TT: Up and down, up and down

On Monday I flew from Tampa to New York, where the weather is demoralizingly gray and soggy, with no prospects for immediate improvement. I staggered out of the plane, looked at the fog, and felt my spirits sink. Then I went into the terminal, booted up my laptop, checked my e-mail, and discovered that Bill Shinker, the man who runs Gotham Books, my new publisher, read the manuscript of Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington over the weekend and loved it. Modesty forbids my quoting Bill directly, but suffice it to say that his note made me forget about the weather.

I'm not done with Duke yet. The manuscript is now being copyedited, and I'm giving it a second editorial pass myself. I also have to finish choosing the photographs that will appear in the book (and obtain permission to reprint them, which is a horrendous chore). Nevertheless, the boss likes it, and that's what matters most.