BEEN A WHILE

I’m back. Haven’t been anywhere special, but have moved from my lovely Loch Lomond down to Fandabby Brighton, couple of years ago now. Hanging right there in front of me is the enormous number 70. So I figure it’s time to sort out my shit. I’ve done the physical stuff mostly in the year leading up to the move, then the sending stuff down in advance to live in my friend’s loft for 2 and a half years – I have no real idea what’s in those boxes, and they’re still there because I’ve just moved into a lush little studio flat. Of course this means I’ll have to learn how to be a minimalist, and I think I’m doing quite well so far, but only clearing space to witness the flood of stuff from that there loft. I’m sure there will be a lot more things going to charity shops.

I can’t pop my old clogs leaving mess to the kids – only lovely daughter is here, and she knows nothing about poetry, or writing in general, or novels really. Last year Dreich Press published my first solo chapbook, No Country for Old Women, and for the past few years I’ve been building small collections of poetry for competitions. Lots of rejections, a few commended and the most recent rejection was a Highly Commended. But, I am drowning in old, and mostly published, poems that don’t sit in these chapbook/pamphlets. It’s a nightmare, the filing of poems, the multiple versions, the old versions crawling out of crumbling woodwork – we’re talking 35 years here! Nothing for it but to pull the best together and create a marvelous and huge collection on Amazon.

And for the last week I’ve been polishing, switching, changing, adding blank pages to this manuscript. The book has been bought, checked, unpublished & changed several times, and now it’s as perfect as I can get it. I’ve ordered a few author copies and am about to announce the book’s existence on Facebook, and maybe Instagram (I’ve just managed to get in there again too). I will be more diligent in future noting which email addy and passwords for what social media platform. I don’t intend to become a bookseller, so the poor wee thing will sit there but I hope some poetry lovers find it. People who know me will be informed it’s there and they can buy it or not. I’m just glad to see the babies leaving home and settling into their new palace.