After a few years of working on the novel, I saw a New Zealand Novel Writers competition, I think it was run by the Listener Magazine, but can’t be sure, it was a long time ago, but I remember the top judge was Witi Ihimaera and the winner was David Brown.

I needed help to get a sample of my story ready to submit because it was spread over too many Word processing programs. My sister in law Karen Brown, who is a legal PA and a fast typist, helped me by typing up some chapters into something cohesive. I was really grateful for her help.

The competition said the novel could be from any genre, but I didn’t win and began to see that science fiction wasn’t thought of as profitable to publish in New Zealand.

One particular New Zealand agent was very arrogant and when I asked to speak to them personally, I was told that “everyone wants to speak to him personally.” I was made to feel ridiculous for wanting it. But if someone is going to represent me/my book, of course I’m going to want to talk to them!

Then there was the online publisher: Crossroads, who gave me a contract. Yay! I was going to be published! No, turned out to be a fraud. The lady who ran it needed other writers to legitimise the claim she was a publisher and publish her own books!

I became more cynical with each passing year.

In spite of this, people like my sister Beryl, continued to believe in me and I want to thank her for her emotional and financial help.

Particularly, I want to acknowledge my gratitude to God, who inspired and guided me. It is the right time to be publishing digitally; I don’t think I could have done this at any other time in my life or in history. I want to doubly acknowledge my husband Dean Sutherland; this has been really demanding for him, at what is possibly the worst time in his life, helping with publication while nursing me through cancer. He’s just been fantastic!

I also want to acknowledge the people who said I couldn’t do it; because you often provoked me to keep going.

Thanks

Cate