After years of being closeted away in my writing space (or, I’ll admit it, sometimes writing on the laptop in bed), it’s wonderful to be featured as a ‘news story’ on the website of The Literary Consultancy, announcing the forthcoming publication of Sisterwives.
Reading TLC’s press release brought it home that though the graft of writing Sisterwives was mine, many people are contributing to its future appearance as a published work:
• the good folk at Commonword and Crocus Books who spotted the book’s potential, nominated me for a place on TLC’s mentoring scheme and who, even now, are giving up time at weekends to edit it;
• The Literary Consultancy, who were consummately professional and efficient in administering the Chapter and Verse scheme. They seem to have a knack of matching the right author with the right mentor.
• Sara Maitland who, for me, was absolutely the right mentor. Working together was a productive dialogue, one which helped me to pull Sisterwives into much better shape.
This list doesn’t even include those who’ve been there since I started writing: tutors who’ve advised and encouraged; my family who’ve cheered from the sidelines – especially my daughter who’s been known to cast a useful, critical eye over my adjectives. And P, whose support gave me space to write in the first place.
I realise all this reads like an Oscar thank-you speech. I won’t apologise though. It reminds me how the writing process can be a web of unseen connections, accidental influences and, if we’re lucky, a bit of help along the way.
