authorpages, Books

Still Time for a Little Fun

66 Comments

Unfortunately, because of high winds last weekend—thanks to Hurricane Fiona—we didn’t get to have our family picnic to celebrate birthdays. Disappointing, but when we saw how hard Fiona hit the Maritimes, we really couldn’t complain. (One of my blogging friends wrote to tell me that Maine power companies had sent trucks up to help with the widespread power outages.) Next weekend, we’ll try again for a birthday picnic.

I’ve been busy, busy, busy working on my book Of Time and Magic. We got the first proof copy in, and as you can see from all the page markers, I found quite a few things to change or correct. I expect there will be at least two more proof copies before the book is ready to be printed for readers.

Despite all the hard work of editing, I still found time to have a little fun.

There was Gloomhaven with Dee and Clif.

And our friends Dawna and Jim invited us over for quiche and salad—Yum!—and S’mores for dessert. Double yum.

Dawna and Jim’s daughter and son-in-law built them this snappy fire pit.

Jim started a fire,

and the roasting commenced.

As you might have noticed, the marshmallows on the left are a little on the toasty side.

No matter! Tuck them between chocolate and graham crackers, and as we would say in Maine, you have a wicked good sweet treat.

 

66 thoughts on “Still Time for a Little Fun”

  8. Proof reading your own writing is very hard work as io=t is all too easy to read what you think that you had written and not what you actually wrote or the printers printed. I hope that you don’t have to do too much more.

  11. The cover of your book is very striking, I bet it attracts the eye of people in the bookshops. Sorry your missed your birthday picnic, but I can see why, even from distant Australia Hurricane Katrina sure looked as if she was on the rampage!
    Best wishes with the editing.

  12. Great cover design on your new book, very appealing. What was the process in its creation? Did you have any direct input, or did the artist base it entirely on the text of the story? Did it go through several iterations, or is the design featured in your post exactly as the artist first submitted it? Do tell, I’d be fascinated to know more!

    1. Yes, I had direct input working with James at Bookfly. One of the benefits of self-publishing. It went through several iterations before he got Maya’s hair the way I envisioned it.

  14. Wasn’t that wind wild? The kids LOVED it! And I heard that NH line crews went to BERMUDA to help with their power outages.

    Your lunch looks lovely, wind and all. And burnt marshmallows are my favorite, so delicious.

    Congrats on the steady progress of your book. I’ve loved following your progress!

  15. Hooray for blog friends who share information and Maine power companies that lend a hand! Someone on twitter had just been saying it was time for the US to return the 9/11 favor to the Maritimes.

  16. I have a hard enough time editing blog entries; I’m filled with admiration for the work you’re putting in. As for the marshmallows, one approved practice when I was doing that sort of thing was to blacken the marshmallow, east the outside, and re-toast it again. Sometimes, we could get three toastings for one marshmallow!

  19. I love the photo-by-photo storytelling of your s’mores feast with friends! With such a lovely book nearing completion (and a make-up birthday picnic coming!), you have much to celebrate.

  23. SO exciting to see your book! I bet that’s a fun day every time. Even with all the corrections to make, it has to feel great to finally have it in your hands!

    Happy birthdays to you! Hope you get to celebrate them!

  24. Best wishes for the editing, Laurie — that’s a lot of nit-picking, but it’s got to be done. Yum — s’mores. What a great way to celebrate a cool day!

  25. ‘Wicked good sweet treat’ made me smile. I have never had a s’more. We don’t have Graham Crackers either. They seem a bit like ryvitas, but it would be a funny thing to bake a marshmallow in ryvitas, so probably not.

  26. Keep having fun in between those revisions, Laurie. I didn’t have a printed proof copy of my book and have bitterly regretted it. It’s amazing what slips through when one reads one the screen.

  27. Wow, Laurie, what a lot of work. I’ve heard it said more than once though, that the key to good writing is editing. You are a master at both. The cover is lovely!

    I’m sorry to hear about the cancelled birthday picnic, but to your point, seeing the destruction on this evening’s news, shows how lucky the rest of us are not to be sitting in Fiona’s path. Cheers!

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  29. Such a wonderful cover for your book! It must be quite a feeling to look at it, see your name there, and know you accomplished it. Surely, it deserves a multiple smores treat!

  30. That is a wicked looking smores! I haven’t had one done in an outdoor fire in a long while (we usually make do with a kitchen torch) … with the chill in the air, smell of the wood burning, juggling the hot marshmallow to stop it from sliding out with the chocolate … best ever!

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