Rain, rain, rain

It rain and rains, and there is no end in sight.  Alfie wakes up as usual at 5:30 or 6:00 and as usual I get up and head out for a walk with him, but he balks at the door when he sees the weather, and says No thanks, think I'll pass. 

Today I have two guys in the basement installing a new oil tank, and a guy in the garage installing a new garage door.  So instead of a quiet rainy day --- conducive to work --- it is a noisy rainy day: drills and power tools of all sorts.

I got an email from my editor, Margaret, at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt a little while ago, saying the copy editor had raised some questions regarding timing in my to-be-published-in-Fall book.  "Timing" meaning...if the character said this on Saturday, and then she did this on Sunday, but at some point she said "six days till.." wouldn't that mean that on Friday she...   etc. etc.  I am not quoting exactly because I don't want to describe the plot of the book this early.  But it is why we are grateful to copy editors.  Neither Margaret nor I had noticed the discrepancies that the CE caught.

And when those things are not caught, and slip past, and are published, there are always young readers out there who catch them and write to me demanding an explanation---which I don't have, except for my own stupidity and inattentiveness. (I sometimes also plead old age)

Sometimes what I do (and should have done, for this book) is use an actual calendar, marking on it what happens on each day. One of the mistakes the copy editor caught was that a character was attending school on a day which seemed to be Sunday. If I had used a calendar---and this, for a book in which all the action takes place in one week)....I would have seen that so easily.

In addition to making those corrections today, and also working on a book in progress, I am in the midst of a local small-town project. Along with several other like-minded residents, I have undertaken to create some kind of film society --- hoping to counteract the local movie theater's inclination to show nothing but Transformers and Mummies and Batmans.  Granted, there is a place in our culture for those: just ask my grandsons!  But many of us are yearning for foreign and independent and documentary films, and after several meetings to talk about details, we are soon to present a proposal to the local theater owner.

Lets hope I don't mix up my Mondays and Tuesdays when talking to him.

Comments

[ojimenez]

The same storm cloud in this photograph may be extending its reach all the way to my window!
In any case, I'm reading "Planet Google" and came across the chapter on Google's 'book digitizing project." Out of curiosity I went into Google's book search and found most of your published books There. Wow! So does an author get any royalties? I wondered. The process of publishing, as you describe here, involves so much labor, of muscle and love, how does an author feel about seeing her work being given away so....freely?

In some respects the bibliophile in me is saddened, no more musty smells of used book stores, or joy of finding a first edition amongst the remainders, but the reader in me is excited, the world's knowledge at my fingertips (digits)...

These are ominous storm clouds covering our skies.

[Barbara]

I am new to your blog and website, it is wonderful. I thought about your description of, and participation in, your "community communication" project. If you are interested, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, located in Bryn Mawr, PA has like minded goals and does a wonderful job of keeping the Transformers at bay.
Best of Luck!

[Tyler Burgos]

Ms. Lowry we are reviewing your website as part of our school assignment. You have a nice selection of books; and your website's blog has many interesting facts about you. Thank you for sharing!

[Franklyn Webster]

I enjoyed looking through your website and blog. I found out some interesting facts about your life. Also I will enjoy reading and responding to many more thing.

[Eunice Lim]

Hello ! I just wanted to say that you are my favorite author. I enjoyed learning more about your life and looking at the wonderful pictures you posted. I'm looking forward to reading more about you.