Hey folks,

A quick update to check in and to give you the latest news. The first round of page proofs for Love Lay Down came through to me a couple of weeks ago. It is very exciting to see how the printed book is going to look (which is beautiful, by the way, even though of course I am completely biased). I’ve been through the proofs, checking that they match with the manuscript, and that all the latest changes have been incorporated. (And discovering a couple of minor mistakes on my part that slipped through despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact, that I can almost recite the entire memoir by heart). A proofreader will do the same, and then we will get the corrected (hopefully, final) version of the proofs.

I had a fantastic meeting last week with Imogen, the deputy head of editorial at Unbound, who is seeing me through this stage. When the page proofs are finalised, the next step will be to see if we can persuade another writer, or several writers, to give me a potential endorsement that we can quote on the cover or inside the book. It would be amazing if we could get a couple of quotes from someone well-known, but it is a big ask. The more well-known a writer is, the more likely they are to be inundated with requests. It is a very generous thing to take the time to endorse another writer’s book. Anyway, we are not quite at that stage yet, but when the time comes, I will definitely have my fingers crossed.

Two other wee bits of news that I am happy to share with you. I was super-chuffed to get an acknowledgment in the back of a book by Tabitha Wanja Mwangi for critiquing an early version of her manuscript. It is lovely to get recognised. The book is called 12 Remarkable African Life Scientists: Passion, Patience and Progress. The scientists featured are truly inspiring, and because there are quite a few people mentioned who I knew from my research days, the book has brought together my past research life with my present writing life in an unexpected way.

Talking about getting names in the back of a book, I’m really happy that one of the Unbound books that I have supported, Everyone, Everywhere: Mixed Race Family Stories by Lucas Fothergill, has just reached its funding target. Crowdfunding is hard and sometimes it feels like it will never happen, but I’m delighted for Lucas and I can’t wait to read his book.

That’s all for now. I’ll pop in here again when I have some more news.

Helen