Newsletter: From An Ex-librarian
Also: take the poll, choose a cover
News From The Realm Of Drinky
I’ve been busy with finishing off my book about publishing, and also work with various editing clients. The latter means I receive a wide variety of styles and topics from different authors. I read their work and make suggestions for improvement. I love to support creativity, but it is even better when I help to bring out the best qualities of a story.
Did you know I used to be a librarian?
I worked in libraries on and off from 1992 (in my local public library whilst doing A-levels) until 2015, when I left work as a university psychology librarian to become a full-time author. By the end I think I was fairly well respected in my field. I knew lots of the key people in my profession in Wales, gave talks at conferences, wrote articles, and even won awards. I particularly enjoyed helping people, whether that was via a lecture on information skills to a hundred undergraduates, or doing a one-to-one training session with a member of academic staff.
I was reminiscing about it recently, and followed a link to a 2015 article I'd written for a website called 23 Librarians. Each of the twenty-three posts on the site explored the role of a different librarian in Wales. Appropriately enough, I was number thirteen. But when I clicked on the link the other day, I found the website had disappeared. Such is the digital age - long term preservation doesn't really occur, so things online can disappear at any moment.
That got me looking for other details about my library career, and I found two blog posts on a library blog I set up. No one adds content to it any more, but it is still there! So, if you have any interest in what it was like to be an academic librarian in Wales, and what I did, here are links to those two blog posts so you can find out. Check them out before they disappear into the digital black hole like everything else. :-)
Have you left a career behind? What was it, and do you miss it?
Funnily enough, I gave a public talk recently about a Welsh song which I consider to be the Welsh national anthem: Yma O Hyd (“Still Here”). I even sang some of it. :-) You can read about it here, which also has a translation, and a rousing video of the song being sung at a football match.
I also gave a talk at a protest yesterday, about protecting green spaces from being turned into car parks (the BBC and ITV were there and filmed a bit of it). And this Saturday I was originally going to give a talk about the death of Aaron Bushnell, but I have to be somewhere else so that will have to wait, unfortunately. His name links to my blog post about what happened.
Review Corner
A new review about Turner.
That certainly does sound like a new fan of my work!
Though I’ve had ex-girlfriends say exactly the same thing, funnily enough.
Publication Day: UESI paperback!
UESI is now available as a paperback.
Buy it direct (along with any of my other books in one parcel) or at these sites. Or just order it from your local bookshop by giving them the paperback ISBN: 978-1-911278-43-6.
Any help in spreading the word about my new release is greatly appreciated.
I also have signed Lost Solace print copies on my shelf, mentioned last time. Let me know if you’d like to reserve the final two!
Talking of UESI, my Kickstarter didn’t get funded. Oh well. Maybe my next one will succeed. I’d love to see one of these designs appear in the world, though, even if it is a more cut-down approach (e.g. no luxury elements like bookmark ribbons).
Therefore, a poll! You can reply in comments, or reply to this email, or contact me with your thoughts.
Which of the two designs above would you rather see produced?
Cover design option A: Facing The Creator (Green)
or
Cover design option B: Offshoot Interactions (Teal)
The images below are what the full wraparound cover looks like. The area on the left will be the rear of the hardback; the middle is the spine, and the part of the image on the right will be the front.
May spring put a spring in your step,
Karl
What a wonderful post. You asked Have you left a career behind? What was it, and do you miss it? Yes, I'm retired and no I don't miss it but I do some of the people. But have moved on to other unexpectedly interesting things; e.g., grocery clerk and free tax prep for the elderly. Fun. I would love to hear someday how Welsh and perhaps Scottish Gaelic have influenced your work; perhaps not at all. I know Greek has.
Haha I only had ONE batshit crazy nightmare after reading 2/3rds of Turner.. I'm in a very good space halfway thru B1 of LS 🌌
Ps I like the trippy Donny Darko rabbit!