Stranger

This blog is becoming a stranger to me. The once intimate relationship we shared is fading away. Stop, my stable friend. Don't go. My absence is not in vain. I have been sharing my words with another soul. It is shameful, but it is true. I have left you, my lusterous screen of white, for school.

Oh barf. I am not that sappy. Nor am I that poetic. It is true though. School has become all consuming. It has sucked away any pre-sleepy time freedom I had. In fact as I type this now, I can hear Psych beckoning me. Shut up, I tell you. Shut up! I am at one with my blog. The academic voices will not be silenced. Somebody save me.

In more recent news, I am an emerging author. I am anxiously awaiting receipt of my first children's book, Abbott McAbbott McHumprey McGee. The publishing of this book was nearly a two year process for me. It was a self-study process too. I figured out on my own how to get published...

Train of thought "rudely" interrupted by a sneak attack kiss from my wife.

Ah, yes. To get published, I walked my happy ass down to the local library and check out as many children's books as my arms would carry. My little girl is especially fond of reading, so the oodles of books spilling from my arms was a plus for her too. The name of a publisher is printed in each book. I literally Googled the names of each publisher to see how they accepted work. Most, I would say 98%, require that you work with a publishing manager. I did not have the time or the money for that, so all of those were out.

Before I began to feel defeated and shove my dream of being published under the rug, I stumbled upon a small publishing company. The company I selected works through publishing agreements, not full-blown contracts. This provides opportunity for the author to be picked up by a larger publisher. Wanna know the other added bonus? This publisher is practically in my backyard. That's right. They are planted in Milwaukee, WI. Something about that just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Warm and fuzzy.

So I submitted the written portion of the book to Mirror Publishing and they bit. They liked the storyline. Great! Then they wanted to know about the artwork. The artwork? Huh? I can draw and I can paint, but I didn't have time for it. I inquired about having someone do the art for me, but they cautioned that it would be costly. Ugh. Fine then. I'll do it myself. And I did.

I opted to use photos for the pages in the book. I used a photo editing app that was pretty amateur and, while I don't regret it, I'm not sure I'll ever use photos again. My vision was not met on the pages. The edited photos do make the story interactive though. They also allow readers to see the life of the real Abbott. I suppose in that respect, justice was served then.

Once the written material and artwork was submitted and approved, the waiting began. I waited for e-proofs. Then I waited again for the physical proof. Now I'm waiting for the first batch of books. One hundred of these puppies will arrive to my front door. It is with these that I will start getting my name out. They will be used for book signings. That's right, this little introvert will be sitting in front of a bunch of squealing boogers at local coffee shops, the library, and wherever else I can get into to read and hopefully sell some books. I'm nervous. Okay, I'm excited too.

I am most hopeful about my future as an author. I don't expect it will put food on my table, but it will be, at minimum, a hobby for me. It will be a way for me to share my writing with the world. It will be a way for me to demonstrate my talents as an artist. I have two more books in the pipeline, and I'm learning Adobe CS6. This is dangerous, people. Dangerous. Watch out.

Goodnight, sweet blog of mine. Words never looked so good on you.