There is much to catch-up on, but first let me apologize for getting so far behind… Sorry.
Where do I start? Maybe the best place would be with finishing the manuscript for Calling Me Home. And by finish I mean it is in the editing phase where I try not to rewrite too much. I made a full pass through of it just before the book signing at Barnes and Noble for Torn Hearts. This week I will begin the cover design. For Torn Hearts I went the way of a publishing house, which means someone else designed the cover for me. He was very talented; I will miss not having him this time around. See, this time I am going to self-publish. I have many reasons for doing such but the main one is, I simply want to see which way sells more. I will have control over the pricing, which to me, lends to great flexibility. I suppose we will know soon. I’m new to this business so I might as well experiment and have some fun. I’ll post the cover on my facebook page when it is ready.
So, moving on to the book signing. The morning of the book signing my sister-in-law, who is five months pregnant, graduated with a BS from Webster University. The graduation was outdoors at The Muny. So of course, I wanted to go. I had a rental car (keep in mind I drive a full-size truck), so I thought parking would be easy. Lesson learned… cars do NOT survive curbs the same way a truck will. Needless to say, I purchased a new hubcap for Alamo. I did a superb job of mangling it. Fortunately, the rest of the car made it out unscathed. Note to self: Plastic hubcaps for small cars cost nearly $100. Don’t drive them like a truck! But I didn’t let it ruin the trip. Actually, I didn’t notice it until the day before I left. Well, my brother noticed it and pointed it out to me. I have no idea how I missed it! It was pretty bad. But I digress- back to the book signing. It was a blast! Greg and his staff at Barnes and Noble were terrific. I did sign a few extra copies, so if you had planned to attend but were not able to you can still get an autographed copy. I was able to meet some new faces and get reacquainted with some old friends. Overall, the book signing was a success and they invited me back when my next book is released.
The book signing was over Mother’s Day weekend which meant I was away from home on Mother’s Day. I was pleasantly surprised to come home and find that Jared, my youngest son, had made a double layer cake with homemade frosting. It was yummy! And it provided the energy necessary to dive into cleaning and getting the house ready for Paul’s graduation open house. The hard work was worth it to see his face when the house was full of guests wishing him congratulations. Graduation is just around the corner now and with it will come a new phase for him. It is exciting to see Paul stepping into this bright new future, albeit bittersweet. It’s hard not to miss the little toddler who would pull out all my baking pans and try to sit inside the loaf pans. Or who was so proud of his artwork that he led me in from the bedroom to the living room by my hand to show me the white wall covered with marker and crayon. Yes, I love the man he is becoming, but I miss the little boy he used to be.
Okay, different topic before I cry. Tutoring… It is going well. Last week, Svitlana needed to cancel for another appointment, but we are both looking forward to this week. She is an intelligent woman. I am continually impressed with her desire to learn and the drive she has to accomplish the goals she sets for herself. It is highly rewarding to be her tutor.
This post is getting lengthy. I will try not to get this far behind again, but no promises. Life is crazy busy sometimes. Oh, one last thing before I close. I have another book signing scheduled in Lincoln, Nebraska at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso on June 18, 2011 from 1-3pm. Hope to see you there.
casondrapoulsen 