Coming Together

Today is one of those days where I feel like everything is coming together for me. In my personal life and with my book. I like days like this. Days where I feel like I’ve put so much positive energy and positive thought into what I want that I actually can manifest anything. On days like this, I can’t help but smile. And smile some more.

The book update is that the publisher is shipping me the complimentary copies (all five of them) of my first novel, Unexpectations. I should get them in the next week or two they said. I’m hoping sooner. Seems like that’s just pony express-type delivery. What about priority mail? I can’t wait to actually feel one in my hands. I know they aren’t hard-bound, but they are a real book. I’ve seen the style that’ll be in the interior. I’ve seen the front and back cover designs. I’m trying to imagine it as one cohesive unit. One cohesive book. My dream all put together.

When I receive them, if they look okay, I’ll immediately put in an order so I can send copies out to my friends who want them autographed. Seems funny to me that people want my autograph, but I’ve always thought it was cool to have a book signed by an author too.

Today, I was also able to proof and edit my press release. This is what will go out to hundreds of different media outlets to let them know about my book. I tweaked a few words in it. I wasn’t crazy about the publisher’s description of my book being “utterly heartbreaking and wildly exotic.” Hard to picture a New England setting as exotic. I changed that to “utterly heartbreaking and wildly captivating.” Unless they meant erotic as a friend suggested? Don’t worry…this novel isn’t in that genre though it does contain several sex scenes. (I’ll have to talk about how it was writing those sometime…more difficult than you’d think!).

Everything is just feeling good for me. I wish that on everyone else I know too. I’m all about positive thinking. Don’t look at what is wrong in your life. Look at what is right. I’m certain everything will be shifting to all good if we can keep thinking that way. And, all of our lives will have that coming-together feeling. It just feels right that way.

Proof Pages

This week I got the proof pages of the interior of my book emailed to me from the publisher. It was my entire book in the layout of what I approved from a few sample pages less than 2 weeks ago. And, it’s the layout of what the final book will look like. Can I say that I am totally excited?

I have my own ISBN number! There is the blurb about this book being a work of fiction and anything similar to real persons or events is purely coincidental. Yea, we’ll go with that.

One part that makes me totally smile when I think about it, is seeing my name at the top of every other page and the name of the novel, Unexpectations, at the top of the other pages. I guess since I wrote this and had the thought of publishing it, I never thought of seeing that. It wasn’t something that even went through my head. Yea, my name on the cover, but not on every other page! Some books are formatted like that. Some aren’t. I’ll go with it.

There are still so many steps in getting this book out. I’m trying to be as patient as possible. I made it through the “quiet, anxious stage” as my contact at the publishing house described it. But, I’m still a bit anxious.

One of the things I’m most looking forward to seeing is the cover art. I gave them a photo to incorporate along with some ideas. My example looked like it would make for a great wedding invitation. I told them not to make it look like that. But, I want it to appeal to women (that’s the main audience this book is geared towards, but I’ll welcome any and all readers!). I also told them I wanted something unexpected on the cover. I hope it goes with what’s inside. I’m creative but not that creative to do the cover design myself.

This is the photo that I uploaded to use for the cover art.
It's one of my mom's orchids. Very Georgia O'Keefe.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it is a real book in the making. I’m sure that as far as the excitement goes surrounding it, I’ll always have that. Because I have that about writing in general. Yea, I’ll go with it.