It's not me!

My proofreader knows me well, and amongst the typos and queries about my grammar and the inappropriate register of one of my adjectives (i.e. rectilinear) he commented on some of the responses and behaviour of the main character. 

'You wouldn't do that,' he said.

'But it isn't me!' I said.

You may as well know that the book is about a woman grieving for her best friend, and I have used my own experience in writing it.  I wanted to explore the themes of grief, friendship, aging, and the healing power of nature, so of course I'm going to use my own experience. But the woman does all kinds of things that I wouldn't do, because I have tried my hardest to make her different from me in as many ways as I could. I needed a plot to hang it all on, and that has got nothing to do with me or my life. So I hope you'll bear that in mind when you read it.

I'm still waiting to hear from two publishers if they'll grant me permission to include 'their' poems in the novel - how long does it take, for goodness sakes? -  but I had the loveliest response from an Irish poet yesterday. The three Irish people I've approached for permission have been so generous, friendly and charming, I've decided that in my next life I shall marry an Irishman.