Life Is Truly Fantastisch

I spent Saturday at the Millbrook (NY) Book Festival where in between speaking to librarians and talking on a panel, I heard Jane Bryant Quinn speak about personal finance.

Index funds. Emerging markets. I have to remember to check into those.

She also said that in bad times, the first employees to get laid off are ones with negative attitudes.

I mentioned this to a writer friend of mine who responded that all writers complain and anyone who hires a writer has to know that and therefore should be accepting of it.

Before I forget, Jane Bryant Quinn was fantastic, and if you ever have a chance to hear her, grab it. She definitely has a sense of humor. I know this because after she finished talking, I found at the Millbrook Library Book Sale a 1967 book called Make Money From Stamps, paid 50 cents for it, brought it to her, and she didn't have me arrested.

Back to bad attitudes. For any of you new to this blog, I love to complain. I'd say whining is second nature to me, but it's more like first nature. But lately it's been a challenge to be negative about my career, because things are going so fabulously. Beyond fabulously. In unexplored territories of fabulousity.

Yesterday, as further proof that May 18 is destined for holiday status, I got a package of the promotional materials Carlsen, my extraordianary German publisher, is using for Die Welt We Wir Sie Kannten (aka Life As We Knew It).

The poster is two sided. I'm hoping I can get it easily framed, and if I can, I'm going with the ocean wave side. The other side has my book (and therefore my name) in much bigger print, but I think the ocean waves are jollier (yes, they're drowning half of humanity, but they look so pretty doing so). The little yellow tubes contain apple juice. I opened up the book bag (with Scooter's help) and turned over one of the postcards, so you can admire the thorough job of promotion. And I think I'm going to take the cover off the magazine and frame that, which will give me the graphic of the emergency box, but taking up less space (don't ask me where any of this is going to go in my den; the wall of ego will just have to expand).

Lest you think only the Germans love me, I know for a fact that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has some very exciting promotional things in the works, that I'll be screeching with ecstacy about in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, in the delightful nature of life right now, I'm still in an interregnum period, having completed Blood Wounds, but not having heard from anyone about it. While I would love people to read it and tell me how magnificent it is, it's also a pleasure not to be working on it. Instead I completed spring cleaning and I am now obsessing about buying a flat screen TV.

I hear reception on them is extremely fantastisch!