This weekend I will be undertaking a difficult and unpleasant task related to my recent victory in selling a novel. No, I am not talking about responding to an editorial direction, reviewing copy edits, or even languishing in the doldrums of the ‘what do I write now?’ blues but rather it is time to take and select — an authorial photograph.

Like many people I am nearly always unhappy with any photo of myself. I have never learned the model’s skill of an easy and natural smile and yet I am also unable to produce on demand the solemn and serious looking of deeply thoughtful person. With the assistance of my sweetie-wife we’re going to use my DSLR, which I got just recently and I am thoroughly enjoying, and see if we can produce, at least to me, a least objectionable photograph.