I was so pleased (and nervous!) to meet the team at Elephant Page Publishing via video link today. I felt honoured and special to be “believed in” by a bunch of people that I don’t even know. (I was so nervous that I forgot to get a screenshot of the meeting.)

Per, Soraya, Daniel, Kel, Taya, Marcuz (did I miss a name? I think so!) and the rest of the 25 strong crew who I saw but didn’t get to talk with–the ones who are doing the heavy lifting–thanks for all that you are doing to make the story of Ant, Holden, Molly and the rest of the cast sparkle! It was a big day for me today, and talking with you was the absolute highlight.

Some other names I considered for the novel were Staying Alive, Rosie, Holden, Molly, Ant (or variation), Ant’s Burden, The Loneliest Mile, but I’m excited to see what the Elephant Page team come up with — and the artwork as well.

I really enjoy writing characters, even the supporting ones and yes, I do ‘borrow’ from people I already know, but only less than ten percent, so I’m not infringing copyright. I don’t think it’s possible to avoid this. Sometimes I’ll borrow from a snatch of my memories, and I hope that the people I borrow from won’t ever figure it out. Marcel, the laconic French chef in the sequel to Holding On is based slightly on an English chef in my local area. I didn’t realise this fact until I saw him moonlighting in a coffee truck yesterday morning.

My marketing ideas for this book include, but are not limited to: 1. CBCA award, 2. inclusion on Premiers’ Lists, 3. Supplementary material that’s in line with school curriculum requirements for class sets. 4. Whatever else the M&D team tell me to do.

For me, a publishing success would be at least breaking even in the print cost, and getting the book out into schools, I guess. I know how hard the publishing industry is – especially for emerging authors.

It is great working with other sets of eyes in a legit publishing company. There are so many things that you miss when you self-publish. A fresh perspective makes the story much better, I’m learning.

The narration twist (no spoilers) came to me when I started to ask myself the question who the “I” was in the introduction. It wasn’t me, the author. It was someone else. But who? The strange thing is that Ant feels invisible, but there are a few people who saw everything and actually cared.

I don’t know why this story hits such a deep chord with me. I love the last chapters in particular. They are like healing medicine or something. I can’t read them out loud.

Note to self: Be intentional about reading Tristan Bancks books.