A Lucky Week!

If you've wondered where I've been hiding, 2017 has been even busier than 2016. The year started (is still continuing) with a determined effort to finish the tax book "Street Smart Taxpayers: A Practical Guide to your Rights in South Africa" that I'm writting in colloboration with my husband for Juta Law, South Africa's oldest legal publishers. That project is in its final stages - waiting for a foreword, then it's finally off to the printers. Launch date will probably be mid-September 2017. I'll do a cover reveal and give more info once the launch is over.

While in the throes of finishing the first draft, editing and editing and still more editing on Street Smart Taxpayers, we had a crisis - sadly, my husband had a recurrence of his cancer, this time inoperable because of its location. The only treatment option was more radiation. Despite the ever present support of my amazing Mom, there were quite a few challenges this time. Beric had to have a minor biopsy that, because of previous radiation damage, became major thoracic surgery, and he caught a superbug in the hospital, so the wound got severely infected. That infection had to be cleared before treatment could start - ultimately, he coped very well with the intense radiation, but is now still struggling with bacterial pneumonia and severe fatigue, a side effect. And he's working full day to keep food on the table and meet serious deadlines in his tax legal practice. 

Poor guy! Luckily, he's tough! I told him he has no option but to get 100% better otherwise I'll be like Sid and Scrat in the final "Heaven's Gate" scene of Ice Age 2. Anyone remember what happened when Scrat the Squirrel finds himself in Heaven? Well, if Beric has any thoughts of finding himself in Heaven any time soon, he can play Scrat and I'll play Sid!! 

So ... what with the busy first half of the year, I haven't been doing much creative writing or poetry, and minimal social media too. I did manage to scribble a few notes; one or two even became poems which were submitted to publishing houses. 

Then suddenly this week became a doubly lucky week. First, my poem THE BEGGAR'S CRY was published in Poetry Potion's Edition No 11 "Love and Compassion." 

Available for purchase from Black Letter Media

And, to end the week, my Letter to the Editor about the latest money grubbing use of Nelson Mandela's name was published in the SATURDAY STAR on 28/7/2017! 

These droplets are nectar to a struggling artist's soul!!

On that note, I'm disappearing back into my cave, where I have 5 weeks backlog of admin and other work to catch up. And, miracle of miracles, somewhere in the recesses of my brain the first faint breaths of a story I've been wanting to write these past two years and more are stirring ...