50 Pictures On A Sunday Morning...(that'll wake you up!)

I've been using one photo for the past several years as my "author headshot" and this morning decided it was time to make some changes.  I got up, showered, put on makeup and carefully styled my hair, then asked Blair to take some close-ups of me with the digital camera.  Needless to say, the morning came close to ending in tears...

My face is not symmetrical.  A small thing in life to complain about, surely, but a flaw nonetheless.  I read an article in some semi-scientific magazine once (I was waiting at my doctor's office) and in it they discussed a study that found that we like to look at people with symmetrical features.  I remember they used Denzel Washington as an example.  If you look at him straight on and draw a line down the center of his face, the right side mirrors the left.

Anyway, my left eye squinches shut when I smile and it gives me a lopsided look.  So I spent the morning trying to turn only the right side of my face toward the camera.  Poor Blair tried hard to keep me in good spirits as I looked at the proofs (I miss the good old days when we could wait a week to see how bad we looked on film) and muttered, "No, not that one.  No, not that one either," and then stalked into the bathroom to add on yet one more coat of lipstick.

We did get some okay shots.  These two are probably my favorite:

I'm going to have to bite the bullet someday soon and pay a professional photographer.  Blair is aching for a new digital camera and tried to convince me I'd look pretty if a new camera was taking the photo.  I wanted to believe him. =)

We also had to get some shots with the cats for the Afterword in the book.  Riiight.  Not a chance.  Here's the best photo we were able to get of Lucy. Notice how I've thrown myself on top of her to prevent her from leaving.

I'll share more pics later, including perhaps some "blooper" shots where the cats were leaping out of our arms as the flash went off.  Tricky little devils, they are.

Putting Off Work That Needs to Get Done

I'm teaching a new class at a community college on Saturday, July 16th called Get Published! The Ins & Outs of Magazine Submissionsand I'm not ready.  Oh sure, I know enough to talk my way through the three hour class, but I want the experience to be more.

I've had "work on course outline for magazine writing class" on my "To Do NOW" whiteboard for the past 2 months, and yet I've probably spent no more than 2 hours total on it.  It's not that I'm worried about getting it done--I always get everything done--but I want to produce quality work and if I throw it together last minute, it will be less than what I know I'm capable of.

There are 2 reasons I see for why I'm avoiding working on this.

1. First reason is that since I am a list-maker, nothing gives me greater joy in life than crossing items off my to-do list.  So I end up spending my time on small projects instead of tackling the big ones.

2. The real reason is I'm not sure what to expect.  I haven't taught the material yet so I can only guess how long it will take to cover each section.

I've taught my Scared Speechless course so many times I can adjust it to 30 minutes or 2 hours at whim.  I know how long it takes to cover the material in each section, I pretty much know by now what questions will be asked, and I feel confident steering the discussion.

This is all new and it's intimidating.  And probably the 3rd reason I'm not devoting time to it is I work best on deadline.  I don't like working on deadline, but I really do some of my best work. If I start too early on a project I'll spend 3 days mulling over a paragraph because I know I have the time to do so.  If the article is due tomorrow, I plow forward and get the s--- done.

Speaking of which, the "small" task on my to-do list was to blog about something.  The big one remains to work on the course.  Blair is out of the house at the property for the next 2-3 hours, the cats are comatose, it's Sunday so there's nothing good on TV--I have no excuse.  It's time to create a course.

Kitchen Table Purchase

Blair and I went shopping today for matching bedside dressers and came home instead with a new kitchen table.  That's typical of us.  We're very much the impulse buyers which has not always served us well in the long run.

There was the decision,  for example, to purchase a beautiful taupe and mint blue scenery throw while on our trip in Savannah.  The fabric is like cashmere and the threading intricate and beautiful.  However, there is not one room in my home where a beige and blue throw would even vaguely fit into the decor.  Yet I managed while standing in the store to convince myself that if I bought pieces I loved, somehow they would all find a home.  Yeah, not so much.  The throw remains folded into a square and tucked away in a drawer where I'll probably pull it out every 8 months, remember I have it, wish once again for a place to display it, then hide it away again.

But I digress. Back to the table.

We've had a heck of a time finding anything to fit the space.  It's a narrow rectangular room, small, but with one wall of windows and 3 door openings, and odd angles creating a hexagonal feel.  A closed off fireplace juts into the middle of the room from one wall, making it near impossible to fit any sort of regular sized table in there.  One decorator advised us a 32 x 32 square table would look best.  Have you ever tried to find a 32 x 32 sqaure table?  I have, and unless it's for a child's dollhouse, they don't make them.

So we were intrigued when we found a 24 x 42 round table with leaves that can be folded down to shove the table against the wall (Iif for some reason in life it would become necessary to shove my breakfast table against the wall.  I can't imagine any such reason, but it's nice to feel prepared).

We took it home and it actually fit and looks great.  A little on the country side, but we're looking to de-formalize the look of our house and as long as I don't cross over into dried flower arranagments, I'm okay with a little of the country look.

The question becomes what to do with our old table.  It's from Blair's bachelor days and is a This End Up table that is near indestructible.  And big.  We'll probably see if any friends with kids need a sturdy piece of furniture and offer it to them.

Publications International, Ltd. - New Book?

About 2 weeks ago an e-mail came across my cat writers site, advertising that a publishing company wanted to put together a compilation book on cats and dogs and was requesting submissions. I copied a few of my stories, tucked in a cover letter and sent it off, hoping perhaps they would include a prior work of mine in the book.

I got a phone call a few days later from their acquisitions Editor. They weren't looking for contributors. Rather, they needed an author to oversee the book and contribute 15,000 new words to a book that would be based on photos and short stories about unique or interesting dogs and cats.

"When's your deadline for book completion?" I asked.

"We're aiming for August."

"Thanks for calling."

I can't find the time to get done what's already on my plate. Add in an August due date and I'd be living on Starbuck Mochas. I did tell Blair about the offer though, and he agreed that it did seem too much, too soon.

"Yes, but everything comes into your life for a reason," I said. "Maybe I should consider this."

"Maybe the reason it came into your life is to teach you how to say no," he said.

Fair enough. I let it drop that night but kept thinking about the project. Finally after a few days I decided it was too late. They were submitting names of potential authors and I had missed the boat. All for the best.

Until my phone rang at 11am today. Same editor, calling back. She didn't exactly remember me but said she had received my work and really liked it and had we talked at all?

"Yes," I said. "I'm the one that ran screaming from the room when you mentioned the August due date."

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. And then darn it all, my ego kicked in.

"But I've been thinking about the project and wondering if I was too hasty in declining," I said. I could almost hear her sit up straighter on the other end of the phone. "Tell me again what you're looking for."

I didn't get a whole lot more details, mainly because I think I'm too afraid to press for them and find out what I may be getting myself into. At this point, I've agreed to have my name submitted as a potential candidate as author.

I do believe offers and people come into our lives for a reason and the fact that this one has popped back up after I wasn't sure rejecting it was the right move in the first place...someone's trying to send me a message.

I have no idea how the pay, author acknowledgement, or any of that works. What draws me to it is:
*Ego. Yes, I admit it. It would be nice to have another cat book to my name
* Networking. This company is also a children's book publisher. I write children's books. True, their books are more education oriented vs. novels, but I would assume they have some industry contacts.
* Cross promotion - getting this book out may also be another means of promoting Lessons In Stalking.
*The Challenge. Tell me I HAVE to do something and I'll find any excuse not to. Make doing the same task an option, and I'm all over it. I don't have to do this book. But how intriguing to see if in one year I could work on 3, maybe (fingers crossed) even 4 books: Lessons In Stalking, this cat book, my public speaking book (still in the works) and my Millicent middle-grade novel, still being reviewed by an editor.

If all 4 of those books come to pass...wow, I don't even know what. Catnip for all.