Celebrate Good Times...Come ON!

So today was the big Celebration Day that I posted about on Thursday. Julie and I hopped into her car and took a little trip to downtown Chicago to a relatively new establishment, one that we thought would be perfect for the occasion.

It's called (drumroll, please!)


The Reagle Beagle!

Yes, that's spelled properly. The owner named/spelled it after the bar on "Three's Company." (For my UK friends, "Three's Company" was based on your show "Man About the House".)




What a fun time we had! This little bar/lounge is located on Grand, just off Michigan Avenue. The walls were covered with cast photos from television shows covering mainly the 1970's but also the 1980's (I think I saw a few from the 1960's thrown in there, as well!) The whole place was warmly decorated, like a modern version of a 70's living room. Alf was there too. The servers kept moving him from the bar to a seat in front of the fireplace, just for fun.




We took care of business first: ordering drinks. Julie went for the Love Boat Lemonade--after reading on the menu that Isaac would be preparing it, asked our server if she would do the same thing Isaac does in the opening theme (go to 1:22). It was delicious. The ingredients? Ketel 1 Citron, lemonade, and grenadine float. (Julie believes there was also some "cruise ship love" in there, but it can't be confirmed.) I ordered the Tootie and Blair's Cranberry and Pear. (Absolut pear, vodka, cranberry, and 7-up) YUM.




That taken care of, we took this photo of a photo of our own Reagle Beagle (Bijoux/the real Ruby, aka the Queen) next to the book, the bar logo, and a candle that just happenned to be already lit and on our table.




Then Julie took the official "author de-stressing" photo of me:




Then we kept going with the photos, through our Cheese Fondue appetizer, our Beagle Burger dinner (not made from beagles; don't worry: they were "fancied up" hamburgers), and our chocolate fondue dessert. It's almost like you were there, right?




We're definitely going back. (We still have to try the Vinnie Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-rita and the Brady Bunch Punch.)

Just Breathe...

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today. I have letters to write, ads to construct, and lists of lists to make (Really! Those of you who know me will not be surprised at that).

The family just left a while ago for their overnight camping trip.

"So, wow, what are you going to do all evening, all by yourself," Jim asked me as they were leaving, "write some of those letters?"

"I was," I replied. "I changed my mind."

The advertisements and letters (easier typed up the first time on the computer rather than writing by hand and then transferring to Microsoft Word later) will wait until tomorrow. Rather, I enjoy making a good list and then crossing items off. In fact, I might make a list of what I already did today and then cross it all off, just for giggles (Really! Those of you who know me will not be surprised at that, either!). Then I'll get only half-serious about the rest of the lists. The great thing about marketing this book by myself--with my right-hand gal Julie--is that I am on my own schedule. I've been tightly wound for more than a week. Time to relax, at least for an evening!

So, I decided, to get things started on the right foot so to speak, to take Roxie for a walk. She was flabbergasted, if that's possible for a dog. Normally I walk her in the mornings--no later than lunchtime! She was so excited to get outside and sniff around. Once she gets hot on the trail of something like a rabbit, she bays and howls like she's being stabbed. It's quite embarrassing, and our friends who live on the next block sometimes say, "Yeah, we heard you outside with Roxie." (The commotion she causes is so loud that I can't take her on early morning walks, for fear of being asked to move out of our neighborhood!) By the way, as she appears in my posts somewhat frequently, I should share a photo of Roxie:


(What a poser. Believe it or not, I had absolutely NOTHING to do with the positioning of the pillows around her. I just called her name before I snapped the photo, and this is what I got!)

Anyway, after our walk, I made myself a lovely dinner. The evening is so peaceful...so far, so good. I feel so much more relaxed than I did about 2 hours ago. In fact, I'm closing this post out. Time for me to get my 'jammies on and curl up on the couch with my dog...and my spiral notebook.

My Author Copies...

...still haven't arrived. Wahh. HOWEVER, the two copies that I finally just purchased from myself through Amazon came about five minutes ago! (Amazing.) Yippee! I'm hoping to get the author copies by the holidays.
LOL...I'll keep you posted.

I've been carrying my friend D's copy of the book around since she loaned it to me last Saturday. I'm feeling very guilty about it, but she assures me that because she is in the middle of a whirlwind of activity including having to write a paper for school that is due Saturday (which she, a busy mom of 2 who also substitute teaches, thinks she may have to pull an all-nighter in order to finish), she doesn't have time to sit and swaddle it in a blanket and look at it all day like I do (okay, okay...she didn't say THAT, and I'm not doing THAT, but I tend to have a dramatic flair and I think that adds to the story), and is happy that I can show her copy off to everyone I see.

I had to run all kinds of errands today, which meant "Yay!" for the family because I was getting stuff done (and "Yay!" for Roxie, who is Bijoux/Ruby's successor, because we went for a nice, long walk), but "BOOOOOO!" for me because I only got a couple of e-mails sent out to promote the book.

Jim and the boys are going camping tomorrow night through late Saturday, so I'll have all kinds of time tomorrow evening and Saturday to work. (Looking forward to checking some stuff off my list!)

I am REALLY looking forward to Saturday night, because Julie and I are headed downtown (I LOVE going downtown: could live there in a minute!) to have our "Two Sisters Celebrating The Completion of a Book!" party. We are going to the Perfect Place, but I'm not telling you today where that is. You'll have to wait for me to post about it either late Saturday night or Sunday. And yes, there will be photos in the post. Anyone familiar enough with Chicago to venture a guess as to where we're going? It's not this place, or this one. Guesses, anyone??

Watson

Those of you who have "eagle eyes" may have already noticed, but I have added another blog link down there to the right. I found Linda through Beverley Cuddy's blog yesterday. She has a blog that documents her beloved dog Watson's diagnosis of and passing from Canine Lymphoma. I started reading it from the beginning and it is heartwrenching to say the least, partly because it brings up memories of my own. Her blog brings up a questions that pet owners will debate probably forever regarding cancer treatment in animals. What I adore about her writing is that her love for Watson absolutely seeps through. Visit her!

Hey UK, what's up?

I just heard from Beverley Cuddy, the Editor and Publisher of Dogs Today Magazine in the UK. She seems so lovely via e-mail (a big shout-out to Beverley!) and has just posted about Remembering Ruby on her blog. She asked me if she could perhaps plug the book in her magazine and I almost completely flipped out. Yes, Please! More on this development as it happens. For now, I have put a link to Beverley's blog over there, to the right. Visit her today!

(And a big HELLO! to the readers of Dogs Today Magazine!)

Speaking of blog links, check out the House of Jules, which is my sister's blog. She finds some crazy things to write about, and she's extremely entertaining. Tell her Melisa sent ya!

More later!

Busy, busy, busy!

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. It's been so busy, trying to keep up with e-mails and marketing plans along with getting the kids to the places they need to be. But what fun!

Since I sent off my announcement to practically everyone I know in the world, I've received so many great e-mails of support both from folks I talk to all the time and people who I mostly have contact with only during the holiday season. I appreciate all of the excitement that my family and friends (and their friends and their friends and so on and so on) are feeling for this book.

I found out yesterday that one of Julie's friends submitted the book info to Oprah, and someone who works with our mom submitted to Ellen DeGeneres. I am working on getting the word out to England so, as I told Julie, I can conquer the UK much like David Hasselhoff has hit the big time in Germany!

In other news, I was overjoyed to find out when I looked at the book's listing on Amazon this morning that it was #49 in the fiction children's books about pets, and #49,753 in all of the books. Of course, it changes every hour according to book sales and by lunchtime I could be back in the 300,000's like I was when I went to bed last night and by dinnertime I could be in the 600,000's like I was on Saturday, but I don't mind the roller coaster ride at all because by Columbus Day I could be back up around, oh, let's say 12,000? Twelve thousandth place isn't too bad. I'm just grateful for this whole experience.

Thanks for Stopping By!

Yes, YOU.

Last night I sent the e-mail announcing the book to just about everyone I know. If you were a recipient and thought to yourself after reading my e-mail, "Hmm. Sounds interesting" or "Good for her!" or "Yay her! She's been talking about this for a long time...she can finally shut up about it!" (not going to happen, by the way! LOL)...and then took the extra step to come and visit my blog, I just wanted to say Thank You!

(And if you happen to have just mysteriously found yourself here by other means, I'm thankin' you, too!)

I look forward to continuing to share my journey with all of you.

More later!

WOW!

Well, my friend D brought the book with her today, and I got to hold it in my hot little hands. What a thrill it was, after all this time! It looked fabulous. We caused a little commotion, because many people who were milling about close by stopped to see what was going on!

D was kind enough to allow me to take the book home with me so I could show the rest of the family, and of course Julie. I hugged it close as I walked to the car, and then, upon seeing another friend walk by our car on the way to hers, held it up in the window and pointed.

She came closer and as I opened the window she nodded and said, "I know...I have my copy in the car. I'm bringing it over to your house to have you sign it."

OKAY. First of all...YIKES! I wasn't thinking about signing books. That's a lot of pressure! (LOL) And what if I mess up? What if I spell my name wrong? (It could happen...)

Second of all, WHY DOES SHE ALSO HAVE A COPY AND YET I STILL DO NOT??? Nevermind. At least I got up close and personal with a copy today and was reassured that they turned out great!

I just sent out the mass e-mail to everyone I know on this earth. Now the fun begins for real!

WHA' HAPPENED????

So as I was saying, I've been trying to wait patiently for my little ole' author copies of this book that Julie and I have poured our hearts and souls into for more than nine months...

Late last night before going to bed, I decided to quickly check my e-mail. I saw something in my inbox from my friend D. The subject line was "cool!"

Her e-mail? Read on:

"We are now the proud owners of a copy of 'Remembering Ruby', which arrived from B&N.com today."

WHA?

WHA?

WHA HAPPENED????

Yes. It is true. My good friend has received the first known copy of this book in this entire world, a book which neither I nor my sister has seen in person yet. Although I am so thrilled that a copy has sold already (yippee!!) and I deeply appreciate D's support, I couldn't help wondering WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO MY COPIES???

Keep your fingers crossed that they arrive today.

By the way, in case you were wondering, D's family loves the book.

The Wait Continues...But It's Not So Bad.

Still no author copies in the mail yet, but progress is being made in other areas...Amazon removed the 9-12 age group from the listing, and now the cover photo is on both the amazon.com and the barnesandnoble.com listings. This is a really exciting time for me, for many reasons:

1. (This is my "oldest" reason:) I have wanted to publish a book since I was about 11, when I was writing a novel called "Patricia" (original, right?) in a blue Mead spiral notebook.
2. Julie and I are finally seeing the results of an agonizingly long process.
3. The reactions of family and friends at hearing the news of Remembering Ruby's publication are so special to me; their enthusiasm gives me the warm fuzzies.
4. As I share the news with people who I don't know quite as well as my inner circle, stories are coming out about their special pets and the great memories they have. It's thrilling to me to share stories and the enthusiasm of others for this book reinforces the fact that there really IS room out there for this book.

I could go on and on...but I've got to get back to work on my marketing! More soon!

Halleluyah!!!

So, ever since I heard from my publishing representative that the book was sent to the printer and the typical turnaround is 3-4 weeks, I've been checking the publisher's website once a day, just waiting to see some indication that the process was finally complete. Every day, I see the same message:

"Your book is in the printing process. All you can do now is wait!"

This morning, I decided to check on it before leaving for work. My attitude was on the bad side. I'm tired of waiting! Apparently someone out there in the cosmos must have sensed my bad attitude and thought, "Let's throw her a bone or something." (Note the unintentional dog reference)

Lo and behold, I almost started screaming and crying when I clicked on my book management screen and saw the words:
"Congratulations! Your book has been published!"

Unbelieveable. Not only was the book published officially yesterday, September 11 (something good on September 11!!), but I can now search for my name on amazon and there it is:
Melisa Wells (author)

How exciting is that!!??

The official webpage for the book (not as exciting as this blog, but still quite informative) is up, too. Click here to check it out.


I just have to work on getting the cover image up on the Amazon page, and I need to change the book level. They have it listed as ages 9-12, but I'd say it's closer to ages 4-8. (Although, in my opinion, ANY age can read it and get something from it, of course!!!)

Now the real work (for me) begins! (And now I begin checking my mailbox daily for my author copies!)

Messages From Beyond?

I was just having an extended conversation with a friend the other evening about how Roxie (our current beagle) is TOTALLY Jim's dog, like Bijoux (our late, great beagle that Remembering Ruby was written about) was TOTALLY mine.

Although I am the one who:
1. lobbied to bring another beagle into the house
2. discovered Roxie
3. convinced Jim that it would be great to have another dog in the house
4. took her to work with me until she was 6 weeks old
5. makes regular arrangements for her to play with her doggie friends at the best Doggie Day Camp in the world--the Naperville Petsmart Petshotel (holla! to Melissa, Brooke, and the rest of the awesome staff!)
6. walks her
7. gives her regular treats
8. takes her on car rides whenever I can
9. lets her up into the bed for a few minutes after the alarm goes off in the morning
10. lets her sleep in the bed ALL NIGHT when Jim is travelling
11. gives her unending love and affection...

...the minute he walks into the room, I mostly cease to exist.

Although I loudly complain about it, I really do think it's pretty funny. I was telling this friend that I think Bijoux is making this happen, because she wants to remain the only dog in my heart. (whatever makes a person feel better, right?)

The following day, I called the vet's office because we have found a couple of fleas on Roxie and I wanted to get some Frontline medication for her so she can be flea-free. When the receptionist answered, I told her who I am and that I had brought the dog in for shots only a month ago, and could they please have some Frontline ready for me in 15 minutes? She said, "Sure, let me pull up your file. You said your dog's name is Bijoux?" Shocked, because I had never brought Bijoux to this vet, I said, "I guess I did say that. But it's Roxie!" Wow. I don't think I've done that before. I told the receptionist that I had just been talking about Bijoux the night before and that she must not be ready for me to get her out of the front of my brain just yet. Luckily, the receptionist, being obviously a dog person who understands crazies like me, just laughed.

We get other "messages" from Bijoux, too. One great example: when Bijoux was a puppy, she used to fall asleep on the arm of the couch. One evening she moved in her sleep and flipped right off. Now, Roxie always curls up on a couch cushion like most dogs would. But, every blue moon or so, we will be in the kitchen making dinner and notice her in the living room, laying long-ways on the arm of the couch, head up at full attention waiting for us to notice her. Right after we look at her, she gets back on the cushion. We tell the kids that when she's doing that, it's Bijoux trying to say hi. I know. I sound like a lunatic. But I'm not...I'm just a person who really, really loved her dog. Depending upon what you believe, events such as this could just be mere coincidence, but I choose to feel comfort by noticing them.

Two weeks...ha ha ha ha ha

I should love it when people ask how the book is coming. I'm at the point now, though, where I practically cringe. The publication of this book has seemed just a little carrot on a string (and I am, what, the horse?): everytime I get a little closer to it, it moves away. (I know, I know: patience is a virtue!)

Most often, I think of the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie "The Money Pit", about a couple who buys the ultimate fixer-upper. They hire contractors to basically gut and rebuild the whole place, and everytime they ask the foreman how much longer it will take, he says "Two weeks!" (and his crew begins the loud, obnoxious laughter)

Although I couldn't locate a clip of this on youtube, I did find the best movie laugh ever, which happens to be from the same movie. I think it accurately reflects what Julie and I have alternately felt at different times during this process. Click, and enjoy!

The update for now is that the book was sent to the printer on August 24 and that it normally takes 3-4 weeks turnaround from that point, which leaves me at about TWO WEEKS (insert loud, obnoxious laughter here).