Rambly and Random Updates

Well, there it is, in all it’s glory.

Or something like that. 😉  Anyway, that’s the “official” author pic that’s going in the back of the book (and probably all over everything else. LOL). Poor photographer took over 70 shots, but like I noted before, I really kind of hate getting my picture taken.

I certainly can’t vamp without looking like I’m totally stoned, anyway – so I gave up on the “mysterious, smexy author” photos, but I also didn’t want the “goofy, why-is-she-smiling-like-that-is-my-fly-open?” sort of look either. So…best of both worlds, maybe? At least I can look at it without blushing or cringing, so that is a very good sign.

Ah, and since people were asking about what color my corset is going to be, here’s a sample of the cloth –>

Sort of blue and striped – the only bummer is that I was hoping for a black and white striped chemise, but the seamstress is out of that particular cloth, so now I need something else. The skirt is black, so I suppose the chemise could also be black, but maybe a lighter shade of blue? I’m taking suggestions. *hint hint*

I did try the corset on again and with the top not laced so hard it fit like a dream, so I’m all excited about that. I’m debating trying to find a little black top hat or fascinator to go in my hair, but not having much luck finding one I like…

In the meantime, I’ll admit I was in a weird place yesterday. I feel very much like I did before I started to write BoD – like I’m on the edge of something. Which probably sounds a bit odd, but I suspect it just means my muse is starting to prepare to kick it into high gear. Lots of ideas rolling around in my head as far as how to tie things into CoD, sometimes faster then I think I’ll be able to get them down.  (Yeah, I know, Comb of Darkness, ha. But I can’t help it. Totally the working title now, sorry Danielle.)

There’s a part of me that is still a little funky about seeing my “baby” leave the nest. I can’t help but feel like a more professional author wouldn’t let it faze her, but this is my first time through, so I guess I’ll let myself be goofy about it. I was actually fretting at mr myn about it last night, particularly because I still going back and forth about the fact that the book isn’t “perfect”. For someone who has not 1) read my book** or 2) knows anything about the publishing world, he was surprisingly astute in his observations.

I don’t know if I need to get into all of it right here, but the truth of it is that BoD isn’t really completely my book anymore. Once the sale happens, there are many other fingers in the pie, so to speak, and sometimes an author has to change the vision a bit. And when that happens, or the author is under deadline, it’s probably more than likely that not everything *can* be perfect – whether that’s just because of time constraints or differences in storyline.

And as mr myn pointed out – there’s no such thing as perfect. A book (or any sort of artistic expression) can’t really be expected to be all things to all people. Some people like Anne Rice. Some people hate Anne Rice. Doesn’t mean she is or is not a good writer – just means tastes are different, as they should be.

So the real question posed to me was, “Well, do you want to be able to write the ‘perfect’ book? Or do you want to get published? ‘Cause only of them is going to end with other people reading it.”

And that’s the rub. After all, what good is the ‘perfect’ book, if no one will ever see it?

** This is by choice, on both sides. He wants to wait until he can hold it in his hand. I’m such a neurotic mess that I’d probably constantly be asking him what he thought. Much better this way, trust me.