Go Live Day

Today is go live day. I missed out on this afternoon with the book club gals because I needed to publish this inaugural blog post and write my Web site today. And this is just the beginning of me telling the world that I have published my very first book. It's not too far from midnight now, and I will have accomplished both goals today. Hooray!

The Web site took less time than expected. I'll start off with a Web Site for Dummies and hope to graduate soon to something with a lot more functionality. But today, speedy and effective are my mottos. So here is the unveiling of a Web-site-in-a-day: http://www.totallytidyhouseholdorganizing.com/. I know it's a mouthful, but I'd hate to be confused with all of those tidy cleaning services out there.

Yesterday afternoon I was at the Arizona Craft, Quilt and Sewing Festival. I love shows. You can see all of the ideas swirling and the creativity churning, not to mention the dollars flying. Although I have been making contacts in the quilting world since early 2009, I now need to step it into high gear. After all, I found out two weeks ago that my book is already on Amazon, awaiting pre-orders. (Pre-order it! You'll love the book. It's everything the description promises.)

I talked to plenty of interesting people yesterday. In searching for quilt shop owners who might stock books (and who might want to stock my book), I was immediately drawn into one booth immediately by these crowns. And, yes, you can buy the fabulous crown pattern from their Lizzie B Cre8ive site. Both named Elizabeth Ann Hawkins, these sisters-in-law have some hilarious stories to tell about managing a business under one and the same name. And thanks, Beth, for the great tip on getting a customized skin for my iPhone to match my book cover.

Here's the newest Lizzie B Cre8ive fabric line -- Tuscadelphia

(Hint: Beth lives in Tucson and Lizzie lives in Philadelphia)

This week, I'll be making more mental plans for the book launch party that I would like to host. I have at least a dozen contributors to the book whom I'd like to thank with wine and cheese at the very least. My preferred venue will be a local quilt store so that the non-quilters in my circle of friends can get up close and personal with the gorgeous fabric that fuels quilting passion.

At the same time, I will be planning the final touches for my daughter Sarah's 10th birthday party. It will be a spa party with a HUGE surprise, which I won't reveal just in case she reads my blog and finds out what I'm up to. More on the party after this weekend. It will be pretty safe to assume, though, that the rest and relaxation will be had by my tween and her friends.