KRISSIE: We're Done

You heard that before, right? One last go round last night and this morning, and we're finished. The way we work, Jenny keeps the master version because she's a) smarter b) more energetic or c) she's a glutton for punishment. Every time she sends me a new final version of the mss. I have to save it with a new name. I've got UMF Final. I've got UMF Final Atlanta. UMF final August. Absolutely Final UMF. Last Pass. Last Pass After Eileen. Final Version Xan Changes.
Trust me, there's more.
Jenny did her revisions and sent me the mss. I typed in mine, did a Save As and passed it on to Eileen.
It's now officially called I'm Sick of Revisions Halloween. I think it's a catchy title. The only problem is, what will I call it when it gets sent back to me? The Beast That Will Not Die?

It's worth it. Trust me. I looked at my scenes and swooned because Lord knows I'm not plagued with false modesty. I read Jenny's and Eileen's and swooned again, because the immodest one knows how to choose her collaborators.

We rule!

EILEEN: ciao, bellas!

So there I was in my lovely hotel room in Matera, Italy where I was speaking at the International Women's Fiction Festival, and the owner, who advertised that he had wi-fi, pointed to the ethernet plug in the wall--to which, of course, I had no cable. Then I looked for internet cafes, which were open--only when I wasn't available. Evidently they abide by siesta hours, too(the only thing open in a southern Italian town from 3-8PM is a gelateria). So, thank heavens, on Wednesday one of the attendees' sons produced an extra ethernet cable, and I opened my mail to see...."well, we haven't heard from Eileen, but we're trying to get the revisions done..." So I, dedicated professional that I am, spent my free time in my room(okay, the one in the old palazzo from the 18th century with the balcony overlooking the valley), working on revisions. I am a good girl. I even worked on them on the plane home. And in 4 of the 7 airports I hit in 36 hours to get home. Still working. Finished soon. Amazing how "I love it!" makes revisions so much easier to do.
And yeah, okay, I did take time out to sit in the piazza and sip wine to the sound of church bells and Puccini coming from the music school next door. Bellisima!

Eileen