I didn't expect to receive any mail yesterday...but I found a fat UPS package from HarperCollins leaning by my door. I ripped it open. Inside was a set of loose galleys (the advanced reading copy) that will be used to create bound galleys (which look like a paperback book).

In other words...we're almost there.

I'm supposed to thumb through the pages and mark any changes for the final book. The publisher won't be able to change anything for the bound galley at this stage, but they could incorporate them into the finished book. The copyeditor is currently reviewing galleys for any typos.

My editor says the type and the title pages are preliminary--pending the final type on the jacket. She will update me on the cover design soon.

So this is what it feels like...holding the (almost) finished hardcover in my hands. I keep checking out my name, making sure that it doesn't float away. At the top of every page are these words: "TCO txt des1 1/8/07 11:16AM" like some kind of secret code. Beside that freaky script is the page number and a symbol that reminds me of the crosshairs in a gun.

Another surprise: My book is almost 300 pages.

Forget about word count. A publisher can shrink or expand a book's length once it is printed (depending on typeface, the size of the book, etc.) I think this is the perfect length (I never count words anyway). It feels right for both teens and adults.

I told my dad that the galleys had arrived.

"For your second book?" he asked.

Um...I'm still working on that one.