Back in those far-off days before we’d umbilically attached ourselves to the internet, back when there were only three television channels in the UK and we were still getting used to the decimal system, way back then there was a kids’ TV programme called Blue Peter*. Every series seemed to feature John Noakes skydiving, coat hangers transformed into an Advent decoration, Fairy Liquid bottles (with the logo blanked out so as not to advertise the brand) being cut up with round-ended scissors, and – without fail – some bloke attempting, live in the studio, to smash the world record for keeping the largest number of plates spinning on poles at one time. In ’70s Britain, this was about as exciting as life got.
Running Ignite is a bit like keeping those plates spinning. Mastering the art of getting a new project off the ground while making sure none of the others crash and burn. Giving each of them sufficient of your attention and trying to make it look effortless while you do. Responding to what’s going on around you and trying not to be distracted by John Noakes cackling in the corner or Shep biting at your ankles (UK in-joke which will mean nothing to the rest of the world.)
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that we’ve made a few small adjustments to what we’re doing with a couple of our books. Anyone wanting a copy of Carl Stanley’s Kiss & Make Up will find we’ve dropped the price so that it’s now just as cheap to buy direct from us as it is to order it from Amazon, and everyone buying the Ross Lomas story City Baby direct from us will get a copy signed by both him and Steve. And why not? It’s summer after all.
And for those of you intrigues about just what this plate-spinning looked like, here’s an excerpt from Blue Peter in later years, complete with dodgy music and equally dodgy hair. Enjoy!
*Blue Peter still exists, if we’ve fired up your interest.