I’ll just get that out of the way first. When I received the proofread manuscript this summer and saw the copyright date was 2022, I got excited, thinking maybe my book would be released before the end of the year. Even though I’d read in my contract that Olympia has 290 days after they receive final edits to release the book, I remained hopeful that the process couldn’t possibly take that long. So, where am I in this pipeline? The changes I made after the first proofreading are being added, then they’ll send the manuscript back for me to review a second time and make any final changes. After this, it will be sent to the printers. I think. But I’m learning that things move even more slowly during the holidays. I haven’t seen any cover art yet. I’d suggested that maybe Pierce could collaborate on the cover, but I haven’t heard any feedback about this idea.

I’ve told you all I know about my publication status. I did contact the publicity team to give them the link to the interview Pierce and I did for Brief but Spectacular. They loved it, and they think it will be useful when it’s time to promote the book. In case you missed it, the interview we taped in June finally aired on PBS Newshour last month! You can watch it here. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. There has been a little bit of confusion, though. The way the segment was edited, it appeared that Pierce lost the TJ Maxx job because of Covid. Pierce was working at Williamson Medical Center when the lockdown began. That was the job he lost. He then sat at home for two years until we were finally able to get him into the TJ Maxx job this past February. He is still working there three days a week. One of the producers of Brief has become a friend; she drives Pierce to and from work on Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have some sweet neighbors that answered the request for help with transportation that I posted on our neighborhood Facebook page. We are so grateful for them, and they love getting to know Pierce. 

My last day in the Bates Nursery greenhouse for the 2022 season was last Thursday. We’ve managed to acquire four full-time staffers in the greenhouse/perennials department. There’s already not a whole lot of stuff to be done in the wintertime, but especially not enough to keep four people busy. So, I decided to start my winter sabbatical early. I’ll spend the next three weeks hanging out with the family, getting the pile of plants and bulbs in my garage into the ground, and prepping for next spring (also binging Netflix/Hulu and reading my rather substantial stack of new garden books). On Christmas day, Tim and I will fly down to my home away from home in the Yucutan. He’ll fly back on New Year’s Eve, and I’ll spend two whole months on the beach. Winter has already begun to dampen my mood. The 10-day outlook shows nothing but clouds and rain. The backyard is so barren and colorless. I’m anxious to begin planning my 2023 garden so I can focus on the beauty to come. 

This has gotten a little long-winded, so I’ll save the rest for another blog post. I promise I won’t stay away for two months next time.