Wednesday, October 3, 2012

'Big Day' Build-up


Way back in a previous life—in my twentiesI used to manage a bridal shop. Reflecting on that time, it seems to me that looking forward to a publication date is a lot like looking forward to one’s wedding day.

Once you are engaged—that is, you've signed a publishing contract—there’s all sorts of preparations that begin. Sure, you've been dreaming about and planning it for years, but now it's real and life begins to revolve around the ‘Big Day’. The closer the ‘Day’ gets, the more stressful it becomes. ‘What if the cake doesn’t arrive on time?’ What if the edits take longer than expected? What if the flowers aren’t right? ‘What if there’s a glitch with uploading to the distributor?’ And you don’t even want to think about ‘What if the bride has put on weight! What if the gown, so painstakingly altered, no longer fits! (If you’re curious about How A Published Novel Is Like a Wedding Gown, head on over to Sia McKye’s blog where I wrote a guest post for today.)

Now that my release date has come and gone, I’m in that honeymoon phase. Although I’m enjoying it, I’m looking forward to getting back to real life and working on my next novel. More on that, soon... 
   

10 comments:

  1. Congrats, J.G. on your new release.

    I gained a bigger chest for my wedding. Accidentally. Turns out I was 6 weeks pregnant. Didn't realize THAT until the honeymoon. At least I finally looked like I had something to fill out the top of my dress. The padding wasn't needed after all. :D

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    1. Ha! Stina, I can't tell you how many times that happened when I was doing alterations! Thank goodness for generous seam allowances! :D

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  2. Although I LOVED my wedding day, it was, as they say, just one day. All that followed mattered so much more! Looking forward to your next success Bridget!

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    1. Liza, I completely agree that what follows the 'Big Day' matters so much more! My wedding was very small and understated (only 5 people)--it began the most amazing 22 years of my life.

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  3. reckon who will catch the "bouquet"? congrats agin..:)

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    1. Hmmm,,,I guess that would be the next of my closest friends who publishes... You wanna get up front for a better shot at it? :)

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  4. Your novel is beautifully written and I love the boatmaster details, the varnish and turpentine, the drawing of the canvas across the pages and around the mysterious girl.

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    1. Thanks Yvonne, I do so hope you are enjoying it! :)

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  5. I've always thought release days are a bit anti-climactic. At least my wedding day wasn't! I think being with a smaller publisher, I've realized that the buildup comes later rather than all at once at the beginning. :)

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    1. Well, I hope the build-up is slow so I can keep up. I feel like I'm living life in some fast-forward/slow motion speed warp these days! Ha! slow would be good. :)

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