I am pleased to announce that Notes from Oblivion has  been added to the "Coming Soon" section of the Friesen Press Bookstore website. Here is the link:
https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000354492195
From this point on, I will be posting as the situation develops, rather than strictly on Tuesdays.

I am pleased to say that my poem May They Forever Frolic, which I entered in a contest at The Van Isle Poetry Collective, received an honorable mention. It will be published in their Summer Issue. 
      My  publisher today requested direct deposit info, as I "may" receive royalties for my book. We're getting very close.

This is getting a little tedious. I'm making these weekly Tuesday posts with nothing to report and the book unpublished as yet. I did receive the proof copy of Notes from Oblivion, and it is very nice. A week has passed, and I have gotten no response from the Comox Valley Writer's Society. I was quite enthusiastic about joining, but now I could care less.

Obviously I have begun making posts too soon. Fortunately, not one single person is visiting my site. At the moment, I am awaiting the proof copy of my book, and expect it to arrive tomorrow. Also, today I have taken steps to join the Comox Valley Writers Society (approximately 90 members). Notes from Oblivion will be announced in their fall newsletter, published on September 10th. 

I was surprised to get an email at 7pm informing me of this, about an hour ago. I hope to receive it next Wednesday!

      I have reviewed my correspondence with the publisher, and it seems there could be another couple of weeks before the physical proof copy is even shipped. I am now doubting my current estimate of the middle of September for publication. Sorry, this is all new to me. Fortunately, I am occupying myself with the new culinary poetry project. I am quite pleased to have completed five poems in the last two weeks. I am briefly sharing them in the Poem of the Week section on the main page.

Sorry that there is nothing to report. We are in this three to four week period before publication. I am certain that the Physical Proof Copy will ship this week. This version will use the full color option for the images, and I am hoping it will be a significant improvement over the standard color option, used in my first PPC. The full color option just about doubles the cost of printing.

     It is too early to expect news from my publisher, but by this time next week I should have something to report. In the meantime, I am compensating visitors with a new poem, which you can see by scrolling down on the main page. I have set myself the task of writing at least one new poem each week, which will debut on Mondays. Next blog post, next Tuesday.

I approved the final proofs and received this from my publishing specialist a few minutes ago:
Thanks so much, Gary!
With the proofs approved, we are moving forward with preparing your proof copy. From file preparation to printing and delivery, proof copies typically take 4-6 weeks to arrive at your address. 
Hmm, I had forgotten this step in the process. I have been through this already, before I made some major changes. The earlier version shipped on May 30th and arrived June 8th. Because my book is small and simple in format, it usually goes through these procedures in about half the "typical" time. I am pretty certain the collection will be published in August, but I have adjusted the estimate from "in the middle of" to "towards the end". Anyway, I will post again on Tuesday. I'll give you a sneak peak at a new poem I'm writing about a canape.

I received the final revised proofs on Saturday. The book looks fantastic, and I am certain that readers will find it interesting and, at times, provocative. Regretfully, in one poem there are a few words that I had italicized, but somehow in the final proof they are not. Yesterday morning I informed the publisher that I will be glad to approve the proof when this is corrected . I am awaiting a response. I ask the reader to check back again this Friday, when I hope to have some concrete info regarding a publication date.