This is the third weekend in a row that my book has been completely off my plate. Revisions went to the typesetter in mid-October and the turnaround time has been a bit longer than my publisher anticipated. I should have the next (and almost final) version of the book back early this week. Without having to work on the book and with soccer season having ended last weekend for both my daughters, I’ve had more free time the last two days than I have had in months. I cleaned my fridge, made soup, read Jamie an entire Flat Stanley book (in one sitting), worked out . . . and that was all before noon on Saturday! I am also enjoying reading two books: Devotion, by Dani Shapiro, and Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout.

The reality, however, is that this is just a brief moment of quiet before the good storm that will occur in my life when the book comes out in February. From what I have learned, much of the marketing effort is author driven and I am an author who is driven to market my book–there’s nothing more I would rather do! I feel so lucky and grateful for the opportunity to do so. But for the remaining hours that are left of this weekend, I am going to continue to get some things down around the house, make a batch of brownies, spend some time with my family (undistracted by thoughts of what I should be doing on my book), and watch the Packer game tonight. I considered including a photo of me relaxing, but the photo below of my daughter, Jamie, conveys my mood perfectly. She is pretending to read an advanced reading copy of my book, with my glasses and robe on: