Thursday 19 May 2011

The Sword of Damocles

When I was younger one of my favourite stories was 'The Sword of Damocles'. It’s often used as a political allegory but my interpretation is broader: that all our lives hang by a thread. That we can move from happiness to sorrow in an instant.

I always thought that I’d remember 2011 as the year I finally got published. However, three weeks after THE AFRIKA REICH came out events took a different turn.

On 9th March my step-father, Peter, died unexpectedly; he was 55 years old. What makes this all the more tragic is that he was such a fit and vibrant man. If ever there were a story that illustrates how precarious our lives are this is it.

To be honest, it still seems impossible. Incredible. After the initial shock I got back to working on the follow-up to AFRIKA REICH; I even went away to a remote farmhouse in Slovenia to get some clear headspace and write in peace. However, many of the peripheral activities to do with my book have suffered. Including this blog.

So for now this is meant as a holding post to let you know I haven’t abandoned it and still have lots of things I want to share about ‘Guy Saville, writer’. More regular posts to resume asap.