I could have sworn I wrote about this when it happened, but I see that in fact I did not. How could I have let this slip past unmentioned? That was insane of me.
The book was due March 1st, and we emailed the entire honking manuscript sometimes in the wee hours of the morning that day. The last few weeks of work were much less painful than I had been led to believe they would be, I have to say. I was told to expect not showering and not eating and wearing my pajamas inside-out and possibly some stress-induced migraines, maybe some spontaneous fear-vomiting. I was sure we were doing it wrong, because I wasn't crying or soiling myself.
On the other hand, the relative ease of our last week or so was probably because we had been working for quite a while with a deadline of February 1st. It was only in January that we were told we had another month. So that's my tip to you writers: fool yourself into thinking you have less time. Ask your editor to lie to you, then forget that she's lying, somehow--I'm sure there's a medication that can help you get all forgetsy--then scramble around in a blind, weepy panic, only to find out a couple of weeks before the faux deadline that you really have oodles more time!
I have another tip for you: start a website called "Forgetsy." I don't know what it would be. That's up to you to figure out.




Congrats! That is phenomenal. Treat yourself to something fabulous this weekend to celebrate. xo Christine
Posted by: Boston Mamas | March 12, 2010 at 09:31 AM
Congratulations Alice! That is so exciting!
Posted by: Megsie | March 12, 2010 at 09:45 AM
That is awesome! Congratulations. I can't wait to read it.
Posted by: Sus | March 12, 2010 at 09:45 AM
Forgetsy, isn't that the store for indie happy pills, brought to you by the creative mom-next-door?
Posted by: Anna | March 12, 2010 at 09:53 AM
Forgetsy -- is that a little bit like the truthiness advocated by Colbert?! Love it!
Posted by: RCBM | March 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Excited for you both! Can wait to see the finished copy.
Posted by: Angella | March 12, 2010 at 10:49 AM
People would probably assume "Forgetsy" had something to do with Etsy.com. Kind of like "Regretsy", which is kind of awesome.
Posted by: Melody | March 12, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Congratulations! That's awesome! And I love Anna's comment about Forgetsy...LOL
Posted by: Emily | March 12, 2010 at 11:39 AM
Forgetsy = Faked Etsy items.
Posted by: Suzy | March 12, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Woohoo! Congratulations - on the book AND for showering regularly!
Posted by: Quickwittedandwitty.blogspot.com | March 12, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Mimi | March 12, 2010 at 01:24 PM
"Forgetsy" Like your top 20 posts? =) (sorry, couldn't resist)
Allow me to echo congrats to you and Eden.
Posted by: Clark Kent's Lunchbox | March 12, 2010 at 01:39 PM
Wow, congrats!! What an accomplishment.
Sadie at heyMamas
Posted by: Sadie at heyMamas | March 12, 2010 at 02:25 PM
I think this calls for a cheer:
Who rocks the house?!?!
Posted by: Holly | March 12, 2010 at 02:59 PM
Awesome!
Posted by: Katie | March 12, 2010 at 03:21 PM
Huzzah!
Posted by: Megan | March 12, 2010 at 04:27 PM
Brava! Wine all around!
Posted by: Sheila | March 12, 2010 at 04:53 PM
Congratulations on finishing. Ah, faux deadlines are the best!
Posted by: Sarah | March 12, 2010 at 06:37 PM
Hooray!!! Can't wait to read it, and set it for book club (that'll be at least 3 people out of the 15 illiterate attendees who may actually buy it - you''ll be rich!!!) - oh, and Eden happens to be in the book club too and she'll probably have her own copy, so that only leaves two people, but it's a start!!
In all seriousness I know you're going to kick arse and Eden's going to stop returning my calls.
Posted by: Alison | March 12, 2010 at 08:11 PM
Congratulations!
I have to admit, the idea of emailing the manuscript just floors me.
And now I realize that my childhood dreams of authorship were already woven through with imagined stress over missed deadlines, misdirected mail, and lost manuscript envelopes. Wow. What a messed-up little kid I must have been.
... wha? Oh, yes: Congratulations to you and Mrs. Kennedy! Can't wait to see the book itself!
Posted by: Elsa | March 12, 2010 at 10:09 PM
well, as *my* henry would say: yay! yay! yay! i concur. yay!
Posted by: Meredith | March 12, 2010 at 10:11 PM
Alice, I look so forward to reading your book. You are my favorite blogger, and to have a whole book of your Alice-ness, well, what can get better than that?
Congratulations! And treat yourself to something spectacular, and let us know what it is!
Posted by: Alexandra | March 12, 2010 at 11:11 PM
Congratulations. :)
Mission accomplished. I would be so thrilled to finish a book of my own. Wow. ><
Posted by: bambooska | March 13, 2010 at 04:39 AM
whoohoo!!
It makes me want to suck your preggo.
heh.
Posted by: mom101 | March 13, 2010 at 09:28 PM
Yay! Congratulations! This is so cool....
Posted by: Shannon | March 13, 2010 at 09:34 PM
"fear-vomiting" - I like that term.
Posted by: suburbancorrespondent | March 14, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Oh god, I fear vomiting. I don't want to think about fear-vomiting.
Congrats on the book.
Posted by: statia | March 14, 2010 at 01:54 PM
congratulations!
wait. I forgot what i just wrote.
oh, yeah--Congratulations!
Posted by: roo | March 14, 2010 at 04:40 PM
Congrats! Can't wait to see it up close and personal so I can get my mits on it!
WOO!
Posted by: samantha jo campen | March 14, 2010 at 11:12 PM
Oooh, a book! Congratulations!!
Posted by: WarsawMommy | March 15, 2010 at 06:49 AM
Congratulations.
I think a little right-side-out pajama wearing is in order now.
Posted by: Kate @ And Then I Was a Mom | March 15, 2010 at 06:06 PM
You. are. amazing. Wonderful wishes and congrats on your achievement!
-adrienne
http://wearegoodkin.com
Posted by: Adrienne Breaux | March 15, 2010 at 11:13 PM
That's fantastic! Can't wait to read it.
Posted by: Barb | March 16, 2010 at 12:14 AM
OMG! Print the damn book already! It's killing me... also, I fool myself daily by setting all our clocks 30 minutes early, so that we won't be late... drives my husband up the wall. I don't know why either.
Posted by: mrs.notouching | March 16, 2010 at 02:58 AM
Congratulations on finishing what is no doubt a hilarious book. As a treat, you should buy yourself something fun from Forgetsy...
Posted by: Leslie | March 16, 2010 at 08:16 AM
I bealive that writing a book it's something that requires time and knowledgement.
Posted by: Dream Interpretation | March 16, 2010 at 10:17 AM
Wow! Congratulations!! Looking forward to seeing it!
Posted by: Mary @ Holy Mackerel | March 17, 2010 at 05:20 PM