HELLOOO, Mr. Postman! Ain't you sweet, delivering me some goodies? *wink, wink*

Actually, my postman is rather...shall we say...unattractive, but BOY, today I found myself swooning over the guy as he carried this lovely box up several flights of stairs (we live on a mountainside and we have a good 20 or so steep steps to the front door). I was all giddy, knowing full well what the box he carried contained.

And as soon as he rang my bell, I flung the door open, snatched the box like a greedy little child, and tore through the packaging tape. Then I breathed in...the glorious smell of years of hard work come to fruition. It smelled SO good!

This box was more than a box of books to me. It was everything I had ever wanted from the time I was old enough to string words together--an impossible dream come true. In a lot of respects, I still struggle to wrap my mind around the idea of it. Me, an author? It's much like a child playing dress-up in their mother's clothing. It's fun and it feels so grownup, yet there is still so much growing to be done before the shoes, the hat, and the dress fit properly.

The one thing that really amazes me is that a little over two years ago I told a few people that I would love to have my first book published by the time I turned 40--ideal, but seemingly impossible in a topsy-turvy publishing world, especially when I just lost my agent (she quit the literary biz due to the publishing world being upended) and had to start the entire process over. I will turn 40 (yes, the big 4-0) on the 16th of this month. The ebook went live the end of March, and I received this box of books exactly one week before my birthday. Amazing. I want to hang onto this feeling for as long as I can.

---

My not-so-attractive postman also brought me this lovely piece of happiness the same day as the box of books--->

I'm not one to litter my car with bumper stickers and whatnot (though I REALLY do like reading them--I will speed to catch up and read your sticker) but as a zombie writer, I HAD to have it. I live in Utah. Everyone has the cute little family stickers on the back of their vans (and some families stretch from one side of the window clear to the other--big families). But when I saw this lovely zombie family, I slapped down my money and then slapped it on my car. It brings tears of joy to my eyes, which is a weird thing to say, I know, but it does.

My kids love the fact that they are zombies. LOVE IT! And then look, there's me, with a missing leg--so cool! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the whole zombie phenomenon. Also, anyone who knows me knows I won't make it longer than 10 minutes in a zombie apocalypse. I'm a survival wimp, but I WILL make one fierce zombie, I'm warning you. Anyway, this week has started off amazing, and several days into it, I still feel glorious (just ask the random lady at the dollar store who I showed my book to after she asked me why I had a basket full of brains and body parts--toys for my book launch party at the end of the month. What were you thinking?). 

Next week will be pretty freakin' amazing too--I'm going to PARIS! Oui Oui! That's how I'm bringing in my 40th birthday. I'm one happy lady right now! (More on that another day).

I look like a big grinning idiot, and I'm loving it!

How's your week going? Anything exciting? Tell me all about it.

---