Today I Feel....

Slightly stupid.

Navigating the 300+ pages (oops, three hundred-plus, according to Chicago style, in which I must now write) of manuscript with comments and edits in just about every line can wreak havoc with one's psyche. My emotional bank account is a bit low today, anyway, and if I didn't need to have my comments about the comments in asap before we leave on vacation, I'd lay this aside until I had myself under control.

Sigh. But I can't, and came to tears about a few secondary queries after I had returned  the manuscript to Production Team. FYI - it's difficult to type when your nose is running.

Added to the stress this week was the unintended replacement of not one, but two hard drives for my trusty Mac, which now has me treating it like a fragile elderly relative that needs medication. "How can I help you, dear? Would you like a nap, now?"

Vacation beings on Friday, a much-needed trip to Central Oregon and the extended family's cabin at beautiful Mount Hood. Certainly both electronics and humans will receive a recharge.

A good one, one that will allow for fresh outlooks and new ideas on the other side.

Copyedits and Coffee

124rf.com

After a month of only obliquely thinking about the book, the manuscript is sitting in my inbox this morning, fresh from the copy editor.

I'm filling up the coffeemaker.

Not that there's a lot to review from the editor, just a lot of looking and watching and double-checking; but I've found over the past month that some information that was accurate in May is not accurate in July, due to the usual switch-ups that occur in the travel industry. New tours, cancelled packages, additional contact information, and with my ear to the ground I've been making mental notes to check and re-check many listings in the book. Add copyedits, and I've got quite a week ahead of me, for sure.

abcnews.go.com

Maybe I better grind some pre-emptive coffee, too.

Thank goodness edits didn't show up, yesterday. I'm struggling to recover from a head cold and cough, the hard drive died in my trusty Mac, and my husband is away fishing for salmon to keep us viable over the winter months.

Today is better. Mostly because my son figured out how to make me coffee. At eight, he's pretty talented, that kid, so I think I'll keep him around.

Next step, the cover. And THAT is going to be a sticky point with me. I want flashy, bold, and bright, full of images that will make potential buyers say "Ahhhhhhlaska!"

But that's next. Today is today, and I better get to it.

joe-ks.com

Right after I make more coffee.

On Summer and Writing

Kayaking Fox Island. Ahhhhlaska.

Pardon the absence, but I've been having summer. Delicious, watermelon-splattered, sunburned, real-deal Summer. Alaska has missed out, these past few years, and we are duly obligated to spend as much time outdoors as possible. My son leaves the breakfast table in a hurry these days, anxious to meet up with the Evergreen Street Biker Gang and another morning of tag, races, and the cheap yard sprinkler I bought on sale last non-summer. Hubster and I spent a weekend at secluded Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge near Seward. Life, in a curvy sort of way, is pretty good right now.

Not a bad draft, I think. 

Web Guy came through with a set of spectacular maps that impressed the UA Press production editor, and we met a few weeks ago for a final viewing and the official send-off. According to the "Steps in Process from Proposat to Book" sheet, still hanging above my desk, we are now in the phase of "Manuscript Copyedited." In a few weeks I should be seeing the framework of what will eventually be "Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th state with children."

Then, summer weather or no, I'm back at the desk, feverishly reading and reviewing and changing stuff for the final time, and working on a cover.

UnCruise. I do it.

In the meantime, I'm off to southeast Alaska as the host of a Kids in Nature trip with UnCruise Adventures, a small ship cruise line based in Seattle. Seven days in Glacier Bay, Alaska, with no internet, no phone, and no deadlines.

I can deal with that. Oh yes, indeed, I can.

Am I too Attached?

There it is. 

I've been staring at my laptop for several hours today, wondering if the end is near. Boxes checked on the University of Alaska Press guidlines sheet, photos and captions sent, individual chapters saved in a new folder.

Wow.

Perhaps I'm ready to send in the manuscript for the final time? I'm as apprehensive about this as I was ushering my son to kindergarten a few years ago. Am I ready? Are you ready? Is Alaska ready?

The psyche vs. intellect duel is an interesting one, and today I feel like the psyche is winning. Writers are always told to "end at the ending" and "quit dragging," but in this case the ending seems to be there, it's just my helicopter parenting of this book that's keeping me from hitting the "send" button.

But I think it might be time.

After two years, I'm sure my husband would say so.

Ready, set......

Building a Book!

Cute little sand angel diversion.....so little, this kid was.

I never gave much thought to the mechanics of "building" a book until I became an author. Never will I take for granted the hours of work by lots of people to create the book I reach for on a store or library shelf.

Photographs have to be viewed, sorted, discarded, sorted again, and eventually converted to TIF files with captions and [ ] and .tif and "quotes" in a very particular way before bundling them all up and sending to University of Alaska Press. The guidelines sheet sent to me by Acquisitions Editor is full of scratchy notes and little doodles I made during phone calls. I'm still trying to figure out what some terms mean, and have to break down some sections, word by word.

Maps need to be made, a huge undertaking, and the past few weeks were full of desperate emails and frantic telephone conversations with all sorts of entities before I finally wizened up and emailed my web guy who said, "Sure I can."

Once all boxes on the checklist have been crossed out, everything is shipped up to Fairbanks, where a team of freelancers works in collaboration with the production editor who ultimately becomes my touchstone concering all things draft and galley proof, and eventually, final copy of Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th state with children.

I haven't even touched the text itself, yet. That's the easy part.

Who would have thought that 95,000 words would be considered "easy"?


Countdown to deadline: 29 days

Working Through It

Thanks for the kudos, blogosphere friends. This book project certainly has been a community and industry effort. With so many people invested in its success, launching Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children should be easy. Right?

After the glow wore off a bit, and after AK Dad and I had more than a few glasses of wine to celebrate, paperwork started to flow into my inbox with the speed of an Alaska snowstorm. Questions, mostly, about me, about the book, about people I know who might talk about the book, and places that might sell the book; all succinctly disseminated in a collection of University of Alaska Press formatting that I, of course, have already screwed up in my attempt to complete.

One reason I chose to approach UA Press is their desire to engage authors in the publishing process every step of the way, from initial marketing to some level of publicity and selling those books.

Hours and hours later, I'm navigating the process of my life as it stands to be for the next month. As I did while I was actually writing the manuscript, I've carefully (mostly) scripted my days.

Typically, I write in one-hour blocks, two if I've got a particularly hot deadline. But I write, every single day. I feel guilty if I don't, which may or may not be normal...

Also questionable is the fact I set my alarm to chime for a break, then I get up from my desk and do stuff. What stuff?

Laundry.  

Cooking (that's a damn fine pork shoulder in the oven, right there).

Running with dogs.

I go about the business of living for 30 minutes or so, then set the alarm again and head back to the inner world of wordsmithing.

Repeat.

Occupation: Author.

My thumbs are no longer twiddling.

They are shaking.

A message appeared in my inbox on Tuesday afternoon. The subject line read, "Good news from the University of Alaska Press!"

(I will stop right here and thank the acquisitions editor of UA Press, himself a writer and one who understands the ecstacy/agony of bad news delivered via email).

They want my book.

I wrote a book.

I am an author.

Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children is now a reality, and shall be released in the spring of 2014, just in time for summer tourism season and a fantastic book tour around Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

I spent more than a few moments last night thinking about the hundreds of people who have supported this project. Tour operators, airlines, railroads, ferries, hotels and cabins, and so, so many other parents - you got us here. We can't wait to see what you think.

Which now has me shaking for a whole different reason.

Get 'er done

Learning how to write a book has almost become more important than actually typing the words. 

I've discovered the value of adding "writing" to a large chunk of my smartphone's calendar, every single day. No meetings, no coffee dates, just "writing." 

Writing, of course, means powering through a solid hour of wordsmithing and critical thinking, then taking a break, usually involving wood chopping, dog-running, or baking. Baking is an excellent respite from writing, I have found. Or, at least, a peace offering to the family for which I have forgotten to provide clean laundry. At any rate, the hour on-hour off system seems comfortable enough. 

The edit process is a fascinatinating journey through my own psyche. Am I really up to this? What if I change things around and it's not the same book, anymore? Oh no, that great idea I had at 4 a.m. - I can't remember what it was! 

I'm aware of every word I add or delete, every descriptive sentence I carefully script, where it goes.  I know about every restaurant, every hotel, every attraction, and I can't help but think I owe future readers more than just a listing of places to go and things to do. 

A careful, thoughtful, process. 

Why 95,000 Words Can't Be Wrong

After weeks of anxious nail-biting, gallons of coffee, and late nights, it has been completed. Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children was pushed northward in November.

This poor blog had been woefully neglected since late September, I admit it. But between bringing one child home from an out-of state school to begin life as a young adult managing autism, and sending another off to second grade, and working on various freelance projects, and the manuscript, everything else got shoved aside.

My calendar was blocked off for three or four or more hours a day, and I lived in fleece pants, Adidas slippers, and my favorite Alaska Brewing Company hoodie. But one day, it was done.

I changed my clothes, drove to meet Editor at our favorite coffee shop, made a few logistical adaptations, said a quick prayer for safe travels, and hit "send."

Refusing to consider the parking ticket I had on my car when I left the University of Alaska campus as a bad omen, I turned up my Brandi Carlile CD and sang the entire way home.

A few encouraging emails later from the acquisitions editor, and my manuscript was on its way to external reviewers; parents who travel and a savvy bunch of people indeed. I hate criticism, who doesn't? But darned if these people liked what I said, save for some great ideas and suggestions I should have probably anticipated anyway.

So here I am again, making some changes, adding some things, and crafting a letter to the publishing house's advisory board.

The best part? A sentence from Acquisitions Editor.

"...I'm attaching our boilerplate contract so you can get a sense of the document."

A Touch of Nature

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?" - John Green 

I cannot imagine better motivation for a travel writer than time aboard a small boat exploring the previously unexplored. In a most intimate way, our family was blessed to have this opportunity - we'd been to southeast Alaska, of course, but had never seen Alaska from this perspective.

Our wide-eyed 7 year-old witnessed Alaska's raw wildness. Orcas thrashing a sea lion around, humpback whales cooperatively feeding, a young and slightly scrawny brown bear obviously new at the game of fishing. My husband entered a kayak for the first time since a bike accident nearly took his life a year ago. And me? For seven days I hiked through rainforests with no trails other than those I created with my XtraTufs, paddled around coves shared only by my cohorts and a raft or two of sea otters, and woke up every single morning to sit on the top deck of the boat, lifting a coffee cup of salute to the day. It was good. Really, really good.

Some days, I write out of sheer willpower. I know I have to do it; it's on my schedule, and to finish on time (hell, to simply go to bed without a guilty feeling in my gut) I must write, at least at little. Every once in a while, though, mother nature tickles my muse, and things are so incredibly right that I cannot imagine this book not being successful. Or, at least, completed.

Of course it helped to meet with the potential (probable?) publisher the night before I left to share a beer and talk about Alaska, kids, and the way this whole dance of bookdom will progress over the next year.  I boarded the Wilderness Discoverer with a desire to relax and rejuvinate, and disembarked last Saturday with a clearer head and a sense of Alaska's undeniable ability to amaze me.

Remarkable.

In My Own Little World....

Both husband and son were away this week at their respective destinations. Hubs was visiting older son in Denver, CO, and younger son was immersed in the wilds of cub scout camp. Which meant, friends, I had an entire house to myself. 

Late nights, lots of coffee, endless dog jogs, and my favorite music went a long way toward four solid days of writing bliss. I understand with complete clarity why many famous writers became somewhat reclusive. When one reaches the halfway point of a book, just when things are flowing along and word counts are positively flying from the fingers, a distraction comes along and stomps on the muse. For better or worse, it does. 

Not all distractions are negative; heck, the incredible weather of last week jockeyed for position with my desire to finish the Denali National Park section. I usually don't mind, but the ability to cancel out the background noise without having to leave my own cozy office was an incredible gift this week, especially when I'm due to meet with the potential publisher on Thursday. 

We leave on Friday morning for a week exploring the inner coves of southeast Alaska, from Ketchikan to Juneau and everywhere in between. I look forward to more opportunities for fingers to keyboard without the added distraction of internet and phone service. Perhaps we'll finish this thing on time, if the planets keep aligning as they have. 

Grand Plans

When someone asks me why it's taking so long to finish Alaska On the Go, I retort by inquiring if they've managed to visit every kid-friendly destination in the 49th state. Alaska has more coastline than most of the Lower 48, is twice the size of Texas (sorry, pardners), and features activities ranging from placid to perfectly crazy, and everything in between. And I'm just one mama.

Not used to writing more than 600-1,000 words for one project, the notion of writing 6,000-8,000 words per section feels uncomfortable. Daunting, in fact. Frustrating, even, on occasion. We visit one place, gather our information, talk to wonderful people, learn tons about history, culture, and/or recreation, and then those people talk to their people, who subsequently call me to refer additional people, and a whole new idea is formed.

This could take a while.

Last week I had a desert moment, wondering if there was any way I could finish this thing before the glaciers completely recede. In between cups of coffee and an incredibly non-structured summer schedule for my family, I swung between wild enthusiasm and ever-darkening clouds of trepidation. Could I possibly put together a guide all by myself? Is this project even worth it?

On Thursday, my youngest son and I drove north to Denali National Park. An impulsive move on my part, I needed information and couldn't quite place geography together with activity, given that my last true exploration of DNP was 15 years ago.

The sun came out, the bugs were few, and the hiking, spectacular. As I watched my seven year-old search for ground squirrels and scramble up rocky slopes, I was glad we were here. I was glad, too, for this book, for the time it gives me with a fast-growing young boy who, all-too-soon, will be a young man.

I Did What?

I did it. I went to a writer's conference and pitched my book. I lurked, I lingered, and, thanks to some finagling, met with the aquisitions editor of an Alaska publishing house. He liked it! He really, really liked it!

The best part? After finishing up our assigned 15 minutes together, during which time AE said he was certainly interested, and could I give him more than one page sample (I did)....AND after AE said he'd be away for a few weeks, so not to worry if I didn't hear from him until July - He sent an email to me.

It said, among other things: "It was delightful to meet you (really? I didn't sound like a bumbling idiot?) at the XYZ Writer's Conference....I want to underscore our interest in your project."

Holy moly. Now I have to finish the damn thing.

A Wild Pitch?

Editor and I have finally finished a solid pitch for Alaska on the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children. Bundled up with more care than a baby, it's ready to travel with me on June 8 to Homer and the Kachemak Bay Writer's Conference, my first-ever formal gathering of writing people. I have an appointment with an agent, with hope that someone will publish my book.

The manuscript itself is coming along. I'm halfway through - after tonight's completion of the cruising section. Next up is Fairbanks and Denali National Park, put on hold while I finished the cruisers.

I spent last weekend in Fairbanks, meeting with the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau and wandering the city and surrounding area, sans child and spouse. Amazing how much ground I can cover this way. But I missed my traveling partners.

Responses from travel industry professionals has been overwhelming, in a positive way. Rarely a day goes by that someone reaches out and expresses their happiness that someone from Alaska is writing a book about visiting the state with kids. I'm happy about that, but even happier to discover their support for the project. I feel incredibly validated that I am doing the right thing, even though some days, it feels so stressful.

To Catch a Cruise

Editor and I have been working hard this month, preparing a pitch, gathering legacy publisher information, and writing, writing, writing.

Since Editor wants me to pitch this book to an agent while down in Homer for the Kachemak Bay Writer's Conference next month, I've had to put a hold on Fairbanks and the Interior sections of Alaska, focusing instead on the subject of cruising.

Cruising, mind you, is how 80% of Alaska visitors arrive in the state, and with almost one million people embarking and/or disembarking via gangplanks, there is subsequently much to write about.
Cruise companies, as a whole, have been quite accommodating, sending me tons of flowery statements describing their features, services, and amenities available to traveling families. All, that is but one.

Disney.

Disney, it seems, is rather reluctant to share their close, personal cruise information with anybody. Everything must be hidden in Mickey and Donald's heads.

I am in "negotiations" with a Disney paralegal to figure out exactly what I am allowed to publish, why, and how. And hell-fire and damnation from with Wicked Stepmother if I don't follow the Happiest Place On Earth's rules.

This is bound to be good drama.

I Know More Than I Think

I love to talk about Alaska, anywhere, any time. Airport gate areas, in line at the zoo, on the ferry, in the Fred Meyer parking lot surrounded by hundreds of transient RV-ers; you name it, I'm on it, and woe to the poor soul who pulls out a map within my earshot and says to his or her companion "What about this place?" I'll tell you about that place, and the next one, too.

Tonight I hit "send" on Section Three (or is it Four) of Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State With Children. Road Trips. Alaska's roads are not complicated in a structural sense, we only have about 12 actual named highways. But they are full of interesting sights and attractions and such, necessitating a lot of knowledge. A whole lot.

Throughout this book-writing process, I am always amazed at the amount of 49th state knowledge crammed inside my brain. One would think there isn't a lot of room up there, given the fact I am parenting one child here in Alaska, one child in Denver, managing a husband and two dogs. Not to mention my own self. But I did remember stuff, and it was good stuff, too.

Stuff like the playground at the Tok School, with steel-piped slides and monkey bars and random local children who follow you around, asking questions. Stuff like excellent customer service aboard the Alaska Ferries, or the taste of Trisha Costello's cinnamon rolls at the Talkeetna Roadhouse. I love remembering where we've been, and I love thinking ahead to where we'll be going.

That's the beauty of writing a guide book, it just never, ever ends with one chapter. There's so many more ahead.

P.S. Anybody want to know about Alaska? I'm waiting.

Where I Write

I am happy to provide you with a snapshot of my favorite writing venues, because some days, a gal's gotta go someplace else to capture the muse.

This is the view from my cozy little office (aka spare bedroom). The Chugach mountains are consistent friends, greeting me with pink in the wintertime and glorious green during the summer months. Right now, however, they look as tired as I feel. But it's okay, spring is here. I think.

On occasion (okay, more than occasionally), I move operations to a trendy coffee shop not far from my son's school, where I hold court. Brew is strong and internet, fast, so that's generally good enough for me. If I really get to writing, I may go through two or three Americanos, after which the world seems to spin a little. But that's not all bad, right?

Lately I've been hanging out at the family table. I have a huge paper trail for this book, and am more organized when I can spread things out where highly visible. Plus, the company is pretty good (see dog, below), the view just as lovely, and I have easy access to the Nutella.

Taking the Legacy Plunge: Yes or No?

As I dilligenty type away here at the dining room table, one aspect of this whole journey sticks to my brain like an unwanted wad of silver duct tape: Legacy publish, or self-publish? Print-on-demand, or no?

I had thought my decision was a solid 'go' for self-publishing in ebook form, then printing out copies here and there as I needed, making sure I didn't end up with boxes of unsold books cluttering up my already-cluttered garage.

But on Sunday, during our monthly meeting at a local coffee shop, Editor cleared her throat, looked at me over her glasses, and said, "What would you think about throwing this out there to a few legacy publishers?" Uh, okay?

"We'll need a proposal," she said, pulling out a long list of publishing houses she had researched on my behalf, god bless her.

Good thing I had already completed one from way back when I was first pondering the whole concept of writing a book to begin with.

And "poof!" Off we go down another fork in the road, a different one, now. Wonder what will happen, next.

Holiday Roads......My Favorite Part, So Far

I've noticed that writing a guide book can be a little tedious <yawn>. Even though Alaska is the most gorgeous, spectacular, interesting place on earth, writing about the same set of facts, albeit in a different location, can cause a lack of motivation.

"Stay at XY Hotel; they offer rates from a million dollars on up...." Try writing that sentence a few hundred times and see how interested you become.

Now that I've finished the first round of southcentral Alaska, my brain needs something else to keep it amused, so I decided yesterday to head in a different direction: ROAD TRIP!

I love road trips, always have. Even as a child, I'd be the first kid to hop aboard the VW Bus for a journey up or down the highway. Even now, I love the thought of tooling Alaska's two or three major arterials with no particular destination in mind. It's the perfect section for a slightly-spring-fevered writer.

As daylight begins to filter through the filmy clouds over the Chugach mountains, this morning, it's terribly difficult not to throw my son, the dogs, and a backpack or two in the car.

Focus, EK, focus!

I Knew I Liked John Muir

My hero is John Muir. Naturalist, conservationist, and pastor, Muir explored our natural world with wisdom and sensitivity. Then he wrote about it.

I guess it wasn't always easy, though.

"Writing is like the life of a glacier - one eternal grind."