Gettin’ Read
Posted on October 30, 2005
One of my goals in writing has always been to establish a readership. To be known and have people excited that you’ve produced something new – I think that would be very rewarding. The slightly nerve-wracking aspect is that people constantly asking me how the ‘next’ book is going (fine, if you must know) and last week someone commented she was ‘on the edge of her seat’ waiting for the next book. Two years is quite a long time to be on the edge of your seat. And that’s being optimistic. Assuming the publishers are happy with the next book it takes a year from there to get it out. Well, I suppose I’d better go and get on with it then.
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Ever So Slightly Famous
Posted on October 27, 2005
It’s very weird being ever so slightly famous and I’m not sure how I would cope with the full fiasco. After a story in the local paper, everywhere I go (which isn’t very far from home to tell the truth) people I know call out to tell me they saw me in the paper. I’ve almost got used to the fact of people I barely know suddenly shouting ‘Congratulations!’ from across the street. More strange is my son’s friend (whom I’ve known for several years) asking for my autograph. The story was a week ago, so I was sort of feeling that it had all been forgotten when today my butcher suddenly fixed me with a beady eye and said ‘Are you an author?’ I was stunned. “What on earth made you say that?’ I asked. ‘Aw, you were in the paper.’ I actually had no idea that so many people read the local paper – so don’t underestimate it!
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Italian Stories
Posted on October 26, 2005
Had a sensational night last night when I gave a talk about the research and background to my book to an Italian Family History Group. I firmly believe that we could all do to embrace our inner Italian, I think it’s a culture that has a great deal to offer our ‘mall-crawler’ society. Anyway, the group enjoyed hearing my views on the matter and I was made incredibly welcome. I loved hearing their stories, both sad and funny, and was full of admiration for the humour and sheer persistence they have shown in just continuing to be who they are despite the prejudice and racism shown towards them over the last century. Bravo!
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Connections
Posted on October 26, 2005
In a bit of a fluster this morning - very important telephone interview with a major daily newspaper in the middle of a ‘paid work’ deadline. First thing that happened was I picked up the hands-free and it didn’t work. After some frantic button jabbing still didn’t work - eccck! Tossed that aside and dashed for the good old-fashioned corded phone and finally we were connected. Took a moment for my blood pressure to settle and then had a brilliant chat with an interviewer who had read the book, enjoyed it and given the themes and content some thought. So, we were truly connected.
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On Polishing
Posted on October 24, 2005
Somehow, despite everything else going on, I seem to miraculously find the time to write. And there is not doubt in my mind that continuity – writing every day – makes writing a book a lot easier. You’re already in the swing of the story and just need to briefly recap yesterday’s work to push on. I’m writing this new book in a different way to the last, that is just writing it as it comes – a couple of thousand words a day. I resist the urge to stay and refine each and every little thing because that takes time and thought and that’s where I became mired last time around. Once I’ve got 70,000 whatever it takes to tell the story I’ll go over it with a pickaxe and whittle it back till it’s ready for the tweezers. Then it’s just polishing, polishing, polishing, the best part of all-making it glow.
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