Hello ROWers,

once again, it’s the end of the week and that means it’s time for the ROW80 Sunday Check-In.

I received some sad news from New Zealand yesterday.

Denise, the mother of the host mum I stayed with back when I was an exchange student in 2003, passed away yesterday aged 66. She was a loving, kind lady with a fighter spirit, enduring many ailments and setbacks with good humour and optimism. A fighter to her last breath, she sadly succumbed to complications from cancer in her sleep. I hold many fond memories of time spent with Denise, and I will always cherish them and remember her the way she was.  Here she is with her husband, on New Year’s Day 2004, the way I knew her:

I hope she is now at peace, and my thoughts are with my New Zealand family.

As I explained in my Weekend Coffee Share yesterday, it’s been a somewhat stressful week for some reason. But I did get some lovely feedback for my story The Bravery of the Soldier.

I had given it to a friend, who is British and 81-years-old, because unlike others around here she wouldn’t need a dictionary and I know she’s an avid reader. She called me to say she had taken the book on holiday with her, and although she usually stays away from war stories because she has lived through so much herself, she said that my story was so compelling she couldn’t put it down. And then she asked whether it is published or being published. “Not yet” I said, because it does not some redrafting and editing. Then she asked about the proof copies, and whether I could get more. “Sure” I said. After all, they are set to private and as the author I can order more copies. “Well, in that case, I’m telling you right now I’ll want about ten or twelve of them, because I think my friends should read this and I want to give them away as Christmas presents!” She went on to tell me that from my writing and use of British idioms I could be mistaken for a Brit, and she even made me pass the phone to my mum to tell her what a wonderful job I had done and urging her to finally read it. I’m absolutely thrilled to get feedback like that, especially as she is a woman who tells it like it is.

Now I just need to find time next to working and studying to edit the book (again).

Here’s what I managed to get done this week. Luckily tomorrow’s a bank holiday so I can make up for lost time.

• Complete CCC502 Assignment #8 (Final Paper)
• Complete MA500 Assignment #4
• Complete The American South module #3
• Complete Jewish Diaspora in China module #4
• Complete Writing Fiction module #4
• Complete Propaganda & Ideology module #2
• Complete Superheroes in Pop Culture module #2
• Start Recipe Collection
• Top Ten post on Tuesday
• Weekend Coffee Share on Saturday
• ROW80 Update on Sunday

Click here to see how the other ROWers did this week!