TheBrains Figure Out What They Need To Do Next

 What a week it's been. TheBrains and I have been hustling through the days getting our book ready for publication. You would not believe how many times we've read it, looking for confusing language, typos, misalignments and those weird things that turn up in files that have gone back and forth between different computers. Yesterday we accepted the proof for the actual book and one day soon a box of them will show up at my post office. We are exhausted.

Well - yes. We're tired but we still have so much more to do and if only someone would get up offit we'd be able to send out emails to everyone who has said she'd like a copy of the book.

There she goes, picking on me again. Look - this is something entirely new and scary and exactly the kind of thing you can do wrong and the next thing you know the computer is hacked and the bank account is emtpied. This is about software and money. 

And there aren't any experts who can walk us through the proceess of putting PayPal on our website so people can order the book? Are you saying we're all alone in this?

No, but I am saying it's scary and hard and there are Other Things we've had to do. But mostly it's scary. And you keep pushing and handing me lists of ThingsToDo and we don't even have a car to get down to the bank to open up a new account!

Well - can't we just do it over the phone or on-line?

It's money! I don't like doing money over the phone! And there was all that work we had to do on the website! Which we did do, I might add. You are beginning to sound like our nagging cousin who ruins every project we do together by expecting us to do everything yesterday.  And you never give us any praise for all that we did do. 

Oh. Hmm. Yes. I guess I do. And didn't. I'm sorry. I am pleased that we got so much done so quickly. And I appreciate that there were many days when you really didn't want to sit down and copy edit or format or research - but you did. Thank you. Our adoring fans will thank you too - if we can have our shopping website ready for purchasing when the books arrive. 

(sighing) I will. That is - we will. I really will try not to procrastinate everthing into October.

 Thanks. And isn't it fun to have our new emojified portraits to use, instead of those angel and devil images?

(smiling) Yes. It is fun. We even have all the ones that express emotions.

Well - let's stick with these simple ones while we learn how to use Blogger's platform.

I'm good with that. Well, I'm ready to see next week's ThingsToDo List. But don't forget - we have Other Things we need to attend to next week that have nothing to do with this book.

Okay. Let's see:

• Open a bank account - the one that's called a merchant's acount - separate from all our other bank accounts, so if it ever gets hacked only a small ammount is threatened. 
• Double check with GoDaddy that we have enough security on the website to handle transactions. 
• Read all that PayPal stuff again to figure out how we can use their service to accept credit card purchases for the book. Open a new PayPal account with that bank account, link it to the website. Happily, they do have a phone number to call for help. I envision being on the phone a LOT next week.
• Email everyone who has indicated they are waiting for news. Even if we don't have all the info - at least they'll know we're moving forward.

Stop! Stop! That's a lot. It's starting to sound like werk! I don't want to go back to werk. 

Well, it's enough, anyway and that's where I was going to stop. Besides - it is work but it's fun work and honestly, we'll only have to do it once.

What if we don't get it all done?

Then we don't. But we try, right?

Okay. I'll try. So. What's my reward?

Oh you goofball. You've been wanting to write and distribute this book forever! All I ever did was find out how we could do it. This time your reward is completion. And any money we make you can spend on art supplies. 

Oh. Yeah. Right. I was forgetting.

LOL - well, don't forget that anymore. And besides. It'll be fun in the end. You know it will. 

(smiles) Yeah. I do. But while we're at it - it's time for you to start thinking of a gift to give Penny for all the help she gave us. 

You betcha. Something wonderful.

Well. It looks like those two have the next few steps planned out. It really has been a wild ride as well as a real challenge. We're going to try to post here more regularly. For now, most of the posts will be about TheBook. Probably we'll eventually get back to blogging about the rest of our life - health, nutrition, art, maybe even a little grandmother stuff. The truth is - there are More Books inside my head that I'd like to produce. Who knows?  Maybe author will end up being my retirement job.

No! No! I'm RETIRED! I don't wanna werk anymore!!!

Okay okay Take it easy. You know we won't do anything you really don't want to do. Go pet a dog.