The Launch

It's extraordinary to think that this time last week I was rushing up to the Princess Pavilion to take all the books etc up for my launch. It wasn't possible to set up then as the room was in use all day, but having deposited everything in the office, we had a good time wandering around outside in the sunshine seeing all the Christmas trees, each decorated by a different school or organisation. The coffee was good, too!

For some reason I was exhausted that day, but had to walk Lainy, then The Fella arrived and we went back to the Pavilion at 4.30pm to set up the books - a friend suggested arranging them in a dog bed which was a great idea. I took some of my walks books as well, and some of my cards, Anne bought me a drink, and at 5pm people starting arriving, and from then on there was a steady stream of people all wanting books, which was wonderful.

My dear friend Ali's ukelele band came to play background music, and they were positioned on the small stage at the end of the room, so I opted to sit at a table next to them, which gave me some moral support!

One of the people wanting books was a friend of mine's daughter, who wishes to become a writer, so meeting her was very special - and I hope gives her good luck and inspiration.

After about an hour I gave a short reading from the book, and talked to more people, and then it was time to start tidying up and go home, check the dogs, light the fire and eat. It was an exhausting day, but so lovely to see so many friends. I'd been worried that not enough people would turn up, as many said they wouldn't be able to come - but all was well!

Now it's on to trying to sell more books, and waiting for people's reactions. That's the really scary part. I mean, I know not everyone will like it but I hope the majority do. I did have a chance meeting with a friend from my book group in Sainsburys on Friday, and she gave me a huge hug and said how much she really loved it, and how much she knew I'd put into it. As she is a very discerning reader, I was so touched and that really made my week.

Rescue Dogs

This morning I was pottering about, half listening to Radio Four as I had breakfast, made another cup of tea, that type of thing, when I heard someone talking about her rescue dog, how he’d helped her during a really difficult period when she’d struggled with burnout from work and her marriage disintegrating which led to depression and lack of sleep. How she'd never been much of a walker, but having to get up every day to walk this poor dog, who was afraid of everything, gave her a purpose. It helped clear her head of the troublesome thoughts that plagued her all the time. She had to focus on the Bosnian rescue dog, who was so terrified of people and other dogs, she had to walk him on a lead, somewhere really quiet. She didn't say how hard this was, but having a very nervy dog myself, I can understand the huge amount of work involved with a dog this frightened. It is not to be underestimated. And when you're feeling terrible yourself - well, hats off to her. I wouldn't have been able to do it.

But she is evidently made of tougher stuff. Gradually, she and the dog started looking forward to their walks, and with the help of psychotherapy and managing herself, her sleep and remembering to eat regularly, life wasn't as terrible as it had been. The dog's tail started coming up - a sign that she was happier. After a long while, she was able to let the dog off the lead, and several years on, she’s a different dog. Still cautious and wary, but much happier. More confident. She adopted another foreign Bosnian dog who was as uncomplicated as her first one was complex.

She moved from the wilds of Essex to London, to be nearer loved ones, and wondered how they would both cope. Would they long for the quiet fields of Essex? How would the nervous dog cope? Initially she was wary, but after a while she settled down, and is enjoying the acres of roaming that Hampstead Heath provides, embracing the change. Learning to be more sociable.

The speaker turned out to be the novelist and journalist, Jo Jo Moyes. She said that maybe she has lessons to learn from her nervous dog. Maybe she does, but I thought, they’re called rescue dogs because we rescue them. But really, as everyone knows who has one, they rescue us.

The Rescue nearly here!

This is the cover for The Rescue, designed by the incredibly talented Tammy Barrett. I love it, and that look is pure Moll... It also helps that we both love animals which is a great start to a working relationship that involves dogs. She has also set up my new website www.suekittow.com and done a fantastic job, I think. Particularly the poems section....

Life has been dominated by The Rescue and marketing. I did one interview last week and another this week, and a few online ones coming up. Oh, and when not doing that, looking after Lainy, who we thought had recovered, but she had a setback last Sunday when we had rather too long a walk. So that was our fault. On Monday, having gone out for a very short wee walk, she decided she was going back to lie on the sofa all day, apart from the odd dash into the garden. She did the same on Tuesday and of course I was worried, even though she wasn't limping.

The Fella just said, "clever girl," (Lainy, not me) which of course was the right attitude, and by Wednesday Lainy seemed fine again. AFter a quick check at the vet (we went for her annual booster), he said gentle walks for the next week as it takes six weeks for a shoulder injury to repair. So we're nearly there....

Lastly, because it's late and Friday night and I'm tired, I had a message to say my books will be arriving at the end of next week, so if anyone would like to order, please do so on www.suekittow.com - the first 50 people get free postage. It will be available on Kindle in a few weeks. The launch will be on 30 November at Princess Pavilions in Falmouth from 5-7pm, so all are welcome. Plus friends with four legs and two...

Getting there....

I am, of course, excited but terrified - my editor loves it and so do the friends that have read it, but what about everyone else? What if they hate it, or just don't get it? Gulp....

I gave a talk last Saturday as part of the Penryn Fringe Festival, which took place at the Terrace Gallery. I was interviewed by Pauline Causey, who’s worked for the BBC for 30 years, so I was in safe hands, and she asked me about The Rescue.

Actually Pauline’s idea that I should write this book. Shortly after dear Moll departed this life, I had a drink with Pauline and she wanted to know what had happened, and also a bit more about my life with Moll, starting from when Pip was alive. Life had been quite eventful, and Pauline’s eyes grew wider as I told her what had happened. ‘You have to write about this,’ she breathed, taking a sip of wine.

‘I can’t,’ I said, ‘It’s too personal.’

‘Well, make it up,’ she said. ‘And Moll should write it.’

To be honest, I thought she was bonkers. Then, after a few days of mulling over this idea, I came to the conclusion that she was a genius. Well, she is anyway, but…. How should I write this story, the beginning of which would be true, but make the rest up? And how on earth could I write it from a dog’s point of view?

I did a lot of thinking, and observed my new rescue, Lainy. I read a lot about how dogs communicate, and of course the obvious difference is that while we use our eyes and speech, dogs use their noses, which are 100 million times more sensitive than ours. Their hearing, also, is way more effective than ours, but it’s their noses that do the brunt of the work. Then I had to think how things would smell. For example, dogs must identify their owners by their smell, but what do they smell like? And what does happiness smell like? Illness? Fear? Grief? Joy? Embarrassment? Pauline had just got the new edition of National Geographic which supports the theory that dogs do empathise, grieve and show joy just as we do - well, anyone with a dog knows this, but at least it shows that I’m barking up the right book. Well, no one knows for sure, other than dogs, of course, so I had to use my imagination. One thing I did know was that Moll was extremely greedy, so food features largely in this book. Ironic, given that I’m not very bothered about food! I might have got this completely wrong, but after 15 years I knew Moll pretty well. She was opinionated, stubborn, greedy and her love was given very conditionally. But I loved her, and although she wasn’t an affectionate dog, I like to think she loved me, too. If you’d like to find out, it’s available for pre-order now www.suekittow.com.

And also, after three weeks of limping, this is Lainy's fourth day (I hope) of not limping. Fingers crossed she's on the mend!

More progress but a lame Lainy

The good news is that everything is going ahead with publication of The Rescue. The corrections for the final proof have gone through and then publication should be (fingers crossed) end of October/beginning of November. There's been a huge amount to organise but it looks like it's all coming together, and I'm giving my first talk this weekend as part of Falmouth Book Festival, to publicise it, and arrange pre-orders, then the book launch date will be decided next week. I hope.

This was taken last weekend at Kynance Cove, where we visited with Twig but no Lainy as she is on house arrest. Or at least, rest.

Poor girl became lame when we were in North Devon, where we had a much needed break, made more relaxing by not having brilliant weather, and by Jac not feeling wonderful either. We went out every day, but poor Lainy couldn't walk for and we didn't feel like long hikes in the rain, so we had a wonderful week pottering about with some good walks while Lainy was OK and all in all it was a wonderful week.

Lainy went to the vet on our return who advised slow sniffy walks on lead for a few days, but for the rest of the week she was absolutely fine, until she ran down a steep hill and by the bottom she was limping but on the other paw. The vet advised 3 x 10 minute walks to make sure she rests, then as she wasn't getting better, we had to go in again. She appears to have damaged her shoulder so she's still on the very short walks per day but actually seems quite happy with that, as it's obviously too sore to walk further. So we have to leave her behind when we walk Twig or when I walk with my friends, and she must wonder why we're leaving without her. However, she appears to bear us no ill feeling, and is as loving and cheery as ever.

This has to go on for at least another week (we've done 10 days so far) and then, hopefully, she can begin to extend her exercise, but very gradually, so she doesn't wrench her shoulder again. Poor girl, it's not the same without her.

But think of me next Saturday, and if you'd like to come to the talk it's at 5pm at the Terrace Gallery, Penryn this Saturday 22nd October. All are welcome!

Progress and a break

The above was taken this week at Idless Woods, where Laurence Reed interviewed me for what will be a very short video to publicise my novel, The Rescue. I have to say, we filmed for an hour and Lainy was absolutely brilliant, and sat or lay beside me as if she'd been born on a film set. Dear girl is six today, so happy birthday Lainy.

The video will go on Booktock and other social media platforms, I am informed by my Head of Publicity aka dear friend Pauline. So watch this space!

I realise, with horror, that my last post was nearly a month ago, and the days have sped by. Apparently we get less and less daylight at this time of year - we're actually losing about half an hour's daylight a week at the moment.

September has been swallowed up finishing very last edits for The Rescue, approving the cover and starting the new website. I hasten to add, I'm not doing any of this but the wonderful Tammy is, and when I have both I will post them. It's incredibly exciting and, as typesetting looms nearer and it's too late to make any changes, I'm becoming increasingly paranoid.

What if people don't like my book? Well, there are bound to be some people that don't, but the thought of it is horrifying. Far more so than for my walks books, as novels are so much more personal. Receiving criticism is always difficult, especially so when I did so a few weeks ago from someone whose opinion I value highly. She made a comment and then said, "Has anyone else said this?" I said, with some measure of relief, "No." For while I always listen to what is said, if several people say the same thing, then it's generally worth looking at or changing. If not, then maybe it is, maybe it isn't - that's for me to decide.

On Saturday my mate Jac and I are off for a few days to North Devon, where we visited in March, and as it was so gorgeous, we're going back. There's also a pool so we're hoping to get some swimming in, though as it's getting colder, I'm not sure how enthusiastic I'm going to be. She's much braver than me and swims all year round. I like it to be hot before I get cold, if you get my drift.

On my return it's all go for a talk for the Falmouth Book Festival at the end of October, then planning the launch party, writing press releases and all that stuff. And all the while I am writing the sequel to The Rescue..... In the meantime, here is the view on the way to singing this morning at Penryn bridge....

Self publishing journey

Apologies for absence. Life seems to have been extremely busy, what with preparing for publication, trying to learn as much as I can about the process which is fascinating but a steep learning curve, and starting the sequel novel.

I met with a few other authors recently - Paula Rooney whose book "I hope There's a Kettle in my Room" is a fascinating account of her solo travel round Europe during lockdown, age 55. So for anyone who thinks they're too old to try anything new - try it!

Then yesterday I met with Ben Rowswell whose books for children include Cornwall: An Archaeological Adventure and I Spoke to the Sea, both of which are beautifully written and illustrated and a really fun way of learning for any child.

Lainy came to both meetings - last week, with Paula, we managed to find a shady bench with a table to sit and chat and have our coffee. Yesterday, Ben and I met in Boscawen Park, which is lovely but incredibly busy with children on scooters or running along, some anxious looking grandparents, overheated parents, and a selection of other dogs. As Lainy's not used to too much close interaction with fast moving people, I had to keep a very close eye on her, but in fact she did brilliantly.

It was quite tricky concentrating, writing notes, reading Ben's books and keeping an eye on Lainy, but it was very good training for her, and Ben was very generous with his time and tips.

We all believe that business should be about helping each other: sharing contacts and suggestions of where our books might sell - after all, that's what makes the world go round, is it not?

We had a beautiful walk up a footpath and into fields and woods, then ended up meeting a friend in Victoria Park the other side of Truro which is a real hidden gem - quiet and shady with a lovely bandstand, a tiny cafe with plenty of water for hot dogs and hot owners alike. That's my idea of a business afternoon!