Post Office

I took a trip to the P.O. yesterday to mail out queries for Tales of a Texas Boy. Three different publishers. My idea of saturation bombing.

Deb helped me at the desk weighing the envelopes, discussed mailing options such as delivery confirmation, and was generally a pleasant person.

She looked at the envelopes addressed to publishers with names like YYY Children's Division and asked me what type of children's stories I wrote. I gave her a quick rundown on Cadida and the Djinn, Tales of a Texas Boy, and Eagle Quest.

She mentioned her 12-year-old granddaughter loved to read and before I realized what I was doing I offered to give her a book for Tia (the gd). Quick as lightning, Deb wrote her name on a blue sticky.

As I drove away, I became fraught (another one of those old folk's words) with anxiety. I'd promised the woman one of my books and I didn't even know when I might go back to the post office.

Fate must have played a hand since eldest son called me asking for a short-term loan (all loans to him have been short-term and most are never repaid). Nevertheless, Mom's a sucker, so I wrote out a check and put it in an envelope. I knew the mailman had already gone by, so I decided to pop down to the P.O. to send the sorely-needed funds (some vague mumblings about the Mafia softened me up). I brought along a copy of Eagle Quest for Deb's granddaughter, all signed and everything.

Now, this book is the one I practiced my Lulu formatting skills on right after NaNoWriMo. It doesn't look quite like the more finished ms I have now, but the cover is pretty.

Deb wasn't there, so I dropped the book off with her puzzled supervisor who promised to get it to Deb.

I hope Tia likes the book. I hope she lets me know what she thinks. I wrote my email address on the sticky note. Maybe she'll take a hint and at least send me a thank you note.

On the other hand, maybe Deb will open the book to Chapter 1 and decide Tia is too young for the book. The first chapter's title: The Rat Bastard. Do I know how to write a kid's book or what?