Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Monday
I am not expecting to see much of Jaye before Wednesday. She is so busy checking everything is on target for the launch of her first book.

• The Ninth Life
  

.
It’s a wonder the PC hasn’t melted, there’s been that much going on! I really hope it all goes well.
Lulu, our rescued geriatric moggy, seems to be doing very well too. Slowly her health and coat are improving, and there are definite signs that both Lulu and our own resident beast might be trying to make friends. At least she has stopped hissing every time he pokes his nose around the door.

Tuesday
The air in the office/dining room was almost buzzing today. Jaye was still busy making last minute checks on everything she could think of, to be ready for publication tomorrow. I can’t remember being this stressed out when I was about to be published, but I suppose I was. It was a while ago now.

I know she is worrying that it won’t be any good, that maybe she should have edited a bit more, but she has been up to her neck in this book for nearly a year now, so it should be more than ready. We shall soon find out, one way or another.

Wednesday

When I woke up this morning, the house was very quiet, almost like a church. Jaye was trying to be calm, but was failing miserably to hide her excitement. Amazon had already emailed to confirm that The Ninth Life was now live for the whole world to see.
Even though I have written several books, I can still remember that overwhelming sense of achievement with the first one. Many people try to write a book, but few actually finish, let alone publish them. I hope it does well, for she deserves it. And I have read it and found it good, so it should.

Thursday
Today was a bit of an anti-climax. It was as if nothing had happened and I decided not to say anything. It was business as usual, Jaye doing all the usual things, emails and such. She looked a bit distant, as if something was on her mind. More than usual, I mean.
But I had the feeling it wasn’t The Ninth Life. I knew she had come to terms with sending her baby out on its own, to stand or fall, whatever would be. She had done the best she could, only time would tell if it was enough.
We spent the afternoon helping Anita’s daughter to clear the overgrowth and brambles from her garden, working ourselves to the point of exhaustion. This, I think, was Jaye’s way of moving on. There were always plenty of other jobs to do.

Friday
Turned out that Jaye was worried about Lulu. Her ears and eyes were still bad despite our ministrations, and appeared to be getting slowly worse. She had this habit of looking at you with the saddest eyes, as if asking something very important.
We had another long talk about the best course of action. A visit to the vet was probably on the cards, for antibiotics if nothing else. What was worrying Jaye, was what else the vet might find on closer examination. Lulu seemed to be okay, considering her 21 years. But we agreed we had to find out, one way or the other.

See you all soon, God bless…

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