Now that the manuscript is in the hands of the publisher there is nothing to do but wait...
And work on my marketing plan.
So yes, there is plenty to do. 

And the latest exciting development on the book front is that the final manuscript is sitting on the hard drive, ahead of scheduled! 
The editor assigned by the publisher has been wonderful; wrangling skill, thoughtful consideration, and promptness in equal parts. It has been a joy working with him and the story is definitely better for his contribution.  
The final product is very exciting. There is so much more depth to the story now, and more and better detail. The characters come alive and the situation really pops. 
Now we just wait for the final approval form the editor-n-chief (or whatever they call the head honcho at MQuills publishing).
 

The act of creation, though often difficult and tiring, is a wonderful thing. It lifts the spirits and delights the creator be it a drawing, a recipe, or a story. 
Still it *is* spring in the Pacific Northwest and the winter was wet and cold. When the sun shines even the most dedicated of authors has to get off her chair and run about in the sun and "brisk" spring wind a bit.
And by "brisk" I mean two degrees above glacial melt. 

The editor got back with the re-edited manuscript and now the second round of editing is done on my end. :) 
It was a fun process. The editor has a keen grasp of how to get across the point I am trying to make at any given point in the story, as well as the ability to bring the word pictures I am building into sharper focus. 
"Dying Embers" is going to end up much better for the editor's contribution. 

While in the course of editing the "Dying Embers" manuscript I have indeed learned something new. Namely the difference between jury-rigged and jerry-rigged.
Actually I should put forth that jerry-rigged itself is a fairly new word to me as I am sure I have heard it before but didn't notice it all that much assuming it meant jury-rigged.
Now JURY-rigged I was very familiar with. My meticulous and nearly super-humanly skilled father could jury-rig a working schooner out of an oak nail barrel, an old bed sheet, and a roll of construction twine. My mom loved to talk about how good he was at it.
It means simply that a working unit was fashioned out of parts not originally intended for that use. Usually under conditions where speed is of the essence and the real materials are not available.
JERRY-rigged I was not so familiar with, although the concept the word describes was also in plentiful abundance in my youth. My hyper creative artist mother could slap together a working "greenhouse" out of the most dilapidated scrap one could imagine. It would look wondrous and artistic for all of fifteen minutes before scumming to the odd super-entropy field she seemed to generate. 
Jerry-rigged meaning that the unit in question is made of sub-par materials and put together with questionable skill. I probably never heard that word because whenever my dad would see my mom's creations he just got quiet while that vein twitched in his forehead. 
"Yes dear, that is very nice. I'm just going to go rent a dumpster for the fun of it now." 

So remember:
Macgyver  can jury-rig a space ship with a paperclip.
That space ship the Ferengi just sold you is probably jerry-rigged. 

Edit:
Yup, looks like the content got eaten somehow! 

Good news! The printer is done with the bookmarks and I will be picking them up today. I should have them shipped off by the end of the week.

So here the author sits waiting for the next step in publishing.
I know the three "P"s of writing are practice, persistence, and patience but it is a touch difficult to apply that last discipline. 
On a happy note I successfully rescued a tiny and adorable frog that was peeping under the treadmill from an untimely death by desiccation in the garage. (Or possibly heartlessly evicted a helpless little frog into the cold, cold outdoors.) Yes, it is that time of year in the Great Northwest when the differences between "outside" and "inside" begin to blur. 
Best of luck to all you little peepers. At least this isn't Michigan. I am really not in the mood to shovel two feet of snow.  

The annual rainstorms are beginning to really take hold in the Pacific Northwest. Roads are blocked off, parks are flooded in the most fascinating ways, weak bridges wash out, and life goes on as usual.
On days like these I am very glad that I am not only able but contractually obligated to sit down with a good book and a cup of tea. 
(I do wonder if it is presumptuous to call one's own story "good"?)

Edit: The storm is also bringing torrential rains, 50 ft diving visibility, and magnificent lightening bolts. No thunder though. 

The first full edit of the complete manuscript is done. It really seems like the publishers lined up a prompt, and talented, editor. 
On the editor's advice I have strengthened several emotional elements and rewritten a few scenes from a different perspective. Now comes the part where we work with the manuscript as a whole and get the polishing done. And of course the editor has to go back and add in all the commas and such to the text that got changed during the first review. 
The Publisher is aiming for a release date of April 2015.