Busy Day at the Keyboard

Wow, today was a powerful day starting at 4 am.  I had been pondering the treatment of some material a friend had submitted to be included in my book.  And like magic, the answer came to be at 4 am.  SO, I got up and went to the keyboard and it’s now 4:13 pm and I am just getting ready to sign off and have a 90 minute massage!

So much good writing today.  I went back to some journals I had kept back in 2001 and found the material I knew I had but couldn’t remember where it was.  The material adds some depth to examples as I put it in unedited ~ really showing exactly where my head was eleven years ago.

It is a beautiful sunny day here in Colorado which was just a perfect backdrop for a lunchtime walk.  I will have to pay the piper tonight as things that I needed to get done from today’s To-Do list were not crossed off.  Oh, well, tomorrow is another day.  When the writing bug bites, I just let it flow.

Most exciting was my getting down the foundational outline for a workshop dealing with the book contents…well, I’m not known for thinking small or inside the box.  Ran the workshop idea by two folks who know about the book and both gave hardy thumbs up.

Jeannine, my daughter in law, gave me a good belly laugh today as she described 3 year old Luke coming out of the bathroom with his Toy Story underwear down around his ankles and a toilet plunger on top of his head.  My mind’s eye saw a cute little version of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.  I’m so blessed to have such creative grandchildren!

Senator Hagedorn invited me to trek along with him to The Tattered Cover Bookstore and do some interesting research.  He’s also working on his first graphic novel, so we will have lots in common to discuss.

Off to the massage…drool, drool, snooze!!

Reply from the agent of the song lyrics

It takes so little to put a smile on my face.  A return call from United Airlines would do that but that call has not yet come in!!!!

I did, however, receive an email today from the literary agent that represents the author of the song lyrics I want to include as the last page of the book.  They have asked me to forward to them the page before and the page after the page which will include “their” lyrics.

Piece of cake…it has been emailed off along with a copy of the proposed cover of the book.  I’m excited to hear back and am curious to see how long it will take to hear back.

So…now back to research for the PR contacts I want to send advance copies to…this is tedious work but I’ve always loved research.

Have a great day.  The sun is shining in Denver and life is good!

 

Smash is a smash hit in my book

I’m just loving Smash the new NBC show on the making of a Broadway musical.  I adore musicals and this one is about Marilyn Monroe.  Plus one of the characters is based on a character who grew up in Iowa ~ even more fun for those of us who left Iowa for the Big Wild World.  Plus in a tiny way, I am relating with the writers and the whole creative process.  It is touching me like never before because of my writing.

Today was a great day.  One particular part of the book I had been waiting for came into place and it was wonderful!  I also had some advice from my editor on the opening of the book.  She had a very clever idea and I will write around it tomorrow.  I usually get my inspiration at 4 am, so my fingers will be ready, willing, and able.

There is a book in the making and it looks to be a good book with a wide market.  While the editor is working on the edits, I plan to start detailing the marketing plan and outlining the collateral products that will support the book in the gift market.

On a personal level I am dealing with a couple of folks I had trusted and am now finding out that trust may have been misplaced.  Damn!  I hate when people are not as they appear.  However, the writing of  this chapter is not finished and often times, the endings have surprises!!

I have a musical I just love and have seen 4 times in three countries.  Anyone reading my blog is welcome to chime in and see if you can guess which musical I am speaking about.    Anyone game??

 

Sunny Sunday

We had near perfect late February winter weather here today.  We walked to the coffee shop for a fun meet up with a very cool lady.

I didn’t even go into my office today nor even think about writing or the writing project.  I am finding I need to take a little break every once in a while.  I also find that my mental writing inspiration comes around 4 am.  I have found it is best for me to just get up and write.  Usually that leads to a 3-5 hour marathon writing spurt.  I am not annoyed at getting out of bed so early; but am very thankful for the clear thoughts and the mental state that lets me move forward. 

The week ahead promises to be exciting work with the editor.  I am ready to start rewriting what needs to be rewriten and trying to add finishes touches.

The last week of February plus a leap year 29th of February.  2012 is speeding right along.

I’d like to ask those of you reading this blog to chime in and let me know the story of how you met your “Forever Love”.  If any of your stories work, they may be included in a website, if you give permission.  So…let us know how you met your Forever Love ~ what you went through to find this person, the ups and the downs and when you KNEW it was the person for you.  Looking forward to your comments.

Happy Monday
Marcia

80 minutes and still on hold waiting for a United Airlines live person!!

I have been waiting an hour and twenty minutes to speak to a reservation agent with United Airlines.  Every time I hear the message ~ and I have heard it countless times so far ~ about how United is making improvements and spending $550,000,000 on fleetwide improvements,  I WANT TO SCREAM.  Forget about all your marketing hype; just hire a few more telephone agents Located In The United States and service your clients.

No wonder United went into Bankruptcy.  They deserve to.  If any of us left a customer on hold for now 83 minutes, we’d be either fired or lose the customer; and we should be!!!

What ever happened to customer service in the United States, offered to US citizens by US citizens??

Okay…enough ranting.

In just the past week, I have booked and PAID FOR 12 tickets; 8 of which are for first class service.  Guess my business means a lot to them.

And in case you are wondering, I am still on hold.

Asking for Permission

What a merry chase it has been finding permission to use two paragraphs from a song.

First I found out the recording artist did not write the song.  Duh; why did I think he would have?

Secondly, it was a merry chase to find who represents the two men who wrote the words.  One has passed away and the other is very elderly.  Getting replies from their agents has been tedious to say the very least!!

Bottom line, if I am unable to get their approvals before it is time to go to press, I will have to pull the insert.

Anyone out there have a better strategy??

Drip, drip, drip…leads to a new ceiling

Last time I blogged, I was enjoying Ana and Mario’s visit from Southern California.  What a delightful time we had exploring Colorado and showing these sun-loving Californians majestic Colorado.

Saturday afternoon I was sitting my dining room table for lunch when I looked up and saw a drip from my living room ceiling.  Several hours later and many many many drips later, the plumber discovered two small spots of missing caulk from around the Jacuzzi tub.

However, it just didn’t make sense to me that much water damage could result from these two tiny spots.  A second opinion found the real problem ~ actually 3 of them.  Soon all will be repaired.  A dripping, soggy ceiling certainly did curtail Saturday afternoon plans.

Big News!  The book was submitted to my editor last week.  Yesterday I received an informative two page letter with her initial findings.  Some work is needed.   Some of her interesting comments were:

“You do have the makings of an appealing, and delightful, book.  They are strong, inventive makings.  You also have the right tone:  The reader will sense your self-confidence and heed your words.”

“The book does not need superheavy lifting, but it does need much more than light editing:  While it’s pretty much all there, it needs re-arranging and re-stitching, which must be done so the seams do not show.”

I loved all of her comments and did not feel butchered when I finished reading them.  For a first time writer, this is such an interesting project.  I am encouraged that I may not be as far from publishing as I had first feared.

So…now on to the next steps.

Thankfully, we survived yesterday’s high winds with no damage.

I am enjoying your comments regarding this blog.  Thank you for taking time to read and comment.  This week I will learn how to link as I have some interesting items to share with you.

One video clip which is a must watch is our accountant making a rum cake!  And we all thought accountants were dry, dull sorts with green eyeshades.  Well not ours.  He’s a hoot.  Look for the link soon.

~And have a great day!

 

One busy day leads to another

Ana and Mario are keeping me on my toes. After a full day yesterday and over a two hour wait for dinner last night, it was late to bed.
This morning, I was up early making the dough for pecan rolls (sticky buns) and also doing the chopping for a sausage and veggie frittata. All kitchen prep is done.
I came up to my office and worked on the Media sheet for my media release. It was fun to look back over the many articles, television appearances and speaking engagements. Good memories.
Then I did a double check to make sure the quotes used in the book are only used once…and guess what? I had some repeats. That’s been corrected.
Guess it’s time for a shower and the day will begin with making some strong coffee for Mario. He’s from Argentina and yesterday’s coffee was way too weak for him.

Happy Day Today ~ preparing for a special visit

Today was a happy day ~ spent mostly in my kitchen getting advance food prep done for the weekend with Ana and Mario.  They became engaged during the SuperBowl, so I wanted to have a lot of love-filled, romantic touches ready for their arrival tonight.  Their flight arrives from LAX at 7:00 p.m.  Ana is a special friend and it has been wonderful getting to be with her Forever Love, Mario.  We spent Christmas together in San Francisco, so this will be our second trip with Mario.  He’s easy to be with and a very sweet personality.  They are both from Newport Beach, CA, so this snow will be a “treat” (?) for them.

To make their arrival special, I chocolate dipped big fat juicy strawberries and made heart shaped walnut brownies with coconut and both milk and white chocolate drizzle on top.  These are each wrapped and then alternated with the strawberries on a very chic oblong tray and it is sitting on the corner of their bed.  On the table in their bedroom, there is a beautiful bouquet of red and white roses and purple tulips. 

Sitting against the pillows is a specially wrapped package for Ana and also one for Mario.  The two gifts have an congratulatory engagement card centered between them.

So that should start the weekend with a happy smile on their faces. 

Tomorrow will start with a 9 am biz meeting followed by a surprise high tea at the Brown Palace to officially celebrate their anniversary.   Ana also wants a tour of Aspen Publishing and Aspen Graphics who have printed her last two books.

Dinner tomorrow night will be with KC and Steve.  Steve, my accountant, has been told he should not engage Ana in CFO financial jargon and he laughed.  They are both in the “numbers” business.

Saturday starts off with a biz meeting with Senator Hagedorn concerning a very exciting new project.  It will be fun to see if Ana is interested.  We all hope so.

The rest of the weekend is going to be fun, touristy stuff around Denver and the mountains ~ as much as this darn snow will allow. 

The book took a backseat today so I could get my home all prepared for their visit.  All I did today was do the research on my previous media so I can construct a Media page for my Media Release.  Glad to have that off my to-do list.

That’s it for today.  I will be leaving for the airport in 15 minutes to pick them up.

All my best ~ it will be a great visit.  These are special people.

Cheers, Marcia

Some of my favorite days are those spent with Diana

What a joyous day today!!  My daughter, Suzanne, and 7 month old Zane came to visit.  He is as adorable as ever.  My dear, dear friend, Diana and her daughter, Shoni were here so we had a great time together.  Shoni is getting married in October so there was lots of fun talk about grooms, brides, and a new life for her.  Congratulations to Dave and Shoni!!

Diana and Shoni and I then had a “business meeting”, just like the old days.  We discussed a new product line they want to bring to the market and the results of some test marketing I had done for them on a recent trip to Hawaii.

And then we discussed the book and some of their ideas.  They are both so creative and great sounding boards.  I emailed them the manuscript so they can give constructive criticism prior to final editing and printing.

One of my greatest blessings in life has been the longtime friendship of Diana.  She is a jewel like no other.

Have a great evening!