The second proof arrived! And there was much rejoicing! Now that the proof is in my hot little hands, I’m in the middle of fixing a bunch of issues – small issues – but in a 260 page book, there are a lot of them. We’re adding commas, taking out double spaces, and using proper italics to denote book titles are just to name a few! The team of crack editors which includes a professional editor/copy writer, a tech support god, a crack librarian, a former school teacher, and my mom, are all going over a copy of the book hunting for the rogue typo’s, poorly formed sentences, and other problems. I’m estimating 3 weeks for the editors to go through their copies, get them back to me, and for us to get the edits into place in the publication. We are REALLY close to done!
The cover is finalized and approved – with Her Royal Highness, Princess Farhana of Hollywood on the back cover wearing a bra made from modern assiut and dripping in a vintage assiut shawl. Alisha Westerfeld took this photo during a super-fast 15 minute photo shoot on the Queen Mary Ship in the Observation Bar. Using existing light, and dodging tour groups, we managed to get this amazing shot! One tour guide, seeing the Princess in her glorious makeup and wrapped in assiut, told his group that she was actually a ghost! The lovely 1930’s era decor made for an amazing, and quite appropriate, backdrop for the vintage cloth. Find out more about Princess Farhana on her website.
It turns out that there are some photos that didn’t quite make the grade in quality. We have to find replacements for about half a dozen images, and we’ve got holes for another 20 or so more. So we’re sorting, selecting, prepping about 25-30 images. We have another 60 or so that need contrast adjustments to appear perfect in the final publication. Like the image above, I’m working on making the final few fixes and then the work will be complete! Now, if only it were as easy as threading up a needle and repairing a split in vintage assiut cloth. But as you can see in the image below, of 12 pages, 6 spreads, the book is looking less like a random collection of text and pictures, and more like the cohesive publication it will be in a matter of weeks.
If you haven’t signed up for my mailing list – now is the time! I’ll be sending out a discount code for the book via my mailing list when the project is done!
Now, I’ve gotta get back to work!
~ Dawn
There is nothing like a tasty treat on one of the USA’s most important holidays, Thanksgiving. So, to celebrate, I’ve begun to put up the videos from our party, Assiut Fest, held back in August. We had an incredible lineup of dancers and a great turn out. This is a performance from that show by the lovely Bay Area rising star Basinah performing to classic music in a retro fusion costume that appears in Cloth of Egypt. Video was shot by Mark Scott and edited by Jerry Case. Thanks to everyone who came to the event, supported the production of the book, bought me coffee, or just gave me a shoulder to cry upon! You, my friends, family, and fans, are what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving!
