First copy

When I went out to check the mail today I was surprised to find my very first copy of What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe?, at last! Nothing compares with holding a freshly printed book in your hands for the first time, especially one you've been working on for several years. Its a thrill to see the way all the little details came together. I love the smell of the ink and the crackling of the binding when I open it.

I have to say I am really proud of this book. I don't say that to brag, its just that I feel that in every way it was the best that I could do. Usually when I look at a book I've worked on, there is always something I would go back and change if I could. Maybe I could have used a more interesting color combination, or tweaked the text one way or the other. But I truly feel, as I look through this book, that I did my best job and that is that. Its a nice feeling.



And on top of everything, the publisher synchronistically picked endpapers that are my very favorite color, a lovely pea green. This is the color I painted our dining room wall, that I wake up looking at every day (I don't sleep in the dining room by the way, but do live in one big loft-y room). This is surely a good sign.