I Finally Told Mum I'm Getting Published
She reacted exactly as I'd expected...
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Last Saturday, I went on one of the worst hikes of my life.
It was one of those days when the weather forecast completely underestimated how bad things were going to get.
I’m talking constant rain, driving wind, bitter chill, and fog thick enough to cut with a knife. It was rough, and I’d never been so glad to get home.
Mum was looking after our two pooches while I was away. My lovely wife was off shooting a wedding, so the hounds needed some supervision. We’ve learned a few lessons over the years about leaving them alone in the house for too long.
Once I’d showered and got my body temperature back to a more respectable level, I sat down for a cup of tea with mum. The FA Cup was on TV in the background, so I half watched that while she filled me in on all the latest gossip. There’s always a lot of that to catch up on.
Eventually, the conversation turned towards writing, and I internally braced myself for the question I knew was coming.
“Any word on your book?”
In Northern Irish-speak, that translates as “Have you got any updates to share about your novel?”, and I knew the time had finally come.
“Well, actually, yes,” I replied, in as casual a tone as I could muster. “It’s getting published very soon.”
Last year, my literary agent had to drop out of the industry for health reasons. My young-adult fantasy novel The Soulburn Talisman had been on submission with publishers for a few months, and I was suddenly left high and dry. It was an unfortunate end to my time as an author with representation.
However, there was a silver lining to being un-agented again. It meant I had full control of my situation, and I was able to start querying my novel to independent publishers as I saw fit.
The owner of one of those indie presses got back to me pretty quickly (I’d spoken to him the previous year, just before I accepted my agent’s offer of representation). He remembered - and liked - my novel submission.
Within days of losing my agent, I had a publishing offer on the table.
That was June 2023. I didn’t tell anyone (bar my wife) that my book was on the pathway to publication. If my friends or family asked, I just brushed them off with a vague “I’ll let you know when something’s happened” sort of response. They largely stopped asking after a while.
So Mum had no idea about Soulburn’s imminent publication until Saturday. She’d probably expected another deflection from me. The news came as a huge surprise.
There were squeals of delight. There were tears. There was much hugging.
Mum’s a big hugger. It’s a wonder she didn’t spill her tea everywhere.
For me, it was a huge relief to finally let the secret out. I’d been worried she might find out through someone else - I’ve been talking freely about Soulburn on Substack and Medium for a while now, though I doubt Mum’s heard of either platform. At least now I can give a straight answer to anyone else who asks about it.
Of course, within hours, I started getting messages from family members. Mum didn’t waste any time spreading the news far and wide, and it travels particularly fast in a country as small as ours. As an introverted person who doesn’t like being the centre of attention, it was mega uncomfortable, but I knew I’d have to face it eventually.
Most embarrassingly of all, the news somehow managed to reach my old High School English teacher, who promptly invited me in to “talk to the class” about doing English at university.
I’ll put that one off as long as I can.
Mum worked as a librarian for many years. She loved her job, and only retired from her role to help care for my grandfather in his final months. I think for her, my getting published represents a last jigsaw piece in a decades-long service in the world of books. The circle is complete.
The Soulburn Talisman hasn’t been published just yet, but hopefully, I’ll be able to hold a copy of it in my hands in the coming weeks. Handing a copy to Mum will also be a nice moment, I’m sure.
If a magic-infused adventure in a fantasy realm inspired by Irish mythology sounds like your cup of tea, subscribe to David McIlroy Fiction before you go. You’ll be among the first to know when Soulburn’s available to order.
You and Mum, of course.
Nice way to break the news to mum. And us. 😊
CONGRATULATIONS!!!