10:30 am a group of my family, friends, friends of friends and local swimmers, adults and children met at the lake in Shropshire where I wrote this book, it seemed only fitting that its first public reading should be here.
I'm not a natural public speaker, but here in my happy place, sat on a ledge like something out of a Lion King remake, surrounded by like-minded people I read WIM'S ICE ODYSSEY out in public for the first time
(above photos By Katerina Jane) https://www.facebook.com/Capturingmemorieswithkatrinabradley
The reception was fabulous, with children and parents alike enjoying the story and one parent, in particular, commenting about how glad she was to have a bit of the book dedicated to water safety, that that made the book more than just a story but a lesson too.
After the reading, we chatted, ate homemade cupcakes and then went for a group swim.
Usually mum and I swim alone in the lake or maybe with another 1 or 2 other swimmers, quietly, it's a time of calm and inner reflection.
it's a very different energy swimming there when there is a crowd - The lake was soon filled with shrieks and giggles of delight and a few choice words were overheard when the children were well out of earshot, the cold water was colder on entrance than had been expected by some of the newbies,
Then it was out for homemade cupcakes and a chat as we dried off and warmed up., aided by a round of horse stance / Wim Hof-inspired breathing.
my friend G, marked the occasion by swimming across the lake to the far side for the first time ever, coincidentally a year to the very day that she had first stepped in here for her first lake dip, initially a non-swimmer, at the time she had stayed in the shallows, at standing depth taking in the benefits of the cold and the beautiful green scenery.
She went away and taught herself to swim safely in the local swimming pool, today she overcame her wild water concerns and swam with confidence and ease to the far side and back again to the shore.
Well done G!
I had some lovely comments left in my notebook as well as concern expressed about one of the sentences I'd used.
Constructive criticism:
Luckily, I had read from the proof copy of the book before the books had been printed, so tweaks could still be made if needed.
A couple of the listeners there are swimmers and fellow vegans, and they questioned my 'use' of a boar in the story, suggesting it feeds into the societal norm of using animals for human benefits, I had thought about this when writing the verse, and in truth had picked the word only because it rhythmed in the sentence, initially telling myself that as this isn't a vegan book, and the boar is only a picture that it was passable, but after thinking about it some more I changed the words slightly to lose the use of the boar which actually sits better with me too.
You'll need to read to book to see if you agree with the change.
It was a lovely morning and gave me a good boost of confidence for the next reading :).
XOX Jay
Comments