Mark This Date

Today is a big day for me. BIG. About three minutes ago I e-mailed a signed contract to the literary management company that will be handling my new book. I have an agent. 

The reactions I get from different factions are amusing. Those who aren't writers offer a "Gee,that's great. Congratulations," while my writer friends are more, "OH MY GOD! Let me take you out for champagne! Are you excited? This is huge! Oh my Gawd!!!"

I appreciate both responses. For the non-writers out there (i.e., those of you who remain sane), let me explain the big deal. Agent representation offers validity. So many publishing houses won't look at unagented submissions. An agent has connections, open doors, negotiates deals. There is of course never any guarantee of success, but it's a gigantic leap in the right direction.

And for me, having an agent gives me some much-needed purpose. I'm no longer writing in a void, wondering each day if I'm wasting time. I have a book due by the end of the year. Someone is waiting for it so they can market it. I work much, much, MUCH better with a deadline and accountability. This is a huge motivator for me.

Just FYI, the book I'm being represented for is not Kiss My Kitty Butt. It's a new tongue-in-cheek self-help book for cats. My due date is year end which translates to almost a chapter a week. There is some serious desk time in my future. 

My agent said to hold off for the moment on the idea of self-publishing KMKB and maybe she could wrangle a deal for that as well. Oh yes--we like her.

Actually, I've connected with her from the start. When she called the day after receiving my proposal, I knew I had a yes. I was in my car, on the cell and when she introduced herself, I did a kind of mini-silent cheer and then feigned calmness with a, "Oh yes, hello. How are you?"  Same thing when we hung up. I'm sure the people in the cars next to me thought I was having some sort of epileptic fit, but I didn't care. An agent--and one I very much would like to represent me--liked my work. I don't think I stopped smiling for the next 5 hours.

There's an overwhelming amount of work ahead of me, but again, I'm looking forward to burying myself in this project. Blair and I are laying plans to renovate the front guest bedroom into my writing room, which deserves a separate post because... well, you'll see.

A big day. A great day. I just wish the cats would celebrate with me. Instead, they're licking their bottoms and throwing me the occasional, "So, when do we eat? " look. That's my girls--keeping it real. =)

We Now Return To Your Regularly Scheduled Life

It's Monday morning and I've got the radio tuned to my favorite station, a cup of decaf coffee in front of me, and cats winding about my ankles, threatening anarchy because it's been a least 7 minutes since I last paid them attention.

I'm back. No more working away from home. My schedule, my coffee, my laptop, my life. I'm VERY happy to sit down this AM and crank out some work. I LOVE working from home. I didn't realize quite how much until I spent last week filling in for a friend at his office. The people and work were great--I just missed my routine. The freedom to do what I want, when I want, in whatever time increments suit my mood. Spoiled? Yes, and oh-so-grateful for it.

And there is much to be done. Before I went to bed last night I wrote down a quick "reminder" list of what needs to take place today. I think I need to switch the decaf to the real stuff, pay for the cats to go to therapy and learn to cope, and hunker down with laser-like focus.

Sounds like a wonderful day to me. Hope your Monday is a great one!

Working is Good for the Waist

Here is an unforseen plus to my week of work... I'm eating next to nothing. At home, I'm a chronic snacker. Easy access to the fridge means noshing every 20-30 minutes. This week, however, I've eaten only my lunch on my lunch break. And haven't felt deprived in the least.

Which goes to show I'm eating at home out of habit, not need. Sure, there were a couple of times where I thought, "I could eat," but I drank some water and got back into the work and forgot about it. Drinking gobs of water, which is good. Helps with the runs on days like today when we'll be out in the hot sun.

I am, however, ready to spend an evening at home. I had a meeting Monday night and ran Tues-Thursday nights, not getting home until 8. Way too much time out and about for an introvert like me. The cats are freaked out, wondering where the h*** all the daily love and attention went. They've gone from pouting to pleading to slightly menacing at this point.

I've got LOADS of work to do this weekend. Pretty much plan to devote all day Saturday to work in the hopes of finding some free time to spend with Blair (and the cats) on Sunday. God willing, there is a thick newspaper, a snoozing cat, and a large pot of coffee to split with my husband in my future on Sunday.

Back On The Air - Seeking ideas for Radio Show

I used to host my own radio show on 1420 WMYN, Madison/Mayodan - 1490 WLOE, Eden/Reidsville . My show was called "People with Passion" (I know, I know... I cringe just hearing it) and I interviewed people from around Rockingham County who were doing unusual things, or had jobs/hobbies they were passionate about. I stopped doing the show because it got to be too much work--finding someone to interview, convincing them that yes, it would be fun to be on the radio, coming up with questions to ask them and filler in case they froze and didn't talk enough, etc. My writing schedule was filling up and for the payoff, I didn't feel like the timing was right for the show.

This morning I received a call from the station manager (who, btw, is the nicest man in the world), stating they had a time slot to fill and would I be interested in coming back? I've still got a lot going on but, for promotional reasons, this might be a good time to start the show again. And I can pick whatever focus/topic I want for my time slot. It needs to be somewhat community oriented but they're pretty lenient with that aspect.

So here's my question: What should be the focus of my radio show?

Ideally, I'd love for the show to focus around pets and/or writing. The show is monthly, which helps in that I don't have to come up with fresh content each week. But it is a 30-minute program to fill. People do call in, but it can be a challenge. Older audience (am radio) demographics. I'm blanking on how I might talk about pets for 30 minutes per show. Writing is a little easier, in that I could invite different authors to the show to talk about their work, their writing process, etc. That's an option. But if any of you have ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them. Post here or e-mail me at ddharris@triad.rr.com.

Cheers!