Seven days from now....
A crazy but ecstatic start to the week….
Monday
Today I physically got my hands on MY first book, hopefully
with many more to come. The poor parcel man must have thought I was crazy
(well, first impressions are usually correct!). I was beyond excited, I had
goose bumps. It had taken me from the 9th September 2011, when I
finished the manuscript, until Monday the 11th January 2014 to
actually see the project come together. The persistence had paid off and although
it was a hard slog, I almost gave up a couple of times, I have loved the whole
experience of it. This is absolutely
what I want to do.
Just for today, I allowed myself some time off. I was
feeling nostalgic but not in a morbid or negative way. I found myself driving
to a place that heavily featured in my school childhood days and my first
marriage – Roundhay Park. It wasn’t to lay any ghosts to rest or wallow in what
could have been but to reflect on how far I’d come in spite of everything that
had come my way. I was a hundred years away from those days when I’d sit on
Hill Sixty in the summer and watch the world go by, to sledging down the very
same hill in the winter snow.
I thought of the concerts I’d seen there – Michael Jackson, Robbie
Williams, Genesis, Mike and the Mechanics, Big Country and my personal
favourite, the Barenaked Ladies. I even remembered the Sunday afternoon walks
pushing my eldest around in his multi-coloured pram.
Reminiscing, my smile was as wide as the lake itself (No
comments required!). So, I apologise to all my fellow walkers who saw this
crazy woman in full stride smiling her head off, occasionally stopping to take
the odd photograph.
I have no regrets of my past, well maybe a few but I really
believe the past experiences, good and bad, have led me to where I am today. Right
here, right now I am loving my life but the hard work has only just begun.
This was a great start to a very exciting week and one of
many more to come.
Tuesday
I had every intention of sitting and writing a couple of
more chapters of the sequel, Beyond the Lies but I have learnt that it’s best not
to plan each day and go with the flow.
The long awaited feature article was printed in the
Yorkshire Evening Post. I was a little disappointed that some of the facts were
not quite right but that’s the newspapers for you. The article, however not
only raised awareness for the book but also for Menieres syndrome. An old
friend got in touch to say she also suffered and we have connected again. I
also received text messages and emails from people I have not seen in years and
that was very uplifting.
The parcel man turned up again but this time with my twenty
copies of the book. I had an action plan. I knew exactly where they were going
and who to. I wrote a few personal notes and delivered some of the books.
Paul at VantagePoint Harrogate had also run a separate
feature on the VantagePoint website - http://vantagepointharrogate.co.uk/?p=2570.
This was incredibly professional and I cannot thank him enough for it.
In the evening I attended the Wetherbyhour networking at
Wood Hall Hotel, Wetherby. I had driven past the signs for the hotel lots of
times but never quite had the time to go and see it. What an amazing place,
just the sort of place I would picture my characters driving up to. The evening
was a resounding success. I managed to meet some new, lovely people as well as
the usual lovely people that are always at the event.
I met Tanya Arnold from the Super League Show which was an
absolute privilege. I’m a huge fan of
women succeeding in a field which is generally dominated by men. I was thrilled
to give her a copy of my book. I also met Kate Hardcastle, co-founder of
Insight with passion and fellow rugby league fan, although opposite teams! An
incredibly inspiring woman doing incredibly inspiring work.
Jo, the founder of Wetherbyhour is a bundle of energy and
delight, which is infectious the minute you are in the same room as her. It is
always a pleasure at these events and I always leave feeling inspired and
loved.
In just two days, the word has got around and interest has
grown in the book much greater than I had ever anticipated.
And to top all this, I have a new friend on facebook who is
the daughter of one of my heroes, Anne Williams. Life is sweet..
It’s definitely happening now. Roll on the 23rd January 2014…just
seven days from now…
Beyond the Past can be pre –ordered from Amazon or Pegasus
Publishing via my website www.pamcharles.com
Hi found your site on Writers Carnival, congratulations on your book, that is quite an achievement. I am working on my first one now and it is tough, so many moments of self-doubt wondering if i should go writing on not so i can only imagine how amazing it must feel to finally have that book in your hands :-) Congratulations and i hope that this would be the first of many.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana. Self doubt is a curse of all of us. All I would say is follow your instincts. Thank you for your kind words.
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