I began writing Oranges and Lemons a few years ago.
Since then, a variety of influences and influencers helped turn it into the
story it is. And now, I am delighted to say, I can’t add another word. I
can’t change the colour of my heroine’s hair. And I can’t change the setting. . . or the antagonist’s name. . . or even the title. . . Because Matador, a partnership publisher, are turning the story into a real, actual book!
Earlier this year, having composed an email to Matador, I attached my manuscript. My fingers hovered over the keys like a spider at work, busy, preoccupied, but unlike the spider’s ‘digits’, my fingers were indecisive, full of doubt. If I hit ‘send’, when would someone get round to reading it? Who would read it? Would they think it pointless and silly? Or would my first paragraph draw them in, as I’d intended?
It was a relief when Hannah sent me that precious email: “. . . I can confirm that we'd be happy to publish it. . . as a Matador title.”
It was difficult to imagine holding a book, one written by me, at some distant point in the future. Yet, now, as things move along slowly, my dream of being a published author is gradually turning to reality, process by process.
I hope you will want to follow my journey to being published. My next post will be about, hmm, the surprising things I learned (some of them embarrassing) from having my work copy edited.