I got a bit of encouragement yesterday from one of the board members of a book club I belong to (Oh, heck! It’s Rave Reviews Book Club). Anyway, he (John Fioravanti—name dropping again) reminded me that he is awaiting the publication of my book.

(Dancing, dancing, dancing in my seat!) This was very heartwarming because John is a published author and he was taking time to remind me that I’m not alone. Other writers have also been encouraging and supporting me by tweeting that my book is coming! That is so humbling, so daunting, and so AWESOME!

That said, let me tell you where I stand.

Yesterday, I leapt up from my chair after writing my last sentence, and declared to the world, “I’m done!” There would have been cause for much celebration if those words had been true, but I know that there is still much to do.

You won’t remember my excitement a few months back after I’d used Scrivener for the first time. I will insert the link to that post here. Scrivener—everything in one application?—You lie!

However, there are some things in Scrivener that I still don’t know how to do. They are:

• Write into the notes (I knew this and I did it a few times, but now I can’t remember it).
• Eliminate chapters (Some are duplicates, others are places I put notes when I couldn’t find the note thingy).
• Combine parts in chapters (My chapters have chapters inside them because as I wrote, scenes became whole chapters and now I don’t know how to put them together).
• Compile for publishing (After I clean up everything above, I will be ready to compile the chapters).
• Make an e book (This is how I plan to send my book to my beta-readers unless someone is willing to suggest another way I can get it to them)
• I will need to Google all these things to get the book ready for my Beta Readers. However I still L-O-V-E Scrivener!

I have targeted my daughter, a former school teacher and now administrator, to read for me. I can trust her to be (almost) brutally honest. Also, I’m going back to Mocha Girls Read, a book club I belonged to three years ago. Hat-in-hand, I plan to ask if any of them will read. (It would be nice if all ten active members said yes).

Last Fall, during Rave Reviews Book Club’s “Back to School Book and Blog Block Party”, I revealed a couple of chapters of the book, Neon Houses. The responses were good and all were encouraging. There were offers to host me on a tour, to make my trailer, and to design a cover when the book was finished. Well, if you were serious, I’m almost there Guys.

It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to being a published author.