Last week I signed a contract. Last week a dream came true. For almost three decades I have been working towards this moment. Early 2021 my first novel will be published by Orlando Publishers.

When I reached adulthood, it dawned on me my childhood had been a somewhat unusual. As a matter of fact, it had been quite a roller coaster. Too much had happened for one lifetime. I had no idea though it would take me this long to work out the details and to find a form to tell my story.

A few months ago I finally found the courage to send my manuscript to Jacqueline Smit at Orlando Publishers. Jacqueline and I met many years ago on holiday with our families in France. Sharing a love of books and good foods, we became friends. I trusted her to give me a fair assessment of the quality of my story.

Why now, one could ask. Why wait so long? Once upon a time, being frustrated with my past, I promised myself that one day I would write a book about it and with the money I would buy a house in France. It so happened that last Spring I found that house online and by Fall that house was bought. The message was clear: that book needs to be written now!

I have been trying to write down the story since early adulthood, but each phase in my life has added an extra layer. Not to mention writing skills. With my love for storytelling it would have been obvious to pursue an education in writing, but I didn’t want to ruin the love with dull exercises. So I polished my skills with time and countless attempts at writing a full-length novel.

In 2012 I wrote the current manuscript in 30 days during National Novel Writing Month. I set deadlines to rewrite the script, I tried to find a coach, I told everybody that I wanted to finish it, but procrastination kicked in. Finally in 2019 I took a sabbatical from work, went on a little writing retreat and promised myself I would finish it before I turned 50 years old.

Well, I turned 50 yesterday and it’s still not finished. There’s a lot of rewriting ahead, but with a contract in my pocket and a leaking roof on my French house, I am pretty confident I will be holding my own book in my hands come 2021.