Stephanie Gayle

My editor's assistant (who rocks!) sent me my jacket copy wording for review today.
I love the excerpt from the book they chose to use. It might provide me with a good passage for future readings. (I love it when people do the hard stuff for me).

The only section I revised was the section that describes me. That was hard, because the real me wants to write outrageous, funny things like "Stephanie Gayle was raised by octopi. She knits saddles for hobby horses and enjoys snorting pixie sticks." Not so professional, though.

So I revised it to include more recent magazines my work has appeared in and deleted some filler sentences. I would rather it be spare. Though truly I would rather work in some reference to my trained circus of capybaras.
But you can't always get what you want.

Posted by Stephanie at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the happy news department several friends and a roommate have gotten new job offers!
Huzzah!
Only in several cases this means 1) friends will be further away or 2) friends will be much further--3,000 miles away.
Damn.

It reminds me of a book I had growing up called What Good Luck, What Bad Luck.
The poor hero would have to jump out of a plane but he'd make a water landing (what good luck!) only the body of water would be filled with man-eating crocodiles (what bad luck!)

I feel this way about my soon-to-be-newly-employed friends. It's great to see their efforts pay off, but sad to contemplate their leaving my daily sphere.
Though I already told Amy, my roommate, that she can't accept her job offer in July.
July is when my book debuts.
She'd miss the awesome book parties and such.
She'll just have to go to California in August.

Posted by Stephanie at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm terrible about wearing my glasses.
And I get away with it because I rarely need them.
I'm nearsighted, so unless I'm in the car or trying to read a menu at a coffee shop on a faraway board I'm unaware my eyes are less than perfect.

The only times I'm good about wearing my glasses is when I have a new pair. And I have been meaning to buy new ones. I even set aside money for the glasses that I decided would have plastic frames like my favorite pair that I lost at the mall years ago.

But lo and behold! When I went to find my prescription tonight it was nowhere to be found and I don't thinks it's my eyes. I just can't find it. It's not filed where it should be-- under "E" for eyes or "O" for optometrist.

I really hate it when I can't find things I know should be where they're not.
Now I'm going to have to call my eye doctor and get him to write another script for a pair of glasses I will wear once or twice a month after the initial love affair with them subsides. Not that I plan to tell him that.

Posted by Stephanie at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So early this morning I was talking (complaining) about how much I had to do soon: start a new job, edit the mammoth manuscript of book #2, begin promoting book #1, and start working on a presentation for a February workshop my friend Julie signed me up for six or seven months ago.

I got home later to an envelope from Julie (her perfect and I mean perfect handwriting is a dead givewaway). I open it and think, "Huh. She sent me the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau calendar of events. That's odd. It can't have anything to do with me, though, because why would my workshop be listed in such a big publication?"

Ha ha ha ha ha. Turns out that under "Activities" in February my workshop is listed. Julie attached a helpful stickie note telling me that they print 10,000 copies of this events calendar.

So if I was worried before about my lack of preparedness, I would now be beyond worried. So far beyind worried that worried is like a star I can't see because it is billions of light years away.

If you're interested, the workshop is "Getting Personal" Crafting the Perfect Personal Ad." I'm going to be teaching how to write a kick ass personals ad that will stand out from all (or most) others. It's Saturday, February 3rd at 2:00 PM at the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell.

Come along. Me and 10,000 of my closest friend will be there.
Oh dear god I need a drink.

Posted by Stephanie at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am listening to a CD by my friend Patty Keough. Patty has frenetic energy unless she doesn't but most of the time she does. When I'm with her I generally feel very, very quiet. Anyway Patty plays guitar and sings, two skills that awe poor tone deaf me.

Patty is cool because she doesn't try to jolly you out of bad moods. She'll agree that the government/world/workplace is truly awful and poor you, you need a cookie or a drink or both.

Anyway I just discovered her blog because I realized I had not cheked out her site in some time and wondered when/where her next shows will be.
You can visit too! Go here: http://www.pattykeough.com/index2.html

Her blog made me laugh because she admits her feral cat Le Monstaire hates it when she sings. Ouch! Everyone's a critic.

Ooh. My favorite song is on. "Missy's birthday." Very catchy refrain.If you'll excuse me I'm going to sing along. I don't have any judgmental cats to hiss at me, so I should be safe.

Posted by Stephanie at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)