The good news is that Dolly is on her way. Yes, publishing is a slow build business, and CV-19 has held Dolly back, but she will triumph. You, my lovely supporters, will be in possession of your very own copies in July 21.  

“But that’s ten months away,” I hear you say, and my reply is, “sorry I have to go and defrost the fridge. Back Shortly.”

I’m back, fridge defrosted and the man who came to install our electricity smart meter commiserated with for not being able to find parking.

In my last update I said I’d read the entire text aloud before submitting to “MY EDITOR” Mary. I had a very encouraging phone call with Mary and some excellent feedback, including “do you need all those commas?”  I’ve incorporated most of her suggestions into the manuscript and sent it off for further feedback. So far, a very stimulating and enjoyable experience.  

I also mentioned (in my last update) that Unbound had asked me to fill in a questionnaire about the book cover. A surprisingly challenging piece of work for me. The temptation being to get a photo of a Georgian building and somehow adjust it to suggest the story of Dolly and Julian. But building facades, with a terrorised or scary, woman/child/alien/zombie peeping out the window has been done to death on book covers, and I’m hoping for something more colourful, surprising, a cover to draw people into the stories I’m telling. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

I will (assuming I’m allowed) share any suggested covers with my lovely funders, and hopefully get some feedback. In the meantime, thanks for your patience, and don’t forget that pledges are still being accepted for Dolly. Supporters (or nominated others) will be immortalised on the supporters’ page. I know Christmas is a little way off, and delivery is even further; butinanyway, as we say in Dublin.