January
Plan book launches and events for Out of Mind. Feel hopeful, feel rising panic about boxes of unsold books, feel hopeful when stockists request a top-up, panic less, try to write but cannot.
February
Watershed retreat with my wonderful writing group at the Grail Centre. Swim in the river, start writing a childhood memoir which bubbles up in a workshop session. Have found my voice. Launch Out of Mind to my friends. Great support and sales. Peace. Less panic, more planning.
Delighted to be invited to speak at Blown Away by Books by my mentor and dear friend, Maire Fisher. Huge, supportive audience. Great sales. Floating on Cloud 9.
March – April
Klein Karoo book tour of Barrydale, Swellendam and Montagu. Wide sky scenery slipping by, meeting old friends and making new ones, heat, and a dusty old world venue with faded velvet curtains. Few book sales but not defeated. Plan and strategise. Write. Memoir flowing.
Launch at Cape Medical Museum. Great Interview by Steven Sack. Lots of audience participation. Sales improve. Other orders come in. Hope springs eternal.
Greyton launch. Ruth Versfeld, dear friend and colleague of many years interviews me. Incisive and thought-provoking. Very hot afternoon. Some people sleep. Some ask questions. More people buy. Late orders come in. Boxes at the door are emptying. Yay!
Write, get good reviews on Good Book Appreciation Society and Goodreads; a young Durban journalist describes me as successful but it is too soon to use that word.
May – July
Write, holiday in UK, do online writing workshops, plan next launches
Kleinmond launch at Central Café. Great interview by Trisa Hugo. She writes a review for Litnet. Good sales. Relieved. Plan next launches.
August – September
Major surgery and recovery. Write.
Cape Provincial libraries order18 copies of Out of Mind. Delighted.
Open Book Festival with 2 other self-published authors. Sunday morning. Raging wind and rain. Beryl Eichenberger, our panellist, is warm and supportive. Asks the most important questions. Sell only 2 books. Feel buoyed up by the support of other authors, and Beryl.
October – November
Write memoir, attend online workshops, words flow, plan, re-supply stockists ahead of festive season.
Great zoom interview by Tracy Going at Boekbedonnerd Festival. Am awarded first prize for best self-published author at festival. Feels surreal and astonishing.
Two big orders from stockists. Thrilled.
Resurgence of interest in Ida’s Line. Sales increase. Cape Provincial Libraries order last 17 copies. Yay!
Debate small reprint of Ida’s Line – panic, hope, am I mad conversations with self. Go ahead anyhow. Discover only 65 copies of Out of Mind remain…
Find a list of book festivals for 2024. Feel hopeful. Start planning.
Write. Tidy study. Find a box of childhood photos and letters. Overjoyed. Create a memoir door…
It is exactly four years since the start of my journey with my 2 novels. Both manuscripts existed in a rough form but it took the Covid 19 lockdown in 2020 to make me sit down and do what was required, and to make the decision to self-publish. Not that I believe there is any such thing because all along the way, friends, family and writers I had not met before, supported, advised and urged me on. In 2020, Ida’s Line was published and Out of Mind followed in 2022. October 2023 saw the reprint of Ida’s Line.
There are 4 more book discussions before this particular journey is over:
April 16th – Oudtshoorn Public Library at 10.30am
April 17th – George Public Library at 11.00am
April 23rd – Restion Guesthouse in Napier at 11.00am
April 25th – Caledon Public Library
Now it is time for the book stockists to work their magic and for me to write my memoir…
