Chanukah day 8

On the eighth day of Chanukah, my true love gave to me...

8 antacids
7 flames-a-burning
6 kids-a-playing
5 flasks of oil
4 chocolate bars
3 greeting cards
2 spinning tops
And a latke.

(no subject)

I danced last night and today I'm most definitely paying. It was so worth it, however. I had to sit out at one stage (I had to sit out at several stages, but that that one stage I had to sit out 5 dances) and so I took charge of the raffle and was useful in my sitting.

My little plum puddings were attacked with much vigour and I didn't have to take any home.

I did all my favourite dances and caught up with a couple of friends I haven't seen for years. "I knew you'd be here tonight," said R, "I haven't thought of you in years and last week I said to myself, Gillian will be there next week."

Later he assumed that when I said I'd left the public service and was writing (for it really is years since we've seen each other) that this meant I was self-publishing. I find it interesting that no-one assumes the same thing of lawyers or plumbers. I suspect it's partly because many Australians are far happier with the idea of writers as entrepreneurs than as writers as artists. It does denigrate traditionally published writers still (though less as time passes and alternate publishing models are more accepted), and I am not sufficiently of an entrepreneur to be good at self-publishing.

These days, some of the best writers are getting their own books out there. Yesterday Glenda Larke told me that my favourite work of hers, Havenstar, is an ebook - she gave up on getting it reprinted traditionally and issued it herself. KJ Bishop just emailed me to let me know that her awesome new book of short stories is out on Amazon, too. I was very lucky to have beta-read that one and am anxious to re-read now the book is out. The cover gives a fine sense of how she sees her own work, which is a bonus of author-produced volumes. And there then are the Book View Cafe mob, who put out totally gorgeous work. I like their approach better (ie it's something I could do), for they marry very different skills together and the author doesn't have to be entrepreneur - it's enough to put lots of work in and share one's talents and be part of the group.

And now I've lost the plot. I'm dreaming about books by le Guin and sartorias and desperance and Bishop and Larke. I'm too tired to think in a straight line. It was so worth it, however.