Countdown to Riff-Raffles #1
It is now only about six weeks until my first book, Riff-Raffles, is published. I have mixed feelings about this, combing incredible excitement at seeing my name on the cover of a book with the intense fear of it being considered the worst piece of literature ever to find its way into print!
I am walking into the unknown. I am putting myself on the line, if you like. I know that my personality will make it hard for me to accept criticism of my work, even if such criticism is outweighed by supportive comments. I am, and always have been, a very poor loser and I react badly to criticism whether justified or not.
I presently find myself wondering how other writers felt when in this very same position and then chastise myself for having the audacity to consider myself a writer! I just want the next six weeks to pass, the book to be published and the verdicts in. I steadfastly refused to allow even my closest friends the opportunity of a prepublication read until the manuscript was given to the publishers. Even then only one person, my friend Kevin, who is an English teacher at a Hong Kong University, was given a copy. What was I thinking? He is an English teacher. He will tear it to shreds, although no doubt he will say something along the lines of, “Well it was amusing in places. Not a bad first effort,” in an attempt not to ridicule me! Others, I fear, may not be so thoughtful! I want to change my name, leave this place and hide in the hills. If all of the western world’s resources cannot be harnessed to locate a Saudi guy with a dialysis machine then I must have half a chance of remaining undetected!
It was only when I finished writing the book and stood back from it that I realised what had gone into it. It was not the time I had taken writing and it was not the hard grind of proof reading and editing three to four times. It was the fact that it was something that I had created. It was and is my ‘child’ and I want my ‘child’ to grow up strong and healthy, to be popular and to be successful.
I did not start with thoughts or writing a book. When I secured a publishing deal, I had only written around one quarter of the finished book and did not have any concerns at that time. As I continued to write, the words began to flow freely and I was lost in my own little world, there was no fear or concern at that stage.
Part of my book had been serialized on some of the Pattaya web forums and received much unexpected praise. They were, however, short articles and free for members to read, a far cry from a book that people have to spend money on before reading. These forums were a toe in the water for my writing but I feel that I am now in over my head and do not know whether what will be flying through the air towards me is a life jacket or a brick!
