Looking Good

YES!

The interior design is beautiful too. I couldn't be more excited to see the real thing!

Wishing

Seems like I'm always wishing for some darn thing or another. Today I'm asking for an extra creamy dollop of creative energy for the designer who is whipping up the book cover for Voluntary Nomads. I want her to incorporate the photo that I took of Fred, Dakota, and Tina in the blue Suzuki on the sand dunes near the beach at Shark's Bay in Somalia. To me, this picture evokes the theme of family adventures lived in extraordinary places and told from my perspective -- like the stories inside the book -- and I really, really hope the designer can use it!

Introduction to Production

Hurray and Hallelujah! Voluntary Nomads goes into the production phase this week.
I want to share with you the musical (to my ears) words of the publisher's manuscript analyst:
"Dear Nancy, I am pleased to report that your book Voluntary Nomads has been accepted for publication. I want to be the first to congratulate you. You have a great story here. Everything about it is nicely done. You have done a great job capturing your memories and committing them to paper. (This is not an easy feat.) Even though this is a personal narrative, you have written it in a way that many will enjoy and benefit from reading. Your narrative voice is very familiar and friendly and you have a way with words. It is obvious that you have done your homework and put much thought and preparation into your work. Your book is well written. I wish more people would take the time to write their stories down like you have. I am sure it will be embraced by many. We can learn so much from reading the stories of other’s lives and experiences. The greatest value in any story, it seems to me, lies in what we can learn about our own lives when we take time to analyze someone else’s. Bravo!"

Will I be able to wait patiently for 10-13 weeks, the length of time it takes to turn a manuscript into a book?

Sovereignty of Success

I'm immersed in my book's pre-production particulars -- picture me floating on my back, contemplating cloud shapes while book-design tidbits float by. I reach out, tentatively at first, and take a tiny taste. Oh yum! Why am I surprised that the Princess of Process would savor every byte? It's true: I smack my lips over fonts, drool around page headers, lick the adverbs out of back-cover text. I am the Duchess of Detail and I am frolicking in my natural habitat. You who know me well are nodding now. Yes, she who alphabetizes her spice rack and reads the small print on cereal boxes would surely relish all tasks that call for fine-toothed comb and magnifying glass.

If and when I'm able to recognize that all is complete, Voluntary Nomads will move from pre-production into production. Then I'll be able to predict a publication date. I will keep you posted, so to speak.

Manuscript now in the publisher's hands

What a day! Glitch after glitch in the transmittal system tore my nerves to shreds. At the very last minute of the business day, yes at 4:59 on Friday afternoon -- poof! The system started working properly and I sent my manuscript on its way to the publisher. I am so tired now, I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I believe a toast is in order. Please lift of glass of your favorite beverage: Here's to Voluntary Nomads -- may the rest of the journey be swift and smooth!

Coming Soon!

This week I'm immersed in a sea of pre-publication details for my book. As I bodysurf toward shore, I'm dreaming about the future of this vessel. There will be a paperback for sure and an ebook of course. And I think it would be cool to post sample chapters or even a complete serialization, chapter by chapter, right here on the book's blog. What do you think?