It’s done. The title is now Sliding on the Edge. The cover is finished and I really love it.
Cover
I’m rounding the next bend and almost have a cover. I’m really happy about the choices they are giving me, and I love the art. That means I can exhale now. I was truly worried I’d see something I didn’t like. Whew!!!
Blurb-begging
I’m rounding the corner on this effort, and I’m writing this to my blog to remember this process later.
If I ever gain any recognition for my writing and do receive some kind of “award” and then some new author asks me to write a blurb for their book jacket, I’m going to read this entry and recall just how difficult it is to find authors who’ve “arrived” who are willing to give a leg up to someone starting out.
The Book
I now have a title that I can live with and that seems to satisfy my publisher. We’ve decided On the Edge is the best. Still love Bad Ass Attitude, but win some lose some.
The good news is it’s coming out sooner than expected (spring ’09). More good news is I have a great illustrator for the cover. He’s the same one as designed Speak’s cover.
Now back to writing that second thing. What’s it called?
Website
It’s up and runningMy Website. Yeah!
Fire Season
Californians live with fire and some live up close to it. Last week the Santa Cruz mountains had an early look at the summer fire season and, unfortunately, many homes were lost. This time our area escaped with nothing more than heavy smoke. So one more time we have a lot to be grateful for and are reminded to review our emergency plan and be prepared.
Web Presence
Making a web page is yet another step in this process of publishing. First you write the book, then you sell the book, then you market the book. Each step seems very big, but it isn’t until you look behind that you realize how big. Quite dizzying actually. Then you start the process all over again. Wasn’t there a Greek guy in this situation?
Line Edits
Almost done with my line edits. Nobody told me writing could be boring. They just warned me it might be stressful, rewarding, depressing, exhilarating, damage my ego, boost my ego, send me over the edge, save my sanity, exhaust me, pep me up, and in general fill up every waking moment of my life. Then the line edits arrived: Approve/Disapprove the space, the comma, the word change, the paragraph change, the font. HELP!
Actually, I am only complaining to have something to do while my mind goes out for walk around the block. I’m really pleased with how my editor comments. I like her suggestions and I like seeing the results. So far I’ve agreed with 99% of what she’s done–which is mostly about my paragraphing and punctuation with a smattering of word/phrase changes.
Now that I’m done, the job does not seem as tedious as at the beginning.
Integration
Love Blog It! Now I can post to one place and all my blogs are updated.
Nicaragua
A country of poverty and wealth–monkeys and nearly empty beaches Californians living today have no memory of. A place to take off your shoes and slip out of as many clothes as possible. A place to lose your lists, forget your online contacts, watch sunsets while you eat papayas.