Working in Jammies...

At the risk of alienating every friend I have who pulls on a suit and slips out the door by 7am, I have to make note of how utterly marvelous it is to work in one's jammies.  You're getting work done, but it's pure hedonistic pleasure at the same time.

One thing this cat book has shown me is that I actually get more done while working in my p.j.'s vs. being showered and dressed.  My new morning routine has been to get up at 5, play with the cats and eat breakfast, then sit down at the computer at six.  I'll work until about 9, then exercise, then work a little more.  Many days I'm not showered and dressed until close to noon.  (Hear that sound?  That's the sound of everyone reading this blog throwing their coffee cup at the computer.  Hey you people...that's office property!  Stop destroying it!)

Here's my new plan of action.  My detailed outline is due Thursday, so I'm spending today and the rest of the weekend researching like a mad woman.  I'm hoping to have enough (or over-optimistic me, more than enough) to start writing the outline on Monday.  Finalize Tuesday and submit Wednesday. That's the plan, anyway.  I'm still alternating between "I'm making a big deal over nothing.  I can get this done, no problem" to frantic panic eating where (no joke) I stuff down an apple, cereal, a few Doritos, a handful of walnuts and raisins, cottage cheese, dark chocolate, a piece of bread with honey, and then repeat the cycle all in about a 30 minute time period. 

Blair is taking the fun away from my martyr status.  He got home last night from work about 10 and was up by 4 today.  I'm thinking my "I'm working so hard" moans may appear petty.  Damn him.  =)

Off to work!  I think today I'll write about cats...

Quietly Going Insane....

It occurs to me that after all my work to get this blog up and running and have people actually read it, that it's a bad, bad, bad idea to just let it sit for a month. So I'll try to pop in some updates here and there.

It's been an interesting week.  I spent the weekend clearing out my schedule.  I wrote almost-finished drafts of my two remaining articles that are due this month, cleared out the e-mails, balanced my checkbook and did laundry.  So I hit Monday toned, prepped, and smelling Downy-fresh.

To say working on this cat book (which btw is called "For the Love of Cats) is overwhelming is an understatement, at best.  Right now I'm experiencing a chicken and the egg problem.  I have to submit a detailed outline for the book, breaking down what information will be included in each chapter on almost a page by page basis.  The issue is that I need to do a load of research to determine what will be included in each chapter. But it's next to impossible to conduct research without knowing ahead of time what the chapter breakdowns look like.  There is SO MUCH cat information out there.  So I feel a bit like I'm moving in slow, unproductive circles.

I'm also trying to verify information I find.  I may find a really cool cat factoid on a sight and then spend X number of hours trying to verify the information through other sites. 

Thank God I'm researching cats, a subject I find endlessly fascinating.  If I was spending this amount of time on say, Golf, I'd shoot myself.  As it stands, I resonate by the hour between "I'm fine.  I can do this.  When have I ever not completed something?  I always do good work and the pieces will fall together.  It's all good," to "I will find my passport and leave the country and never have to speak to these people again."  Some days it's been a struggle not to throw-up, just thinking of all the work I'm facing.

But I remind myself how lucky I am. I get to work from home, on a project I love, doing what I love.  The Universe has been very, very kind to me. And Blair is a God-send.  My rock.  Here's how our conversations have gone this week:

Me: "I can't do it."

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "No, it's over.  It's too hard.  I can't do it."

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "I suck.  What was I thinking? I don't know how to lay out a book.  This is terrible.  Horrible! The worst!"

Blair: "You'll be fine."

Me: "Do you really think so?"

Blair: "Yes."

Me: (Deep breath) "Okay, maybe you're right." PAUSE.  "Now give me chocolate."

Which he does.  As I've said before, he's a good man.

Dena's Going Bye-Bye for the Month

You will not believe the last 48 hours of my life.  Amazing how things turn around.  Okay, here's the scoop.  Remember how I got turned down for that Cat Book assignment? It's back.  Apparently the writer they went with got sick or something.  The editor was so nice, saying I had been a really close 2nd choice, and they really liked my work, and would I consider taking the project?

"Careful now," I said.  "Don't let the author hear the panic in your voice."

"I know, I know!" she laughed.  (She's really cute.  I like her).

So I'm going to do it.  25,000 words in under a month.  Not to mention all the ideas, research, compiling, etc.  I told Blair I hope he's enjoyed our time together the past 2 weeks b/c I don't think I'll see him until September.

FYI, the book will be 320 pages, a browse read for cat lovers (meaning each page is a stand alone), 4-color and hardback.  I'm doing a work-for-hire (meaning they pay me to do my work but I don't make any money from the sale of the book) but they are putting my name on the title page, which is fun.

But the fun doesn't end there! Remember how once I was turned down for the cat book by this company a different editor there asked me to submit some sample toasts to possible work on a book of toasts?  I never heard back and assumed they'd moved on to someone else.

Not true!  My cat book editor on the phone today asked if I'd heard from the other editor, who was planning on offering me the toast book as well!  Unfortunately, both books are on the same deadline and I just don't think with my other regular assignment and my judging (I'm a judge in 3 categories for the Cat Writer's Association annual contest - I am going to have cats coming out of my you-know-where this month) that I'll have the time.

Although I have to admit I'm tempted.  It's why I took the cat book.  I don't like working under pressure and I'm not an especially nice person while doing so, but I work very well under pressure.  I get things done.  And I haven't been feeling I've been getting a lot done lately.  So I welcome the challenge.  Besides, worst case, it's a month of hell.  The project is over by the 1st of September so the pain will end.

But I don't know how much I'll be blogging this month so I thought I would explain upfront.  But who knows?  Maybe I'll manage to keep it up.  Either way, say a prayer for me!

Writer's Yearbook EXTRA from Writer's Digest

Writer's Digestis a well-known magazine for aspiring writers and I had an article published in there last year about creating a successful 30-second pitch (also known as an "elevator pitch.") The article got picked up and included in their Special 2005 Yearbook Extra issue.  My special copy was just delivered to my door by UPS and I nearly broke a wrist trying to tear off the apparently untearable plastic casing.

The fun part is my article is listed on the cover: "GET NOTICED in 30 seconds"  -- That's me.  We writers live for these sorts of things.  Doesn't matter that my names not on it and chances are few people reading the issue will even bother glancing at my by-line.  My story made the cover listing.  Ya-hoo, I say.  Ya-hoo.

I do hope someone reads the byline though as it mentions my Lessons In Stalking book site.  Aaargh....I wish the book was ready!  I haven't heard back from my book designer on the last batch of edits.  I e-mailed him a follow-up earlier this week and have heard nothing.  I'm trying to balance that fine line between follow-up and stalking.  I think I'll risk the stalking.  I want to get the book to the printer ASAP, especially now that Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul is coming out in September and I have bylines coming out advertising the book.

The book is--I think--available on Amazon. com, or will be.  If you search for the title or my name, the book will appear.  However, what was supposed to happen was I joined this Advantage program of theirs so they would host my book.  I was supposed to receive an e-mail confirming I (and the book) were accepted in the program.

I heard nothing so I e-mailed Amazon and asked: 1) Have I been accepted?  2) Your guidelines state a password will be mailed to me.  I have not received it.  Can you forward.

I got back a nice long reply from Amazon about ordering my book with not one mention if I was accepted ( I guess so) and nothing about a password.  Okey-dokey, we'll just try that again using smaller words and more white space.

If you pick up an issue of the Writer's Yearbook Extra, check out page 14.  Me!