I expect it’s because I have yet another cold at present which has got me thinking about doing things differently or should I say revising my priorities.
I had decided I would be putting book writing on hold for a couple of months and concentrate on my blogs whilst I await on the fate of The Sword and the Rose and To Embrace Amidst Orange Blossoms.
Although I have every intention to write Out of the Darkness and Affectionately Yours… I think I may be putting these two books on a back-burner for a while.
The reason being that I have had a re-think… and a re-prioritisation of what to write.
When my mother published her memoir in 1997 she said she had regretted naming it When the Wind Blows. One of the reasons was because the author James Patterson had released a best seller at the same time with the same title [Barnes & Noble rating 4/5 and Goodreads 3.9/5].
The main reason however was her unmovable love for the Nile. As children growing up in London in the late fifties and sixties all we ever seemed to hear was reminisces of her life in that far away land.
Some time ago Mum came up with the idea of re-writing her book with a revised title; but now in her late 80’s and suffering from macula degeneration the likelihood of this happening is next to zero. As a loving son and author in my own right, I hope to allow her achieve this ambition by re-writing it on her behalf.
I agreed to do so on one condition. Mum had used fictitious names for the characters in her book. This being a memoir of her life experiences I see no reason as to why the true names should not appear, especially now as so many of them are deceased. This book would then be a tribute to their memory as it would be for my father’s as my mother had intended.
The only other change I may make is to add photographs where appropriate [always assuming I can find them – mum had a clear out of these not too long ago and I fear many memories have gone to some landfill project]. The rest of the book will remain unchanged except in the Preface where references are made in the present [for we are now in the 21st century] and will be presented in the same manner of the original book.
Ever since mum wrote her memoirs the book has been in high demand; unfortunately as she only printed a limited number of copies many people who would have loved to have read her story never got that opportunity. It is hoped by re-writing it as a soft copy initially it may allow greater distribution. When it is completed I will be sending it on her behalf to various 3rd Party Publishers in the hope they will pick up the option to turn this good book into a great one.
As of today Exiled Children of the Nile will begin to take shape. I hope I can do it and my mum justice.
RLB – Tomewriter
tomewriter 