Well, it's good to pack in as much as you can in a day, you know. Besides, I had to get up early as my hairdresser was arriving at 8.30am to attempt to make me look like a normal human being. And when Lynda says 8.30am, she actually means 8.10 but she'll have been waiting outside the flat since 7.30. For very early morning appointments, it's probably not worth going to bed at all. And you may as well invite her in for supper.

Anyway, she's been and done her thing and gone, with the result that I look unexpectedly stylish as long as I don't move fast in high winds. 'Twas ever thus ... And of course it'll all be ruined (ruined, dahlings, ruined!) when I wash it myself tomorrow. I never really know what to do with a hairdryer and a brush (careful, people, careful ...) - it's like tackling Mount Everest with a pair of sandals and a screwdriver, and hoping to get to the peak by noon ...

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With the upcoming release of Unrequited, I'm becoming more and more excited. My skin fairly tingles with anticipation. Well, it has been nearly a four year wait from having been offered a publishing contract to actually seeing the book in the flesh...

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Was much amazed yesterday when I came home to find an acceptance for two of my poems by “Seventh Quarry” magazine. Joy indeed! And huge thanks to editor, Peter Thabit Jones, for being kind enough to say yes. Twice. I’m always astonished when anyone takes any of my stuff really – it’s just so unusual an occurrence! But – heck – always welcome. I have to read the email or letter at least three times before I can even begin to believe it. Anyway, it was a lovely extra surprise for our anniversary day.

This morning, I have run around campus collecting copies of our Freshers’ talks DVD and distributing it to the needy. I was hugely excited as I found a completely new route from Student Advice to the Counselling Centre that I’d never trodden before. Spooky really … it was certainly very shadowy and narrow. Hmm, perhaps I was in the twilight zone. It’s possible. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll ever find it again so I don’t think there’s any cause for concern. Yet ...

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I am a single mum, juggling full time work during the day with writing my book at night. I always think of writing in terms of food. Kenkey, fish and black fried pepper is the first dish that springs to mind whenever anyone asks me what I would choose for my last dish on this earth. It's the sort of meal that sits in the belly and tingles the taste buds long after you have washed the sticky white kenkey from your finger tips and picked out bits of fish from your teeth. I love eating it with friends; sitting on the floor in a circle around the food, or in one of those lovely Ghanaian restaurants that encourage you to eat with your fingers. I feel a wonderful guilty pleasure when I eat it on my own, because I tend to over eat, with more kenkey than I need and blow-your-head-off hot pepper, chased down with gallons of water. I then become so full that I have to lie down, and think. Either way, the memory of a good kenkey and fish meal lingers for days, weeks, sometimes years. A good book should do that too. And that is what I am aiming for.


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I had an interesting experience this week. I was Googling myself, as you do (you do, don't you?) and I discovered a web page called Representations of Antarctica: Short Stories. And there, lo and behold, was this:

Hershman, Tania. "The White Road." Wonderwall. Route 16. Ed. Anthony Cropper and Ian Daley. Pontefract, West Yorkshire: Route, 2005. 29-37.

This is a story I wrote a few years ago, the first story I had broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and then published in Route's Wonderwall anthology. It is set in Antarctica, a place I have never been, nor did I do any research about it before I wrote the story (I don't believe in research for my fiction, it reminds me too much of journalism).

I was extremely delighted to appear on this website, and I wrote to them to find out how they'd found me....

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Happy anniversary to us! Lord H and I have today been married for 14 years and he hasn’t sent me back to the Wife Shop yet – hurrah! So it was Lindor chocolates for breakfast (though I did have cereals too, so the Government can’t complain …) and it’s champagne tonight. And lasagne and icecream. Hmm, maybe the Government will complain after all – I’ll add salad, honest! I don’t want the Food Police round again.

Presents were nice too (yes, sadly, we do still do presents) – I bought him a CD of “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue” which he’d asked for, plus a book and chocolates etc. And in return, I unwrapped a couple of books I’d wanted, plus the DVD of “Becoming Jane” and Germaine Greer’s Shakespeare’s Wife. Yes, I know that’s a book too, but I thought I’d give it a special mention – I’ve been longing to read it as soon as I saw it was out. Greer and Mrs Shakespeare – you can’t really go wrong ...

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My local writing group organised a day of workshops last Saturday. I had the greatest day; just being in a workshop, talking and writing is better than the best carrot cake you can imagine; better than whole bottles of Tia Maria, Drambui or 12yr old whisky! And a free lunch to boot. I felt sorry for some of the group who had to look after tables of books, hand-crafted cards and the tombola; some of them were bored out of their pencil cases. I was in my element; the tutor on my workshop was an American poet called Gerry Stewart…and she got a lot of work out of me. I left the table with a whole poem and the makings of another two on the same theme; which was living with my son, right now, this minute. This is the rough poem:

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Overall this was an enjoyable day with good opportunities to talk to the authors. My early thoughts were that the whole day would be nothing more than a marketing event for Faber and Faber, thankfully this was not the case. The workshop with Mick Jackson was educational in discovering how important it is to be able to switch from porject to project. Mick was a very approachable fellow and an author I will take more interest in from now on.

Sarah Hall's workshop got sidetracked from being a discussion on the influence and creation of her latest novel, "The Carhulan Army", to becoming more like the "Good Life" and grow your own vegetables. I would have liked for Sarah to discuss the process of her novel and why she prefers to use the voice of the character more than dialogue to drive the story.

Also whoever the chap was that picked up and thumbed through her book before the workshop while she was out of the room, well don't be so f***ing rude next time. You had no right to do that.

It is a pity that I had to forego Andrew Martin's workshop, as that I am sure would have been fascinating on how to research a period novel.

David

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Emma and Rob at Snowbooks blog at www.snowbooks.com/weblog.

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My excuse for not writing in here last week is….my nails were too long. I can’t bear the feel and sound of fingernails clicking on the keys, sometimes slipping from one to another and just generally making a mess of everything. So, I soaked some washing in the bath, squeezed and swirled till the said nails were pliable then I cut them all off. Now I’m whizzing around the keyboard like a wild thing, loose and fancy free…and unemployed. I’ve now got five application forms to fill out; will force myself into it tonight, when my bum is numb from sitting here surfing.

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