October
And Kingdoms rise
And Kingdoms fall
But you go on……and on…
– U2
October has always been my favorite month. I have to admit to being biased, because I was born in October and grew up in a part of the United States where autumn is an exquisite time of year. The season brings corn mazes, hay rides, jack-o-lanterns, maple candy, apple pie, leaf piles, cool nights and chilly mornings that warm as the sun rises.
This year, October should be an especially exciting month. My publisher, Buddhapuss Ink, will soon be releasing Mystery Times Ten 2013, an anthology of short mystery stories. The anthology includes my third-place-winning story, “Who Let the Cats Out,” and will be available in print and as an e-book. I’ll keep you posted on the release date.
MaryChris Bradley, the impressive, knowledgeable, and kindhearted head honcho of Buddhapuss, is also planning to launch a Facebook page for my upcoming book, MESSAGE FOR A BLUE JAY in October. The launch will coincide with a big reveal of the cover (we’re working on a date), and a network of bloggers will join in the fun by posting the cover on their blogs the same day.
Of course, a lot of hard work will be going on behind the scenes. It’s time to face the revision process. MaryChris will pore through my manuscript, page by page, and send me her edits and revisions for review. This process is new to me, so it will be an interesting learning experience. I’m always open to the ideas of a professional editor, and editors don’t come much more professional or experienced than MaryChris, who has spent her entire career in publishing. She has worked for some of the largest houses out there, and I’m lucky that she decided to start her own press — and I’m onored that she chose to publish my first book.
All of this is happening while I’m also teaching two college courses, attending evening workshops to learn more about teaching, and continuing my work as a freelance business writer (at the moment I’m blogging for two corporate clients to help pay the bills). This week I also took my almost-eighteen-year-old cat to the vet for blood tests (he’s holding his own despite chronic kidney disease) and helped a friend pour wine at a wine tasting fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund. Exhausting? Yes. I wasn’t sure which way was up by the time Friday rolled around.
But this is the end of September. October is almost here!
What does your October look like? I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the initial stages of the launch of my book. It’s hard to express how much it means to me to be realizing this dream.
Fay, I love the fall, too, and did you know that good things often come to people around the time of their birthday? Yes, it’s an astrological belief, and I’ve seen it happen. So excited for your books, and all the adventures this process will bring to you!!!