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Well, the book is out. If you haven't yet ordered yourself a copy there are a LOT of buying options available.

Amazon UK is carrying it now, and it can be gotten through independent bookstores everywhere, with more to come.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST!

Some people that have already gotten their hands on the copy started sending me pictures of themselves with the book. Granted, it's a little unexpected, but I'm digging it!

Below is a picture sent to me by my pal Erik.



Cool pose, no?

Yes it is.

So cool in fact that I used it for reference when sketching up a chapter illustration for book 2 (which is hopefully due by the end of the year).



Will Erik be flattered? A little weirded out maybe? Call his lawyer and see if he has a case? All of the above along with an glass or warm milk to help him sleep at night?

Only time will tell I suppose.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

Steve

Sitting up with a little dude (6 weeks old yesterday) isn't always easy. Not that I'm surprised by this, but it's one of those things where I find myself at a crossroads every night. There's that space of a couple hour between when Travis & Laura go to sleep and when I finally collapse into a tired heap of garbage into bed.

So, here are the options I've got:

- Watch the Netflix movie I got in the mail a couple o' days ago. (This Film Is Not Yet Rated...a documentary about the rating system and how it's kinda corrupt) What can I say? I love me some documentaries these days.

- Continue to upload more songs into iTunes. I'm at the end of the alphabet in my CDs, but of course I've bought a few CDs in the 4 years since I got my first iPod (R.I.P. Robotron 1.0)

- Troll through all the uploaded movies through Netflix on the Xbox 360. Currently, I've got 40-something sitting there, just waiting for me to watch. Gotta love unlimited video streaming through the ol' Xbox.

- Read the book I'm slowly working through 'Beautiful Boy' by David Scheff. Great book about a guy who has a son that gets hooked on Crystal Meth.

- Read through Anna 2.0 (the book I'm editing now) and see if I can't find more stuff to change, add, cut, etc...

- Play the add-on to Grand Theft Auto 4 - Lost & Damned. It's decent, but eh...

- Write a 'worthwhile' post on this long-neglected blog. (this doesn't count)

- Plan out what I'm going to do for my library visit/reading on Saturday.

- Work on the two books that are due on March 15th.

Now, these are all solid options...the problem? At any given moment:

- Jake could wake up.
- My pager could go off (which means I have to ditch anything I'm doing instantly)

It's an adjustment going from having a kid who sleeps the night and is potty-trained to having a little guy who doesn't know the rules yet. You know? And no, I'm not so daft that this is a suprise to me, still...it's kind of strange to be at this point again, that's all.

Anyway...those are my Thursday options. I'm still no closer to figuring out how I'll spend my time.

Oh...I guess I could go outside and shovel the 2 feet of snow that's STILL falling.




Yeah. Right.

Low key

Thanks to Jen Robinson, I've found a marketing blog that's up my alley: Shrinking Violet Promotions: Marketing for Introverts. Here is an article about Jonathan Rauch & the Introverts' Rights Movement and has a link to Rauch's article in The Atlantic Monthly called Caring for Your Introvert.

Extroverts get their emotional energy from interacting with other people. Introverts get their emotional energy by spending time alone. Because introverts need alone-time, they're often interpreted as anti-social. Really, the main times when introverts act antisocial are when people clamor, "Come on! Stop moping! Join us! Join us!" and when the introvert says, "I will, in a little while," the people around them say, "No! Join us NOW!"

(All of those exclamation points are so exhausting.)

I'm an introvert who's learned camouflage techniques for coping in an extroverted world. With my storytelling business underway, many people are potential customers. I've handed out business cards, placed flyers on community boards, and advertised online and in print sources (thank you, Peppers and Pollywogs). I've stopped introducing myself as a "children's librarian in semi-retirement" and owned up to my profession as a musical storyteller. However, there are times when I wish I had an extrovert on the team who would do my marketing for me. I can get out there in front of an audience and radiate genuine enthusiasm for my work. However, the people who want jazz-hands and the exuberant "Hi kids!" attitude found on Saturday morning cartoon commercials probably won't want me at their child's birthday parties. I'm fine with that. My enthusiastic but low-key musical storytelling gigs are alternatives to video-game pizza-parlor parties. Also, if the people of Seattle want a clown, they can find a good one, easily, in Deano the Clown.

Mary Hershey of Shrinking Violet Promotions has a post on self-care for introverts. I have actually employed Tip #3 a number of times.

Tip #3: If you ever end up being held hostage on an airplane next to an rabid extravert who won't stop talking, and they don't seem put off by you putting on headphones, how about trying this? Start talking non-stop to them about any senseless thing that comes to your mind. If you run out of things to say, make them listen to you read out loud long excerpts from a fascinating article from the in-flight magazine. Some extraverts are looking for introverts to charge upon-- if they mistake you for another Chatzilla, chances are they'll be pulling their little pillow out and closing their eyes soon.--Mary Hershey

It works. It really works.

P.S. Violets have always been my favorite flowers.

Related story: Clown vs. Storyteller.