My last post was about trying to get my book out in time for Christmas, so I could give a copy to my dad before he died. Turns out it was a really stupid thing to do. Debbie (editor at Beaten Track) had to jump through hoops to finish editing in time, my print copies hadn’t arrived and I ended up ordering him one through Amazon – but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
What was I trying to achieve anyway? It’s only now I realise it was vanity on my part, a final attempt to make my dad proud of me, which was totally misguided. Close to the end of life, as he opened the present, painfully and slowly, I think he was hoping for a gripping crime novel he hadn’t read. He spent a good few minutes staring at the back cover trying to read the blurb, before handing it back to me, disappointed. I understand. When you’ve only got a few weeks left to live, reading something that doesn’t interest you is a waste of very valuable time.
What he really liked was the photograph album I’d compiled for him, and fair enough. In your final days, you’re far more likely to want to look at the story of your life in photographs, so you can remember things, family and friends in happier times, than read anything at all. And so at his funeral this week, I’ve arranged a tribute montage of 40 photographs of his life as part of the service. I think he’d have liked that.
Meanwhile, I now have the print copies of the book, but I’ve totally failed to do anything about promoting it. Maybe when the funeral is over – or maybe it’s already too late. But if anyone wants the copy I bought off Amazon, let me know and I’ll send it to you for free.
PS. It’s not a crime novel.
Lu Hersey
