It never fails. I’ve finally hit my stride on this book—which has been a harder-than-usual book, on which I’ve been thinking hard since June (interrupted by having my eyes messed up since late September: still not quite 100%, but gaining on it) and lo, just as things are really working well, in come pages for a hardbound which have to be signed (the signed special edition of Multiverse, the Poul Anderson piece,) just one of those evening chores…which I did while watching Cinderella 3, the kidvid. (And I will say I much prefer the story to the original Cinderella—I was quite surprised. This Cinderella takes initiative, and Charming is not quite a dunce, either.) Signing pages takes no brain, just a good rhythm, so I go that done fairly pleasantly.
And…we have the galleys, as opposed to copyedits, on Protector, which have to be back by Jan 7. This is a lot better than the usual ‘we need them in 5 days’ sort of galleys, so I really am not griping too much, but it’s just so…typical…that we get every single project hanging fire since March rushing down on us right at Christmas. One Christmas week I had 2 sets of galleys and a copyedit ALL with a one week turnaround, AND I was on the end of a book.

It’s the biz.

All our pretty snow melted—and there’s a widening hole in the pond. But it’s due to snow every night and melt every day for a week or so—welcome to the Northwest ‘striped weather.’ Our highs will be in the mid-thirties, our lows in the twenties.

I’m ahead-er than usual on my Christmas shopping, except stuff that has to go out via mail—on that, I am a wee bit behind.