Two Milestones on the Same Day

Last Friday, I encountered two milestones in the book publishing process. I celebrated one on Friday and the other one today. First, a copy of the uncorrected proof (or galley or advanced review copy (ARC)) of my upcoming March, 2011 release, Deadly Currents, arrived in the mail. Deadly Currents will be the first book in my new RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. This is the first time I've seen the manuscript printed up in book form, and dang if it doesn't look good! :)

The ARC came right on schedule, 5 months to the day before the March 1 release date. Magazine/journal reviewers need that 5 month lead-time to read the book, write the review, and schedule it for publication. Please cross your fingers for me. I'm hoping for at least one good review that I can quote on my website.

My husband and I went out to dinner at the local Outback Steakhouse with friends Linda and Don Friday night, and I brought the ARC along to show them--sealed in a plastic bag so no food or beverage would be spilled on it. When the waiter asked what we were so excited about, Linda went into her BS mode and introduced me as a famous author whose next bestseller had just been sent off to reviewers. She encouraged the waiter to have the manager come over and meet the author, and she said the least the manager could do was buy me a celebratory drink. By then, I was all shades of red.

The manager did come over, shake hands with all of us, listen to Linda's gushing story about me, look at my ARC, and accept a bookmark from me. Then, he comped me a drink! A blueberry martini, no less. Yummy. Needless to say, I recommend that everyone go have dinner at your nearest Outback Steakhouse. What a great place! After I got over my embarrassment, I thanked Linda for the little party in a glass, and the waiter got a big tip, too.

The second milestone was reaching the halfway point in the rough draft of my current manuscript, the third book in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. My outline includes 20 chapters, and I finished the rough draft of chapter 10 Friday afternoon. To celebrate that milestone, and to get rid of the stiffness from spending hours and hours typing on a computer keyboard, I scheduled a massage for myself. So, if you're reading this Monday morning, think of me laying there in bliss while my massage therapist Barbara's magic fingers work all the tension out of my muscles. If you live in Colorado Springs and would like a referral to Barbara's Trager-technique massage practice, contact me at my website, and I'll put you in touch with her.

I think it's very important to celebrate the small milestones in the publishing process, given how long it takes to write and edit a book then for a publisher to publish it. If you're a writer, what small milestone have you celebrated lately?