Wow!
2018!
Already!
Is there anyone else who thinks this year has passed at the speed of light?
As I hugged my dog tight at midnight, trying to ameliorate the effect of fIreworks on him, I thought on my year.
Was it good? Could it be better?
Prior to new Year’s Eve, Joe Konrath said: This year, I’m boiling my resolutions down to the essence:
WRITE!
Elizabeth Hunter wrote: I NEED the writing. It’s still my most-fun-thing. My escape. My happy place.
I love writing and want to write more books, but they can’t happen as fast as I would like and that’s okay. In fact, that’s better than okay. It’s normal and I’m perfectly fine with that.
And then there’s Kristine Kathryn Rusch, a commentator whose words always hold a distinct resonance and clarity for me personally. In her annual ‘Close of Business for the Year’ address she pointed out a couple of salient things…
‘The new world isn’t actively hostile, but it is difficult. And why shouldn’t it be? We’re working on an international level.
But one of the degrees of difficulty we’ve been dealing with since 2009 is that the new system hadn’t stabilized yet. Things changed, sometimes weekly, and those of us who jumped into indie publishing from the beginning were constantly revising expectations as well as ways of doing things.’
I joined the new world of publishing along with some of my closest writing friends, in 2008. We were published POD by an organization in the UK that was government funded with an annual Arts grant. We sold, we did well. But then we stepped out on our own and by 2010, dived into e-books.
Not just diving in I might add, but swimming whole marathons because the industry was mega-populated and the technology seemed to change by the hour…
I’m sure I’ve written before about a creative partnership between myself and Bopress Miniature Books – where I’m contracted to write a short story which is then printed, illustrated and bespoke-bound, to be offered as a limited edition to miniature book-collectors.
It’s a unique partnership and one of which I’m immensely proud. Bopress’s work sings to me in so many ways – not least of which is the sheer grit, determination and artistry of the press.
As the day rapidly approaches for the launch of Gisborne: Book of Kings,
(to e-book in the first instance, and then print) this is how the days progress.
My chapters return from my editor in the UK in blocks of three. I make the necessary changes and save them to my master file. I have been so very lucky to date with this book – so far there have only been line-edits, no major structurals where I need to re-write pages. I don’t know if this is due to the fact that I wrote the book very slowly and really gave it a hard edit between each chapter as I transcribed from paper to computer. Plus another hard edit before I sent it to the editor. I do remember scrapping whole paras and pages as I wrote, until it flowed the way I wanted. So here’s hoping for the rest – yes, I am holding my breath.
In between editing Kings, I’m writing a little 6000 word story on a troubadour called Flori de Mazanet…
This exceptional gift arrived to celebrate the launch of the second book in The Gisborne Saga.
It’s a delicate miniature copy of a medieval girdle book, created and bound by renowned miniature book artist, Patricia Sweet, from Bopress Studios
This arrived today!
I am over the moon… Nugget would love my current state.
I love the cover.
I love that it’s a slip cover.
I love the image of the wombat and those with whom he interacts.
I love the little paw print at the end of the story and underneath the publisher’s name on the last page.
Remember a couple of weeks ago, I posted on Chanel No 5 and the need to use any one of Richard Armitage’s alter egos to sell my favourite perfume?
Do you also remember that the Queen of perfumes, Pat Sweet, said the challenge would be finding the right colognes for each of the alter-egos?
Being published is tremendous, talking with one’s readers even more so. I count myself fortunate to have been able to correspond with so many readers since 2008 owing to this amazing technological world we inhabit. But one of the most exciting developments in my writing life has been establishing the informal partnership with Pat Sweet.
For quite a long while readers have asked about the fantasy world of Eirie, and finally, after prompting from my digital publisher MWiDP, I am creating a page and sub-pages to illustrate the world as I know it. I hope it will help any reader who may want to get to know the world more.
The shortstory has now been published by Bo Press in a robust miniature form and I am delighted with what the studio has created. It portrays the essence of Gisborne’s place in the medieval era beautifully and given that my Gisborne has a predilection for illuminated manuscripts, is even more apt. 
I ordered one immediately but really feel I should order another and send it to Richard Armitage via his agent. Has anyone got the agent’s address?
