What about your saucepans?

Well I have done it at last.

February 27th is a key day for the Dominican Republic. It is the date when the DR became an independent nation in 1844.

It is also the date my book will be published. I started this blog whilst I was looking for a publisher for my very first book, entitled “What about your saucepans?” It was a long and arduous process, and I received many emails from publishers and agents saying that whilst the manuscript was intriguing it was “not right for our list’. I was never sure if the manuscript was rubbish and they were being nice, in a very Dominican way, telling me what they thought I wanted to hear, or if they were telling the truth. In the end one publisher, Jo Parfitt of Summertime Publishing, gave me a glimmer of hope and said that if I changed all sorts of things, like introduced dialogue, described the characters in much more detail, and “showed what happened, rather than tell,” then she would look at it.

That is when I started to learn how to write. She put me in touch with an amazing editor, Jane Dean, and little by little I started to rewrite it. It was very hard writing dialogue, and  it was even harder digging deep into my memory and my soul and writing about my feelings and all the things which have happened over the past 10 or so years, many of which I would rather forget.

However, between the two of them they turned my original account of what happened into a real live book, which amazingly to me, people appear to like.

"What About Your Saucepans? is not only essential reading for anyone moving to the Dominican Republic, it's also a damn good read. Lindsay de Feliz's fight against political corruption, being shot and almost losing everything is one of the most inspiring expat stories I have ever read." 
Jamie Morris, Founder, ExpatFocus.com

 "Despite the incredible setbacks she has faced, Lindsay's love and loyalty for her adopted country radiate through this entertaining chronicle of her eventful life in the DR." 
Ilana Benady, co-author, Expat FAQs: Moving to and Living in the Dominican Republic (Summertime Publishing 2011)

"Lindsay's adventures in the DR will shock and amuse in equal measure, and her vast knowledge of the country makes this a hugely entertaining memoir." 
Shelley Antscherl, Book reviewer, Dutchnews.nl

“It's in a class by itself, this is no tour guide and no 'how to do DR' book. It is a non-fiction account of the events in her life over the past 10 or so years. To say it's a page-turner doesn't do it justice. Although I already knew most of the incredible stories she relates, I was unable to put it down and go to bed.” 
Grace Olivio

Most of what is in the book you will not have read about in this blog, but I think it will help you understand a lot more about my life in this country. It is not just a gentle memoir about upping sticks and moving abroad. It is about following your dreams (even though there are a few nightmares en route), finding your soulmate (your half an orange), life-changing moments, such as being shot, and fighting for what you believe in, whatever the cost.

I really hope you enjoy it. It is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com here, and will shortly appear on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca, as well as the other Amazons around the world. I will have some copies sent to me here in the DR soon, so those of you who live here and don’t have access to Amazon, can email me on yoursaucepans@hotmail.com and I will get one to you. The Kindle version will also be available soon.

If you do read it, please let me know what you think of it. You can of course post here, or on the Facebook page,  “What about your saucepans?” or directly onto the Amazon site, which would be great.