Wednesday 21 December 2022

Midwinter

Today is the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. The marking of which is the source of many Christmas traditions. Such as the bringing of holly, ivy and mistletoe indoors. Such as the building of fires and feasting. Such as the making of offerings and gifts for a fruitful second part of the year, when the days get longer and the warmth of the sun returns.

I now have an early Christmas present. Amongst more rejections, I got a request for the full manuscript of my novel from a large and long-established London agency. I’m overjoyed to have reached the next step on the road to publication. My sample of work had interested them enough to warrant a look at the whole novel. So I reviewed my manuscript and sent it off.

This is an important step forward. But, of course, it doesn’t mean that my novel will now be published. No doubt many agents request the full manuscript and then decide that they don’t like the novel enough to take it any further. I did ask how long it might be before I got a response. Six weeks they told me. So fingers crossed for some good news.

However, I still don’t have any news from my consultant. Apparently she had contacted the surgeon who did my last operation and asked him to review the pictures from my CT scan. But he hasn’t yet responded. So I am still in the dark about the longstanding pain in my side.

Isn’t that just how life goes: the light is always tempered by the dark. But this time of year is all about celebrating the power of light over darkness. So I will light a candle, raise a glass of non-alcoholic mulled wine and send all good wishes to you and yours for the festive season.


 

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