BootsnAll Travel Network



Archive for the 'Florida’s drunken sailor' Category

« Home

Tropical Storm Fay is a Drunken Sailor!

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

Yessiree, old Fay is no lady, that’s for sure.  She’s weaving around the State of Florida, spilling her drinks and making a general mess of the counties north of me now.  At this very minute, she is breathing heavily on my hanging ferns on the patio and making them swing about in a very attractive way.  She knocked over my big umbrella during the night, but she’s actually miles away and these are only the swooshes of her trailing skirts. 

Like a sailor gone blotto, Hurricane Fay entered our state five days ago and careened across the Everglades well south of here.  Somewhere along the way she lost her hurricane status but she’s still a mean woman and a killer of twenty-eight and counting.  Causing a great deal of flooding along the East Coast, she veered out to sea for a short looksee and then turned back to land to stumble wantonly towards the panhandle.  I have no idea what she’s doing just now as I have failed to check the news before sitting down to write this, but she’s probably still tearing up the pea patch, refusing to go quietly into yet another night.

I actually like negative ions and find this sort of weather exhilarating, but I think this must be one of those ill winds that does nobody any good.  Well, judging from the loss of life and property damage, there’s no “probably” about it. 

But, it’s so weird that these past few days have been also marked by a lot of stress as I try to get my book put to bed.  (Isn’t that the old printer’s term for getting ready to make the first print run?)  I usually don’t even experience stress because I have a pretty laid back life.  But, I’ve been trying to get my book’s manuscript and cover design to the printers in enough time to have a proof copy run, shipped and checked, and then to be able to make my first order in time to take some copies to the AARP Convention in Washington, DC, the first week in September.

That would require some close coordination but it sure was worth a try.  I found someone to format the manuscript and convert it to pdf and that part was sent in on time.  I didn’t expect any problems with the cover design since I had signed off on the final artwork weeks ago and we were just waiting for the page numbers to be complete so I that could tell them the correct spine width.  My designers had assured me that they could handle all the technical requirements of getting their pdf sent to Lightning Source.  Monday was a holiday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they’re located, so I expected everything to be sent in on Tuesday, but it didn’t go out till late Thursday.  Now, I believe their pdf is finally at the printers and I am waiting to hear whether both files are trouble-free and print ready. 

However, this is Friday.  A weekend is ahead.  We lost a valuable week which could spell the difference between my going to my first big book promotion without any books; and having something to present to the important reviewers and media people whom I will be meeting there.  At least I have my new business cards and I can always network and take addresses for sending books later.  It will all work out anyway, and I’m sure that this field of self-publishing which I have newly stepped into is full of glitches like this.  That’s business, right? 

Last night, I went and joined old Tropical Storm Fay on the beach and watched her wallop the waves awhile.  All that was lacking was a beer in my hand but I cavorted by getting a little much-needed exercise.