The Cart / The Horse

Just now, I was thinking about what I would say on my Acknowledgements page. (Hence the subject of today's post... you know, about putting the cart before the horse.)

Every once in a while, I allow myself to wonder about things that can only happen after I get a contract. Like Acknowledgements... and seeing myself on BookTV... and signings... *sigh* Some day.

I also sometimes worry about negative reviews, and snerty people sending me nasty-grams because they didn't like what I had to say. (But not all that much.) I wonder whether I'll make the NY Times Bestseller List. I dream about what my cover photo will look like. (I'm thinking of wearing a hat and sunglasses, with my face in profile like I'm staring off into the distance.) And then I laugh at myself. First I need an agent, and then a publishing contract, and then... Yada yada yada. There's a boatload of steps to go through before any of those musings come to be.

Mind you, I don't spend too much time thinking of those future events. I just let them filter in on occasion. I revel in the dream of seeing a big display of my novels when I go to Barnes & Noble, or even just seeing them of the shelves where I will, of course, turn them cover out as I pass by. Spine space is fine, but the covers are so much prettier.

Maybe someday soon the horse will be in front of the cart where it belongs. Until then, I can dream. Can't I?

Tell me you do this, too, so I won't feel like such a rube.

.