Join The Virtual Blog Tour

Hopefully, you read the guest post about a month ago by Chris Cobb, who has not only become a friend, but who has served as my agent and publicist since this book endeavor began. Actually, it was Chris who encouraged me to persevere when I became discouraged and frustrated by the book publishing challenge.

Chris, who retired from a very successful career in the financial world, is also an online wizard whose marketing knowledge is a tremendous asset, not to mention her finesse in acting as a “go between” with the book team, managing the technical part of my website, and I could go on and on.

Book publishing, as you probably know, has really taken a turn to the Internet, so unless you are Nora Roberts, James Patterson or writers of their status or are just really lucky, the reality is you have to use as many online resources as possible.

And Chris has been a Godsend in this arena. Most of the time, I call her the Novel Nazi, because she is a relentless taskmaster, but that is good. She keeps me on my toes and always busy, striving to get ahead in this extremely competitive business. And although she frequently gets exasperated with my lack of technology and online abilities, she continues to call long distance with related assignments.

Because of her expertise and encouragement, I am doing a month long virtual book tour that starts today. This means that I am featured on about 20 websites. Some will include a book review; others will provide information about me and my second book, Promises Kept, while other sites may use a blog I have provided in answer to a particular question or theme. In addition, I will be the guest on two, one hour online radio shows. You can go to the Cindy Bradford Virtual Blog Tour for the complete schedule.

I have a favor to ask. Please stop in at some of the tour websites and leave a comment or join in the conversation. I hope to gain some new fans from this experience and would like to introduce you to some of the web’s best book bloggers.

And after you have done that, I encourage you to go to Chris’ Retired Boomer Blog and have a look around. While you are there, leave her a comment to write more blogs. We all need a Novel Nazi from time to time!!

The years may have caused a change in our hair color and style and added a few wrinkles, but nothing has dampened our spirits and love of life. Over the years we have laughed and cried together, seen each other through marriages and breakups, babies and losses of parents, watched kids grow up and go away, some too soon and some not fast enough, and most of all enjoyed and treasured each others friendship as we continue to do. In the midst of this, we encountered Mr. Superintendent who not only didn’t like my friends because they were fun, but also because they had history in the district and basically a fan club.

They were all excellent teachers or administrators who loved kids and gave all students everything they had to help them grow into responsible young adults.  It didn’t take Mr. Supt. long to figure this all out, and in his typical loving way he began to refer to them as “old cows.”

Since these are wise and tough ole educators they turned it all into something fun and began calling themselves: the Moo-Moos.  And it stuck.  Nowadays, many still get together every month or so and talk about the good ole days as well as show off a few grandbaby or  travel photos,  share hobbies, or just catch up on the gossip—a few of the things that bring joy in this stage of their lives.

I appreciate them and all my earlier colleagues tuning in to my posts, and making comments when time allows. Just remember all the fun times, Moos, and don’t forget there is a reason we call that thing we flush a john!!!! Now, prepare for a book signing!!!

Yet in a few weeks it, like a boomerang kid, will be back in final draft/publication form begging for more attention. I will be very happy to see it arrive. And then I will be happy for it to leave again because shortly thereafter, maybe by late November, the BOOK will be welcomed at my house with an abundance of cheers and celebration! Perhaps, a toast or two will be in order.

I know the release date is foggy and vague, and more than anyone, I would love to have specifics and share them with you. There is, however, no exact way to tell how long it will take to transition through each publication phase. Amazon is saying, however, that once it is “print ready,” for me, it will take another two to three weeks to be available. Therefore, a good estimate is that it can probably be ordered in late November/early December. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but as one who last year went through house renovations and then repairs after Hurricane Dolly, I know to expect the unexpected.

I love traveling, but I don’t love flying although I have logged more than 40,000 miles on planes this year. One reason I probably don’t enjoy the going and coming is because I fly economy which means I sit in the “no class section” of the plane.  Not only am I packed in like a salted sardine, the food is bad, the drinks are slow arriving and the people next to me are usually not any happier about being in this part of the plane as I am.

I know the little kids aren’t because they are crying, drooling and otherwise fretting.  I want to join them, but I know others would not be as patient with me. But at least now I have acquired so many points that I have an elite status which means I can now sit in rows where I can see people in first class.  They are just different you know–a little more composed, relaxed, smug.

On a recent trip from Peru I had my first experience actually sitting in that section because my friend Gayle, who is a classy gal, pulled some strings or used points or something for me to sit with her.  The only problem was because of the train ride to and from Machu Picchu, coupled with the high altitude in Cusco and the food poisoning in Lima, I was left a bit spent and unable to enjoy the amenities as much as I know I could on another occasion.

Also, although I will be eternally grateful to my friend, I have curmudgeon tendencies so I kept thinking, why couldn’t this pleasure been used on my almost 14 hour trip from Houston to Tokyo or on the long, boring trips to Europe or Egypt. Destinations in South America don’t usually require the long hours or cause the dreaded jet lag that others do. But it was, nonetheless, long enough to get me accustomed to a better mode of transport, and I will have a difficult time returning to my tiny seat BEHIND THE CURTAIN.

It is once again those pesky raccoons. Daddy Raccoon is the latest captive, but he didn’t go down without a fight. In the trap he managed to tear up all the grass under and around the cage. He hissed at me on his way to the truck as to let me know he had the last word. Kind of hurt my feelings. After all I never meant this to get personal.

But first, the funny part.  When the animal control guy came he said, “Ma’am, I am going to need to call for back-up.  BACKUP! For a RACCOON! I wondered if he planned to arrest him or just read him his rights. I knew he wasn’t going to shoot him because he had already said earlier that they take them to the end of Beach Rd., about two and a half miles from here and let them loose. I sort of wish they would tag them. That way when they return in a few days I’ll know MY raccoons.  It’s a bonding thing. Maybe I could put up a sign that says,” Welcome Back To The Yard.” That might encourage them to take a little more pride in the place.

Now, the guys have left me two traps. Actually, I had to sign for them because the city will charge me $150.00 each if the raccoon decides he likes them and takes them home or something. I’m surprised the city doesn’t require a license to trap raccoons. Obviously, they haven’t thought of that. I am a little concerned though.  What if I trap two at once?  This could call for “real back-up”—like the Texas National Guard.  This is much bigger than I first imagined and at $150.00 a trap has the potential to get expensive. Furthermore, I hope PETA doesn’t hear about any of this. I promise I am treating them well—the best cat food money can buy to draw them into the trap which is strategically placed in the shade so they are less stressed as they wait for animal control. But I must remember to have some water near.  How could I have forgotten that? I can’t afford to take any chances of animal cruelty now that I can be easily found on Google.

So now, I must go work on my yard to try to salvage some grass.  I have a million other things to do today.  Within the next two days I have to decide on the fonts and back cover, plus finish negotiations of the final cover design. But right now I must stop and put on my work clothes!!!

After seeing the first draft of the cover design last night and then talking to Chris, my agent, I am back to the way I felt right after I finished writing the book–exuberant, enthusiastic, optimistic, yet decidedly a little more knowledgeable, less naive and somewhat jaded about the whole book publishing process. After all, I was dumb enough not to realize how many times I would have to rewrite, edit, rewrite, edit and rewrite again.  I spent the last two days doing just that, and I still worry that after it is all said and done and I hold that sweet book in my hands that there will be a mistake.  I can’t help it. I’ve decided I just won’t look, but it will happen.  In college, I worked at a newspaper. I saw what can happen to a headline after five people had checked it–the minute it hits the ink it morphs into something alien. Besides some Sodoku puzzle solving type will find something grammatically wrong with Keeping Faith which is why I don’t like grammar.  I never really did.  It is too much like math for me to like.  I remember when I was working on my dissertation and holding my own with any professor,meeting with the “Grammar Gestapo” gave me shivers because no matter how many times I had read that copy she would find a missed comma or a typo faster than a dropped call in an elevator.

Now give me literature and I shine. I love the symbolism (I hope you see it in my novel–it’s everywhere, but I can’t tell you anymore). Throw in those metaphors, personifications, hyperboles and there’s an interesting pot of stew.  Those words even sound fun and pretty and welcoming–but grammar–I don’t think so! Now I know this sounds weird and counter to what I just said, but I did like to diagram sentences once in a while.  That was okay and seemed like a bit of a game compared to those other grammar drills that most of my stiff, old maid English teachers thought were so useful and worthwhile.  Now talk diagramming sentences to anyone under 50 years old and watch the eyes glaze over in confusion. They don’t have a clue!

I shouldn’t be so hard on English teachers because I was once one myself. I trudged through that long semester of grammar each year so I could get to literature–stories of unrequited love and conquests, heroes and heroines, soliloquies and long passages that took a person on a journey they otherwise might never go. But then it was always back to grammar because that is just every day life.  So now today I will look at my manuscript one last time—what part of finished, done, complete, final do I not understand?? Why can’t I just put it to bed??? It seems that grammar won’t let you get a handle on those words because after all, grammar like everything else changes and why I ask?  Why is it that it was okay not to have a comma with an “and” in words in a series back when I taught English and now it is expected? I  guess it really doesn’t matter because I was always conflicted anyway since I had a double major in English and journalism. Those snobbish English people thought journalists a little loose and uncultured because the rules weren’t the same–for grammar or anything else for that matter. And just one more thing and then I will calm down and stop, but I just have to admit that sometimes I fight with that little guy in the computer when he tells me to change a comma to a semi-colon.  How does he know anyway? I say he’s wrong; my friends say I’m wrong.  I’ll get back to you later. I have some proofing to do!!