Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The countdown: one month till release day

The Amaranth Enchantment hits the stores one month from today -- and a short month at that. Four weeks precisely, and not a penny more. That means I have only twenty-eight days to accomplish all the items on my "Authors Oughtta" list.

Authors Oughtta, if they're me,

1. Get a haircut, get some decent clothes, get to the gym now and again, and, in general, try to look more like the girl on the cover of my book.

2. Reread the book so I'll have coherent answers to questions people ask me about it.

3. Stock up on breathmints so I don't fumigate any would-be customers.

4. Practice writing my name over and over in a firm, decisive, legible hand, chock-full of personality, and above all, spelled correctly.

5. Order a backup stash of books, so that when I do misspell my name in someone's newly-purchased copy, I can make good.

6. Memorize the list of people I need to thank, including the book store owner, the publisher, the agent, the editor, the book designer, the Founding Fathers, my second-grade teacher, and especially, don't forget this one, my husband.

If you're anywhere near one of the book events I'll be doing this spring, stop by and tell me how well I did on my Authors Oughtta list. And just in case, please, bring me a breath mint.