A shipment from an interesting address…

I was at the barn yesterday with middle child. This in itself is a pretty much daily event considering the love of said child’s life is a thousand pound princess with an attitude problem and a love of treats.

This trip was a little different because middle child’s first heart pony is struggling with his PTSD. He’s a cuddly, unpredictable bullet train, and while child has moved on to bigger, we still love him dearly. S wasn’t even in the saddle when this tiny package of speed bolted, scaring the heck out of a new student having a lesson, and sending kiddo to the ground. I was pretty focused on calming the pony (middle child is not phased by falling) when my husband sent a message: “Look what just arrived.”

I’ve been Christmas shopping since October, and I work from home. Boxes show up all the time. It took me a second to read the shipping label, but when I did…Rock Center, Simon & Schuster. Oh.

Oh yeah, there’s that sick feeling I got when I read the email from my editor saying that Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) had arrived in her office. It’s such a terrifying feeling knowing that something that has existed in your heart and imagination is now a physical thing that other people can experience. Kinda like being at the top of that first hill on a roller coaster asking, “Why do I do this to myself?”

But first the pony needs help and the princess needs riding and oh yeah, I promised to pick up take-out. Was I stalling? I don’t think so…*cough* maybe.

I opened the box as soon as I walked through the door and stared in silence while my kids and husband ooh’d and ahh’d over them. I couldn’t stop touching them. I flipped the pages and my kids argued over who got to give one to their librarian. I touched the cover and read random words and yes, that’s a real book. Amazing. Truly something I’ve wanted for a very long time, and a far cry from the stapled notebook paper of my childhood.

So…yes, ARCs are here! Now, what to do with them…