Probably one of the first blogs I followed and absolutely loved was Kerri Sackville's. She has a book being released in a few short weeks and I'm thrilled for her. I'm equally delighted she agreed to be the subject of some of my probing questions. Over to the inimitable K Sack to discuss her soon to be published book: 'When my husband does the dishes.' You can (and should) pre-order it here.
Firstly, tell us a little bit about why we need to buy your book.
a) My book will make you snort tea through your nose (which will be particularly noteworthy if you haven’t actually drunk tea).
b) My book will show you that you are NOT alone.
c) My book is purple and will bring an attractive splash of colour to a neutral outfit.
d) My book will lower blood pressure and make your hair glossy (I may have made that last one up).
What would you like your millions of readers to take away from reading this book?
I want people to read this book and think “YES! That’s EXACTLY what it’s like!” We all have challenges in our marriages and as parents, and I want people to know that they are normal, and that their struggles are normal, and to feel better about their own lives by laughing at mine.
How long did it take you to write?
It took just under a year to write, a year of late nights at the computer, snatched hours writing while the kids were watching TV, and noting down ideas on scraps of paper in the middle of the supermarket.
How did you juggle the demands of writing and editing with your other work as well as your children and a partner who works long hours?
I have no idea. It's a total blur. I can say that I hired Gab – my tattooed, private-investigator cum make-up artist cum barista cum nanny - to help me two afternoons a week with the kids, and I could not have managed without her. I can also say that I only got my tax return in at the end of March, that my family started wearing clothes from the dirty laundry basket, and that we ate ridiculous amounts of take-out pizza. Oh, and that my phone got cut off once when I forgot to pay the bill, and that Pinkela was late to school virtually every day as I'd stayed up late writing, and that I barely read a book to Boo in a year, and .... and...
Was there ever a point where you thought 'I can't do this' and how did you get past it?
No, never, it was an incredibly easy process. Oh, and that last sentence was a lie. YES I thought ‘I can’t do this’. Regularly. I'd write like crazy for a couple of hours and feel "I never want to stop" and then suddenly it would be "I cannot do this for one second longer". So then I’d go and do housework or supervise homework or make dinner and I'd want to return to the book. After all, anything is better than housework and homework and cooking.
You've previously said you only write non fiction. Why is this?
a) I’m a big show-off and like to write about myself.
b) I’m very lazy and think that writing about what has actually happened is far easier than having to go to all the trouble of making things up.
c) There is so much to write about in my reality, I don’t think I’ll ever run out of material. Seriously. I could get three or four books out of my husband, let alone the kids.
Did you find having a structural edit a valuable exercise?
I actually sold the book to Random House as a finished manuscript without having had any outside editor look at it. And I was very lucky in that RH didn't feel it required much editing. The few structural changes that my editor suggested were absolutely spot on and it was fantastic to have someone else's input after working alone for so long.
What is your plan in terms of writing other books, and will one of them be dedicated to me?
This one is dedicated to you Sarah. I just couldn't actually put it in print as I didn't want the other bloggers to get jealous.
