I have been working ever so hard on "Misfits of Love" [which I'm beginning to feel might be mistitled, but we shall see as it evolves]. Writing and putting a book together on my own, while also submitting my other book ideas to agents and editors is rather...I don't even know what one word can describe it. I'm learning to let go of the outcome and don't feel panicked about it. The thing about making a book that is so different than a painting is this - when you finish a painting, it's a painting and it can sit for ever in your studio, be shown online and not sell for a long time but it is still a painting. But a book is just a manuscript before it becomes a book either by being published traditionally or digitally.
Once I really grasped that, I realized that making the book can be broken into sections for me, and a Blurb book can be made early on which gives me some closure. This helps me mentally, and also helps me move on and not get stuck or frustrated.
I was struggling to find a way to tie the stories together. I began to realize that the current that runs through each of the animals short memoirs is my internal story and what I was going through in the past years - dealing with the eventual death of my father, and then his demise and the aftermath. These creatures - many of whom were elderly and in ill health themselves when they arrived - were conduits, helping me comprehend and come to a clearer consciousness about the cycle of life itself. It isn't a sad book, but rather insightful and quiet.
I also decided to work more with the emotive photography and use art more sparingly. The initial Blurb book will be about 60 pages - at least 1/2 of what I imagine it to be if a publisher picks it up] and smaller in size. This way I can sell it at a reasonable price and share it with followers. My goal is also to achieve more awareness for the book - with the goal being a larger audience through a standard publisher, ebook or self publishing.
I also hope to have photographs of the Misfits in my May show.
So stay tuned. I have a lot of pokers in the fire and I hope to have this draft edited in coming months so I can get the first Blurb version online.
