The Sum of David

Despite a disheartening setback with our printer — a delay of two extra weeks due to lost files??? — Monster Haiku Vol. 1 is finally set to deliver today. When I get home from work there will be a snazzy box of sexy little books! I can’t wait to see them. Once I can confirm everything’s the way it’s supposed to be, I will heave one giant sigh of relief.

This week will be one full of packing and preparing. If you’ve ordered a book, we’ve got some plans to make it a special treat to receive in the mail.

If you didn’t order one, but would still like to get your hands on one, we’re having a party at Wildcard on Friday, April 13th from 6 - 9pm.

Monster Haiku pre-orders are in full swing. YOU GUYS, there’s only a week left to order!

Current calculations put the amount we’ll be able to donate to March of Dimes somewhere around… well, I don’t want to speak too soon. But there is a comma involved, so that’s a mad success if you ask me.

Dang, this has been an educational experience. Of course, we’re nowhere near finished. In fact, I daresay we haven’t even really started: people have given us money, but we have yet to deliver anything in exchange. Once the project ends on March 4, then the REAL work begins… getting things printed, packaging, mailing. Then, about the time we get all the pre-ordered items released into the wild, we’ll begin feverishly preparing for a show at WildCard in Lawrenceville featuring Monster Haiku. That’s going to be a blast.

Through the course of all this, we’ve learned so much, met some AMAZING people, and developed better relationships with people we don’t hang out with enough.

And at root of it is creativity and helping kids. Is there anything better?

Josh and I will be spending the time we took off work between Christmas and New Year’s in our dining room with our heads deep in a create-a-thon. We’re going to hole up with some good food and just make all the stuff we’ve been wanting to make all year — there will be writing, drawing, designing, painting, knitting… and possibly some sewing and basement screenprinting.

It’s going to be a creative free-for-all. Please join us. I love the peer-pressure that having people around brings, and we might have donuts. I’ve got quite a To Do list growing for those five days, and if I accomplish half of it the entire adventure will be a grand success.

Some creative ventures are on-going. I’ve got some work posting on garageleague.org, which is run by the writing group I’ve been a part of since February. It’s helping me stretch my boundaries. Don’t get me wrong — of course I’ve written about kids’ summer trips and a shop that changes its address each day and a cat that’s possessed by a ghost. But I’ve also written about more personal pieces and adult relationship stuff which, while less comfortable for me to produce, has been delightfully well-received. A current success.

Another project in the works (well mostly finished) is a collaboration with the talented DJ Lunchbox. Full details will emerge in Spring of 2012. We believe it will be worth the wait, so stay tuned.

And I am always editing my trilogy. I’m combing through Book 1 and 2 this week to refine some points and inspire completion; Book 3 is approximately 1/3 of the way complete. The plan is that I’ll digitally publish the first two in 2012, and then release Book 3 in 2013.

But who knows what the future will bring? As my cousin said last week, “She’s a writer. Allegedly.”