A package came for me today. It was something that I've been looking forward to for a long time. I waited with anticipation for it, and I may have even wanted to scream once or twice as I viewed the tracking records and tried to understand how Fed Ex could possibly keep moving it closer, only to send it to Chicago, and then closer once more. After nearly two weeks of waiting, my package arrived.

I opened my package as soon as I got home, tearing the cardboard and sliding out the contents. I was like a kid in a candy store, if candy stores were still a common thing. Some people might say that I was overreacting a bit to what was inside, but I beg to differ. In the long and tedious task of bringing a book from idea to completion, I never get more excited than when I see the printed cover for the first time. Today was twice as nice because there were two of them in the package.

There's something about seeing a finished cover that makes me happy. Yes, I designed the covers, and I went over them meticulously in Photoshop, yet looking at a jpeg, or even printing it out on a piece of paper, is not the same as seeing that cover wrapped around the binding that contains the story within. Seeing a near-complete version of the book brings a sense of accomplishment that rarely gets topped. Pressing the button that sends a story to Amazon doesn't feel like much. There's nothing tangible about pressing a button to upload something to a server somewhere. Even having that story suddenly available on my iPad or Kindle is just not the same as holding that physical copy.

One of the books that I received today was extra special to me because the art was done by my daughter, Alice. She drew me a picture on a restaurant placemat and it became an entire book. That's special to me in more ways than I can ever convey. Inspiration comes from many places, and this was one of the best realizations of that.

Both books that came today are still a ways from being complete. Other eyes will see them and edits will be made, but nothing will top the pure joy of seeing them come out of the box for the very first time.