French Dilemma & A Lonely Man
Two things to mention this morning...
One is that my French Con dilemma has been resolved. Phew! Le Pre Aux Clercs, my French publisher, wished it could happen, but had to admit it was too near at hand to plan and organize all the things they would like to have me do if I was going that far. Makes sense to me. We'll try for the next book instead! Really, it is a bit of a relief. I would have went, but I'd also have been disappointed not to go to World Fantasy. Now I can just look forward to that without reservation.
Two, I've just become a very lonely man... Yep. Wanted you to know. You see, my wife and kids have just touched down in Scotland. I won't see them again for... (gulp) three months, when I go over for Christmas and New Year. Last night, I dropped them at the airport and came home to a silent, terribly empty house. Yeah, the cats are here, but they're just reminders of the kids, really. It's gonna be a tough few months...
It'll be worth it, though. Without going into much detail on it, they've had a tough time getting settled in Fresno. Gudrun, in particular, has really been longing for home. (She's Scottish, you know, born in the Shetland Isles.) And the kids, although always happy, have clearly been hungry for some things that were hard to find here. So, they all got really excited about this trip idea. The details are this...
They'll be up in Shetland for most of that time, staying with my father in law in this cottage. The kids will be enrolling is school up until Christmas. They're so excited about that. It's a small school, only five kids at the moment. Did I mention that not only will they be in Shetland, but they'll be in the very rural West Shetland area? I'm talking sheep and peat and wind and seabirds, crofters and small white cottages perched beside craggy cliffs... That sort of thing. It'll be an awesome adventure, no doubt about it, and a wonderful way for my wife to reconnect with the place she was born and with the family she's really been missing.
Me, though? Well, I'm home alone. Waiting. Working. Having my own private pity-party.
One is that my French Con dilemma has been resolved. Phew! Le Pre Aux Clercs, my French publisher, wished it could happen, but had to admit it was too near at hand to plan and organize all the things they would like to have me do if I was going that far. Makes sense to me. We'll try for the next book instead! Really, it is a bit of a relief. I would have went, but I'd also have been disappointed not to go to World Fantasy. Now I can just look forward to that without reservation.
Two, I've just become a very lonely man... Yep. Wanted you to know. You see, my wife and kids have just touched down in Scotland. I won't see them again for... (gulp) three months, when I go over for Christmas and New Year. Last night, I dropped them at the airport and came home to a silent, terribly empty house. Yeah, the cats are here, but they're just reminders of the kids, really. It's gonna be a tough few months...
It'll be worth it, though. Without going into much detail on it, they've had a tough time getting settled in Fresno. Gudrun, in particular, has really been longing for home. (She's Scottish, you know, born in the Shetland Isles.) And the kids, although always happy, have clearly been hungry for some things that were hard to find here. So, they all got really excited about this trip idea. The details are this...
They'll be up in Shetland for most of that time, staying with my father in law in this cottage. The kids will be enrolling is school up until Christmas. They're so excited about that. It's a small school, only five kids at the moment. Did I mention that not only will they be in Shetland, but they'll be in the very rural West Shetland area? I'm talking sheep and peat and wind and seabirds, crofters and small white cottages perched beside craggy cliffs... That sort of thing. It'll be an awesome adventure, no doubt about it, and a wonderful way for my wife to reconnect with the place she was born and with the family she's really been missing.Me, though? Well, I'm home alone. Waiting. Working. Having my own private pity-party.
Labels: Cons, Family Stuff
posted by David Anthony Durham at
10:47 AM
19 Comments:
Hey, that's tough, David, I'm sorry. I suppose all you can do is try and turn it into as much of a positive as you can, and use the extra time on writing - which is always a worthy thing.
Though, with the crazy kind of month I'm having, the wilds of Shetland don't sound too bad...
My best, as always,
Bryan
Yes, I will write! Definitely I will work. Very soon I'll be calling The Other Lands done, which will be a grand thing. (For me, at least.)
Pity Party? PITY Party?!
David, Dave, you gotta turn that frown upside down!
Forget the Pity Party, you gotta have just a regular old PARTY!
Tell you what... me and some friends will hook you up. We'll fly down the Fresno, grab some cash from your ATM Card and cheer you right up. You call Rothfuss. Anyone with a beard like that has to come.
It'll be like being a bachelor all over again, except now you don't have to worry about all the peer pressure - the girls are going to be all over Pat's beard anyway. And when we're done, you can read to us from the new book.
I'm telling you, it'll be awesome, trust me.
By the way, you have home owners insurance right? No Seriously, insurance, yes?
;)
I feel your pain, buddy. I am currently stuck in the UK for a while because the nice INS people won't let me stay in California all year round. Fortunately I will be back in time for WFC.
David: What Incubus Jax said! We are a family away from family. :)
But now are you turning into a cat lady... errr... I mean a cat gentleman? Doesn't have the same ring to it, now does it.
At least you have this fabulous website that some great-looking and obviously very talented man made for you! Life could be worse! haha
On a more serious note, Christmas will be here before you know it!
Jax,
Hmmm... No, I don't have home owner's insurance. Of course, I'm renting here in Fresno at the moment. No renter's insurance either... That, I'm afraid, is the only ;) problem with your plan. Oh, that and the fact that Gudrun drained our bank account when she went. The ATM wouldn't do us much good. (Hey, drained the bank account... Should I be afraid?)
Shawn,
Honestly, it's pretty nice to be able to type up my personal moans every now and then and have some folks talk it through with me. My internet family. Ah, so nice to have this website...
Cheryl,
I wish I was stuck in the UK right now too... But it's good to know you'll get back to this side for World Fantasy. See you there!
-David.
Shawn: I knew I could count on your support. ;)
David: Don't feel bad about the drained account. At least it's just drained. Drained things tend to fill back up. Now if it were closed, that would be a different story.
Like when my brother's ex wife closed their bank accounts - and spent the money on her boyfriend, and took everything with her when she left including his clothes. YES, even his clothes. I don't know what that's about. He still hasn't gotten them back despite a court order.
Man you know what? Women are weird. Seriously.
Oh and my Allstate guy will be in touch. I gave him your email address. Hope you don't mind (or have a really good spam blocker). Are you in good hands? ;)
You have every right to have a pity party. I feel sorry for you myself.
No kids and wife for 3 months *and* stuck in Fresno?
You poor bastard.
That Shetland cottage looks pretty awesome. Especially for kids.
I bet it gets pretty cold in the winter though, doesn't it?
Oh dear, that's tough. But it sounds like it will be an amazing experience for the kids.
I WISH I could have some time away like that.
Of course, if I did, I would probably not write nearly enough, and that is why I am not published.
Enjoy the silence, as Depeche Mode once said. It will allow you to enjoy the chaos that much more later.
I've just looked up from several days with my head buried in a book. I just did a "power review" of a recently published title. That means reading it really fast and filing the review really fast. Like, as fast as possible. Like, doing nothing else if at all possible. But now I've got confirmation that it's been accepted. I'm finished. I think it'll hit the world tomorrow.
So, again, thanks for the comments. Now, I'll be able to look around the house as the reality sets in. Man, three months is a long time. Doesn't really feel real yet.
Don't worry everybody, we'll look after Gudrun and the kids. And David, we're looking forward to seeing you very much ... we love you too!
You just focus on the writing sweetheart and don't listen to that talk of returning to bachelordom!
We're missing you tons by the way!
Laughton and Patricia,
I know you'll take care of her well. That's one of the main things that keeps me sane!
Gudrun,
How strange to speak to you through comments on my blog! Um... Give me a call later.
-David.
Lonely? Try being pitched out at the bottom of the pacific surrounded by sea and sheep. The closest neighbour is just a massive convict gathering....Maybe I should call. It will be 3 years since we were with you this thanksgiving. Such a pain that old time difference.
Oh, that was from Nick....You can actually see Bousta in that photo of Betty..
Hey Nick,
Three years? Yikes. Not surprisingly, though, it does feel like a really long time...
I went through precisely this a couple of weeks ago, David--and my wife and daughter were only gone for two and a half weeks. I did get caught up on some work, but yeah...the novelty of being alone wore off pretty quickly. Still, the time will pass quickly--and it will increase your appreciation of your relationship even more, which is a plus.
Still, I hear you. It's not fun. Hang in there!
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the support. I'm hanging!
-David.
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