Field Notes: The Almost Book

T-shirts I made for my niece and nephews for their Summer of 2010 visit.

Listen, I have in my hot little hands this weekend -- my hot and humid, sweaty little hands! -- the PDF proof of my book.
MY BOOK!
How long have I waited to say those words and mean an actual book, not a pile of papers making up a manuscript? As my editor said when she sent the file, "It must seem real now."
Almost. A friend asked me yesterday, "Are you excited? Why aren't you excited?" I guess until the book is in my hands, I won't believe it's real. And I suppose I'm one of those people who is excited inside her circle of trusted people, but less so out in the world where excitement is one step away from being boastful.
I like to call it "enthusiasm" in keeping with my lifelong mantra of "More enthusiasm than skill."
It was Mrs. Hines, my Grade Two teacher, who first wrote those words on a report card and I think it's safe to say, ma'am, that I've finally matched my skill to my enthusiasm.
So once I get the spare room cleaned up (a monumental job considering it became the catch-all room after the renovation in 2011) in anticipation of my Aunt Gail's arrival on Tuesday, I will spend the next three days reading over my almost-book to find any last minute tweaks. It's getting so close, I can almost feel the actual paper book.

And over on my Facebook page, I'll continue posting a quote and a photo for each essay up until publication day in late September.