Outage

Argggghhh! On Thursday while driving home from work and attempting to call home, I discovered that we had no phone service. Ouch! Well, I thought, at least we have cell phones and the call forwarding feature on our home line...

What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that our internet service runs through the phone line...double ouch!

"This can't happen," I thought. "I have WORK to do!"

But alas, it did happen, and I tried to learn yet another lesson in patience. Our line was repaired yesterday afternoon and I can now obviously spend time online working, e-mailing friends, and reading the blogs I have become attached to...and the whole experience makes me wonder how much harder all of this book stuff would have been without the technology that is available today, so I take a moment to be thankful.

Great Feedback, Book Signatures, and HI DAD!

I am getting wonderful feedback from those friends and family who have ordered and received the book (of course, I also wouldn't necessarily expect that my friends and family would tell me that the book stinks, either!). It's so great to hear from everybody as their books trickle in.

I put my business cards out at the salon yesterday, and am planning to bring a bunch of copies to the Fall Festival we're having on November 11. Dawn (salon owner) thought it would be fun to offer copies and have a mini book-signing. So, we're going to try it!

My current issue (because I always need to be working through some issue!) is that I'm trying to figure out what to write when I sign the books. People are starting to ask me to sign their copies, and these aren't all people who have lost a pet. I am having a hard time with this. I can come up with many caring and sincere things to write in a book for someone who has lost a pet, but what about for those who are either just really supportive of Julie, me, and the book and bought a copy (or copies!) or for the random future stranger who buys one because they like the story and see value in reading it to a child whether or not there has been a loss? I mean, what do other beginning authors do? Suggestions, anyone? Jim thinks there has to be a website out there somewhere for this very issue...but I don't have the time at this moment to research it. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, leave me a comment if you can help me out! (or even if you can't!)

Lastly for today, I wanted to give a big SHOUT OUT to our Dad. He just had surgery today, and everything went really well, so we're thrilled. Hi Dad! We love you!

Updates

I just checked Barnes and Noble online, and the book is once again available there. (Yay!) Of course, if you're not a member at B&N, isn't is just easier to click on that button down there to the right? You don't even have to leave this page.

Also, I hesitantly announce that my author copies from the publisher ARE indeed on their way in the next 48 hours. I received an e-mail from them this morning, thanking me for my patience. It was really no problem. If I am nothing else, I am an extremely patient person.

I am.

Really.

Okay, okay, you got me. I'm not.

But I've waited this long; I can certainly wait a few more days!

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??

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).

Will the Light at the End of the Tunnel Stay On Even if the Power is Out?

Hmmm. Something to ponder about as Julie and I cope with book issues.

Being sisters, we deal with things very differently. I'm a morning person, and she does her best work when most of the world is sleeping. While she admires me for my sunshine-y tendencies in dealing with others, I admire her for being honest and to the point, even if it means--oh no!--not smiling. If both of us were combined somehow (maybe Mom and Dad have a secret 3rd child somewhere in the world?) (Just kidding.), we would make one awesome communicator.

Today she actively dealt with book issues (the publisher needed something "fixed") while I only had to mentally deal with the book issues (alternating between feeling the guilt of her spending a couple of unexpected hours before work "fixing" things and wondering if this book will ever be available to the masses).

Luckily, as it turns out, it will indeed be available to the masses...soon. We are told that now that the final approval has been given (and, post-approval, that the "issues" were "fixed", and then that the interior got final approval by a lovely woman at the publishing office), it will be about 3-4 weeks until Julie and I finally get to see it up close and in person.

This has almost been longer than a pregnancy. (But at least with pregnancy, you know there's a maximum time involved before that baby will finally make an appearance...)

I hope we're not longer than another 3-4 weeks; just like a heavily pregnant woman, Julie and I only stand to get crabbier!

Patience is a Virtue...

While some days I just can't imagine that this book is ever going to be finished and "out there", each day gets me a little closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. I have just seen the final proof of the interior and am waiting for a glitch to be repaired from the publisher's end so I can see the final proof of the cover. Once I approve that...my job is done with regards to the publication process. Then the REAL work (for me) begins: Marketing.

I have spent lots of time collecting the business names of vets, pet cemetaries, pet boutiques, rescue organizations, and even a Pet Loss Counselor. I have local newspaper and magazine contact information and even my Old Dominion University Alumni Newsletter. I'll start with sending letters to them and see where that goes. Obviously there will be a link to the book at amazon.com right here, and I'll send the info to everyone in my contact list. Hopefully they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on, and so on...