Overheard Conversation

I overheard a great conversation yesterday in the coffeehouse where I was working. A spry 70-year-old man was eating breakfast and he the the shop owner and a woman at an adjoining table were talking about being packrats. The man said every so often his wife would get sick of all his stuff lying about and organize a garage sale. 

Before the last yard sale, she asked her husband about the 5-gallon bucket of golf balls he was hoarding in the garage. 

"Can I sell those?" she asked. 

"I guess," he replied.

"How much should I charge?"

"Fifty cents."

When the man returned home that evening, he saw every last golf ball had been sold. Expecting a nice chunk of change, he asked his wife what the final total for the golf balls were.

"Fifty cents," she said, looking surprised.

That's right. She sold the entire bucket for fifty cents. 

I love coffeehouse conversations.

Looking for Title Suggestions for a Book on Running

Ran 20 miles this morning. By myself. Turned into the lunatic who talks to themselves around mile 18, muttering, "Two more miles. I can do two more miles. C'mon, hang in there. One mile and 8/10's left. Don't quit." People gave me a wide berth. 

Driving home, Blair asked why I hadn't written anything for publication on my running. "You went from being a non-runner to qualifying for Boston in three and a half years," he said. "That would be inspirational to someone."

"Oh, sweetie," I said, love pouring out from my heart.

"Plus, it seems like you should be able to make some money on that," he finished.

Aaaaaand, the moment is over. 

Anyway, we came up with a few potential book titles for my as yet unwritten memoir on running: 

• Obsessed (This was Blair's contribution)
• I Lapped His Ass (my contribution)
• How Running (Nearly) Destroyed My Marriage
• Finding God at Mile 19
• I'm Too Old For This Sh**
• Greetings From Planet Badass (or is that "Dumbass?)
• Head Up, Breath, Baby Steps: How Running Imitates Life

 Blair also suggested something like, "A Woman's Journey" which I vetoed for sounding too much like a tampon commercial. 

I'm now on the couch, feet up, and slightly bummed because all the books I'm reading right now are non-fiction and I'm really in the mood to curl up with a good story. I'll search the house but I'm pretty sure I've read everything here with the exception of some Agatha Christie novels and I'm just not that desperate. 

Let me know which title you think I should go with, or feel free to suggest one of your own. If I select your title, I'll mention you in my interviews on Oprah and The Today Show, if there's time before the commercial break. 

Waking Up From the Snow Daze

Yesterday I woke up. Sat down at my desk and freaked. Apparently I've taken the last several weeks of snow days, frozen roads, and more or less being housebound as an excuse to slack on work. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I looked at my to-do list yesterday, compared it to my deadline list, and went, Oh s***.

Um... yeah. I've got a LOT of work to do. Most of it due in about 10 minutes. 

I long for summer and sunny days. My brain shuts off when the sun goes down, making the winter months a challenge for me. I'm ready for long summer days, early morning light, and evenings that linger in twilight for hours. 

Maybe then I can actually cross a completed project off my list. 

Cheers,

Dena

"Who Moved My Mouse?" Coming Soon To A Bookstore Near You...

Sorry to be blog-silent for so long. I got back from Ohio and had an e-mail waiting from my editor at Ten Speed Press. We're on round two of revisions. Round one was the editor going through the book and making suggestions/comments. I was surprised (and quite happy) at how few revisions there were. I'd heard stories of books coming back with all but five words crossed out, asking for rewrites. I had tissues and Tylenol standing by but, thankfully, they weren't needed.

This round is all about the copy editing. And this copy editor is GOOD. Straightening up my prose right and left. Plus, she's a cat person, and had some helpful comments/suggestions on some of the text outside copy editing. 

It's hard to believe I'll have to wait until October for the finished product. The book seems to be just winging along. I've got sample pages for how the book will be laid out and I've been approving illustrations for over a month. The book is already listed on Amazon and on Random House's author page. 

This is it though. This week is my last chance to make any substantial revisions to the book, so I'm going through with a fine tooth comb. My writer friends have been there in spades for me, responding to my anxious e-mails about "which is the funnier cat litter joke" as though they had all the time in the world to spare. 

I'm surprisingly calm about the whole thing. The only thing that makes me ancy is thinking about all the publicity I need to stir up. I've got a mile-long to-do list when it comes to marketing and promotion and I'm at the point where I need to start making things happen. 

Got any great ideas for making a cat self-help book a bestseller? Send 'em my way!

Cheers,

Dena