When I got home from my beach jaunts to Savannah and St. Pete I had two big boxes on my doorstep. My new baby has arrived! The finished copies of DEEP DISH are here, and I couldn't be more pleased. Having a book published really is kinda like giving birth--except no stretch marks, poopy diapers or midnight feedings. I did the happy dance all around the house when I saw the finished book. We worked really hard getting everything right with this book. Of course, story always comes first, but once the story is written, copy-edited, proofed and set in type, the visual and marketing stuff comes into play. I've been so fortunate to have a great team at HarperCollins, from my amazing editor Carolyn, to the art director, marketing and pr folks to sales reps. And my agent, Stuart, is an important part of that team too. And my daughter Katie, who spent her teens working in a bookstore and is getting a degree in marketing, plus she's visual, plus she's Katie, always consults on this stuff. You can't believe the nit-picky stuff we worked on to get the look of the jacket. The color swatches--I wanted coral--flirty, fun, beachy--not orange, not pink. Coral. And lime green for the type. Three or four different tries for the paper before we got it right with the finished product. The typefaces on my books are all custom done by an artist to get just the right "MaryKayAndrews" look--these are not stock fonts that you can get on the internet. And then there was the illustration. I lost count of how many variations we tried before we came up with a man and a woman playing tug of war with a chef's toque. First the man's arms were too wimpy, then the woman's wasn't right, on and on it went. And all during this time, of course, I'm also working on the new book, and the folks at Harper are getting ready to publish gawd knows how many other books. But the books are done. I think they look peachy and beachy and luscious, and they will cry out to be bought and taken home and devoured like a big ol' Mary Kay-flavored slushie. So. Not to nag or anything, but have you pre-ordered your BOATLOAD of DEEP DISH--due out Feb. 26?