An unexpected journey…

I write this blog in between editing my ebook and having discussions/interviews about my future career plans.
This is a new experience for me. In fact the past four years have been full of new experiences…
Four years ago I made a ‘to do’ list:
1. Go to University
2. Get published.
3. Graduate with First Class Honours.
Four years later, I have achieved all three.
It has been hard, hard work. Along the way I have been faced with eviction, poverty (those two come hand in hand) and losing my mother-in-law to cancer. I have wanted t give up at times. But at night time when my children were sleeping, I picked up my laptop and typed away. I researched my dissertation, planned my coursework and wrote creatively. For me.
Then in the morning, after packing the children off to school, I travelled to Uni, often falling asleep on the bus.
I drank copious amounts of coffee to keep me alert during seminar groups. Then trudged back home and spent time with my family. It wasn’t quality time. I was a zombie! Too tired to string a sentence together.
And yet…
And yet I have achieved everything I set out to do.
Is there more? Of course there is. I have a new list:
1. To be involved in Nottingham Festival of Words 2014 – as a coordinator or part of the steering committee.
2. To set up and run a community project involving The Arts society and local schools.
3. To have a collection of short stories published by SALT.
Watch this space!