Kiss My Kitty Butt Website Now Operational

It's up! KissMyKittyButt.com, the home page, is now operational. Just a list of chapters at this point, but check out the background--my web designer and I agree that's just begging to be put on a pair of boxers. 

Still no word from the publishers I've sent the book to. Aargh... publishing is a punishingly slow business. But I'm moving forward on marketing and placement for the book regardless. 

Right now I'm consumed with the other cat book for the agent, but soon my attention will turn back to how I can have everyone on planet telling each other to "Kiss My Kitty Butt!"

Be My Web B**CH

I just started reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Lots to chew on. One suggestion he makes is to rid yourself of work you don't do well and that doesn't directly contribute to your profit line. For example, if it takes you two hours to churn out a decent business letter, is that the best use of your time or could you hire somebody who holds that skill to do it for you?

My area of downfall is anything technology related. Right now, for example, I'm struggling with setting up a new e-mail account. I grabbed "dena@kissmykittybutt.com" from my service provider but I can't get the account to show on my Mac and download mail there. Grrrr.... I'm on hour two of futzing around with this. Good use of my time in an already busy week? I think not. Which has me considering hiring a sort of personal assistant to assist me with all things techie. Or not even assist. Just do them. I call, you do. And I thought of the perfect person.

I called my friend Melody.

"I'm thinking of hiring you to be my web bitch," I said.

And this is why I love Melody. Without missing a beat or knowing what I was talking about she said, "I would love to be your web bitch."

I need to think it through--what exactly I think I would need, would pay be on an hourly or retainer basis, average expected cost, etc. As I move more into book marketing, there is just more to be done that I don't have the skill set for - graphics and banners, Flair on Facebook, logos, e-mail accounts, RSS feeds, website redesign and updates...

Yes, I think I see a web bitch in my future.

Chocolate Special K

Part of the fun of visiting people or having them visit you is you're exposed to that person's or family's eating habits. Most of us tend to buy the same foods week after week--our favorite chips or granola bars, same 'ol fruit and veggies, our favorite spaghetti sauce, cola drink, or boxed pasta.

I told you how much fun it was to come back from the Outer Banks and find our housesitter had left lager and chocolate-peanut butter ice-cream behind. Bonus! I never buy those things for myself and so had a little kitchen holiday inside the home. I had a similar experience yesterday with some CHOCOLATE Special K my niece had left behind.

When we went to the store and she picked up the box of CHOCOLATE Special K my first thought was "gross." That thought didn't change when I watched her pour it in a bowl and eat it. Dark chocolate chunks mixed with a high protein corn cereal? Sure, that or snot. Both sound about equally appealing.

But hunger makes us do strange things. Yesterday afternoon I was starving and out of desperation, poured a small bowl of the cereal just to try it before I threw the box out. Oh. My. God. You're going to need to send me to detox to pull me off this stuff. It's chocolate! And cereal! In the words of the iconoclastic Rachel Ray--"Yum-O!"

It boils down to the fact that I am a chocolate whore. Pour it on top of lima beans and I'll eat it. I think I had 3 bowls of Chocolate Special K yesterday. I'm focusing on the "Special K" part and mentally chanting, "It's good for me!" while simultaneously shoving small chunks of dark chocolate down my throat. 

If only I had some lager with which to wash it down...

F-F-Freaking Out

Who exactly do I need to see about stopping time? OMG, so much work to be done. Did I really spend my night watching The Next Food Network Star Challenge? Am I really that lame? Or is it just a bad dream...?

The good news: I have a literary agency interested in seeing a book proposal and sample chapters from me on a new cat book. (Not Kiss My Kitty Butt. Different book.)  The really good news is that the agency responded in a short time frame to my query letter sent out on the book. They are taking on new clients in September, so I need to get this proposal and chapters out to them no later than mid-August--and that's pushing it.

The challenge: When I sent the query, I did so with the expectation of having to wait the traditional 2-4 months to hear anything. I had just started writing my proposal when I heard from the agent. As for the book--a couple of sample snippets are written but there are miles (miles, people) to go.

The hope: I have busted my (kitty) butt this week pulling together what I think is a stellar proposal. Or what is shaping up to be one. A friend of mine who ghostwrites proposals for a living is critiquing my work and she's on me to dig, dig, dig and make it better, better, better. Stats, specifics, humor, details... this thing has to be spot on. I just got her latest feedback. I thought I was 90% done but ha--shows what I know. After reading her suggestons, I'm sweating bullets at the work still to be done. I'd estimate I just dropped back to 70% done.

The freaking out part: I'm out of town at the end of this week and need to devote some long hours to articles that are already on tap. But it's crucial I get drafts of the chapters down on paper. Humor on demand is hard work and I need time to let the work sit in order to go back and hone it. I see a lot of late nights in my future. (Or realistically, early mornings. NOT a night person.)

The awesome part: I am LOVING this. Love the pressure, love the work, am having loads and loads of fun cranking this out. I am creating a career out of writing about cats. 

That makes me a happy, happy camper.