tjladyen

Rejected

When I sent my manuscript to publishers, I felt that I had achieved something and the outcome wouldn’t matter. What was important was that I had written the book and submitted the manuscript. Achievement enough. Today I received my first rejection. It was nicely phrased: “we enjoyed reading your manuscript”, but then came the punch:Continue reading “Rejected”

The catharsis of creative chaos

It’s been a while since I wrote here. I’ve been caught up with turning my thesis into a manuscript for publication, and finally, last week, I submitted it to publishers. It feels quite cathartic, having spent so much time on it. Now I find myself with time to spare and a need to do things.Continue reading “The catharsis of creative chaos”

The joy of Christmas past

With only a week off for Christmas break, aifares being exhorbitant and too late to get Mia looked after, I opted to stay put this Christmas. I thought I’d indulge in champagne and tiny morsels of Christmas food, watching movies, reading and sleeping. I put up my little tree and made it festive with bowsContinue reading “The joy of Christmas past”

Catfished

Catfishing: the process of luring someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona. 6 signs someone might be a catfish I’vebeen catfished. I decided to try an online dating app. I swiped left a lot. I connected with a couple of guys but it went no further than one or two responses. And then IContinue reading “Catfished”

Me and my shadow – a history of Italian greyhounds

A visual history of Italian Greyhounds

Is this all there is?

Last month I was dealing with an identity crisis: I didn’t know how to be a woman who still felt young, encased in an older body, and on my own with no-one to share my life. I think I have now come to terms with being my own person, with my individual style and dressContinue reading “Is this all there is?”

Mamma told me there’d be days like this…

Earlier this week I defended my PhD. This was a milestone moment in my life. I had always wanted to do my PhD but thought it would be in the area of Art history – my great passion. Instead, I embarked on a journey to recount the history of my maternal heritage. White Russians whoContinue reading “Mamma told me there’d be days like this…”

Journey into exile.

Narratives of exile and displacement have generally been recounted in terms of group identity, geopolitics, facts and figures while individual rites of passage which provide insight into the lived experiences are often overlooked. This paper considers various modes of narratives to assess the veracity of history and how it unfolds to serve the “convenience of those who make use of it”

Waiting…..

Negotiating my way along the perimeter of a huge void.

And I miss you……

It was M’s birthday the other day and that night, for the first time since his death, I dreamt about him. It wasn’t a comfortable dream. I found myself desperately trying to get back to him from wherever I was. Finally, I managed to find a pay phone and I inserted my coins and rangContinue reading “And I miss you……”