A package from New York City is headed my way! And I know what’s in it: an editorial letter for Chantress Alchemy, along with the marked-up manuscript.

These days lots of editors work only with electronic files, but my editor still works on paper. I appreciate that — somehow it’s easier for me to see the big picture that way — but it means the documents can’t get zapped to me in an instant over the net. Instead the package has to cross the Atlantic. And until it gets here, I won’t know how much work Chantress Alchemy needs.

It’s kind of like waiting for a blizzard to hit. A bit exciting, a bit frightening. Snow can be magical — but what if the power goes down? What if you’re digging out for days? You think about these things while you stock up on food, and bring in extra wood for the stove, and make sure the shovels and the sand are handy…

(Can you tell I grew up in snow country?)

Like that blizzard-watcher, I’m careening around the house today, trying to get everything in order before the storm hits. There are letters to answer, tax docs to finish, chocolate (in massive amounts) to be bought.

In the midst of all the bustle, I stop every now and again, thinking about that package and wondering what will be asked of me. And I try to find that part of myself that is brave and resolute. The part that whispers, “You can do this.”

Valrhona Hot Chocolate from The Grand Cafe in Oxford

Motivation in a cup: Valrhona hot chocolate at Oxford’s Grand Cafe