A week both sweet and bitter

Posted by Audrey Chin on November 10, 2013 · 18 Comments 

I’m exhausted from the week that was but thought I should check in with everyone just to let you know how everything’s been.

It was seven days of both sweet and bitter.

Sunday November 2nd –  I attended my first literary festival event as a panelist. I was euphoric seated between two world famous award winning writers. I came back to earth with a bump at the book signing later, when my line emptied in about six minutes and theirs stretched for a good twenty minutes more.

Monday – My editor and I heard that we’d been invited to an event to pitch As the Heart Bones Break to some movie producers. That was the up. The down was an email from my cousin that his dear mother, who’d been taken off dialysis a few days before, would be coming home and receiving last visits. That evening, Heart Guy and I felt our heart bones crack a little as we went to sit with her and watched her drift in and out of consciousness.

Tuesday – I was buoyed by all your messages wishing me luck for the movie pitch.  By evening I was on pins and needles with anticipation.Not five minutes into the event, though, I realized that it would cost an enormous amount to transform Heart Bones into film. While folks were interested, money was an issue, a big issue. I got 2 leads but went home sober.

Wednesday – My aunt died. It was a blurry kind of day.  I have a vague memory of going to prayer service that evening with Heart Guy and then sitting with my cousins and their children at the wake. I collapsed into bed spent.

Thursday – Went to a Publishing Symposium and met a NYC editor from Harper Collins who said my agent could call her. I should have been ecstatic with the connection. But, on that day, securing a publishing contract didn’t seem important at all.  Family, friends, a simple woman who’d led a good life then left us, that was what seemed real.  What I remember about Thursday was being back at church again in the evening, praying and being with family and remembering my aunt.

Friday – Another half day at the Publishing Symposium to support a writer who’d been my mentor, then off to the church for the funeral in the afternoon. I held my mother, who was recovering from a series of strokes, as she sobbed and sobbed. I supported her as we followed the casket up a slope into the church for the last service. Then it was back home to wait for a dear friend from Australia who was coming in to Singapore specially for the launch and a very rushed night at the performance of another writer friend’s poetry.

Saturday –  As the Heart Bones Break sold out after the first public reading 😉 We had a great launch party. Afterwards I ran back to church to attend rehearsals for Youngest’s confirmation. It should have been my cousin attending as he was the sponsor. But, he had to be at the crematorium to pick up his mother’s ashes ;(

Tears amidst laughter, sorrow amidst joy. I guess that’s life. But it’s been a bit more eventful than I’m used to, so it’s a hot shower and a hot cup of tea and then to bed.

Until next week.

Filed under POSTS · Tagged with Art, Australia, Bitter and sweet, HarperCollins, Health, Life and death, Literature, New York City, singapore, Sorrow amidst the joy, The week that was, Writers Resources