On Wednesday morning, I received some wonderful news.
The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy and the Humanities – RALPH Mag – (not to be confused with a lads’ magazine featuring busty ladies on the covers) published a full and extremely complimentary review of ‘Trapped’ in their latest edition (number 251, midsummer 2014). The Editor found my email address and emailed to let me know.
This was a lead that my publicist at Skyhorse found, as she has been quietly going about her business on our collective behalves.
I am humbled and gobsmacked in equal measure. Yes, I know, a speech of gratitude would not normally include the word gobsmacked, but no other word comes close to expressing my gobsmacked-ness. I am delighted that they not only reviewed ‘Trapped’ so favourably, but gave it a major slot, and published an excerpt. A hat-trick! A truly humbling realisation.
I spent most of the day attempting to log on to the RALPH.org webpages, without success, but have now learned that material from a particular address can often be found in Google’s cached memory so that, if you can’t access the page, you can discover its content by clicking on the small green arrow pointing down, which is listed in the Google results page. The word ‘cached’ comes up, which then shows the content, even if the page or website is off-line. A very handy thing to have learned.
Finding and pursuing leads is an odd business, rather like being on a bobbing boat, or at a funfair. Up one minute, down the next, as reviews, articles, ratings, comments and missed chances catch us unexpectedly. When lovely things happen, it feels awesome. When something doesn’t work out, if a lead fizzles out or hoped-for results don’t materialise , we can learn something from that process, even if it might be, how not to rise to indifference, how retrieve information from the web or accept that the time may not be right.
Meantime, the latest good news gives my optimism wings!
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November 26, 2014
Why Did I Write Trapped? (Conclusion)
Fran Macilvey change, choices, communication, disability, Fran Macilvey, happiness, Memoir, progress, work, writing 'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Memoir, Path To Publication 0 Comments
So, why did I write Trapped? I have been astonished to notice, in the pavement, a flowering dandelion with roots so tenacious that the concrete is cracking around it. Similarly, when I was about forty-two, I knew I sat at a cross-roads, or, as a friend put it, on a roundabout, facing a number of choices and not sure which way to go. But I have always known that if I could simply summon the courage to begin writing, and writing in particular about my life, I could maybe find answers, and a new will to live which would crack open all my misconceptions and mistakes, and give me new room to move and breathe and begin again.
It is all very well and good, knowing the theories of happiness, but at times it is necessary to take the risk of experimenting with one’s own life and circumstances to see how they turn out. It is a bit like jumping off a cliff without a parachute and hoping that someone or something will catch you and lift you up: an eagle, a winged horse, a swan, the branch of a tree snagging on the back of your jacket, or a grassy ledge that we land on, breaking our free fall descent. Who knows how it will turn out?
The only way to know, is to have the courage to take risks, with friendships, with ideas and with every single opportunity that presents itself. And that, ultimately, is why I wrote Trapped. To test myself, and see how far I could go.
The journey is not over. In fact, in some ways, it is just beginning. There is still much to do. I have at least three more books to write and publish, and I welcome opportunities to promote all my books, wherever these chances originate. I am learning how valuable friendships are, that can originate in the most unlikely places. As my header says, every day is a fresh opportunity, and I intend to make the most of them. If that means I have to journey to Pittsburgh and subsist on peanut butter sandwiches for a week, or get a cleaner to take up some of the household jobs, or a PA man to help with admin and publicity, then bring it on! Life is for living, and that is why I write.
If anyone would like to contact me to discuss publicity, promotion or other ideas, please write here, or contact me at franmacilvey@fastmail.fm Thanks to everyone for reading, sharing, commenting, supporting and cheering me on. I love you all.
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