Crystal Consciousness

I'm done! I've finished the manuscript. Thanks to Melissa Applegate for her help in editing!

I've sent the final manuscript off to Llewellyn. Let's all pause now for a moment of heartfelt prayer that Llewellyn and all the powers that be at the publishing house LOVE my book. I know the content is really extraordinary. The approach I've taken with the teachings are different than any other book in it's genre.

I'm much more relaxed now that the book has left my desk. Now it's time to focus on preparing for the pre-publication blitz and the holidays.

I had such a great visit to NYC. I spent time with my family for Thanksgiving (and edited the book late at night.) Vincent took me into Manhattan to all the spots I wanted to visit.

First we stopped at East West Bookshop NYC. I'll be there in June while I'm up at the Book Expo of America at the Jacob Javits Center. I've spoken at East West Bookshop in Seattle last June.

Vincent took me to lunch at a quaint Italian Restaurant on 14th Street then we jumped on a subway to head uptown. We walked past Radio City Music Hall on the way to Rockefeller Center.

After a few photo ops we continued through the throngs of tourists for a quick prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Actually, we sat, kneeled and prayed for over a half hour there. We headed out again in the 41 degree weather (says the Palm Beach girl) to meet Vincent's nephew, Kevin, for a cup of coffee. We ended up at Trump Tower. We sat and chatted for hours.

Our final walk brought us past Bergdoff Goodman. My mom was a seamstress for very famous people there back in the 1940's. She had a career of over 12 years there. So my nostalgic connection with Mommy had me pay homage to the place. Afterall, I was generally spoiled with the fanciest dresses! I was a little doll! (ooops - self-praise? naaaah . . . gratitude for gorgeous dresses and Mary Janes!)

We stopped at the Apple store - their flagship store and took the glass tubular elevator down to visit the Genius Bar. I really tried to get myself to switch to an Apple Mac Book Pro but couldn't leave the PC behind. I just ordered my Dell Latitude. Customer service was great with Dell. (and Apple has excellent sales people as well!)

Finally, we walked down 59th Street past all the fancy expensive hotels on our left and Central Park on our right. We ended up at the Time Warner Building for a green salad at the Whole Foods on the bottom floor. mmmmmm . . . .

We all had a great time! I LOVE NY!

Sequestered with my book, Crystal Consciousness

I'm tucked away with my laptop working on my book. I've sequestered myself within a hotel looking out at skyscrapers. Some authors go to a mountain cabin. I guess you can't take the New Yorker out of me, so I'm gazing out at tall buildings overlooking the Miami River! It's not NYC but it is an easy drive away to change the setting to keep me focused.

Really . . . how focused am I if I'm having a moment of diversion writing in my blog? Oh well, I've achieved quite a bit this morning so a little break of writing on my blog is still writing, isn't it? I'll just consider this diversion a bit of time dedicated to creating a pre-publication buzz for my book.

It's really a great book. I'm extremely excited about it. Although it's primarily about crystals, colors, chakras, aromatherapy, herbs and resins - Crystal Consciousness is much more. I've incorporated spiritual teachings from various indigenous cultures including Toltec, Native American, Mayan, Italian, and Buddhist philosophies. The book is a tool for transforming your life and incorporating spiritual practices into daily life with the sparkle of gemstones and the scents of essential oils, plants and tree resins.

I'm really ready for the final editing process to be complete. My good friend, Melissa, is working with me to edit and tweak the 12 chapters.

The publication of Crystal Consciousness is set for Fall 2009 by Llewellyn Worldwide. That is, of course, dependent upon the actual completed manuscript getting delivered within the next 10 days or so. There are many pre-publication jobs on the to-do-list. But for now, I must stay focused on completing the editing. So now I return to my sequestered state of consciousness!