A quick hello from my desk – surprise – where I have been diligently working on another draft of The Young Widow’s Book of Home Improvement over the Memorial Day (Anzac Day equivalent) long weekend. Being my own harshest editor and critic, all I can see is what is still left to revise, but I have learnt to occasionally force myself to acknowledge how far I’ve come from some early scribblings and journal-style jottings where it all began life in July last year. I will be enormously relieved to bring it into the world and hopefully find it a place on a publisher’s schedule in 2008. It makes me very nervous to think about other people reading some intensely personal observations and memories, but I hope that the book will be greater than the sum of its parts and speak to anyone who has experienced a massive loss or knows someone who has. I also hope it makes people laugh – after all, it was my sense of humour that helped keep me sane during those dark ages.
On the business end of things I have already registered a domain name for the book and have submitted an article for publication over here. The automated reply I received from one magazine told me to not expect to hear from them unless they’re going to publish my piece because, as they receive more than 800 submissions per month for the section I submitted it to, my chances are slim. The scale of things here just boggles my mind at times. But then again, I do believe that 90 percent of most things are crap, so I remain hopeful.
