2000
| Thursday November 9, 2000 And it is chaos in the reader's room. First - you have to find the room. Down the hall in the corner in the dark. Next - find tape and hang Troy's poster. I didn't even know I had a name card. Put out bookmarks. By 11 I have chatted with 3 people, learned that I cannot be a "rising star" because I am self-published. I couldn't join Science Fiction Writer's of America for that reason too. I do belong to Romance Writer's of America. I may catch up with them soon. But I met with positive input from people who have read or are reading the novel. That's good. Besides all the tasks (poster and bookmarks in the promo lane - and setting up a drawing for a book and calendar) I had to assure people that Barnes&Noble was next on my list. It's just that they have this messy form they sent via e-mail! But I will do them next. And QVC too. I checked - Waldens has their copies - 100 calendars - and are selling them (store at the convention). I have 200 others. (I still do not have a count of the sales - since I did not stay for the bookfair due to the emergency). They have 20 books (shipped from an earlier Ingram order - must remember to invoice them). I have 96 more. I am walking around carrying the calendar and the book. I talked to people at Kensington. They also feel that the stories about the chemo treatments should be a newspaper column. Must find an editor. I chatted with Joan Overfield - I read her stories. We are an interesting group of people we readers and authors. I autographed and talked. I promoted. I stuck the poster back on the wall. Several times. And I checked on my sons. My younger son is delirious and the CT is negative. Now they think it is a side effect of the drugs but he is in gowns and diapers. He doesn't know what planet he is on and does not recognize objects. He thinks it is April and was talking to a towel. Great for a mother to hear over the phone. My older son is taking care of him and he is worse than a junk-yard dog. Tough as me - I heard him go after the doctor to get answers. The emphasis must be the headaches (turns out - it should have been). What a living hell. I am ordered to "take a break" and to "enjoy my conference". Hard to do. Then I got another call. Seems that the new keys I made do not open the deadbolt. And the caregiver for the animals cannot get in the house. Oh joy! My older son already being busy (he could always break in) I sent the caretaker back to try the back door after telling her the secret of the gates (one is barricaded). My sliding glass doors I think are all locked. My sons know how to break in any house we have owned. Comes from my younger one coming home early in the rain and being stuck - hid in the shed awhile and then walked down the hill to the daycare center. They knew him and kept him there. Creative for a 7 year old. Would have been more creative if he had told me he had a half day since I would have come and fetched him, Very talented my boys. Just not always communicative. I checked on my kids again and they said it was a side effect of the drugs and they have seen it before. It doesn't happen often but it happens. (Boy, did they make a mistake!) He gets any side effect going. They may do a spinal to rule out meningitis and an MRI - go ahead. (Turns out - It was positive.) At this point, not knowing the hammer about to descend, I am calmer. I had thought brain tumor. But, I want to be there. This is hard. Then I had a second message from the groomer. She couldn't get in the back door either - but the sliding glass door behind the sewing machine was open. So she, a rather large woman, got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the house. I can't conceive of this! I can just picture the event! And Trim watching the whole time. (My border collie.) Did she earn a big tip or what? I sent email to TNT media to calm down - they thought that the calendars were in the wrong place. I rechecked with Terri and the paper work is catching up. I have finally met Pepper and Skip - after all the emails! She has her own mailbox and backup on a DVD. We write 2-3 times a day. We sat through the awards desert thing - and drank champaign. I had a tuna steak earlier in the evening for dinner. So I felt no pain when I ate cheesecake. The estrogen level has been raised (my doctor's trial and error) and I gained (immediately) 25 lbs). My night? A long hot bath after 20 minutes looking for hair set - I swear I packed some. 4 prunes, 1 coffee and 1 bottle of water and 1/2 can of flat diet coke. Fitting conclusion. Goes with my nerves. I need to be back on Medifast and back in the gym. I need a little normalcy. I had Medifast for breakfast, found I had left my stress tabs home, and had a cookie at 3. Not a very intelligent diet. Leads to cheesecake at 10. Florentine breakfast is tomorrow - that should be good (Good quiche.) And I wear a costume tomorrow night. So I shaved off the sides of my eyebrows - oh why not! (And showed up at the hospital later looking weird.) Easier to get made up tomorrow. I thought at the time. T'Zara has slanted eyebrows. And Troy is to escort me in a walk on stage. (That didn't happen). I have no idea if I will get to sessions. I have some I want to visit. I want to see the one on format on eBooks. My next project. And see some of my authors. I am still, a reader. I finally went to sleep. Little did I know. |
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