The cover's off the cover

Ratty's excited. The manuscript as ready for formatting. The cover stands revealed.

Favourable words have been written:
          "In Road Markings Michael Jackson illumines ‘the dimly lit world of New Zealand’s collective imagination’ with acuity, grace and wisdom; his book is road trip as historical meditation, interrogating the memory theatre of consciousness for an ethical way of living in the world. It is exact, resonant and moving; beautifully wrought. I loved its interweaving of the themes of home and homelessness, self and other (they are not distinct), its narration of the impossibility of locating our origins along with our compelling need to identify our beginnings."

                                  by Martin Edmond, author most recently of Dark Night: Walking with McCahon, which is available here.

I hadn't seen it until now on a white background. I'm thrilled. Did I say, the image is by Michael's daughter Heidi Jackson, the lower reflecting design by my daughter Alex Huber, and the typography by Alex's friend Caroline Jackson (unrelated to Michael), who also did the page design.

So now I'm waiting for Michael to return from his travels and cast an eye over the whole, which will then go to Jason Darwin of meBooks, who will format it into ePub and Kindle-friendly versions. I can't wait to let you read it, in five weeks when Rosa Mira Books turns one year old.

Meanwhile, Ratty is a little wistful. Lily the Pink has flown Aerolineas Argentinas (in my birthday lunchbox) to inspect the small cache of jewelry she has inherited from a hugely aged and now deceased great-great-great aunt armadillo. She promises to return as soon as she can.