Pre-order, book tours, and what else?

I have some new author friends, which is exciting.  This whole author world is amazing, it’s as though I’ve joined a sisterhood that I never knew about. Not that there aren’t plenty of guys out there but so far, I keep running into women. Anyway, there are all these terrific people who have been down this path that I’m traveling.

I feel a little like someone just clipped my wings, but in a way I’m considering it to be a rite of passage. I really thought I was on some sort of super highway and I discovered it’s a path.  I know this sounds a little odd but it’s as though I have to go down the mountain to get to the highway. I can see the highway but I’m not there yet! Except down feels worse than up and it’s loaded with obstacles.

As I explained to my friends, I’m having one of those moments such as when you put up a bird feeder and discover that you have birds at it. It’s so exciting! All these little birds are chattering and taking turns at the feeder. You grab your bird field guide and look each one up because you want to know who is there.  One is yellow and another is blue, there’s a red one and… You search until you are certain you know which one that is with the little cap on its head, and the one with the stripe over its eye. You can’t wait to share this wonderful discovery with anyone who will listen.

Then you discover that the patio is filled with seed hulls and birdie poop.

I just discovered the poop! Yep, poop. It’s not fun. I’ve got an upcoming book tour that my publisher set up for me and I have no clue what I’m supposed to do. The tour company contacted me, and I sent them a nice thank you email. I have no idea what I’m thanking them for or why. I have no idea what I’m doing. My publisher handled it, gave them my email addy, and I assumed a thank you noted was needed. If nothing else the thank you acknowledged that I got their email and understood it.

My mom always said that thank you notes were important and people appreciate them. I think she’s right. It’s nice when someone takes a moment as stops to write a thank you. Even at work, a three sentence thank you is appreciated. When we finish a project at work, it’s easy to send out a blanket email thank you to everyone, but I take the extra minutes to send individual ones. A thank you for all your help with… I know how I feel when I get one, and often today no one remembers  to say thank you.

So there’s poop under the bird feeder. Now what?

My book is up for pre-order and I’m thrilled but part of me is scared. There’s something called an Advanced Reader Copy, and I know it’s not the final version. Do they know this is not the final copy?  Will people read the ARC and hate it?

Excitement has turned to anxiety and I’m finding out I have all these other things to do.  What’s next? I have no clue. It’s a whole new path.

But there’s this incredible feeling about going to Amazon and seeing my book! If you’d like to check it out, click on the link or the cover image, and you can buy it now and as soon as it releases, it’ll just pop onto your Kindle! And if you buy it, will you stop back and tell me?

http://amzn.com/B00QCX6BVQ

I’m very excited.