Here comes February!

"So what are we to do with our dispositions? How are we to protect ourselves, our shivering, naked selves from our sensitivity to all that is? I think the only answer, if there is one, is this: we wrap ourselves in the writing. The work itself is our cloak and our shield. It's all we've got. And the rest of it is none of our business." - Dani Shapiro, taken from here.

Phew. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. And it's just going to get crazier. I'm saying goodbye to Gran-nan and saying hello to my book as it appears on shelves (just over a week away, now). These are the last few days of relative calm before we fly out into a flurry of events, interviews and time spent wedged under someone's armpit on the London Tube. I have mentioned this before on the blog, but I have had panic attacks and anxiety disorder for a really long time now, and I can get myself tied up in macrame-like knots in stressful, busy situations if I'm not careful (which I try to be). The book will be out next week. I'm excited, but nervous too. People will read it. Some will like it, some will love it, some will be indifferent, some will absolutely hate it and many of them will want to tell me so. I will meet people who have read or want to read my book (I am really looking forward to this). I will also meet other writers, who understand this particular brand of crazy better than anyone (I am really looking forward to that too). LOML and I will spend time with our families, as well, and try to find quiet moments in all the busy-ness to remember someone who just departed.

Here's my plan for maintaining sanity: take naps whenever possible (even when wedged in the aforesaid Tube armpit). Keep my sense of humour. And, most importantly, keep writing. My laptop is coming with me, and I know that, in order to stay sane, I'll need to disappear into it now and then.

(And you guys help too).

P.S. Thank you so much to those who commented on yesterday's post - I'm replying to all the comments gradually. I can't tell you how interesting and how much fun it is to find out about you all. If you haven't said hello yet, the post is here - and it's worth reading through all the comments, because there are some really amazing people in there.