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Bookish. Publisher at Louise Walters Books. Reader, writer, and editor.

Monday 29 September 2014

New challenges and a giveaway

I haven't blogged for so long, but I have plenty of excuses!

It's been an amazing summer, finally seeing Mrs Sinclair published in paperback and eagerly checking my ranking and reviews on Amazon every few minutes! I've had some lovely reviews and a couple not so lovely :-) I'm learning to accept the bad reviews, after all everybody is entitled to their opinion, and entitled to give it. You invite all the criticism once your work is out there, so I'm being philosophical about all the reviews.

I've had two foreign editions sent through to me, the Norwegian and the Dutch, both with beautiful covers, I think. I have a spare Dutch paperback, so if anybody would like one, or knows somebody who would like one, please get in touch.




I'm working hard on another novel. I'm fine tuning it and hoping to send it to my agent soon. I had a bit of a setback over the summer, but if there's one thing you need as a writer, it is self-belief, preferably in bucket loads. Mine is only slightly depleted... well, quite depleted... OK, depleted... but I haven't lost that little inner core inside of me that says, don't give up, keep going, you've worked hard and you will have to work harder. It's a good feeling, an affirmation from me, to me, that I need to just keep going with this project. Writing is a funny old thing - each piece of work brings its own challenges and set of rules and expectations. Right now I'm giving it all I've got...

... which brings me to my biggest news, which is that I'm now a home schooler/home educator, whichever term  you prefer. One of my sons has been struggling in school for far too long and finally we decided to try not going to school. I have been so worried about finding the time to write... and I was so looking forward to September when I was going to have all the children in school and five days - five whole days! - to crack on with my writing. Of course, that's no longer the case, but do you know what, it doesn't matter a jot. I'm still finding the time to write, and I managed Mrs Sinclair with a baby in one hand and a pen/keyboard in the other. So I know it can be done... and I'm doing it. And my son is much happier, which makes me smile, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Rambles over, good luck with whatever challenges you're facing at the moment

xx

PS, don't forget the Dutch Mrs S giveaway!

5 comments:

  1. Just an aside, but I meant to tell you I saw a hardback copy of your book in Kirkwall in Orkney when I was there in August - displayed cover out and looking good.
    Best of luck with this next novel - eighty-seven reviews on Amazon looks brilliant to me!.

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  2. Lou - so glad to hear that the next novel's progressing well. Hang onto that self-belief!

    Well done for taking the plunge re home-schooling too - if it's right for your son, then it'll have a knock-on effect for home life and even if your writing time is squished inbetween what you're doing for him, I'm sure, having written Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase with babe-in-arms, you'll still get written what you need to write!

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  3. Sooo lovely to find you! I've just finished Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase and loved it - what an achievement! It was so complex and well written (will go reiterate that on Amazon in a minute)! I just wanted to say that you CAN write and Home Ed - as I did when writing 'A Funny Kind of Education' and my first book - it just takes a different philosophy - as does education! And I commiserate with you on the bad reviews - apparently I write in 'clumsy sentences'! What a remark?!?! Just like with the criticisms of our Home Ed - we have to sigh to those who don't understand and move on! All the best with the writing and education. x

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  4. Hi Louise, those book covers are looking lovely! How exciting that it's translated into Dutch - richly deserved, I loved Mrs S's Suitcase. I joke with my children that if I home-schooled them, the extent of my knowledge would last a good day and a half and then they'd be on their own, so I'm hugely impressed you could even contemplate it. Great news that it's working and your son is happier. I have visions of all five of them deciding they want a bit of it and you having to fit a whiteboard in the kitchen...

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  5. Jackie, it's not as difficult as you might imagine. This week we've been learning the days of the week and months of the year. We read a lot together and bake. Also we're getting out and about and meeting other home educating families. So far, so good! My oldest child was home educated and I know from experience it does get harder as they get older... but for now it's working out very well. Hope you are well? I follow your posts on FB, you look fab in your latest pics x

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