Got two copies of MIDNIGHT RAIN from Claire yesterday. It’s real. Finally, after an unbelievably long, hard journey, I got to hold the book in my hands in final version, and smell it (I am an incorrigible book sniffer — the combination of paper and ink and binding and cover all blend together into my second favorite perfume on the planet … the first being sizzling bacon), and riffle through the pages.
One more month, and it will show up on shelves. I find myself afraid to breathe. This one is … something new, and different. Zette’s interviewing me for the November/December issue of VISION (will go up on the site November 1st), and in that interview, I’ve told the story of why this book means so much.
And in three days I’ll be forty-four, which I’m still mulling over.
Already got my big present, a gorgeous Epiphone steel-string acoustic to complement the Yamaha classical I’ve had for the last forever. I discovered how tender my fingers were yesterday – I’m teaching my little guy how to play, so now we’ll each have a guitar to work on. He can stick with the classical, which is better for his hand position and easier on six-year-old fingertips, and I’ll begin rebuilding long-lost calluses. Maybe start writing some music again — it’s been about ten years since I did any original compositions.
I got one third of the remaining pages on LGD edited yesterday. I’ll do a third today, and the final third tomorrow, and then spend a few days on type-in, which is going to feel like a vacation compared to the by-hand portion of this. Should have it out to my agent and editor by next Wednesday (that’s the goal, anyway). And then I’ll finally be able to get back to RIKNIR.
