Yes, the first sections of my Work-in-Progress (hereafter known as WIP) have started to come back from the editor. Now we start a lengthy process, in which she points out inconsistencies or logical errors and I try to worm my way out of the difficulty by re-writing. We'll also be involved in lengthy debates about Oxford commas, the number of dots in an ellipsis, and the purpose of a colon. I'm averaging about 15 to 20 pages a day, so this is a lengthy process. And while I'm thus occupied for most of every day, I thought I'd entertain you with some bits and pieces of family legend destined one day to make their way into another book. The first one has to do with an interesting piece of furniture.  This chair was
hand-carved in Ohio in 1905. My Uncle
Frank Connor gave it to his wife Lola as a wedding gift. It's called The Devil
Chair, and it came with explicit instructions. It must sit in the living room,
facing a window. Why? Because if the Devil comes by, he'll look in that window,
see the chair, think there's already a devil living in your house, and he'll go
elsewhere. Can you see the face in this
close-up? Find the eyes first, and then the rest -- a flat nose, a sneering
mouth with huge fangs, a stylized beard, and elaborate curving horns -- all
appear.  I grew up being
terrified of that chair. When we visited, I couldn't take my eyes off of it for
fear the Devil would jump out. So what did Aunt Lola leave me in her will?
Naturally, the Devil chair! And yes, it
sits in my living room facing the window. I've owned it for 55 years,
and, so far, it seems to have
worked! |
