Tomorrow Is Another Day...

Lots To Think About...

My parents are coming in today to help me start packing and do all of the stuff movers won't do.  There are so many rules about using movers--they won't take things off walls--what's that all about?  If there is a picture hanging on the wall and you want them to pack it you have to either take it off the wall before they arrive or they'll stand there looking at it and ask you to come take it down.  I mean, I can understand not packing perishable items, bleach, etc, but where on earth did the rule about the wall hangings start??

Anyway, I have a lot of stuff on my walls, so that should kill some time this weekend.

Lynn met with our first publisher yesterday, and I'm hesitantly excited about the prospect.  It's a subsidy publisher (more commonly known as a vanity press) out of Alabama, and while their prices are extremely reasonable, I think our book deserves a shot at a traditional publisher.  I've read a lot of articles online about "self-publishing" and it really seems like the people that opt to do so are the ones who only expect their book to appeal to a small audience.  I think we have such a unique concept, and if we can just find a publisher that gets behind us and understands our audience we could appeal to a very wide audience.  Of course, what author doesn't think that about their writing?  Any thoughts?  Opinions?  Random, spontaneous comments about cheese?

I will say one thing for sure, I love working with Lynn.  I think we complement each other very well (we compliment each other too--Lynn, you're quite pretty!) and balance each other out in a certain way that I can't quite put into words.  I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts about this process with her, and I hope she feels the same way.  This is kind of a unique situation for me, because really I usually work best alone.  I get frustrated with people who don't pull their own weight, or people who are too controlling, and it's rare to find someone who meets and exceeds all of my expectations in a work partnership.

And a BIG thank you to all of you who followed me over to Wise Bread yesterday!  I'll be posting again this weekend, so I'll put another teaser up here when it's published.  Now I'm going to go help myself to another Krispy Kreme--I brought in 2 dozen for the office and I think they need some help in the eating department.  Ridiculous "healthy" people!

Tooting My Own Little Horn

Well, taking into consideration that today is only Tuesday, and there's still plenty of time for things to go pear shaped, I think it's safe to say that this is just about the coolest week ever.  Please be assured that I'm knocking on wood as I say all of this, and I invite you to have a quick rap on the most easily accessible wooden object on your side of the computer as well.

We've gotten really great support for our Girls at War MySpace page and blog (links in the sidebar), and things are moving along at a brisk pace.  I believe we're up to 10 contributors now, and Lynn will be meeting with a prospective publisher this Thursday.  We're still information gathering right now, and we have plans to approach a number of publishing houses with out manuscript, but I can't even put into words how excited I am that we've gotten the ball rolling in the right direction.  We're beginning to look into issues such as legal advice, headshots, and marketing, so it's really all becoming quite official and businesslike!  Which is good, I think... one of the scariest things in the world is mixing business and friendship, so hopefully we can keep it relatively painfree.

In other blatant self-promotion--if you enjoy what you read here, you'll now be able to find me hanging out on yet another blog.  I've been hired to write for WiseBread, a financial advice site with a twist.  Here's a little exerpt of their mission:

We believe young people on a budget can still enjoy fabulous and fun lives. We are here to share tips that will help you live a savvy and fulfilling life without sacrificing your financial independence.

Wise Bread will help you discover:

• Savvy shopping tips to keep you stylish, sassy, and solvent.
• Financial advice that is easy to understand and easy to apply.
• Career and money-making ideas that'll add zeros to your bank account.
• General adulthood know-how your parents forgot to tell you.

Our Philosophy: You can't save money if you're not having fun!

Wise Bread is still very new to the blogosphere, but the creators of the site are already very excited about the amount of traffic they've generated in the first 8 weeks since it's inception and they predict great things for it's future.

Now, before we all bust our guts laughing at the absurdity of Angela writing for a financial advice site, let me fill you in a little on my role as a Wise Bread blogger.  I will be focusing on financial wisdom for the fashion and budget conscious--and I firmly believe that there is a balance to be struck between the two.  My main subject matter will cover topics from makeup to beauty to fashion and how you can have it all without going bankrupt.  It should be pretty easy for me to speak from experience considering my rapidly approaching unemployment status, so with any luck, I'll be able to follow my own advice.  Or, at the very least, as Jesus so eloquently did before me, instruct others to do as I say, not as I do.  Anyway, I really hope you'll check it out once I'm up and running, and if you enjoy what we have to say, please add us to your blogroll.  I will definitely have more information to come on that in the next couple of days.

(Also I get paid per view and ad click on my articles, so, you know, I'm not telling you to click on the ads or anything, but if you did happen to click on an ad and I could afford my 10 cent cup of ramen for dinner that night, I'd really be greatly indebted to your generosity!)

More Weekend Business

Well, it's Sunday after noon and I have a few recipients of lovely shoes from Angela's Closet!  According to my meticulous record keeping, Kate got the red Impos for $10 and Jessie got the Mary Jane Docs for $5.  I'll email you guys directly with all the details and the final price tomorrow after I mail them.  And if I missed a request from anyone, let me know.  I'll be listing the shoes on Ebay sometime this week, but given my professional procrastination techniques you'll probably have a couple of days to get in touch with me.

Thank you so much for indulging me in my shameless hawking of possessions, but I'm excited that I actually got two of those shoes sold without having to deal with Ebay fees--blogs are just the greatest!

I have more exciting news that I'd very much like to bring to your attention!  Over the past couple of weeks a group of lieutenant gal pals and myself have been working on bringing together a new project.  We'll be compiling stories detailing our experiences in the military as young officers, and are hoping to get them published as a book with the name Girls at War:  The Lives of Military Women.  It is still in the very early developmental stages, but our manuscript should be ready for mailing in mid-April.

I'd like to invite you to follow our progress by adding our blog Girls at War to your reading list, and if you're on MySpace, become our friend and we'll be periodically updating you with news and info about our road to publication and beyond!

You can visit our blog by clicking this image, or the button on the left sidebar:

Our MySpace can be found here:

That's all I have for today.  I'll be back tomorrow with less business related posts--promise!