summer 2004

~Sunday, September 5, 2004

We did go away for a few days, to the Adirondacks. It was rushed yet relaxing. (Is such a thing possible?) Since our return to NYC, I’ve been trying to move full speed ahead ahead on finalizing The Lover’s Path. However, I’ve hit a few speed bumps — namely my usually reliable computer.

On that note, there should be an addendum to Murphy’s Law that states, “The tighter the work deadline, the fussier the computer.” Need I write more? Who hasn’t had their printer crash just as they’re printing out a document which has to go out fedex right-this-very-minute? Or a computer refuse to boot up just as they needed to get that one last file e-mailed out? This time GiGi (my nickname for my G4 Macintosh) has decided that she just doesn’t like my fonts. Or my system software. Or Quark Xpress. Or any of my book documents. And a few other things. I guess GiGi has realized how valuable she is and, like a prima donna of olden times, was holding out for some serious handholding with a hefty side dish of flattery. Which she has received in plenty over the past few days, believe you and me.

Sigh.

Anyway, after reinstalling software, upgrading my font management tools, and running all sorts of diagnostic tools, GiGi appears to be running better than ever, knock wood. So now it really is full speed ahead.

Right now, I’m re-flowing The Lover’s Path’s text to fit the interior book trim size (which I received last week from my editor). From there, I’ll finalize sizes of the interactive elements which are tucked within the novel’s pages.

As you read this, you might be wondering “Interactive elements? What are these? And what have they got to do with a novel?” Simply put, the interactive elements in The Lover’s Path are the most fun part of this project. Since the novel is about love, we — meaning my publisher and myself — decided to expand the book to make it more of a tactile, sensual experience. So there are letters sprinkled throughout that you can physically open and read, and other mysterious goodies that further the book’s plot.

I’ll share some of these interactive elements with you as publication approaches. They would make amazing Flash animations! But for now, it’s back to work. I need to get these revisions to my editor by Tuesday.

~Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Nothing very exciting going on work-wise. I’ve begun finalizing the digital files for my novel, The Lover’s Path — lots of fussy little detail stuff, like cleaning up the edges of borders, finetuning type sizes. It’s relaxing in a mindless way, though also time consuming. As well, I should have first proofs for the Lover’s Path calendar some time next week to go over. So things are moving forward as they should.

I’m planning to go away for a few days later in the week — my humble attempt at a vacation. Wish me luck at getting out of the studio! The weather is still exquisite here. I hope to take advantage of it, before I get too entrenched in this October book deadline.

~Saturday, August 14, 2004

Technically it’s Saturday morning, though it’s still Friday night to me since (a) it’s dark out and (b) I haven’t gone to sleep yet. I have a few quiet minutes to update on the latest.

I did turn in all the Lover’s Path calendar materials to Abrams yesterday (Thursday). My editor seemed pleased with everything, though there was a glich with one of the cd-roms.(Evil cd-burner! I’ve definitely got to dump it for something more reliable.) Of course, it was the cd with all of the design files — the most important one — so the art director couldn’t see how the digital files were constructed, and how much work would be needed on her end. So I had to burn it again. Doublechecked it to make sure all the files were showing up. Fedexed it out. And that’s that — for now.

I’ll receive proofs for the calendar probably in about two weeks time. My publisher is moving fast to make the press deadline.

As a side note, all that art I touched up is journeying half-way around the world to be scanned and reproduced. I’m slightly jealous — I’ve never been to China.

For myself, it’s now onto the main event: The Lover’s Path, the novel, the big kahuna, and all that. I’m going to start touching up and finalizing all the art spreads and digital files. I’m not happy with one painting I did, so I think I may redo it, if time permits. My editor will get the copyedited manuscript to me probably by the beginning of September. I don’t anticipate a lot of revisions, but you never know. A friend of a friend very generously checked my Italian translations, which are integrated into the art borders. (Thank you, Penelope!) I also doublechecked the copyright situation with some of the maps that I’ve digitally collaged into the art borders. So I’m all set to go with these small, but important, details.

I know that I’m still being very mysterious about my novel’s content. I guess I could use Theresa’s, my wonderful and wonderous literary agent, succinct pitch. She describes it as a cross between Memoirs of a Geisha and Griffin and Sabine, set in the Italian Renaissance. Also, like The Lover’s Path Tarot, it incorporates classic love myths and stories, which is where all the art comes into play. I can readily write that it’s the most complex project I’ve worked on to date. It’s taken me almost a decade to develop The Lover’s Path to its current, and final, form — definitely an example of the parable of the crucible, where something is melted down again and again to refine and strengthen it.

On the related subject of The Lover’s Path Tarot, I spoke with my art director today. Everything — book, deck, box, spread sheet — is on press and on schedule. Final printed deck and book sets should be here by mid-October. I can’t wait to see it!!

~Wednesday, August 11, 2004

And here is the cover design for the 2006 Lover’s Path Calendar. I’m set to hand in everything — art, design, text — tomorrow. All the designs are printed out, cd’s burned, paintings touched up I’ve only to pack the original artwork, which I’ll do tomorrow; I want to give the paintings as much time as possible to dry to the bone. Even when oil paintings feel dry, they’re still a little soft under the surface (especially when you use as much linseed oil as I do).

The calendar design finalization took a little longer than I thought, since I’ve been wrangling with computer problems. For some reason, my cd burner decided not to cooperate — just when I needed it most, of course. As a side note, Sony cd-burners (or the software that they’re packaged with) rot big time — buggy and unpredictable. I’d upgrade to a different burner, but I haven’t really used this one that often to warrant it. Feels like throwing away money, though every time I use this burner, I’m reminded anew how frustratingly unreliable it is.

After the calendar, it’s onto the novel portion of The Lover’s Path! I know I haven’t written very much about the novel. To be honest, I feel so close to it — it’s like a beloved baby to me — that I’m having a hard time deciding how to describe it. But I do want to share it with you. And I soon will, now that I’ll be working on it full force.
On a related note, I’ve been having a wonderful response to my Lover’s Path Tarot limited edition, which will be published October 2004. Lots of people have signed up to be notified for the pre-order — more than I’d anticipated. Based on this response, I’m considering expanding the limited edition to 500 from my originally planned 250. I’ll see. Creating the limited editions will be a lot of work, since I’ll be hand-packaging and inscribing each one. But it’s so gratifying that so many people are interested. Thank you all, each and every one of you!

~Tuesday, August 3, 2004

I’ve settled into a nice work groove with the Lover’s Path calendar. Things are flowing, and I’m feeling confident that I’ll make my August 15th deadline. It’s a nice place to be in, this not panicking, not rushing. I’ve got a basic design together for the spreads, which can easily be altered with colors and art for each month. I’ve started getting all of the graphics together too — there are a lot of them, and I’ll need to doublecheck that they’re the correct resolution and correct format.

I’m especially enjoying touching up the paintings for larger reproduction. It’s been a few months since I painted with oils. Strange as this sounds, I had forgotten how much I love working with oils. There’s a sensuality to their rich colors and their texture. I tend to mix them with a lot of sun-thickened linseed oil, which gives the paints a translucent quality — almost like watercolors. Then, as I get closer to finishing, I touch up most of the details with finely brushed thicker paints to bring brilliance and contrast — a sparkle of white in an eye, or a dark shadow there. I feel a viseral sense of push-and-pull as I work, almost as if I’m creating a three-dimensional world. It’s very satisfying. There’s also a pleasure in revisiting not-so-old paintings to finetune them.

The only downside is that, if I get carried away and work too long, those fine brushes with their small brushstrokes, can really make my hands sore. It’s almost as if I’m crosshatching with a #1 sable.

I have to be careful to not push it. When I created the Book of Goddesses a decade ago (which had a very tight deadline also), I foolishly worked through a repetitive stress injury. I ended up needing several months of rolfing and deep tissue massage to heal the injury. At one point, it got so bad that I had tingling and numbness in my fingers, a sign of a severely pinched nerve in my shoulder.

On the bright side, since I was unable to comfortably paint during my recovery, I began to write in earnest; my book Embracing the Goddess Within came out of this period. But I’ve learned my lesson well. Everything in my studio is now ergonomically-oriented. And I stop working when I feel pain, so I can paint another day.

~Thursday, July 29, 2004

And I’m off — off into deadline world, that is. Last week I had lunch with my Lover’s Path editor, and we nailed all of the dates down for turning in everything. It’s going to be tight, but do-able.

First up, the Lover’s Path 2005 Calendar, due August 15th. Some of what I need to do:

1. sample month spread.
2. calendar text (since short retellings of love myths and legends will be included).
3. cover design.
4. retouch art for scanning. Since most of the art was created for smaller reproduction, it’s not as detailed as it should be for a larger format.
5. oh, create low resolution scans for the time being.
6. figure out what other content I’d like the calendar to include. I suggested famous dates in love — the date of the festival of Venus, that sort of thing.
That’s not so bad, is it?

Next up, the main event — The Lover’s Path itself! The deadline for the novel is October 15th, though I need to provide them with a galley sooner than that for proofreading. I don’t have too much that remains to do (I think/hope):

1. get line edits/suggestions from editor.
2. finalize the digital files. In other words, check that everything is going to reproduce as it should without any, ahem, surprises.
3. I also need to doublecheck some copyright issues, since I used some antique maps as part of the illustrations. Have already contacted the Library of Congress regarding this. I think it’s probably fine, since the maps are several hundred years old, but I want to be safe, not sorry.
4. create some spot art.
5. check that my Italian “translations” aren’t totally incomprehensable.
6. work on a cover comp. (We’re still waiting on the production information before proceeding.)

In other words, lots and lots of details. But that’s the stuff which books are made of, right?

Oh, and if you happen to be having an editorial lunch in NYC any time soon, the Gotham Bar and Grill rocks!

~Saturday, July 17, 2004

Still quiet here. And I’m still finishing up the redesign of The Book of Goddesses. But good news: I heard that the contract for The Lover’s Path finally arrived on my agent’s desk. She’s currently reviewing it — hopefully I’ll be signing it in the next week or so.

A good thing too. October isn’t very far away. I don’t want to rush what remains on this book. I love it too much.

I’m also having lunch with my agent and my Lover’s Path editor next week. Hopefully I’ll get some of the editorial feedback I need to finalize the book’s text and design. I know there’s not much left to do, but it’s good to know what to anticipate.

~Sunday July 11, 2004

It’s been a little while since my last post. To be honest, I haven’t had much to say. Things are as they have been:

~Still waiting on my Lover’s Path novel contract. (I heard from my editor last week that it should arrive any day now — publishing moves very slooowly in summer, with summer hours and all….);

~Still trying to finish up revising my Book of Goddesses reissue redesign. (I think I mentioned that I was working on this in a previous entry. Right now, there’s a million little threads to neatly tuck away, though the book redesign is basically done. I’m aiming to send it out this week. Really. Pronto….);

~Still procrastinating on designing some Flash cards for the site. (My intentions were to design one every other day. Guess how many I’ve done since then? Nada. I think I’m intimidated by Flash. Plus I think I’m just bone lazy, since I know once the contract for the novel comes in, that’s it for the rest of the summer. So gather ye rosebuds while ye may, and all that….);

~Still waiting to hear about the book submissions I made for a Persephone and the Pomegranate reissue. (It’s been about three months since I sent out the proposals. Encouragingly, there’s some interest. So wait I must….).

On the plus side, I did get press quotes for The Lover’s Path Tarot limited edition components (extra major arcana card and print), and am in the midst of setting up the very small press run. I’m very excited to move forward on this! I also saw a few films, including Fahrenheit 9/11 (it will break your heart), Shrek 2 (fun, but forgettable), and Spider-Man 2 (surprisingly good). I’m also hoping to get some day trips in to the beach, so I don’t look like the pale, studio-bound artist that I usually am. The weather is still stunningly beautiful here for the most part.

~Wednesday June 30, 2004

Can’t believe it’s almost July! I’m always surprised that there aren’t 31 days in June — just feels like the month should be longer, especially when the weather is as delicious as it has been lately.

Here’s the latest: I’ve decided to create an extra major arcana card which will be exclusive only to The Lover’s Path Tarot deck and book set limited edition. I thought it would make the limited edition all that much more special. Plus this card ties in nicely to my novel’s subject matter (which I’ll write about in future journal entries); I think of it as a secret story to be unfolded as the pieces come together.

The card is named Artistry, and is numbered XXII, right after Triumph/The World. I think of it as representing the serenity which experience grants us — experiences which allow us to create art, to achieve synthesis in our lives. The art on this card is inspired by a love story featured in my novel. It was modelled for by my friend and fellow musician Sharon Glassman, who is a wonderful artist with words and more.

This extra major arcana card will be printed in four color on both sides. It will match in style the rest of the deck, so it could be used for readings as desired. However, it will be autographed and numbered by me, to underscore it’s specialness. So the limited edition set will include both a frame-worthy print of my Amor and Beatrice sketch as well as the Artistry card.

I will only produce 250 of these limited edition sets; once they’re sold out, they won’t be available again. To learn more, click here. You can also send a blank e-mail to loverspath@artandwords.com to be placed on my preorder notification list.

Otherwise, I’m feeling kind of lazy. The past few days haven’t felt very productive — I suspect I’m enjoying this weather too much to want to focus. I also know that once The Lover’s Path contract is signed, I’m back to deadline world for the rest of the summer.

I’ve been having fun though: I went to my orchestra’s reading rehearsal of Brahms’ Second Symphony. It felt good to play my cello after not touching it for a few weeks. I also started taking a yoga class with a friend which is set, amazingly enough, in a Hindu temple. The temple is so beautiful and inspiring! I loved the many shrines, especially the huge Ganesh which seems to serve as the temple’s centerpiece. I also loved the baskets of coconuts and apples, which are offered to the deities in their honor.

I also heard today from Elizabeth, my art director at US Games. Right now, everything is on press except for the book, which had some last minute details to be fussed over. But more importantly, she told me that the response to The Lover’s Path Tarot at the New Age show in Denver has been incredibly positive. Hearing her encouraging words really made my day.

~Sunday June 27, 2004

New season, new page. I’ve just archived my Spring 2004 entries — can’t believe that it’s already summer! Fortunately, NYC has been graced with more days than I can ever remember of pristine weather, temperate and filled with gentle breezes. It’s an anomoly I’m enjoying. Usually we spring (excuse the pun) directly from winter’s chill into hot humidity, with a few days of serene weather in between.

With the weather so glorious, I’m enjoying working in my sunroom-studio. What am I working on? Well, lots of small things, too many to list. Some of them are design jobs, since I do have some freelance web and print design clients. Others of them are business-related, such as bookkeeping and taxes. Not my favorite thing to do, but it’s good to have the time to deal with them in an unpanicked manner.

To be honest, right now I feel a bit like a lady-in-waiting, since I’m waiting on my contract for my novel, The Lover’s Path. I expect it should come any day now. (Usually publishing contracts take about a month from the time that negotiations are finished.) Once the contract is signed, it’ll be time to move onto revising and finalizing the book. Since I’ll be handing in the book as a design package (ie: complete with printer-ready digital files), I suspect most of my work will be oriented that way.

For me, this is really this summer’s main event. Some people go on vacation. I go on book deadline. But don’t cry for me: The Lover’s Path is the cumulation of almost a decade’s worth of work. To see it published by Abrams Books — well, I can’t describe how satisfying that is. Plus, with the swift way this year has moved, October 2004 (my book’s delivery date) doesn’t seem that far away.

Oh, here’s another small thing I’ve been up to. I set up an gallery on Epilogue.com, a website for fantasy art illustrators my friend Lisa Hunt told me about. I’m hoping it will help publicize my art to a new audience. BTW, Lisa is the illustrator and author of the upcoming Animals Divine Tarot.

• Filed under art and words, be-mused, lover's path, new projects, publishing, recent publications, tarot and oracles, the art world, the world around me, travels | No Comments