Audiobook update

A producer finally found me!

I'm really excited. The guy has a great voice and a professional sound. He's an actor, so I know he'll do well. The audition was nearly perfect. I liked his voice and intonation right away.

I OK'd the audition.

Then there was some rather intimidating paperwork...a long contract. I actually read it. And made notes. A contract that long makes me nervous. What do all those little paragraphs mean? But they were pretty understandable. Like the paragraph that basically says if the narrator gets the flu or is hit by a bus, he may request an extension of deadlines. Reasonable.

I scribbled little notes next to each one with a shorthand of what the paragraph covered. That helped me understand it. All the advice columns warn you to read everything. I'm getting better at it. For me, it helps if I print it out. I'm still a paper person.

So I sent off the contract.

The next step was for him to record the 1st 15 minutes. Wow. What a bizarre feeling to listen to someone else read my words. It was very cool. I had a couple questions about it. Waiting to hear back from him now.

We hope to have the book completed by the end of March. I will be making announcements!

Unintended Consequences

The most recent draft is out to a few readers. I won't say final draft because I already know it needs a smidge of something else. Rose gave me some good ideas for that. I am eager to hear back from my other readers to see if they feel the same way.

I don't want to start the rewrite until all opinions are in. I think it's a pretty solid story. The rewrite shouldn't take too long. So I think I am still on target for publishing in March...probably late in March.

Life as a kitty is tough...

Sometimes you need a nap...

When you're waiting for the, um mail, right...

Sometimes you have to share...

Sometimes you have to hide...

Or protect your territory...

Or help out at work...

And then you really need a nap.

Seasonal Food Cravings

One spring I found myself craving hard boiled eggs. Now I am the type of person that believes the body tells me what it wants. When I crave olives or oranges or cheese, I try to give it what it wants. And I try to ignore those yearnings for chocolate, danishes and Key lime pie.

But I very rarely crave hard boiled eggs. Just not on my list of favorite foods. I'm not a big fan of eggs in any form. So I thought about it. And it occurred to me that it was spring and Easter was around the corner.

I grew up with the tradition of dyeing eggs at Easter. We had Easter egg hunts. When you found your egg, you got a prize, which usually amounted to frilly socks for your Easter outfit or pretty barrettes. Then we had a bowl of colored eggs on the table for about a week. Everyone was encouraged to eat them up.

I haven't dyed eggs since I was a kid, but that tradition turned into a craving. There are a couple other foods that surface in their own season. Like tangerines at Christmas. I think that must have been from fruit baskets we received from my father's business associates.

Funny how taste and smell can be so  strongly attached to memories.