Day 137

Friday, January 28, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .Such a day! There was the regular “lost in story” time.

            Then I popped downstairs to grab something for a late lunch, headed to the steps, leftover salmon in hand or rather on plate, backtracked to the front door. . .as if something beckoned me there.  =)

            Outside the front door was a box. From Tyndale. There went any more “lost in story” time! In the box were copies of the Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) of a not-yet-final-proofed-perfect (but bound with cover) version of Desert Gift.  I did not expect these to arrive until next week but there they were!

Sigh. It’s almost as good as holding the final product work in hand. I say almost because these copies go to reviewers, bloggers, etc., writers who reach readers with news of upcoming releases.

But still. . . In January 2008 I wrote the concept for the story. Three years later, here it is, a huge effort by so many people from my agent to my editors to everyone at the publishers who design and publicize and sell. Whoa.

And then – the day was not yet over – My Guy and I went downtown to the San Diego Library. The Mayor and City Council invited us to a reception for local authors who had published in 2010. Ha, ha. Of course my name was on the list because I gave a copy of Ransomed Dreams to the librarian collecting works published in 2010.

We went early (traffic concerns) and hung out in the elegant U. S. Grant Hotel a few blocks from the library, ate half-price hors d’oeuvres, and took pictures of chandeliers.

The reception was great. Two-hundred fifty authors plus one guest were invited; 400 were expected to attend. There were 300 books on exhibit (they will be displayed for the month of February). The topics ranged from biographies to crossword puzzle books to novels of every sort to children’s books. It was amazing to see the fruit of so much creative energy in one place, extra real because the authors were there in person.

What a delightful evening talking with other writers – strangers with whom there is an instant connection!

THE DETAILS. . .Nada.