Choose Love

Like many last week, I watched the Boston marathon tragedy unfold.  My book didn't seem all that important as I witnessed on television two apparent people full of hate with a disregard for human life, selfish, greedy and actively engaging in the promotion of bombs and arms intended to kill.  Sadly, they possess many of the same characteristics of our U.S. Congress.  To counter all that hate, I experienced a most beautiful 60th birthday party my family put together last weekend.  Wallowing in the love of friends and family, present and past, in the form of memories, cards and photos, I experienced a serious love hangover the day after.

But, I am back in business today and my book moves forward.  I approved the layout tonight and that leaves only the back cover graphics before going to the printer.  Right now my publishing team fights over which photo of me belongs in the book.  What a strange way to wrap up the journey.  I suspicion they'll compromise and I'll see what they agree to in the next day or two.

The next step will involve the printer creating a one-up proof copy.  I had to look that term up online and it means a real live book with "proof" printed on the last page.  Apparently those copies can become quite valuable when a book succeeds.  Of course, that's where my book is destined!  Once I approve the proof copy, production begins and I could have books in hand within seven or eight weeks.

My website nears inception where I will offer my book for sale through PayPal and credit cards.  These are crazy times with hate and love and trying to do the right thing.  Last August, my daughter got married and in my "father of the bride" speech, my message to the newlyweds was "choose love" and  my message remains the same today.             

Anxious To Begin My Next Book

Another whirlwind week blew by as I polished off the dedication, acknowledgement and all the peripheral things that go inside the book.  I also made a final decision for the front cover and it grows on me the more I look at it.  Unveiling may coincide with my official launch and offer to purchase my book, Cabin 108.  The back cover remains the only thing left before printing.  I expect to complete that this coming week

This week, I also set up a business banking account, received my business license and created a PayPal account.  Disappointed to learn that I apparently cannot link a PayPal account here which means I need a hosted website.  Perhaps the Universe intends to take care of that because I have a friend of a friend of a friend who may help me out of this dilemma.

The next fiasco happened when I started looking at my state retail tax collecting responsibilities.  Five years ago, the wisdom of our state legislature passed a regulation that tax should be collected based on the destination of the product, not it's origin.  Every city, county and jurisdiction determine their own tax rates which makes it ludicrous for a small business to calculate accurately when offering product for sale online.  Surely, some companies have developed software to accommodate this atrocity, but I can't afford such luxuries.  Too bad legislators don't live in the real world.  It leads me to ponder how I must report such sales to enable the government to distribute the taxes collected to the appropriate jurisdiction.

In the last year and a half I reinvented myself; I am a writer now who just wants to write.  With little interest in accounting and tax collection regulations, just leave me alone with my pen and paper.  Maybe I always was a writer, but never truly acknowledged it fully before.  Looking back at other things I've done, I see someone who went from dishwasher to restaurant manager, from flunky purchasing clerk to business owner.  Nothing stops me from doing the same in this field.  Maybe this book is my "dishwasher stage" in my writing career.  Maybe it'll surpass everyone's expectations, including my own.  We shall find out reasonably soon.