The FINAL edit!

WOW!
It's been a long time since I last wrote here. Sorry about that.

My book is in final edit. That is such a good feeling. I sent the first six chapters to my "in house" editor. My lifelong critic of fashion, hair styles and boy choices. My forever critic of room cleaning, mess making and long distance phone calling. My best critic and my worst, all in one....my mother.

She loves it!
Now, I hear you all now. "Of course, she loves it! She's your mother!"
You have to know the woman. She is by far, honest in everything. Even when it comes to me.
But, it is more than that. This is a true success story. An amazing feat of literary success in the hands of a woman who can't make it through the opening credits of a movie and must "read" books on cassettes in order to make it to chapter 2 , as in her approaching destiny of pre-retirement, falls asleep as soon as she stops moving and the cat jumps on her lap.
She made it through SIX CHAPTERS! This is great news.

My sister also has the first six chapters. Now she is no critic of me at all. Not even slightly. She is all pro-me. But, honest as well. And the most that may surface is her inability to understand it due to lack of time in her "post-closing, current re-do and pre-equity phase" of the new house, or the inability to focus on it in her "got two kids, a husband, a cat and dog, not to mention a new pool" life. I won't hold it against her.
Now, if she takes the time to text or call instead of email...I may faint right on the spot.

The last chapters will be edited and ready by the week's end. Two of which will be emailed to mother tomorrow so she can stop bugging me about them and catch a nap.

What to do after that, I do not know.
My best friend has six chapters as well. Her honesty in most of life true. But I do not think she will critique. She will be calm. And she will say she likes it. I don't look for her to be blowin' up my phone for more chapters though. She is a book expert and has read the best. Her interest will falter quickly, I am sure. I will be replaced by Alex Cross by Chapter 4. I don't feel bad about that at all. I am no James Patterson!

How do the unknown become known? How do the inexperienced get experience? The un-agented get agented? The unpublished become published. I do not have those answers. Not even sure those are the right questions.

And I am not out to make a million. Or even be famous. I just want people to read it.

But, until then, I will finish the final edit. I will celebrate when that is done and I can click PRINT.
And then I will sit and look at the 100-plus pages of double spaced literary accomplishment and say "what now?".
That is the right question.

Until next time.
Casey