this is not enough, there is a mega launch event planned for March 2nd. It will be spread between several sites, including www.crookedcatpublishing.com my site, www.dwrob.com Twitter and Facebook, here, and anywhere else I can think of where I can pester you.

You are all cordially invited... but remember: this is David you're dealing with. If you're looking or free drinks, bring your own :)

I'll look forward to seeing you around on the day.