January

I'm back again. I'd really like to post more, but it just doesn't seem to work that way! Christmas was pretty good here. I'm not a big fan of holidays, but the kids really enjoyed it and I had some time off from work to spend with them.

The best gift I received for Christmas was both one money can and can't buy. No, I'm not crazy (at least not about this LOL!). My wonderful son used money he had saved up, had my mom take him to the store, and picked out and paid for a beautiful watch for me. Yes, the watch is gorgeous and my son has great taste in jewelry. I love being able to show this watch to people. However, it is about so much more than a piece of jewelry. A 13-year-old boy picked out and paid for a watch for his mother for Christmas. He could have had my mom buy something and put his name on it or he could have picked out the watch and asked somebody else to buy it for him. No, he did it all on his own. He spent more of his money than I think he should have, but it is the thought and love that went into this gift that means so much more than the gift itself. I am so proud of my son. He truly made me feel loved and blessed.

Santa brought Aurea the Wii for Christmas and she has been on it continuosly every since. Adam got a new weight bench from Santa. I really don't see the need or desire for him to lift weights, but hey, he wanted to get fit before football season comes back around. I think he and his friend had more fun putting it together than they ever will actually using it! I finally joined the 21st century, Kevin bought me my first MP3 player for Christmas. There were more presents, but I think everyone gets the general idea.

I came back to work on Jan.5th, but it has been nasty weather ever since we got back. It has snowed this entire month. Monday we got snow that has since been followed by more snow, ice, freezing rain, and a basic state of emergency as thousands lost power and countless trees fell to the ground. School has been out all week, something that Fayette County does not do. Also, UK cancelled classes and shut down the University Wednesday, which it has not done in years. We were on a two-hour delay Tues. and Thurs. Today is finally back to a normal schedule, but the snow started back up again, so who knows what this afternoon holds. I know my road is still ice, it's awful! I will be really happy to see Spring come. Right now, I'd just be happy with temperatures climbing above the 30s!!

In other news, I got notification from Outskirts Press that my manuscript has been accepted for publication! Below is the email they sent for my acceptance:

Dear Kathy,



Thank you for submitting your book to Outskirts Press for evaluation. We are honored you have chosen us to publish your book with us. On behalf of our manuscript review team, I am pleased to report that we have accepted Multiple Sclerosis for publication. Congratulations!



The next step is to assign one of our professional Author Representatives to help you through the publishing process. You can get started today with a deposit (just $35) that is applied toward your publishing package.



Before I explain some of the options and services at Outskirts Press, I’d like to touch on our thoughts about your work. You have an interesting and timely composition. Your organization and thesis are clear, which compliments your voice to create a tangible, poignant narrative. You use this along with solid sense of dialogue to really let the reader ‘in’ on what’s important. That creates value. Overall, your work demonstrates strong writing with a dialogue that paces and develops nicely. Your writing has an air of eloquence as you write about this difficult topic of Multiple Sclerosis that is especially notable, your sincerity is obvious and I think many readers will gain valuable insight from your research and experiences watching Aunt Suzanne suffer through this disease’s progression. Your book is well written and it’s clear that you have put a good deal of thought and effort into the planning and presentation of your manuscript. I see you have included some images, so you’ll be happy to know that Outskirts Press has a graphics review team that will help review and format those images to the best print production quality possible for publication. Based on your goals, there may be extra fees involved, and your Author Representative and production team will help with those and any permissions required when the time comes.



With that being said, you are in good hands with Outskirts Press. Unlike other self-publishers, you never really do anything yourself with us. Along with your Author Representative, your book will be assigned to a production team to handle interior formatting and cover design. And after publication, you will have access to the strongest base of optional marketing services and author support in the industry. Take a peek at some of what our Author Support department is doing now: http://outskirtspress.com/marketing.php



One of the main advantages of publishing with us is that you always keep 100% of your rights, 100% control, and 100% of the profit. No other publisher out there will offer you the level of value, flexibility, and customization that we do. So, while services like editing, custom cover design and Book Reviewer Submission Service are highly recommended, they are completely optional.



In all cases, it is important to consider your goals. Do you hope to see your book featured at a local bookstore or are online sales sufficient for you? Either way, we have custom pricing plans for you to choose from, and options that can help you meet your goals, like the Retail Returns option available with our Diamond, Pearl , and Ruby packages.



Outskirts Press takes pride in offering the best of both worlds: combining the advantages of independent self-publishing with the advantages of a traditional book publishing company. And you have an invested friend to guide you along the way.



Congratulations again on your work. When you’re ready to start publishing with the help of your personal Author Representative, simply log-in to your Author Center at http://outskirtspress.com.authors.php and click on the large START PUBLISHING button for your next steps. We look forward to working with you.



Sincerely,

Manuscript Evaluation Team

www.outskirtspress.com


I'm a little nervous about the whole self-publishing aspect and have not made a final commitment one way or the other. However, I'm just really excited that someone appreciates my work and accepted it for publication!! If anyone has any advice, please let me know.