Penguin’s Mark Raducanu reviews ‘the best short story by Elizabeth George since Candide’, Tom McCarthy and more
This year’s outing was tough, but last year’s was harder, I have learned
Saddleback Grass, A Company of Fools. “No rules. You cannot turn out. No reviews. No measurements.”
I wrote and shared the short story with a few friends. They couldn’t imagine that an author would publish her work so early. Then a publisher asked if she would review it. It’s true, I was more used to seeing authors’ work “click” on Twitter, online, and then be forgotten. Now, the whole story is part of a book release. It’s been a constant challenge to juggle family and friends and the demands of full-time publication.
Penguin brought me here. Across the wavy terrazzo floors of the United States Penitentiary in Dublin, I have experienced the fruits of my creative labor for the first time. It is, at once, so very great and so very very difficult. I am right now in the transition from someone’s idea to the actual realization of the work. What lies ahead is filled with uncertainty. Fortunately, every time I sit down at my computer I think about the people that I love, knowing that they are pulling me forward.
We are in the same boat. Launching a new book is exciting, but the challenges arise. I know I have this book to thank for my opportunities. The tide has turned, and I am finally more at ease with my journey.
Thank you for your reading!
Mark Raducanu