You work away in secret for ages

I don’t know many people who advertised the fact that they were trying to get pregnant. Perhaps so as not to be off putting at mealtimes, or not to raise grandparents’ already hyperactive hopes, my husband and I only told a few people that we were ‘trying’, mainly because they assumed that we already were. Squeamish as I am, I’d rather present a pregnancy as a fait accompli than discuss the process with anyone. Not only would it be embarrassing, but the pressure to succeed would be that much greater.

In a similar way, the only person who knew I was writing a book was my husband, David. The idea for Wild Rose came up over an anniversary dinner at AJ's On The Creek, Chincoteague Island, VA. I bought a notebook the next day and started writing. That was in 2008. I worked on the book at weekends and during holidays from my job as a secondary school teacher. For a long time I didn’t tell anyone that I was writing a book. As with trying to have a baby, if nothing came of it I wanted to deal with the disappointment myself. I was also happy to work away alone, enjoying the process and not thinking too much about where it would lead.

Common wisdom suggests that you shouldn’t tell people that you’re pregnant until you reach the twelve week stage, the chance of miscarriage is reduced and you have had a scan to check (for the first time, alarmingly) that you really are pregnant and that everything is alright. Reaching the twelve week mark was a great relief and I was excited about being able to tell people. In a similar way, though I found out I’d been signed by Eve White Literary Agency the same week I found out I was pregnant, it took me some time to tell people. I wanted to make sure that it was official and I had photographic evidence on her website before I announced it proudly on Facebook.

So, now that both secrets are out, I hope to be able to share some of my experiences of the Book and the Baby with you here.