Saturday, July 20, 2013

BAKED

     I know of one thing that's definitely baked: me. A week of 95+ degree temps has done me in. And never mind that I'm just going from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office, and then reversing the process. Just knowing what it's like outside enervates me. My son asked me last night, "What did people DO before air-conditioning was invented?" He's not asking me because he thinks I'm smart; he's asking me because he thinks I remember. Much the way he asks me questions about the War of 1812. Actually, I'm not going to tell him this (and don't you tell him either!), but I seem to have a distant memory of my parents' apartment sans A/C. I don't remember what it felt like. I just remember time spent sitting on the fire escape, just for a wisp of breeze.
     I know of something else that I believe is baked, as in ready-to-come-out-of-the-oven: my book. I believe that my marathon revisions have advanced IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY? to the point where I can send it out into the world. And not a moment too soon, because the deadline for the Greenhouse Funny Contest is July 29th, a week from Monday! When I printed out a copy of the guidelines and posted it on the refrigerator in February, the date seemed eons away, but now it's virtually here. The same day my daughter will finally get her braces off, as a matter of fact. A red-letter day any way you slice it. Except that I'll be away this weekend and I won't survive leaving it to the last possible day, so my personal Funny Contest submission deadline is this Friday, July 26th. And since the book is baked enough for that, it's also baked enough to send it to the editor who critiqued the first 15 pages of my first draft at the NJSCBWI conference in the beginning of June, and said she'd love [sic] to see the manuscript when I'm done revising.
     Don't you think that "done revising" are two of the most beautiful words in the English language?
     Wish me luck. Send good karma my way. Do something spiritual on my behalf.  Because ... this is it!! Too late to turn back! This is the scariest, most exhilarating step of the entire process, and I'm ready for it.

CLOSES EYES - HOLDS NOSE - COUNTS TO TEN -




            
JUMPS!!!!!
  
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4 comments:

  1. :Donna MarieJuly 21, 2013 at 10:16 PM

    Susan, I, too, had remembered--vaguely--what it was like without air-conditioning. It was uncomfortable when it was humid, but as a kid, you don't pay as much attention to it, it seems. But my memory was jolted in a VERY big way recently since, for the entire 3 weeks of this heat wave, our central air was dead. Yes---dead. Not until this past Wed. night did we have it again. All I can say is "Thank God for electricity and fans!" Of course, if you weren't idly parked in front of one, you dripped and melted instantaneously!

    Anyway, on to more important things---CONGRATS on finishing!!! Good luck with the contest AND submission to the interested editor! How WONderful! :D

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    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 22, 2013 at 4:15 PM

      THANKS, Donna!! I'm grateful for your good wishes. I'm also amazed that you can even function after 3 weeks of a heat wave with no A/C! I'll refer my son to you so he can understand how it's done. And how are you and yours? Any news I should know about?

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  2. Yvonne VentrescaJuly 22, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    Susan -- Congrats on finishing! I'm sending good thoughts your way. keep me posted.

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  3. UnknownJuly 22, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    Thanks, Yvonne! Did you have a chance to read WONDER yet? What did you think? I hope you're having a productive time of it in PA and enjoying some less-nauseating weather than we've been having! You keep me posted, too.

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