Who wants to know?

February 6th 2023

Hello, once again!

                                                                  The book and me, forty years on

Oh, oh, oh, such a long silence. Sorry. No excuse, just bone idle.

In case you thought I’d ceased to exist, let me just say…

I’m still here, and still writing. And someone might want to know that there are several awesome book anniversaries this year, the most spectacular of which is the 40th anniversary of the publication of Possum Magic. (How can that be, when I’m only 40 myself?) The first Possum Magic anniversary for me is March 31st, the day in 1983 when the publishers came to my house —CAME TO MY HOUSE!—which would ever happen now, to hand me my first copy of the book. The second is May 17th, the day in 1983 that Possum Magic was launched at the Sydney Opera House. Several different special editions will be appearing.

The other major anniversaries are the 35th anniversary of Koala Lou and the 30th anniversary of Time for Bed, two of my all-time favourites, for which there will be special editions, also.

What else?

We’ve had a benign summer in Adelaide, so the garden is smiling and marvellously happy, and deeply grateful to me for all the love and care I’ve given it.

But honestly, who wants to know?

I dearly love my family and friends and have seen a lot of them recently, thanks to the summer hols.

But honestly, who wants to know?

Talking of friends, at my age many of mine are afflicted with one thing or another, and in one awful case, has just succumbed to a heart attack. This is all awfully sad.

But, even so, honestly, who wants to know?

I’m still lifting 6kgs weights above my head, 20 times in each arm, every morning. (That’s just over 13 pounds.)

But honestly, who wants to know?

The more people reveal about themselves (and of themselves, frankly—on the beach and around our local streets), the more I want to keep myself to myself, because honestly, who wants to know?

And who wants to know that, even?

But hey, what about this piece of news? There’s a brand new book: Our Dragon, illustrated by Linda Davick, coming out in May—or even April, if you’re in the USA. But it won’t be the last, that I do know.

 

I think that’s all I need to share right now. For the rest, well, as my watch says: ‘Who cares?’

 

 

Thanks so much for reading my woefully intermittent blog. And all the very best to you and yours for the rest of 2023.

Mem Fox xxx