Different ways to cope.

April 18^th. 2020

I would like to begin by paying tribute here to Captain Thomas Moore, the 99-year-old veteran who has raised an incredible £20,000,000 for the NHS by walking round his house. Such a stalwart.

It’s been phone appointments and blood tests for Pat and me. Mine was a routine, yearly test with the cancer unit. I was given the all clear for another two years. Pat’s phone call was simply to confirm she was OK for her chemo on Monday. That will be the penultimate one: her final chemo will be a week later. It’s also been a week of tying up loose ends with the various support groups and on-line shoppers. I am now registered as Pat’s carer and have signed up with Crossroads; a professional support group used by the Social Services (or recommended anyway!) Sainsbury’s delivered our groceries yesterday. We got most of what I ordered. And Echo delivered Pat’s prescription milk shakes during the week.

We also had a family Zoom meeting on Wednesday, which meant a lot of smiling faces on screen from as far apart as USA and Australia. It was brilliant. I love to hear the banter between our four sons. They can be quite brutal at times, but it’s always taken in the best spirit. There were about twelve of us on screen, and it went on for about an hour. It cost nothing too. Modern technology, eh? That is one positive you can say about social media: it has brought people together in so many different ways in these trying times.

I spent some time on building ads on Amazon with Brian Cohen’s Amazon Ads School. As always, when the tutor explains the simplicity of formulating your ad etc., it rarely works in practice. My results have been abysmal, but I live in hope that one day the sun will rise on my efforts and I’ll see some really encouraging results. I am also working my way through the Scott Mariani thriller, House of War. I’m struggling but I will finish it: that could be next Monday when I’m sitting in my car outside the cancer clinic while Pat has her chemo.

I know from some posts on my FB book groups, that many writers are finding the forced lockdown extremely helpful in getting words on paper and looking ahead to finishing their books well ahead of schedule. Of course, there are those who have dried up completely, and I include myself among them. I know I’m trying to campaign on AMS, but yesterday I managed to fall asleep during one of Brian Cohen’s training videos. When I came to, Tuppence was sat watching me because it was time to share an apple. Its something we do each afternoon, and often she comes up and nudges me when its time. Dogs are so clever, eh? Perhaps I should get her to do the video training while I curl up at her Mum’s feet.

I’m still waiting to hear from Joffe Books. One of my boys asked me if I was tempted to write and ask what the delay was. I am tempted, but at the same time there could be a genuine reason, maybe related to absence from work because of the lockdown, and illness, or simply the amount of work and preparation that goes into taking on a new author. When I had my first book accepted years ago by Macmillan, I think it was about eight months before I was able to hold the book in my hand. Wonderful time that was. I know Joffe Books is a digital company, so it could happen a lot quicker. Just got to be patient, that’s all. Wish me luck!