a cover (or rather, the cover)

imagine it a blue sky with a warm soft breeze in the air sort of day and you have just arrived at my little house in the pacific northwest. in this moment, we are sitting down to peach tea (probably of the iced variety as it is august) with a sprig or two of mint and happy pink cupcakes with chocolate frosting and a bowl of blueberries and a blue plate with white polka dots that holds a bit of cheese (because there must always be a bit of cheese). a jelly jar full of dahlias cut from the backyard and a short pile of books with a paper resting on top of them sit between us on the table; paolo conte sings while the warm yet refreshing breeze floats through the open windows. after we each take a sip of tea, i flip over the piece of paper and say, "this is it. this is the cover of my book." and then we toast with cupcakes before we dive into an afternoon of laughter and poetry readings and truth sharing.

yes. let's imagine this is just where you are in this moment.

because here it is...the cover of Inner Excavation that will be appearing at a store near you this fall...

 

this dream really has come true. 

*****

and i must confess that i did plan to share more here about the process and experience of writing Inner Excavation when i was in fact writing it. but because i was so ill the first few months of my pregnancy (when i was doing the bulk of the work on the book), i just didn't have the energy to share the details. but now that the little one is here and i am finally able to focus on the truth that this book really did happen (that i really did write it and i did take photos that are included in it and i did gather artwork and poetry and photographs from some amazing contributors that appear in it), from now until its publication later this fall, i am going to share pieces of what this book is all about and why i am so very excited to introduce you to this inward journey of exploring where we are on our paths through photography, poetry, and mixed media art.

(oh and the pile of books between us as we drink our tea includes a few i have been opening lately that i want to share with you:

Mostly True: Collected Stories & Drawings by Brian Andreas

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Classics) by Pema Chodron

Colors Passing Through Us by Marge Piercy

lately, the words from these books have been like a hand to hold on the journey.)

Edited to add:

PS I keep forgetting to tell you that I will be offering pre-orders of my book here through my site. The book will come with a signed note from me (to whomever you wish) and a free little surprise of goodness. Stay tuned as I will be posting more information about this very very soon.