Today after work, I arced up my old laptop in the resource centre to find that the faithful machine I've been working with for the last five years had completely broken down and was sending me dire hard drive and error messages in bright blue. She had the digital version of the flu. I only have a two day writers workshop beginning tomorrow, that I've been working on for weeks. It was a horror moment, that electric blue notice, and the old puter kept sniffling and shutting down every time I tried something new.
Once the stomach churning settled and I'd got my wits about me again, I rang HP support and a kind woman called Rasha talked me through rebooting the whole shebang. Now this is not a sponsored post, far from it, but as a freaked out pleb with a failing five year old laptop, HP's customer support today was amazing. So ... winning on that front.
Then I ambled down to the post office for a mail check. There are no letterboxes where I live and consequently no street numbers either. People describe their house when I am trying to find them as 'it's three houses past the yellow house on Park Avenue, about four houses before the turn off to Swan Street.'
I digress. I went to the post office to pick up my mail and the post mistress (yes we still have them here) handed me over a bubble-wrapped parcel. I fingered the plastic lining of this parcel. Whenever a book that I've written or that I have a piece in comes out, my publisher tends to send it with no return address, like a mystery gift, like they know us authors will unwrap it and find their new baby swaddled inside.
The book: Women of a Certain Rage, edited by Liz Byrski, will be out on Monday and I received my copy today.
So yes. Love affairs! The bikie wars and then a strange reconciliation! My story The Club goes into what happens when we are forced to understand that people who may not think like us ... no bugger it. The story is about a culture that I seriously disliked and how I realised that the men within that culture loved the same man as I did.
It was one of the hardest things I've ever written, for several reasons. I'm so glad that it is on the public record now, within this anthology. My editor, in her note wrote 'Another sterling delivery from Drummond!'
That's a pretty nice sentiment to drive home with. Computer fixed. Anthology out in the world. Sterling delivery.
A good day.
That's brilliant Sarah. Congratulations. You are certainly have a a strong body of work.
ReplyDeleteYes I remember excerpts of that story and I understand why it was tough to write about. Especially acknowledging that 'they loved the same man' as you did. Difficult to swallow.
Yes, it was difficult to swallow at the time. But at the end of my story I detail how after the funeral, I realised that my 20 years of grudge was over. It was done and dusted. Really, it was a surreal opportunity, enforced by catastrophe, to understand how others thought but stay on my own path. Good learning curve that one.
DeleteHow delightful! Well done on another short story out in the world!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pip. Been about thirty years in the works, now set free.
DeleteDays up the watch tower and another publication. I hope your life is as sweet as it seems from the outside. I think you deserve it to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom. As is with everyone else's lives, things can be more complicated and simple than what we put out into the world. But yes ... pretty sweet. This story was borne of hardship, as all good stories are, but I'm very proud of it.
DeleteCongratulations! Looking forward to reading this,Sarah :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie
DeleteCongrats Sarah, sounds an excellent read. I have now ordered a copy and look forward to receiving it.
ReplyDelete