Bookshelf

Writing is a compulsion...

"Whether with pen, or typewriter, or much-reviled computer, there is hardly a day when I am not tussling with words.

"In the past 6 years this has been the cause of many burnt dinners and cold cups of coffee, late nights, missed deadlines and bouts of absent-mindedness. Writing has the clandestine savour of a love affair: two lives, two worlds... all the delight of an intrigue, and the same mysterious feeling that time has grown wings. Of course I meant to tackle the cobwebs in the kitchen, and the hogweed in the garden. I meant to remember to put out the bins. But somehow I am still wrestling with a phrase, digging for a resonance and the hours have flown. In winter, the studio freezes and bed-socks, fur coats (charity shop imitation) and hot water bottles are the order of the day. In summer, life at Stoneywish goes crazy: a constant battle to keep the animals safe and well, and preserve a semblance of order amidst the wilderness! Mornings start at 5.30 a.m. and time to think has to be stolen before the day's distractions intervene. But reinventing the world is an addiction worth the price..."

The Midnight Oil Artisan Press
was set up in 2012 to publish books by Rosemary Pavey. Originally consisting of a computer, a printer, a hot glue gun and an iron, it stands in that noble tradition of self-publishing, which has been practised by hotheads, crackpots and visionaries through the ages. The name is self-explanatory. I write this at twenty past twelve!

"I grew up to believe that vanity publishing was a shameful thing. But in today's market the choice is stark. If you are not commercial, you are probably not going to live long enough to find a publisher. And then some eccentrics want a finger in every pie! Look at Blake. Look at Mark Twain. Their printing ambitions almost broke them. But they knew every corner of the books they made and were intoxicated by the process. That's inspiration enough. In addition, the rigours of preparing for the press add a crucial dimension to the business of writing. After six proof-readings you should know your faults, so there are no excuses."

Click here to view publications:                  

The Beehive Cluster

The Magpie's Nest

Christmas Ghosties

Rook's Hill

Painting and Chaos

News from Stoneywish

Delights from a Sussex Kitchen

Feasts and Festivities