Authors hungry for publicity usually opt for the mundane and draining round of book fairs, interviews and chat shows. Yesterday an Australian writer fed up with rejections for his tale of sex, money and adventure tried a rather more drastic tactic when he landed a motorised paraglider in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
A police helicopter was scrambled to shadow Brett De La Mare's craft as it flew at 25mph over the packed streets of central London, and the city's airports were put on alert.
He took off from Hampstead Heath in the north of the capital before rounding the BT Tower in central London and heading for the palace via Trafalgar Square and the Mall. He even managed to fly within yards of New Scotland Yard.
Tourists at Buckingham palace watched in amazement as Mr De La Mare brought the paraglider - advertising a website which tells of his desperation to win a publishing deal - to a halt in front of the palace. Armed police and guardsmen pounced.
Last night, after being questioned and released on bail, he said he had been ready to do whatever it took to get noticed.
"I thought about getting shot, but the London police are famous for their restraint and their bravery," he said.
"The chasing helicopter affected the canopy of my craft, but the pilot backed off when he saw what was happening. I was starting to get frostbite and it was really cold up there."
Commenting on his treatment by London police, he said: "They have got a good sense of humour and are very courteous and professional."
He could be charged under air safety laws and if found guilty could be jailed for up to two years. The stunt raises questions about security at Buckingham Palace, although no senior members of the royal family were at home.
On his website Mr De La Mare describes himself as a 36-year-old from the Northern Territory in Australia who is on "a quest to change my life".
He says: "I've written a book called Canine Dawn and I'm out to get it published. Brother let me tell you, it's been hell. But until it is published I'm prepared to do whatever craziness it takes."
In October he took off in a paraglider from a field in New Jersey. He headed to Manhattan and flew around the World Trade Centre and above Broadway and Washington Square.
But there was a heightened state of security because of demonstrations and helicopters and Swat teams were scrambled when he was seen. Over Central Park his engine cut out; he was arrested and sentenced to community service.
He tried to make his 15 minutes pay and managed an appearance on the shock-jock Howard Stern's radio show but was roundly mocked. The New York Times noted: "All that and still no one had offered to read his novel."
Mr De La Mare's flatmate, Monica Kelly, a 22-year-old Australian public relations executive, said he had targeted Buckingham Palace for maximum publicity in a last-ditch attempt to find a publisher.
He had tried to take off numerous times in recent weeks but had been thwarted by the weather. Then yesterday he launched himself into the sky from Hampstead Heath. She said: "He had a timber propeller strapped to his back in a metal cage and it sort of motors him along but he has to run to get up into the air."
An exclusion zone covers the sky above the palace but yesterday's incident was the second time it has been breached. In 1994 naked US paraglider Jim Miller landed on the roof.
