Down to Earth - the book

I knew this day was coming but I didn't know it would be so soon. Last Friday, I held my book in my hands for the first time. Jo, my Penguin editor, sent it from Melbourne on Thursday, one of two advanced copies, it arrived on Friday. I asked Hanno to check the mail when he went out. He returned home with the shopping, unpacked everything, talked to me a couple of times and I presumed there was no parcel. Not a problem, I thought, it will be here Monday. About half an hour after he came home, he walked into my work room where I was writing my Women's Weekly column, with an express parcel and two little bottles of Grolsch beer. 

When I saw the parcel, I got scared. What if I didn't like what was inside that package! I opened the envelope, saw the familiar cover, opened the book and fell in love with it. It is so beautiful. I'm really proud and happy to call it my own. I flicked through the pages while Hanno poured our beers, then we drank a toast to the book, to the work put into it and to all the people who helped with it. Hanno was my main helper, without him, there would be no book. Thank you Hanno. I can't show you a photo of the book because Penguin is working on the promotion and publicity and I don't want to jump the gun.

For those of you who are new to my blog. I started writing this book many years ago and tried to get it published. No one was interested, so I turned the beginning of that old book into this blog. I thought that what I had written might help others as well as provide a valuable record about what we were doing here. Well, a couple of years after I started blogging, I received an email from Penguin asking if I'd like to talk about the possibility of publishing a book based on my blog. That email was from Jo Rosenberg, who ended up being the editor of my book and who I now consider a friend. Sometimes it's strange how things work themselves out, sometimes you have to wait for the right people to come along.

The book is called Down to Earth - a guide to simple living and although I see my name on the cover, I still don't quite believe it's my book. I guess time will remedy that. Down to Earth will be on sale in Australia in March. I'm not sure about sales in other countries but when I know, I'll let you know. I am hoping to sell some signed copies from my blog.

So, there you have it. Years of work, a different way of living and monumental change, all condensed into a few small paragraphs. I guess I learned something about simplifying along the way.  :- )