Hello and apologies to you all for missing the last Tipperary Tales episode. Life has been rather busy here and not in the usual way either. We have had the usual run of vile weather, hospital and vet visits and occasional health glitches but it is writing that has caused the biggest upset. As you will know, I have had a run of lousy luck with my books. Losing my publisher after they went into administration and having to fight to keep my copyright, threats to pulp my books and then finding them on pirate sites all of which kicked a lot of the enthusiasm out of me. I did publish “Puppy Brain” in 2022 but it sank into the morass of self published books and attempts to start again were fitful at best. I thought about it a lot but spent a lot of time not writing.
Then a few weeks ago I had some decent feedback on “Puppy Brain” and was contacted by a publisher who expressed an interest in the book and any sequel. They were very knowledgeable about “Puppy Brain” and knew a bit about me also. There was a hitch however – I needed an agent as they only dealt with writers through their representation. I checked all this on their official website and it was the case so I followed their advice and reached out to the agent they suggested.
This agent was also interested in my writing but identified a number of formatting errors in the manuscript. They suggested I send it to an expert to ensure it was up to a professional standard, which I did. This (recommended) expert praised the book but also highlighted a large number of errors and suggested I sign up for his services. Yes, there’s the sting in the scam. He wanted $2300 for the full, professional service – well, that’s not happening is it!
All of this took a great deal of time and emotional energy. The days were filled with producing carefully worded emails, letters and information to a specific format, searching for PDFs of the book… I guess I should have recognised it from the start but this was a very detailed, professional scam and the first time I’ve been targeted. A friend from Saltburn received a similar message, this time from a radio station in Kansas. She says it shows you are now a real writer! Well, I’m folding the whole thing away and trying to get back on track, with this blog and with my books. One good thing that came out of this is I began work on the “Puppy Brain” sequel that I had abandoned some time ago. Now I will have to search for an Irish agent or publisher so I need to get writing, as I have to show them some complete work.
In other news, Cynthia is doing very well now. Her eye has healed and she just needs occasional wiping and a bit of lubricant for dry eye. She’s eating well and her kidney issues seem to be under control too. She’s been back once for an anti-emetic injection but hasn’t needed the intravenous fluids or anything more serious. Just in case, Jacqui has crocheted her a special blanket and she sleeps cuddling it at night. If she has to go back to the overnight vet she will have it with her for comfort.
Angry May Skies
Afte a pretty dreadful month weatherwise we have lovely bright sunshine and a gentle breeze that ripples through the leaves. Birds are singing, small animals are running around at night (we have trail cameras) and two cats were disporting themselves with great enthusiasm in the long grass last week. We don’t know if they are feral or farm cats but they spend a lot of time in our wood. We are happy about this as it keeps the rats away! Jacqui is going to make a cat house for a sheltered area as if they are feral we worry about them being out in the winter.
The wood itself has done the usual spring growth and I’m going out this week to hunt for our new trees and make sure they are not overgrown. The weeds here seem to come in three-year cycles – one year for bindweed, one for nettles and one for sticky willy (goose grass). It is bindweed this year, though there are some of the others all around also. I particularly detest bindweed as it grows very fast, climbs around anything it can reach and strangles the life out of its host before moving on. The anaconda of plants! Charlie has a walk in the wood most days and is used to waiting as I tackle one tree at a time, untangling and uprooting the vile stuff.
Now, a question for all you horticulturists. We have no blossom at all on two of our fruit trees. The Bramley apple and Victoria plum have leaves but no sign of flowers. Both have leaves and grew a bit over winter. The eating apple trees and the wild damson had blossom last month so I’m wondering, am I being impatient or did the cold and rain do for them this year?
Well, that’s me for this time.
Thank you for your patience and your support.
If anyone fancies adding a review of any of my books, either on Amazon or Good Reads, I would be very grateful!
Keep well and let us enjoy this lovely weather.
Jennie.