2022 or 2020, too?
Welcome to the first edition of The 3-31 in 2022!
I designed this newsletter/blog to:
go out three times a month on the third day of the week;
highlight the day I arrived on planet earth (3-31); and
share three inspirational jolts⚡️you can read in 31 seconds.
Thank you for joining me.
The biggest news of the year so far is that after testing my one-year-old (Donovan) and three-year-old (Davidson) sons for the 20th time, the results came back positive last Wednesday. Damn, Omicron got us.
I hate being a statistic. The United States reported 1.35 million new COVID-19 infections at the beginning of last week, shattering a global record. As we all know, the numbers do not appear to be slowing down.
I’ve been hit the hardest in my household. First, I lost all interest in eating - a very alarming sign for this foodie - for several days. When I lost my sense of taste and smell on Friday, that’s when the mental anguish started. Lastly, I will spare you the awful details, but I have had every COVID-19 symptom listed on the CDC website.
I am slowly moving out of my COVID Zombie-like state, and today was the first day I could sit at the computer for more than a quick 30 minutes. Donovan and Davidson also have not had any terrors/sweats/coughing fits for at least a night, and these high-energetic children are getting better by the day.
We have our health, are not immunocompromised, and are grateful to be on the up and up.
Even though the year has gotten off to a rocky start, this is still the energy I’m planning to bring all year long!
What a compliment, right?
Book Updates
If you were unable to pre-order your book during the 30-day campaign, then you can join this awesome waitlist to grab your copy once it is officially released.
Now, where am I in the book creation process?
Revisions, revisions, revisions.
Based on feedback from editors at New Degree Press, I decided to restructure and re-write most of Part 1. This had implications for Part 2, and I am now considering cutting out Part 3 altogether, depending on how the new version reads. Restructuring has been exciting, and I hope to continue making progress, despite my COVID setback.
My awesome friend Amy Young, Counsel for The Communications Workers of America, gave me the best advice:
Revision is how you move from concept to communication!
I need to complete my next round of revisions by the end of January. Next month, I’ll be sending chapters out to BETA readers to provide feedback and perspective, and your feedback will help me improve the book in the third and fourth rounds of revisions. If you’d like to sign up as a BETA reader and have not told me yet, please hit reply and let me know.
A couple of people have asked:
What’s the most surprising part of your author's journey?
The number of people involved has blown me away. Key players include:
Developmental Editor
Acquisitions Editor
Head of Pre-launch Marketing
Publishing Coordinator
Marketing & Revisions Editor
Cover Designer
Copy Editor
Layout Editor
Proofreader
Head of Publishing
At this part of the process, I have been working closely with my Marketing and Revisions Editor (MRE), whose role is to support me through the four-phase revisions process and develop tactical marketing plans and activities for book promotion.
Book Title Feedback
The time has come to change my book title. (Our) me power is a play on words that is meant to get us thinking about the power we each have within and how we choose to use that power to improve our lives and uplift one another. I have been convinced that using (our) me power in the title is a bad idea. At this point, I am also unsure if I need a subtitle. Please, help me out. The struggle is real.
Next week, I will meet with the Cover Designer and Head of Publishing to discuss my book cover!
Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds
⚡️My word of the year is SPACE, something I’d like to create more of for myself. Defined as a continuous area that is free, available, or unoccupied. Alexa, play Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place.”
⚡️I’m going to operationalize creating space daily using #space22in22, clocking 22 minutes of joyful dopamine hits with activities such as beatboxing kid songs with the boys, watching bag review videos online, calling to chat with a friend, or escaping to the Container Store during the week.
⚡️ Say this out loud: “I AM THE ANCESTOR OF MY FUTURE.” What does that do for you? It’s a new affirmation for me. Thank you, Captain Neferteri Strickland, for these powerful words.
Gave us much to think about, but most of a reminder of the Power inside of Gratitude!!