This week I was working in the new Travelers’ Tales office in Palo Alto. I really love it there. High ceilings, colorful office, new computer, and the best part—a great neighborhood. Wednesday I had a rootbeer float in the afternoon because we’re right across the street from the Peninsula Creamery.
Anyway, one night I was feverishly reading Thong submissions. The next day I was working on the production side of getting A Woman’s Asia out to Quark, and then another day I was working on contracts for the authors in Women’s Best Travel Writing, due out this Spring. Then yesterday I busted my ass on a marketing flyer to support Larry while he’s out in D.C. for the 19th Annual Educational Travel Conference.
I don’t mind doing any of the work. I even enjoyed creating the flyer. But working on the books was tough because sending them off with a final TOC meant that I had passed up another opportunity to be in a book. Two. There was a story I wanted to write for BEST, but juggling everything, my writing comes last. Especially since Thong is getting down to the wire. So, the writer side of me took a small punch to the gut.
And on the editor side, I missed the official first deadline on the 1st, but we’re a bit backlogged so it’s not ugly yet. James and I are having a work session on it next week. Who knows if we’ll agree on the same stories. We probably will on some, and not on others. That’s how it always is. These are anthologies. Can’t reach everybody, but what makes one person laugh, and not another will be mirrored in the readership.