Despite fish, a gecko and chickens, my kids asked for a cat. Being a cat person myself, I was okay with having one in principal, but know the costs in reality. 'When I get a job that pays well enough,' I promised them. Writing didn't even pay me a living wage, and even going back to work part time didn't provide what I thought would cover any potential costs. But at the start of this year I went back to work full time as a science technician in a secondary school, and that's when the badgering really started. 'You PROMISED!'. Sigh.
Years ago we had two rescue kittens, so we decided to rescue again, especially as we planned for these to be indoor cats. Adopting from a rescue centre meant getting a house check for approval. I'm not house proud - I keep the place clean and tidy mostly - but the idea of a stranger poking around my home was unsettling. I cleaned and cleared the downstairs to the point of even vacuuming up all the spider webs and moving a lot of stuff temporarily into our summerhouse (much to hubs' disapproval), to the point where my older boy told me the house looked weird because it was too tidy.
And after all that, the cat rescue guy spent 10 minutes chatting to me in the back room, ending with an arrangement to bring the kittens over the following weekend for a month's trial fostering. O.o
On his way out, he spotted the three pictures on the wall that I have of three of my favourite book covers (shhh, don't tell the others!).
"Are you an author?"
"Yes, but not a famous one."
"How many books do you have?"
I had to think about that. I've mostly stepped out of the publishing bubble and remembering everyone's birthday is testing enough.
"18...?"
"I shall look you up on Amazon."
I don't know if he did but it felt kind of weird to be talking about my books again. I'd almost felt like I'd closed that door behind me, but I guess you never really leave them behind. It got me thinking again about how far I'd come in seven years and actually achieved. Eighteen titles. I don't think I really appreciate what an accomplishment that is, especially now I'm working a full time job that doesn't leave me time or energy to write (for now).
And how did I get there? For me it happened quite quickly - eighteen months from finishing my novel to an actual offer from a small digital press, and with my debut work too. I remember having to read the email several times over to be convinced it wasn't another rejection.
Those first edits were sooooo hard, but I learned so much (though sometimes it feels like I didn't learn anything at all when my editor tells me off for the same things, lol). I really thought writing would get easier, and while some parts of it are, things like finding new ways to describe experiences, emotions, characters etc without repeating yourself becomes much, much harder. Publishing has definitely become harder. After losing a couple of my publishers and others changing their terms, I'm now completely self published. More freedom but much more work and much less support. I've experienced burn out, and this year will be the first when I don't release something. I miss the writing but not the publishing so much. I still plan to release more but I'm not quite ready to throw myself back in. It'll all be on my terms, for my pleasure, and if a few other people like it, that's good enough for me. Eighteen titles is still something to be proud of.
2 comments:
Pippa, had to laugh about the prep for home visit/inspection. When I got my last dog, Duke, from the Humane Society, I was told someone would come by and make sure he was okay. If anyone did come, it was a drive by ... but I'd fallen in love with my boy and would have been devastated if "they" said I couldn't keep him. He's been in doggie heaven for over a decade and I still miss him. If he was still here, the pesky destructive tree rats aka squirrels would Not be in my yard. On the carport roof or my neighbors fence, yep --- but not dashing across the deck or digging up my geraniums.
You are double where I am with 18 books. When the time is right for you, I'm sure you'll be back adding to that number and pleasing your fans. In the meantime, Romancing The Genres is grateful you spend time with us each month.
i understand having Life interrupt your writing. It's happened to me as well. We'll get back to writing when the time is right, on our own terms. You have been amazingly productive and your books are awesome, definitely something to be proud of!
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