Book Deadlines and Bubbly: A Look Inside My Life in the Berkshires

Jun 16, 2022

I have been drinking Bubly by the case. Sometimes in a wine glass garnished with a lime wedge or fruit, other times straight from the can.

Don’t get too excited. I mean, the sparkling water brand, which is a strong competitor to La Croix. Like La Croix, Bubly has no calories and is naturally flavored with fruit extracts. My favorite flavors are strawberry, which leaves an identical aftertaste to eating a strawberry, and bellini bliss, which makes you think you're drinking a cocktail. If you’re going to drink sparkling water, you might as well get the best, right?

I am sending this newsletter/blog at the crack of dawn on Thursday. I’ve been trying to sleep when I put the kiddos down, and then wake up to revise my manuscript before they are awake. It’s a mad dash to the finish line, which creates some *ahem* exciting challenges.

Our trip to the Berkshires began on Tuesday afternoon. We divided the 672 mile-trek into two segments, stopping four times along the way. The six-hour drive took twelve hours.

For the most part, it’s going well and I haven’t missed any of my daily deadlines for the book:

We kicked off our trip right by visiting my bestie, Dina Paulson (poet, essayist, and entertainment writer), and her son in Princeton, NJ.
Our stop in Montclair, NJ was too short and we definitely wanted to spend some time exploring the quaint downtown area.
Because we arrived at 1 AM, Wednesday was our slow day. We managed to explore Hancock, pick up snacks/supplies (my HDMI cable for my 21-inch monitor broke en route), and visit Williamstown. I only knew of Williams College, one of the oldest colleges in the country, which sits at the bottom of Mount Greylock in the Berkshires. Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts. But Williamstown has so many cultural draws and their local theatre is one to be watched.
Later today, we will visit the Norman Rockwell Museum and explore Stockbridge and Great Barrington.
On Friday, we’ll take the kiddos to a farm with a petting zoo before heading to Albany and an afternoon at the aquarium in Schenectady. Davidson loves sea animals, so this is a great way for us to enjoy some of the same creatures we get to see in Baltimore at the National Aquarium and learn about some different ones. We’ll conclude the day with a delicious meal with friends who live nearby.
On Saturday, Donny turns two! We get to check out my home girl Nikki’s farm, who lives in Marlboro, and hang with her family for a few hours before heading into New York City. It will be the first time I’ve seen her out of the City since the first time we met, which was when we were teaching English in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico during the summer of 2007.
Saturday, my goal is to make it to NPR’s Tiny Desk concert in Brooklyn but I may be too ambitious. The lineup is going to be epic, and I can't wait to take the kids to their first concert. It’s also the first time Tiny Desk is on the road, and they’ve partnered with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, New York's longest-running free outdoor music festival.
Sunday, we will definitely enjoy all of the awesome Juneteenth celebrations and celebrate Dave on Father’s Day!
Monday, we leave NYC to return home with one stop planned for Philadelphia to see my soul sister, India, and her family. And, grab Dave a Philly cheesesteak.

After reviewing this list, it’s clear that we are going from no travel into a particularly busy period for travel. We haven't had this much activity since February 2020, when Davidson, Dave, and I went to the Netherlands while I was pregnant with Donovan.

Me Power Book Updates

So, you may remember me mentioning a July 1st date to have book revisions completed. Well, turns out my Marketing & Revisions Editor (MRE) requires everything to be turned in ONE WEEK sooner than that! Here’s the process as I understand it today:

Submit all FINAL revised chapter copies by June 24
My title and subtitle will need to be finalized by June 24
- Me Power: How to Get What You Want By Being Who You Are
Once my MRE permits, I can combine individual chapters into one Word version to meet all the specifications outlined by the Layout Designer, which needs to happen by June 26
The Layout Designer reviews and prepares the file for Typesetting
This Typeset file needs to be reviewed and approved by my MRE
Once the MRE green lights the Typeset manuscript, then my MRE will be submitting the manuscript to Copyediting
Once it goes to Copyediting by June 29th, it is 95% “done” and no other content changes, outside of grammar/mechanics, will be allowed 😲
Copy editing has to APPROVE the manuscript by 5 PM Eastern on July 1st

All of these steps in the process between June 24 and July 1 are as clear as mud.

Please say a little prayer for me. Light incense or a candle. Send all the good vibes my way. I could definitely use all the positive energy we collectively manifest. Yes, (Our) Me Power.