Lurking Merkins - Volume Two of Under the Duvet of Darkness

[Boiledbeetle]

"Under the Duvet of Darkness Volume Two Lurking Merkins" is now live on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMJZ43VZ

This a thread about a book about a thread about a book about a thread! (I think I’ve got the correct number of books and threads in there)

There are over 160 poems written by over 40 different Mumsnet usernames contained within its 208 pages.

There are also 12 Lurking Merkin poems lurking throughout the book!

It can take a few days for it to become fully searchable so the link below will take you straight to it:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMJZ43VZ

It's available worldwide so if anyone needs the link for a site other than the UK let me know and I can give you the link to the relevant Amazon site.

IMPORTANT BIT:

Whilst written entirely by Mumsnet users this book is not, I repeat NOT, published with Mumsnet’s express permission or co-operation.

It is published with the express permission and co-operation of the individual writers themselves.

Can anyone who tweets about it link directly to the book on Amazon or my Twitter profile:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMJZ43VZ
or
https://twitter.com/TheBoiledbeetle

rather than to this MN thread.

Thank you everyone who let me use their poems, without you there would be no book!

Boiledbeetle XX

Finally got my 'phone charged.

Your cats are beautiful @TessoftheDurbeyfields

Thank you 😊

I'm neglecting my book pushing duties as I feel like death warmed up!

Currently at 40 volume 2 and 9 volume 1 so only picked up 1 sale yesterday.

But honestly I don't have the umph to do twitter.

Nice photo Cake.

I'm away back to my bed.

Poor BoiledBeetle
Woke up weighed down
By the concrete in her bones
Her snot it flew like her books
Up the bestseller charts
As she lay in her bed
Surrounded by cats and poetry

BoiledBeetle's got the cooties
The nasty, evil cooties
We all sent her love and tissues
And much to her dismay
More poems for her to read

We love BoiledBeetle
We really do
Even when she's
Full of snot
Laid up with the 'flu

😘😷🤒👇

🤣🤣 couldn't resist 🤣🤣

2 volume 2 and 1 volume 1 on Friday.

52 sales in total this month so far, 42 vol 2 and 10 volume 1

And look how close we are getting to the one and a half grand raised mark since this started back in April!

My copy arrived a couple of days ago. That's great work @Boiledbeetle ! I really like the context you've added for the poems. And a bonus poem by the Merkin Lady herself!

And in thanks and just in case you are ever tempted to do this again here's a contribution, in free verse. (I was educated when free verse was the rage so I never learned to write Proper Poetry)

Slutwalk

Today I walk alone. It's getting dark, I'm in a park. I wear jeans, a warm coat, a scarf and boots. I walk on sticks. No headphones, I am present. I'm getting old. .

Daylight is short and exercise is necessary. Many people walk here and no-one is attacked. Only once, years ago.

How dare I walk alone, at night, in a park? Am I brave? Defiant? Foolish? Is this a slutwalk?

In the shadows by the pond I pass family with toddlers.

A dog walker crosses the path.

I climb the hill. The dusk is deepening. It's steep, I focus on my feet on the slippery grass. I don't want to lose my footing. I could sit down hard, get bruised or sprained. Or broken. There are dangers. A young woman passes me walking lightly downhill. "Hi" she says and smiles. "Hi" I say.

I climb steadily on my sticks.

No moon. A narrow strip of sunset on the horizon. An evening star above, the city lights glitter cold and white below. It's beautiful.

She makes me a little safer. I make her a little safer. We are not alone.

Some weird bold font there - no idea what I did wrong.

Thanks for the poem! Didn't need my specs so all good.😀

Lovely and all in biglys 😊

My Friday night purchase arrived this afternoon.

Well done to everyone who contributed.

Just catching up... that's an unmissable post from @AmaryllisNightAndDay

😍

Glad you liked it - and the bonus poem! and I like your bigly letters poem above!

@Whatsnewpussyhat

💐

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

https://x.com/TheBoiledbeetle/status/1724040075376218553?s=20

I want that cat! My copy arrived in the box at the bus station on Saturday. Looks fantastic and seeing some poems I missed on the thread is great. It really is record of what was happening in just a few short months…history in the making, Congratulations!

@Ramblingnamechanger It's not surprising you missed some on the thread, there were a lot of poems over the two threads! some of the poems came off different threads as well!

It's awful the amount of things that have happened in just a few months isn't it, especially given that what's covered is only a small fraction of some of the crazy shit that's happened this year!

I've just been whingeing on Twatter that I can't see it on Amazon, but it may be because our ship's WiFi is a Belgian Star Link arrangement.

Well as you aren't the only one I've contacted Amazon to see what's going on (still waiting on a response all I've got is maybe they'll get back to me in the next 24 hours). I've checked out every reason in their less than helpful help guides and none of the answers fit. So Amazon being Amazon seems to be the answer!

But yours, knowing Amazon, may well be because it's locating your location in the middle of the sea and they don't deliver there!

Yes, could be. I had to log out of WiFi on the phone, then log in on the laptop, faff about, allow expletives of varying extremity to seep out,log out of the laptop, back into the phone.... and now can't be arsed to try again.

Still, I'm home tomorrow. Unless someone crashes into us in the dock, we sink and I drow overnight.

Just had the following.

Hello,

Greetings from Amazon KDP.

I understand your concern.

Upon checking, I see your book is live and available for sale on UK marketplace. It might show as unavailable if the shipping address is outside of UK. You can ask them to use a different web browser to check. If they still face the issue with the shipping address is within UK, Please send us the screenshot along with the shipping address that we can check with the technical team and resolve your issue as soon as possible. But we can assure that your book is available for sale.

Not sure how I get random people on the internet to tell me their address mind!!!!

Do you want my sort code, mother's maiden name and my date of birth?

😃

And bank card pin number and name of your first pet and school!

Height, weight and vital statistics!

But not your safe word as tmi.