I've been tidying up my studio in preparation for a new series of paintings I'm about to embark on. While doing so I came across an old folder containing a bunch of rejection slips I'd received years ago for my novel Before the Dawn. I was surprised to see how long and complementary the rejection letters were. They came from people very high up in the industry,like Bill Scott Kerr and others. One publisher said my novel made her cry. Another that it was engrossing and beautifully written. Yet none of these publishers would publish the novel. The reason they invariably gave was that it wasn't sufficiently commercial because the market place was parochial and people couldn't identify with the exotic characters etc etc... When I look back and think of all the years I spent writing it and the many drafts it went through and all the anguish and heartache the novel gave me I do have to wonder if it was worth it. I fear not. But it's out there now, published by Skylight Press, and time will tell if it was worth it after all. All I know is that it's a great story, deceptively easy to read, about a subject that becomes more and more relevant every day that passes, and worth every penny to whoever buys it.