The proposal for my next book has now reached New York safely on its second try. Whew! So I’ve turned my attention to my to-do checklist. The next thing to do after I’ve turned in a finished manuscript–in this case, MARRYING MILLY, is to do the art fact sheets for my publisher. This is now done online for all the books published by my publisher. I have to go down a checklist and input the themes, character appearances, character traits, and characters’ careers. That this online list is largely influenced by the Mills and Boone and Harlequin Presents lines is revealed by some of the careers listed: sheik, cattle station manager, Greek tycoon. LOL! I haven’t seen any of those as Steeple Hill heroes! I also describe scenes that I think would look good on the cover. I really hope they pick my first choice, where the hero  gives the heroine a bouquet of black-eyed susans, a favorite flower of mine. Very visually appealing, IMO. Lastly I attempt to describe the essence of the book in a short synopsis, describe themes in the book, and so forth. Then I write an email to my editor, in which I list URL’s for some Texas Hill country scenery, some pictures of objects I’d like to be on the cover, like a buckboard wagon and accurate clothing pictures for the period. Quite by accident, I’ve found a great place to get scenery pictures is from real estate websites. The only trouble is that it makes me long to be *in* the Hill Country on my own little piece of land. Wish I could afford to live there during the winter and part of the spring, and here the rest of the year!

Now I can check this task off my to-do list. Tomorrow I’ll go back to my usual writing schedule: errands or to-do list in the morning, writing all afternoon. I think I’ll see if I can get my page up on Facebook–wish me luck, and please visit me there!

Blessings, Laurie