Being a writer

This is Lamouth Creek, which has nothing to do with this post but is part of a walk that dear Viv and I often do, and which I did the other day, in the pouring rain. We know this walk so well that I rarely notice the surroundings, so it was good to go with someone who'd never been before, and really appreciated it. It is one that I've written about for Cornwall Today, and as writing and walking are inextricably linked at the moment, I wanted to talk about the writing side of it today.

Being a published author is a very strange experience. Terrifying and uplifting in equal measures. But it also seems rather unreal. You put all that work into something and then it’s out of your hands. And by the time it’s published, you’ve moved onto another project and it seems almost like the work of someone else.

Last week one of my singing friends told me that Discover Cornwall was in Tesco’s in Truro and as I had to go to Truro anyway, we headed into Tesco’s to have a look. There, to my delight, was a stand immediately as you walk in, with several Cornish books, one of which was mine!

We stood there, grinning broadly, while I jumped up and down a bit, then said, “I should sign them, shouldn’t I?” And hurried off to find the store manager. “Oh, right,” he said with a bemused frown. But we took the six copies of my book and I signed them by the newspapers, then returned them to the stand. Luvitt laughed. “You could have been anyone,” he said. But I pointed out there wouldn’t have been much point signing them in his name.

“You could put a sign saying, “signed by the author,” ” I said to the store manager. He nodded. “Good idea.” You could tell he’d never had an author in Tesco before.

So we left Tesco’s and I went off to sign another 5 copies for a competition for Cornwall Today. All in all, a very gratifying experience and one that I will treasure.

As I said on the way home, this first book seemed like a one off. It has happened by default. I’ve been floundering as a first time author, not knowing how the system works, what is expected of me. But having my publishers say yes they want another book is wonderful and very self affirming.

I feel I can really hold my head up now and say, “I’m a writer. A journalist and an author.” And whatever else may be going on in my life, that is truly magical.