Douglas Adams, author of The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to The Galaxy trilogy (of 5 books if I recall correctly), said “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” I cannot say that I hear whooshing, nor do I love seeing deadlines passing by at any speed, but I am very familiar with the inevitability that they do so. Publishers frequently express surprise when an author delivers his manuscript on time (i.e. when the publisher would like it delivered).

As I am self-publishing (my first effort for some years), I am filling both ends of the equation – the struggling writer/illustrator working furiously at producing a finished work, but hitting obstructions and difficulties at one end; and the stern publisher with raised eyebrow failing to understand how such a simple task yet again eludes the writer at the other. My wife – dear and faithful thing that she is – is siding with the stern publisher in all this and believes that I should be striving harder to cross the finish line instead of writing blog posts about it. Fair comment I grudgingly admit.

All this is to say that Volume 1 of my proposed Always Argyll series of sketchbooks (entitled From Ardrishaig to Crinan) has yet to reach the printers. But fear not! This publication is at last nearing completion with all the artwork/sketches complete and only the layout to be finalised. Oh, and I need to put in a map.

More news to follow … before the decade is out, as JFK said.