When Wishes Come True.

The very first vinyl LP I bought was Dreams Are Nuthing More than Wishes by David Cassidy released in October 1973. (Yes, that is the correct spelling of ‘nothing’ and not a dyslexic slip).  I saved the princely sum of £4.50 over the summer months doing odd-jobs. Aged 11yrs and 11 months I felt very grown up converting the green-shield stamps I had accumulated in my post office book into cash.  Money in pocket, my eldest brother took me to Reading HMV store one Saturday morning, He pointed to the beginning of the LP rack arranged in alphabetical order and darted to the safety of the far end where other seventeen-year-olds gathered, shifting through the Ws & Ys (The Who and YES). He looked relieved to see my purchase hidden from view in the store bag I proudly clutched when I joined him later.

I still have that LP (and the CD version.) – It’s a bit crackly now. The LP’s title comes from The Puppy Song, written by Harry Nelson. Nelson wrote the heart wrenching I Can’t Live Without You and the wonderful fable The Point.  Cassidy’s LP title is the first line of The Puppy Song’s chorus. The song’s lyrics describe childhood desires and the companionship of a four-legged friend. The words showcase Nelson’s ability to tap into emotions we all have whether it is lamenting the end of a relationship (Without You) or the desire for individuals to be treated for who they are and not what they look like. (The Point.)

It's the second line of the chorus that gets to me. Dreams are nothin' more than wishes, and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true.

Blindly obvious it might be but isn’t that so true for many of us? The average sleep time for person is 7-9hrs per day. That’s a lot of dream time. Then there is time spent daydreaming. (There is a song about that on the album too.)  Our dreams tend to fall into three types:

 a) nightmares (please not)

 b) dreams about what we would like to have or do – go on that once-in-a-lifetime holiday, the house, car, lifestyle etc.

c) the dreams concerning what your heart desires – personal aspirations, concerns for loved ones, peace on earth etc.

The trouble is that often when those C dreams come true, it can be scary as an Edgar Allen Pole tale or seeing the latest incarnation of Dr Who’s Cybermen. (Yes, I did and still do, hide behind the sofa.) For most writers the wish for your work to be published falls into the third category but its reality comes with buckets of trepidation. No, I am not being a pessimist. Here are some of the anxieties most writers experience during the publication process. Recongise them?

Will people like what you have written? Will the paperback/Ebook sale? Will the ads on FB, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky get any likes? What will be reviews be like? – if anyone reviews it.

At the end of this month my wish will come true when In-Between Girl is published by Resolute Books – Mr Pole and the Cybermen currently bookend the ebb and flow of my excitement at the prospect.

Nelson wrote about a young boy’s wishes to always have his furry friend by his side. I also have someone by my side who has inspired, encouraged, and comforted me when doubt has set in. As proverbs 16:9 says:  We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Looking back I can see how God has led me to this junction point. The good and the not-so-great bits. I cannot see the future but I can have faith in the future because it is their wish, not mine, that has come true.

 

 You can find out more about Sheelagh at www.sheelaghaston.com.  In-Between Girl, the first in The Birchwood Series, is available for pre-order on here and will be published on 29^th August by www.resolutebooks.co.uk