It's more than a year since I last published here on Blogger -- not that I've been asleep at the wheel, but because I relocated BS&T to Substack, where I post a mix of reworked old material (outtakes from the book project) and occasional new material. As any O.G. readers here know, I've been working on the book based on this blog for a long time now -- too damned long, truth be told -- but at long last that ship has almost come into port.
I say "almost" because the book pictured here is a one-off print copy I requested from the publisher to evaluate the cover art in person (rather than on a computer screen), and for one last proof-read before pulling the trigger on a limited print run. This was good, since typos, double-words, and awkward prose I just don't see on my computer screen for some reason jump out at me on the printed page ... and I found forty-five things to fix in this solitary print version. The typos were mostly weeded out over the laborious process of eight drafts, four manuscript proof-reads by my ex-librarian sister (with a eye for detail), and four proof-submissions with subsequent corrections between me and the publisher -- but what I found this time were too many clumsy, less-than-clear sentences and paragraphs I couldn't live with.
I'll soon submit the fifth, and -- inshallah -- final proof correction, which the publisher will sync up with the manuscript, then return for my approval. Then, if all is good, I'll pull the trigger on a limited print run. Details of pricing and availability -- when and where copies become available -- will be forthcoming, but I expect that's still a couple of months away. I've been taking this one slow step at a time, and don't want to get out over my skis now ... especially since I didn't grow up in snow country and don't know how to ski.
The details will be posted here, and over at Substack, when the time comes. If any of you are still interested, and haven't been to Subtack, check it out. Beyond my own humble offerings, there's an entire universe of excellent sites over there, run by good writers with interesting things to say.
So, this is just a heads-up to anybody who still follows this space that the book is actually, finally, happening. This project turned out to be a lot more work and take much, much longer than anticipated -- so having learned the hard way just how labyrinthian the process really is, I must offer a belated apology to anyone to whom I've ever said "Hey, you oughtta write a book!"
I meant well, but knew not of what I spoke.
If you decide to write that book anyway, I wish you all the best ... but don't say you weren't warned.
