Q & A catch up

Right now, I’m posed gracefully between the end of one work cycle and the beginning of the next. I suppose that’s why I haven’t been blogging very much the last few weeks — have been regrouping myself. To be honest, it’s been good to have a break from everything before I head back into the fray of new projects and new deadlines. It’s as if I’ve filled my lungs with air before I dive back into deep water.

To bring you up to date, here’s a little Q & A catch up at Art and Words:

What’s going on in Omaha with the exhibition?

Short answer: I don’t fully know.

Long answer: The exhibition was taken down temporarily by the insurance company, since the humidity level was high after the roof collapse and resultant flooding. I trust that the art is safe — the insurance company doesn’t want to be liable for damaged art and is very experienced with these sort of things. I’m assuming the exhibition will be remounted once the new roof has been approved by zoning and all that. In the meantime, limbo.

What’s going on with the new book?

Lots.

I’ve already received a deal memo from my agent, which states the terms for the book acquisition: advance, royalty percentages, publishing rights and territories, work deadlines, and so on. This makes it feel very “official”, since it may be some time before I actually sign the book contract — typically it takes anywhere from six weeks to three months to get a finalized contract from a publisher, then another month to receive the first advance payout. But I’ll be working on the book before then.

My manuscript deadline is January 15, 2008; the deadline for the final book with art, design and so on is July 15th. So just over a year from book acquisition to completion, which is typical. My new editor at Broadway Doubleday has been wonderful so far — lots of supportive excitement on her end. I’m looking forward to meeting her in person next month for an editorial lunch.

What’s the new book about?

I know I’ve been a bit mysterious about the new book’s subject matter. But that’s just how I am — while I’m working on a book, I don’t like to talk too much about it. It’s a way of protecting my creative process, I think. I’m superstitious that if I spill too much, there’s less energy to go into the work itself.

I once read (was it in Writing Down the Bones?) that if you talk about a creative work too much, you trick your brain into thinking that you’ve actually already completed it, in some strange way. Maybe that’s it. Or maybe it’s not wanting to tempt the fates. All I know that I need to keep my focus without distractions, without feeling vulnerable to outside influences, or diffusing my excitement about the new book with other’s reactions.

FWIW, the new book is a bit of a departure for me, though it’s definitely related in theme to my past publications. When people ask me about it, I’ve been describing it in general terms as an exploration into the shadow side of feminine empowerment.

The new book is a little dark, it’s humorous — and I’m having a blast creating it. I feel strangely freed by embracing this part of myself.

So does this new book have a title?

Indeed it does. But for now, I’ll simply refer to it as the New Book (or the NB for short).

What’s next?

My immediate concern is lining up childcare for this summer, so I can work on the NB. Childcare is an ever-ongoing concern for me, and a reality for any working mother with children under school age.

I’m fortunate in that my schedule is somewhat fluid and that I work at home, so I can be around for Thea as well as be open to numerous childcare options. For example, I have a cooperative childcare playgroup that I host with several other mothers in my neighborhood. I also have several babysitters that I know and trust, and most importantly, that Thea likes. If I was a mother with a corporate job with set hours, my situation would be far less flexible.

That written, being a WAHM has its own challenges. It’s impossible to work and take care of a two-year-old simultaneously. You end up doing one or the other in a distracted manner, which is unsatisfying at best, impossible at worst.

Anyone who has a fantasy of “oh, it must be nice to paint as your child plays in your studio” has never had to wrestle a paint brush from a sobbing toddler who’s decided that mommy’s painting needs a special finishing touch involving copious quantities of magenta paint. Try doing with this while rushing to make a fedex pick up.

Yeah, but what’s really next in the studio?

Oh, you want my new-and-updated list? Okay, here goes:

1. Get started on the NB. Organize my research files, lay out the base book dummy, expand upon the book outline. Also start thinking about a publication plan for it — what will its website look like, what events should coincide to publicize it? These need to be planned at least six months before the book hits the stores.

2. Finalize my travel plans for this summer. This week, I’ll be in Philadelphia visiting friends and family, seeing the King Tut exhibition. In August, we’ll be in California and Vermont visiting family.

3. Plan a website overhaul for the upcoming publication of the Goddess Inspiration Oracle. Nothing major — just incorporate more information about it, design a new home page, update the online catalog and so on. I’m designing a new format for Art and Words Extra, my occasional bimonthly newsletter.

4. Follow up on other developing projects. For example, I have another two proposals (a book and a deck) out on submission to several publishing houses. Now that the NB is a go, I need to update the editors considering the proposals on my latest. It may or may not be a factor for them, but that’s for them to decide.

5. Plus there’s the usual studio reorganization and preparation that is part of a new cycle — photo reference to be filed, art supplies to be replenished, computers needing maintainance and so on.

———————————

In regards to this blog, I have more than a few posts started or drafted out. Now that I’m properly replenished, I’ll aim to be blogging regularly.

With everything going on with the NB, I have several publishing posts percolating, in particular one regarding the inside skinny about literary agents. I’ve also been thinking a lot about defining moments — what they are, ways we can identify them, how they define us.

On the goddess front, I have some new drawings I want to share with you as part of my ongoing Goddess Painting of the Day feature. These were created for Goddess Alive, which will be published by Llewellyn this fall. I also plan to share some excerpts from the Goddess Inspiration Oracle, as I wind up to its publication this September.

And that’s the latest for now!

• No Responses
• Leave a comment...
• Comment Feeds