Working on two titles at the same time!

Having published The Postage Stamps of Aden 1837-1968 in January 2020, I set about my next project. This turned into two projects, one non-fiction title and my 'first' novel. The novel has been underway for years and is only about half-finished. During a period of zero motivation, I started the non-fiction work, another stamp collecting related effort. That was proceeding, as they say, apace, when I decided to produce a tribute to my late mother. With much assistance from my brother Graham, Irene Emily Louise Mutton (nee Morris) was completed in (for me) record time and is now safely in the hands of IngramSpark ready for publication on 31 October. Some online retailers have it listed for pre-order, which is very satisfying to see.

Irene Emily Louise Mutton (nee Morris) is a slim volume published in hardback with colour photos. Our mother was a great reader and I hope she would appreciate the traditional format. It would be of interest, I suspect, only to family and friends but the potential readership and sales potential were not what this title was all about. With our father's 286-page memoirs The Spice of Life published in 2012, the two titles now sit proudly in our respective bookcases.

Therein lies the risk of writers working on two titles simultaneously. It seems a short step to interrupt both with a third. Almost inevitably then, those two titles are being interrupted with a fourth. Graham and I decided that an expanded Spice of Life Centenary Edition is in order. Mum was born in 1920, hence her tribute book and Dad was born in 1921 so next year sees his 100th birthday. There is plenty of material omitted from the 2012 edition which will be included in the Centenary Edition, and of course, the photos will be colourised. It's another project of passion and while still in the planning stage, we intend to see it published this year.

Meanwhile, my novel Dragonfly Illusion languishes untouched for weeks, as does English Royalty on Postage Stamps. It's as well that I'm retired and have more time than would be the case if I was still gainfully employed.