This morning I received a very large envelope in the mail from my editor. Inside were the final designed pages for my upcoming historical novel, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS.
Seeing this, naturally, made my heart skip about ten beats. This is beyond exciting. Years of hard work on this project are now coming to a close and I have this real, heavy pile of pages to show for it. Not that the work on this book is done…. Oh, far from it! In fact, in a lot of ways, the work is only just beginning. But it’s a moment of transition. A moment of shifting gears and mindsets. After this, I switch from my writing/editing mode to full-on launch mode.
But first. I get one final week with these pages and words and then this book is out of my hands. After these last-gasp edits this week, marked in the margins in colored pencil (yes, really), I will ship these pages back to my editor at Simon & Schuster in New York City. From there, the book gets sent to the printer for its February release.
Other goings-on on this topic… We will have the official, final book cover VERY soon, and I can’t wait to reveal that. Additionally, I’ll be shooting the fun “Book Trailer” this weekend with the amazing and talented Beatrice Copeland. Her sister just so happens to be the beautiful actress who played “Peggy” in our first book trailer. Also in the works, our first reviews and book blurbs should start coming in over the next couple of months. We have some truly talented and inspiring writers currently reading advanced copies for reviews. AND! Get excited, because this winter we will be launching a creative, quirky, and very intriguing “Meet the Habsburgs” photography campaign. More on that in the coming months. I can’t wait to share Sisi with all of you!
Gulp. This is so incredibly exhilarating and nerve-racking and daunting and fun. OK, brewing up some coffee and then it’s into editing mode. See you when I resurface!