Peek into my office....

I'm just kidding – c'mon, how much work is possibly getting done in this office, and on that chair!? This photo is part of a dream though. A log cabin landed me in Deadwood, and ever since living there (for 6 short months) I've held on to the vision of building an author's log cabin retreat where my gals can stay and look over my shoulder as I package their books, create their marketing materials, develop press kits, build foundations for social networks, brainstorm campaigns, provide media coaching, and even shoot photos and video. They can bring the entire family and stay at the lodge – Wyatt, MacKenzie, and their dad will be tour guides for an unforgettable vacation on the Oregon coast. I see it all so clearly... 

Below is the work-corner of my actual office, or my "bubble" as my family calls it. This is where the magic happens. 

A TOUR...

Panning from left to right on the wall is... the concert poster for our 1999 CD (local singing loggers). Tucked in the corner of the frame is a $28,793 deposit slip – a check for books from CDS, the major book distributor that picked up our 2003 book, ordered 15,000, sent this check 90 days later, and then sent a bill (over $32,000) for returns a few months later. Welcome to the book industry!

Framed on the wall, behind my screen, is the proof sheet from the print-check of our first 1999 book. We printed the covers 2-up with a chapbook. I visited the local Oregon printer to check the ink colors on the proof and took this sheet and framed it – a career milestone! Plastered onto the corners of the frame are local news clippings, and award stickers from every indie competition out there.

On the desktop from left to right... 104 Wyatt-MacKenzie books are stacked, proudly. (Look, the pile has doubled since this feature article in 2008!) The little "W" on all the spines makes my giddy. Always within arms reach is another of my prized possessions – the dictionary, thesaurus, and Strunk & White I was given in fifth grade (they're quite worn!). Then... my new Mac, and my old Mac, both usually laced with Post-its. And, what you don't see is the stack of pillows I sit on (lots of time is spent in this chair!). 

On the next wall is this floor-to-ceiling charcoal drawing I did my Freshman year at RISD. 

Someday it will hang on the wall of our author retreat. In 2006 when I wrote my book I believed we would start inviting authors to spend brand-building weekends in the fall of 2010. Well... I didn't anticipate the economy of 2008, I can't imagine anyone did. We hope to build our retreat in the next few years and will start taking reservations as soon as we break ground! Imagine a weekend in Oregon building your platform and your book.


Peek at the panoramic view from the author retreat on our old book blog. (It's also the background of our website.)