First, a happy note for the day: THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS has just gone into an 8th printing! Thanks to you guys. I’m so thrilled.
Anyone who has ever written had to work to deadline knows the giddy feeling that arrives just afterward. I mailed the new book to my agent and editor last Friday, collapsed on Saturday and watched many episodes of Brothers and Sisters back to back, and yesterday did my spiritual activies (including Nia), and went to the movies with CR and Miles. (STAR TREK–and even better than I’d been hearing. Fun, fun, fun!)
The book is not entirely finished of course–this is just round one. Now everyone will read the book and make comments, suggestions, and as my brain clears, I know from experience that I will think of things I want to improve, or remember threads that I’ve dropped. The recipes are still in progress; I ran out of time to test before mailing and have a few that are not quite where I want them to be. And then there will be copy edits and galleys and we should be getting art fairly soon (as the book will be out in January).
But today, I’ve been working such a long time that I’m sort of lost over what to do with myself today. Putter? Sleep? Clean my disaster of an office? Read all day? Eventually, I suppose I should return the wretchedly overdue library books (please tell me I’m not alone on my bad habit of running up library fines!). Maybe I’ll just lie on the sofa and daydream.
I’ll have to get back to work soon enough. What do you do with a vacation day?
I like to cook when I have time off. What recipes are you trying to perfect?
Congrats on meeting your deadline, Barbara. And mega congrats for taking the weekend off to re-charge.
Indulge a guilty pleasure… sleeping in, eating junk food, watching an animated movie… whatever floats your boat. (Reading all day sounded good to me!)
And no, you’re FAR from alone in owing library fines. I think it’s because writers aren’t too willing to give books up! 🙂
Nope, not alone in racking up library fines. Once had an interlibrary loan, out of state, a couple months past the due date. Librarian call me and asks, snippily, if I plan to return it. “Of course I do, I’m just not done with it.” And I did. It was a research book, expensive hardbound, for my writing, and I knew I only had one shot at borrowing it. Fines are sometimes cheaper than buying the book and I figure I’m doing my part to add revenue to the library system to buy more books!
Congratulations on finishing, Barbara!
And I like to think of all my library fines as funding new library purchases–surely a noble civic duty if ever there was one.:-)
Congrats on finishing and congrats on the 8th printing–that’s FABULOUS news!
Days off: to quote Jackson Browne, “I’ve been out walking.” Just wandering, stopping when something catches my eye. Taking a coffee here, a glass of wine there, watching people. It’s the perfect time of year for that.
Enjoy your time 🙂