Cultivating a Fuji, Edition 2 by Miriam Drori

Val Penny ♦ March 4, 2021 ♦ 1 Comment

I am delighted that bestselling author Miriam Drori has made time to stop by the blog today to tell me about writing a second edition of her novel Cultivating a Fuji. Thank you for your time, Miriam.

The Extract

“But… I can’t believe it. How can they send Martin?” Carol’s voice rose to a squeak and a frown appeared below her fringe.

“I know. But the powers-that-be have pronounced verdict. And we’re supposed to pretend that it’s absolutely normal, so no laughing in front of Martin, okay?”

The grin that had formed on Carol’s face vanished as she bit her lower lip. “Okay. But they’ll murder him in Japan.” She burst into a fit of laughter, displaying a bright red smudge on her upper teeth.

“None of that. I mean it.” Sue’s lips twitched unintentionally.

Yes, Martin is being sent to represent the company in Japan, and Carol, Sue and the rest of the staff think it’s a big joke. Apart, that is, from Ian and John. They’re sad about Martin’s imminent failure, because they know it will shut down the company.

The above excerpt comes near the beginning of this story of transformation, a tale that is poignant, humorous and ultimately uplifting.

Why is there now a second edition of this novel? There are two reasons.

The first is out of necessity. The book left my publisher, Crooked Cat, who is now publishing only dark novels (crime, horror, thrillers, etc.) under its imprint, Darkstroke. That led to the second reason.

I had long wanted to make minor modifications to the text. The changes are dotted around the novel, but focus on the beginning and the ending. The opening words didn’t appeal to me as much as they did when I wrote them, and opening words, as we all know, are vitally important to a novel. So, I changed them. I like the beginning now. I hope that lasts!

The new ending is the one I really wanted for the first edition, before I allowed myself to be persuaded by a suggestion from an author I admire. Instead of explaining why my ending worked better, or simply ignoring the suggestion, I told myself that she knew better.

So, for me, this novel has been a lesson in trusting myself as an author. It’s important to listen to what readers have to say, but ultimately the decision must remain with the author.

Fortunately, this novel has been enjoyed by many and I hope it continues to satisfy readers and cause them to reflect.

Cultivating a Fuji is available on Amazon.

Miriam Drori can be found on Facebook, Twitter, her website and elsewhere.

The Author

Miriam Drori took up creative writing following careers in computer programming and technical writing. Her books span several genres: romance, historical fiction, uplit, crime and non-fiction. Her short stories and poems have appeared in anthologies. She is passionate about raising awareness of the widespread but little-known disorder called social anxiety.

Born and raised in London, Miriam now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and one of three grown-up children.