Thursday, June 06, 2019

A blessed day


'Are you OK? Your last blog seems a long time ago,' said my big sister in an email yesterday. 

I assured her that everything is fine, but for three days last weekend I was in a frenzy of frustration and high blood pressure as we struggled to format the book YET AGAIN to upload it as a paperback. It did my head in, and Dave's too, poor thing. It was completed by Sunday teatime and I ordered the proofs. On Monday we recovered.

Yesterday I had to go to the dentist in Sheffield and then do an errand that was simple but hard work, and my fabulous 15 year old grandson (who had an inset day) willingly came with me, which meant the task took one hour instead of two, and I didn't do my back in, carrying heavy stuff around the city centre. As we drove into town I said under my breath 'I don't know where I'm going to park, I don't usually come in this way.'

And he said 'Turn left here.' I turned up the street. 'This is a good car park,' he said, and it was. And then he helped me carry my heavy load to where it had to go.

It was such a simple thing, but it felt sweet to have a grandson old enough and sensible enough to help me with my burdens. The future - grandchildren-wise - is looking good.

When I got home, the proof copies of the book had arrived. Yay!




At first glance they looked perfect, apart from a line of text missing from the back cover, and a couple of the title pages which needed putting in a different order. I flicked through it and said to Dave 'Let's get it sorted now! It will take ten minutes tops.'

He was in the shed making kumiko and didn't want to stop. 'I think you should look at it carefully,' he said, 'or you'll regret it.'

'It's fine!' I said. 'Really! Let's get it done, then we can publish it and then all my blog readers can read it! Come on, come on!'

But kumiko has a strange draw on the man in the shed and he wouldn't budge. How can it be that he'd prefer tweaking  bits of wood to tweaking bits of text? 

You know what, though? He was right. I've read two thirds of the way through the book now and this is how many tweaks the text needs. 




There are no typos, thanks to my top-notch proof reader, but there are a couple of punctuation errors, a couple of words I want to change. And then there are  formatting glitches you probably wouldn't notice, but I have, and this accounts for 90% of the yellow markers. 

Tomorrow morning we will sit down and do the corrections, debate about whether or not to order one last proof, and then this time next week I hope to blog that the thing is online and you can buy it.

My A1 day finished in style. My writer friend Chrissie and I have bemoaned the fact that we can't get a decent classic margarita in Sheffield or Derbyshire, not even for ready money (as Oscar Wilde's Algy would say) so Chrissie bought the wherewithal herself and invited me round for a catch-up, a margarita and tea/dinner/supper. I had a heavenly time. 

There is something mystical and wondrous about a decent margarita. As soon as I've had two sips, I feel happy. It's not the same with any other drink, and Chrissie agrees. What is the magic ingredient? I've no idea, but a charming barman in Boulder once gave me his recipe, so if you're interested, here it is:

1.5 ozs Tequila
1.5 ozs Lime Juice (fresh, of course) 
1 oz of orange liqueur
1 squeeze of pure agave

Shake and pour over ice cubes in a tall tumbler with salt round the rim. Drink, relax and dream.


5 comments:

Kristine said...

Hi Sue,
I have just read your latest book, "Even When They Know You" and I really enjoyed it.
It resonated with me on so many levels it was a bit scary - "Jane's" love of nature and being out amongst it, being constantly aware of the beauty and changes around her, her moods being affected by the the weather, her love of books and good writing, her anger at the state of the world. I often wonder if my feelings about these things are just a reflection of my age or whether it is my particular sensitivities - seems not. Friends are important to me too and my closest friends are my oldest friends - known since school or child rearing days. The important point of difference is that my vulnerabilities preclude me from sharing many of my thoughts and feelings....
I was also struck by the way in which women the world over, me here in country Australia, you in country UK, share the same thoughts and attitudes about so many things.
This is such a personal piece of writing - thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Kristine

Sue Hepworth said...

Hi Kristine
You cannot imagine how cheering it is to get your comment. It is so reassuring and heartening that I am not writing into the void. Thank you for taking the time to comment and tell me about your reaction to my book. Thank you!
Would you mind if I included the comment in a blog post?
And would you be kind enough to review the book online - on Amazon and/or Goodreads (if you are on Goodreads)?
Supportive reviews really do help sales.
very best wishes
Sue

Kristine said...

Hi again Sue,and no, I don't mind if you mention my comments in your blog - I suspect their are a lot of your readers who feel as I do about the book.
I did try to leave a review on Amazon, but it seems I don't "meet the minimum eligibility requirements to leave a review". (I don't usually use Amazon - prefer to buy from local booksellers if I can.)
Regards,
Kristine
PS I think you do conversation well - referencing a comment on an earlier blog post.

Kristine said...

Sue,
Whoops, " I suspect 'there' are a lot...."
Senior moment.
Kristine

Sue Hepworth said...

Thank you for trying to review the book on Amazon, Kristine. I can’t imagine what they’re talking about.
Hey ho.