My ARCs, or Advance Reader Copies, arrived on Friday, just in time for my birthday.
They look just like paperbacks to me! But these are what the publisher sends to booksellers, reviewers, and other interested parties.
And the blurbs look so important in their matching orange setback! I continue to be very grateful that these authors took the time to read the book of a new author.
The typesetting is beautiful, too.
And the back cover.
It was quite surreal to look through the book and think about when it was just words on my computer screen. And all the revisions and the corrections and the rejections before that.
When Kaiya saw my picture, she said, “Hey, where’s MY book? I want one.”
“You didn’t write one yet,” I said.
“Oh, darn it!” she said. Which is pretty similar to some conversations I’ve had with adults.
I’ve been practicing my author signature since I was a kid. I will not pretend I did not. Now it’s time to use it.
MARGARET DILLOWAY 