A case full of books
I came back from the UK and got stuck into the third, and hopefully final, draft of the second book in the Kismet series. I am hoping to get it to the editor in August and published in October.
I also had my first payment from Amazon for the first book. It wasn’t exactly a fortune, but it was exciting nonetheless! I came back from the UK with a suitcase full of books – print copies of The Kismet Pension for people who live here in Turkey, as it works out very expensive to have them printed and sent out here. I had an advertising board made and have them on sale in our hotel. The other day, someone who came for lunch said she had been with two friends and they had both been reading it. It’s very exciting to get news like that!
I was hoping to keep promoting the first book by getting bloggers and book ‘influencers’ to review it. Sadly, from a list of 40 recommended book bloggers, I only found 3 who were currently accepting books for review from new authors. A lot of reviewers and book clubs seem to stick to books by big names which seems shame and a little unfair as they have the backing of large publishers to promote them, but I suppose that is a writer’s point of view; readers might feel differently.
I have also been working (in my head) on the plot of another book, which could also turn into a series. As part of the research, I drove up to the lavender fields near Lake Burdur for a day. This area has traditionally been known for growing roses – Turkey is one of the largest producers of rose oil in the world. About 50 years ago, someone brought back some lavender plants from France and the farmers tried growing these. They found that they require less maintenance and so some of them converted to lavender farming. The lavender is used to produce essential oil, soap, lotions, cleaning products, tea, coffee, ice cream and small items such as lavender bags and lavender crowns. Some growers have a small still where they can produce their own oil – though it takes 60-70kg of lavender to produce 1kg of oil!
While I was there, I also took the chance to visit Burdur museum. This is the home of pieces discovered during excavations at the nearby ancient cities of Kibyra and Sagalassos. Kibyra was thriving in the second century BC and was known for its horses, leatherwork and blacksmithing. It could raise 30,000 troops and 2,000 cavalry and has a huge stadium. Sagalassos was variously conquered by Alexander the Great, absorbed into the Roman Empire and named by Emperor Hadrian as the first city of the province. They are both stunning sites and there are some interesting (and enormous) statues in the museum.
Mostly, the month of July is too hot to do very much and the last week has been hotter than normal with temperatures over 40 degrees in the day and over 30 degrees at night! I have not been doing any cycling or hiking, but have managed a few early morning kayaking and swimming outings and a very pleasant boat trip.
One of the ways to avoid the heat is, of course, to sit inside with the air conditioning on and read a book! Here are a couple I enjoyed this month:
The Glassmaker – Tracy Chevalier
Set on the glassmaking island of Murano, the book follows the life of the large and colourful Rosso family and particularly the daughter, Orsola. We see Orsola’s transformation from a girl, to a young woman helping her family to stay afloat by making beads, and later to a wife, a mother and finally one of the respected elders of the family. Intriguingly, whilst telling Orsola’s story, the book also slips from 1486 to the current day, giving a fascinating account of the fortunes of the glassmaking industry and Venice through the centuries.
The Maid – Nita Prose
This is a clever story about Molly, who loves her job as a hotel maid but struggles with other aspects of life, especially since her beloved Gran died. When she finds a guest dead in his bed, people Molly thought were friends are quick to betray her and her own uniqueness causes the police to see her as the main suspect. Luckily, Molly has a few real friends who value her differences.
I hope you are enjoying the summer!
Melanie