Radio Cumbria interviewed me again the other day: it aired yesterday morning and I caught it as I was de-icing the car to take the children to school.
My contract with Woman magazine says nothing about not talking to local radio: nor indeed to radio at all, nor to local newspapers. However the Cumberland News picked the story up and were straight on the phone to me, saying they're going to publish something on Friday anyway whether or not I talk to them: they wanted to after I'd spoken to Carlisle Living and, on the advice of the journalist who's written me up for Woman, I said 'no': she's worried that once it's in the newspapers, even a small local newspaper like the Cumberland News, that the story will be got hold of by the national papers or a press agency and that I won't see any money at all from the story.
It's actually made me wonder about a few things, helped by having a very good friend who's a broadcaster and who has done journalism as well (I can't now remember how I've referred to her earlier in my blog!). For a start, the journalist who's writing up my story for Woman is doubtless getting a huge amount more from this story than I am. I don't particularly have a problem with that as she's had to do the writing, she had the contacts (which I didn't) and it's her livelihood: she has also sounded really friendly all the times I've spoken to her and I don't believe in mucking people around anyway: a deal is a deal. But I do wonder whether some of her concern is that she won't make her money from the story if Woman say I'm in breach of contract (I'm certain I'm not: sure enough that I'd go to Court over it if necessary. I think there'd be a story there as well: unemployed mother of 3 done out of a relatively small amount of money (in their terms) by big glossy trying to intimidate her....).
The other thing is that if the Cumberland News does publish a story on Friday, it may at least give some indication whether there is a story in which the nationals are going to be interested (Broadcaster Friend is convinced there is - so long as it's told the right way). I don't know how much detail the Cumberland News will have to go on as I'm not sure how much digging they'll be prepared to do, and how much information Radio Cumbria or Carlisle Living will give provide them with. And of course they won't get a photo of the baby when he's born anyway, which is really the key moment in the story. But if there is some national interest then potentially I'm wondering whether I can then deal with that myself, directly, and negotiate myself. In some ways I don't want the hassle, I just want the journalist to act, effectively, as an agent for me!
So it will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. It's made me think about how celebrities must feel. I really enjoyed being on Radio Cumbria, it was fun; and doing the article for Carlisle Living was fun: but I'm now seeing the downside of press attention, albeit that this is on a very, very minor scale. I've always thought I wanted to be famous as I like being the centre of attention: but the flip side of that is sometimes you're the centre of attention when you don't want to be. Having said that even if I do get some press attention you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be over in a relatively short space of time and the newspapers will be wrapped around fish and chips a few days later!
What I would really like from this is some money to help keep us going as a family, and better still for some work, i.e. regular income, to come from it in some way: I'd also really like to talk to one of the broadsheets or a sensible TV or Radio programme about the issues about being an older mother and the medical research side of it. For example, I was thinking about fertility and Downs. Women nowadays don't really know how fertile they are because they use contraception (on the whole), although the ease with which one gets pregnant when trying is presumably an indicator. So, if you get pregnant easily in your 40s and even your early 50s, does that mean that you're still producing lots of eggs? And if so, presumably the number of eggs which is healthy is going to be higher - and give you a higher chance of a healthy baby - than a woman who isn't producing so many eggs. Also, I know your eggs age, but if you're ageing more slowly than normal then are your eggs maybe ageing more slowly too (I think the answer to that is probably 'no' from what I've read, but I'm not sure it's necessarily something which has been specifically looked at)?
I'm optimistic that this will all lead to something work-wise for me: the interviews, voice overs and pieces I've done for Radio Cumbria I think must be good experience and a useful starting point.
What I want more than anything of course though is a healthy baby: Husband and I always said we were lucky that we'd got the two we'd got. I know I've written here before that to have a third healthy child would make us lucky beyond our expectations. If the deal was to get no money from the story but have a healthy baby, there is of course no decision to be made.
Meanwhile the snow is still here, although fortunately school hasn't been closed again. I have a mailing to do for the Lanercost Festival Chorus including some press releases in order to try to recruit new singers: I also need to find some gold paper which I can put in my printer, to do 'save the date' cards for my 50th birthday party next year (August Bank Holiday weekend and also my 7th wedding anniversary: and hoping to have the baby christened the next day). And there are still a couple of presents to buy but I really need to wait until I have a bit more money in my account (I think I'm down to about £20)!
Grade 7 singing exam on Thursday: I hope I remember all my words and that the aural and sight-singing go OK!
The snow makes everything feel really christmassy, and I love driving through Brampton in the dark seeing the snow and the christmas lights on the buildings. I sometimes miss city life in terms of career opportunities but I don't think I really ever want to live anywhere else. And it won't be long now before I'll be able to go out running on the trails again!
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