One Interruption Leads to Another, But It's All Good

Yesterday afternoon I saved my WIP to a flash drive and shut down my desktop computer at the first sign of thunder. My fully-charged laptop waited for me downstairs. I figured I could squeeze in more writing time on the battery while the storm passed overhead.The thunder stopped and the clouds wandered aimlessly out to the eastern plains before I had a chance to get downstairs.

As often happens, that interruption led to a series of additional interruptions that eventually led to the real news in this post. However, one step at a time:

1. The drier had completed its cycle so I folded clothes, reloaded the drier, and started a new load in the washer.

2. Hunger pangs struck (this never would have happened if I'd still been upstairs writing), so I slathered cream cheese and lox on five Triscuits and left the plate by my laptop.

3. It was almost 4:00 so it was time to get the mail. I walked outside and found my hubby had forgotten to disconnect the ham radio antenna from the house before he left. I looked at the sky. Still some dark clouds around. I disconnected the antenna and went back into the house.

4. There was something I forgot to do. I stood in the middle of the kitchen until I remembered. Get the mail.

5. I walked back outside and around the corner to the block of mailboxes. Inside the small box with the usual junk mail was a key to one of the big boxes. I hadn't ordered anything new. Maybe something for my hubby. I opened the big mailbox to find a good-sized cardboard box inside. Stamped "media mail." My heart started beating faster. Could it be? Already? The copies of the new book? The box was sure heavy enough. I struggled to get the box out and then lugged it back around the corner, through the gate, in the door, and onto the kitchen table. Opened box, pulled out stuffing at the top.

And I finally held a copy of The Desert Hedge Murders with its gorgeous cover (designed by Christopher Wait at ENC Graphic Services--thanks, Christopher). Turned the book over, and for the first time realized the background of the back cover resembles a rattlesnake's skin. How cool is that? Thumbed through the pages. Checked out my author photo on the inside back flap. Hmmm. Pretty big photo. Shows a few wrinkles. Pretend I didn't tell you that.

Eventally I stopped walking around, grinning, with the book in my hands, doing the little Happy Dance, because it was time to go to another author's booksigning. Where, of course, I bought more books. Oh, forgot to mention that I must have eaten the Triscuits because next time I looked, the plate was empty.