OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Death warmed up. That’s how I felt after a nearly sleepless night. Something went horribly wrong yesterday, but I was unable to react to it while it was unfolding and, at first, I had no idea what triggered the acute anxiety response afterwards. The body never lies, though, and it gave me hell in the night. A lesson in boundary setting; recognising and protecting my vulnerability. Thank goodness today was the day I saw my astute and kind counsellor and, together, we actually reached a moment of true enlightenment – for me. There was this one sentence she said that was just perfect, and suddenly the world made perfect sense again.

Afterwards, while battling a monster headache despite medication, I just soldiered on. Coffee with my love, phone call with Karavan Press’s lovely agent, and two meetings with future Karavan Press authors – one gave me coffee and a delicious snack and the other gave me two masks her husband had made (see one in the above picture). I felt nourished and protected, and it felt great. I am looking forward to working with these remarkable women whose stories are burning with a light that will shock and warm readers. True survivors. I look at them and think: all the horror that life threw at you, and here you are, beautiful, brave, caring, kind human beings – true inspirations. I hope to do justice to their astonishing stories.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD