Book on its way to printers

We did the final proofread this weekend for Lessons In Stalking.  We're both pretty sick of reading it.  Blair took it upstairs yesterday afternoon to read and I heard a big yawn from him float down the stairs.

"I know you're not yawning while reading my work," I called out.

There was no answer.

Anyway, I'm taking it to the Post Office today to mail to the printer.  I'm not sure I understand the exact process from there, but what I've gathered is a customer service rep will receive and review my materials, make sure everything is in order, then run a sample book and send me the bluelines to proof (yea! We get to read the book again). After I approve them it should be 20 days to print the 2,000 copies.  Then the real fun begins.

I still have so much to do.  I need to get galley copies out to reviewers (I'm like, 4 months late on that) and my website still needs tweaking.  We're having trouble with the autographed portion.  I may just take it off or place a blurb  that says if you want an autographed copy, e-mail me. But then I have to match the e-mails with the Paypal orders and I'm not sure what that would entail.

That all assumes people are ordering! Which they won't be if I don't get some PR work done - sent my site out to websites, book stores, gift shops, etc.  But that will simply have to wait until this book project is through.

I've discovered, to my surprise, that I enjoy focusing on one project at a time.  It's nice to get up and know exactly what it is I'll be working on and then focusing all my energies on that.  I thought it might be boring but there's enough variety in the project itself (research vs. writing vs. organizing) to keep it interesting.

So far I've "written" two chapters with the material I have.  I'm trying to rough out the chapters so I can figure out my outline.  5 more to go.  I may not finish them by the time the outline's due, but I'm hoping to have enough done that I can figure out the remainder of my outline.  Plus, I'd like to turn in what I've completed for early review to make sure I'm on the right track.  It would be a major bummer to turn everything in and find out, "Eh, that's not what we were going for."  AAAAUUUGH!!!!

Okay. Time for coffee and today's exciting chapter of "Cats Around the World."

New laptop

I forgot to mention the big excitement of last weekend (big in our "never go out out, never see anyone, never do anything" world, that is) was that I got a new laptop.  I'm now the proud owner of a 4.3 lb. Sony Vaio.

I am loving the light weight.  The smaller screen takes some getting used to but it's not bad.  Of course the best thing is having wi-fi internet access.  No more being chained to the desk.  Now I can be at Panera or Starbucks or even in our downstairs dining room and still hit the internet.  If I can just remember to keep my cell phone turned on it will be like I'm a real 21st century person.

The funny thing is that now that I have the option of moving anywhere to access the Internet, I'm pretty happy just sitting at my desk. I'm such a grass is greener on the other side person.  Before, I would moan about being tied to the desk and not able to go anywhere, but now that I have the option, eh.  Sitting in one place is not so bad.

Our neighbors are having a garage sale at 7 this morning so we're going to dash over there.  I love garage sales.  I will knock down small children to get to an item I want that's on sale for .50 cents.  Wish me happy hunting.

Working in Jammies...

At the risk of alienating every friend I have who pulls on a suit and slips out the door by 7am, I have to make note of how utterly marvelous it is to work in one's jammies.  You're getting work done, but it's pure hedonistic pleasure at the same time.

One thing this cat book has shown me is that I actually get more done while working in my p.j.'s vs. being showered and dressed.  My new morning routine has been to get up at 5, play with the cats and eat breakfast, then sit down at the computer at six.  I'll work until about 9, then exercise, then work a little more.  Many days I'm not showered and dressed until close to noon.  (Hear that sound?  That's the sound of everyone reading this blog throwing their coffee cup at the computer.  Hey you people...that's office property!  Stop destroying it!)

Here's my new plan of action.  My detailed outline is due Thursday, so I'm spending today and the rest of the weekend researching like a mad woman.  I'm hoping to have enough (or over-optimistic me, more than enough) to start writing the outline on Monday.  Finalize Tuesday and submit Wednesday. That's the plan, anyway.  I'm still alternating between "I'm making a big deal over nothing.  I can get this done, no problem" to frantic panic eating where (no joke) I stuff down an apple, cereal, a few Doritos, a handful of walnuts and raisins, cottage cheese, dark chocolate, a piece of bread with honey, and then repeat the cycle all in about a 30 minute time period. 

Blair is taking the fun away from my martyr status.  He got home last night from work about 10 and was up by 4 today.  I'm thinking my "I'm working so hard" moans may appear petty.  Damn him.  =)

Off to work!  I think today I'll write about cats...

Quietly Going Insane....

It occurs to me that after all my work to get this blog up and running and have people actually read it, that it's a bad, bad, bad idea to just let it sit for a month. So I'll try to pop in some updates here and there.

It's been an interesting week.  I spent the weekend clearing out my schedule.  I wrote almost-finished drafts of my two remaining articles that are due this month, cleared out the e-mails, balanced my checkbook and did laundry.  So I hit Monday toned, prepped, and smelling Downy-fresh.

To say working on this cat book (which btw is called "For the Love of Cats) is overwhelming is an understatement, at best.  Right now I'm experiencing a chicken and the egg problem.  I have to submit a detailed outline for the book, breaking down what information will be included in each chapter on almost a page by page basis.  The issue is that I need to do a load of research to determine what will be included in each chapter. But it's next to impossible to conduct research without knowing ahead of time what the chapter breakdowns look like.  There is SO MUCH cat information out there.  So I feel a bit like I'm moving in slow, unproductive circles.

I'm also trying to verify information I find.  I may find a really cool cat factoid on a sight and then spend X number of hours trying to verify the information through other sites. 

Thank God I'm researching cats, a subject I find endlessly fascinating.  If I was spending this amount of time on say, Golf, I'd shoot myself.  As it stands, I resonate by the hour between "I'm fine.  I can do this.  When have I ever not completed something?  I always do good work and the pieces will fall together.  It's all good," to "I will find my passport and leave the country and never have to speak to these people again."  Some days it's been a struggle not to throw-up, just thinking of all the work I'm facing.

But I remind myself how lucky I am. I get to work from home, on a project I love, doing what I love.  The Universe has been very, very kind to me. And Blair is a God-send.  My rock.  Here's how our conversations have gone this week:

Me: "I can't do it."

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "No, it's over.  It's too hard.  I can't do it."

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "I suck.  What was I thinking? I don't know how to lay out a book.  This is terrible.  Horrible! The worst!"

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "Do you really think so?"

Blair: "Yes."

Me: (Deep breath) "Okay, maybe you're right." PAUSE.  "Now give me chocolate."

Which he does.  As I've said before, he's a good man.