El Segundo Author Fair  

Okay, I was spurred on to finish as quickly as possible, not because I was on a deadline (although I had set myself one), but because one of my friends at work has been diagnosed with lung cancer. He is a fellow writer and musician and library tech support. We've worked together for the past 15 years and he's been through a lot in his life. Recently he just got engaged (married a couple weeks ago) and was starting to feel like the end of the light was right there and then something routine turned into a fight for his life.

So I cranked out editing the last few pages and am printing up a special copy just for him to read while he's sitting there getting chemo for hours on end. I want to share it with all of you, and the time is coming (I'm looking at the end of this month), but this was something I wanted to do for him for all his support of me.

The cover looks great and once again I am proud of my husband for creating such a great cover.

So hang in there. I'll be posting an image of the cover sometime before the end of the week and if all goes well it will be off to Infinity in a week or two! Progress, what a concept.

Well I'm home from SLC. I'm sure the burning question is how much did I find and did I get anything on my book done?

Well I didn't break down any walls if that's what you were waiting for. And I didn't finish revising the book either, although I did finally get two chapters revised and another today. I only have three to go and I'm finished! Now I need to sit my creative designer down to work on the next cover. It's getting there though. Soon I'll have the next installment out and ready to read!

Back to revising...

So I leave Monday night for Salt Lake City, the Mecca of genealogy. At first I thought I didn't have enough to do...and I really don't, but I have made some piles of papers, and lists of microfilm that might at least get me through the time. If I even come home with one thing this time, it will be worth the trip. After doing genealogy for 20 years, sometimes you run out of lines to find stuff on. Court houses burn, bible records simply don't exsist and of course I'm the only one with heathen's in my family - church records? What are those? You can certainly see my dilemma.

As for my book. Well when things like research trips come up, something has to hit the back burner. My plan though is to FINISH the last 100 pages in SLC. I'll take a break an hour before the library closes, open my laptop and use up the last of that 3 hour battery that always seems to last an hour or less to get something done - maybe even a chapter or two. Also you have to realize the friend I am traveling with is ALWAYS the last person out of the building at 9 pm. So I have lots of time to kill.

This time I am planning on spending time in the basement (3 levels) on the international and British Isles floors. I'm working on some Swiss and a little Scottish. Maybe I'll have more luck with that than the ones here in the U.S.

And maybe I do need a week away from work and home...I guess I'll figure it out when I get there.