That's Just Nuts

Earlier this month I ordered 25 author copies. Yesterday I got emails telling me that they would be delivered today. And they were--3 in the top box, 1 each in the five white and blue mailers, and 17 in the large bottom box. Really? There are cartons that fit 25 books in just fine. What were they thinking? Don't they say they're reducing packaging? They had to all be packed and shipped yesterday. ????? Whatever. I got them all signed, stickered, and bookmarked, then stacked them in the cartons where I keep all of the inventory.

 

I want to show you the Title Page. This is the first batch of books with my publisher name and logo on it. I'm inordinately proud of it. These are the first ones with my own ISBN too. Little by little, I'm taking control of my destiny, leaving less and less up to chance. 

 

I spent most of the day working to re-edit The Seaview, shifting from manuscript in Word to manuscript in Atticus. I'm up to Chapter 35 out of 44. I'll finish up tomorrow--if my eyes hold out. I'm so focused, my eyes get really tired. 

 

And the Christmas cactus is going crazy. Well, crazier than ever before. I think there are five or six buds that look like they'll survive and bloom, one flower bloomed, and a couple of tiny little nubbins of buds. It likes its new pot, new soil, and more light. Evidently Christmas is just its name, not its season. 

 

Tonight at Friday Night Knitting I added a few more inches to the Vienne cardigan back. That makes about five inches knitted on the way to eleven before I have to do something different, like pick up stitches for the fronts (one at a time). It's the perfect knitting for Friday Night because it's just knit a row, then purl a row over and over. Very little thinking necessary.

 

It occurred to me as I lay not falling asleep last night that if the booths at the Lakefly Conference & Book Fair went so quickly, the hotel rooms might go that quickly too. I didn't want to get up and call the 11 P.M. desk clerk so I rolled over and went to sleep. I called this morning and reserved a 2-queen bed room. We've got plenty of time now to think of how we want to work this fair. They've got a 48 hour cancellation policy so we've got close to six weeks to figure this out but now we've got a room if that's what we decide we want. I'm always thinking ahead and working the angles.

The weather people are threatening us with a whopper of a snowstorm Saturday night to Monday morning. The last I heard they're talking about 18-24 inches of snow. Gak! Good thing I have a big, powerful snowblower and plenty of gas. I bet schools will be closed on Monday if the storm fulfills the predictions. Probably lots of things will be closed. Already the Catholic Diocese recommended that people go to Mass on Saturday because Sunday is supposed to be snowmageddon.

--Barbara