Crazy Time

Crazy time has officially begun.

I just sent off Book 4 to my editor, so that's off my plate until she lets me know about revisions.

But I just got the copy-edited manuscript for Damsel Under Stress. I now have to go through it to make sure the copy editor didn't change anything substantial and fix anything the copy editor flagged. I haven't yet really looked at it to see how extensive that will be. I have until October 31 to finish, but I'll be in New York most of that time, so I really need to finish it all by Monday so I can carry it with me to New York and turn it in while I'm there.

Meanwhile, before Saturday I have to finish writing a speech and I need to make a handout by Friday so I can get it copied. I also want to finish my marketing plan before I leave for New York (it's mostly done, just needs some formatting). Since I'll be coming back home Saturday night and have this tea Sunday afternoon, I need to get my outfit picked out and ironed, plus the favors for the people at my table made, before I leave town. Then between Sunday evening and Monday night, I have to write a set of radio scripts and get everything ready for the trip.

Can I hear a big "Whew!" from the crowd? Yeah, I thought so.

I'm still working out my schedule for New York. Now I'm wishing I'd allowed myself more time, though I don't know where I'd have fit it. There's so much I want to do. I'd kind of like to get up to Sleepy Hollow, since it will be right before Halloween, but I'm not sure I'd be able to fit that in, with everything else I want to do. Tuesday is now booked with my meeting with my film agent and the reader get-together. Wednesday afternoon is full with business stuff. I have Thursday during the day free and then Friday until I need to leave for the airport in the afternoon. During the "free" time, I want to hit a lot of bookstores to sign books they have in stock, and I'd like to make it up to the Cloisters because I have a sense of it being a location for something in the future, but I'm not sure what it would be until I get there and walk it again. Those who are familiar with it, can't you just see a magical battle happening around there? I'm sure I'll see a lot of the city, even some parts I haven't visited before, while hitting every bookstore in sight.

I'm also working on my wardrobe. More specifically, the shoes. I get blisters very easily. I could have custom-fitted pillows wrapped around my feet, and I'd get blisters from them (I'm a delicate flower), so finding the right pair of shoes to wear while doing a ton of walking can be a challenge. I had the perfect pair of shoes that were so comfortable. I walked all over New York in then many times, all over London, Oxford, Cambridge, and many other places, with never a blister. They were the one pair of shoes that was safe to bring as the only pair of shoes on a trip, because I knew I could wear them all over for days in a row without pain. But then I guess all that walking stretched them out some, so they started slipping up and down, and on my last trip with them, they did threaten to rub blisters. Last fall, I was so excited when I found an identical pair to replace them, but it turned out they weren't exactly identical. When I wore them on my last trip to New York, I spent the whole time in agony because of blisters and soreness. For this trip, I decided to dig out the old shoes and see if adding some heel inserts and gel insoles would make up for whatever stretching there was. It seems to be doing the trick, but I'll be bringing a back-up pair of shoes and rotating them, just in case. Now I just have to figure out the clothes to go with them. I'll add that to my to-do list.