Got a message from the editor yesterday.  Tamurlaine told me that they are working on the back cover now.  It is the final thing to be done before the book is ready to go to print!  Any moment now!

I will be looking at the proofs for the back cover today or early tomorrow.  Once they are approved, then I give the editor a "thumbs up" and then the wheels really start turning.  Keep checking in for updates! 

Here's where things are now:

I have been corresponding on a very regular basis with my editor, Tamurlaine, and we have been fine tuning the details of my book.  Today I sent off the second interior design proof and the second cover proof.  But what does THAT mean? :-) 

These "proofs" are sent to me as an attachment in a g-mail which I download, open, and then inspect. They are scanned images of the illustrations and the text of the book.  If there are changes that I want to make, then I correspond with Tamurlaine and make the changes known to her.  She makes the corrections and then sends the whole thing back to me to inspect again.  It is quite a lengthy process!

Today I had to choose between three cover layouts that Tamurlaine created for me.  Once I picked the layout which I liked best, then I let her know what my decision was. The editor, publisher, and I collaborated to create a cover for the book.  They gave suggestions and helped me create a cover illustration which we all liked.  Then they created optional ways for the title to be presented on the cover.  I hope you agree with the choice we decided was best!

The book is getting closer to publication every day.  Soon I will let you know when it will actually be published and when the first author's night will be scheduled for its debut!  Keep watching for updates!