Wednesday, January 26
Finally contacted the publisher. Neither my graphics/illustrator Diana Souza, nor I, have a heard a word from them since early November, and no galleys have arrived in the mail.
Thursday, January 27
Heard back from the publisher. There are problems with the manuscript: odd numbered pages need to be on the right hand side; the text is not true black; two images are the wrong dpi resolution. Forwarded the message to Diana in Texas.
Diana’s response was that she sent the exact same file as for Realms of Light, including the print color, page numbering and dpi- and that we should get a new publisher for We Meet In Dreams. But she will make the needed changes.
Friday, January 28
Diana still (understandably) grumbling by e-mail about our publisher. She also wrote:
"I've been praying to St. Raphael since the New Year started. He is the angel of happy meetings."
The prayer:
"Lead me by the hand to those I am waiting for and those who are waiting for me. May all their movements and all my movements be guided by Thy Light and transfigured by Thy Joy."
I think this a very beautiful prayer and will begin saying it myself. The Archangel Raphael is also considered the Archangel in charge of safe travel and Healing. Many of my fellow healers on the Distant Healing Network call on Archangel Raphael, for healing people or animals who are sent to them. Although I am sure St. Raphael’s abilities far exceed these few categories of known expertise. Our Lady, in Medjugorje, told the visionaries there that we should ask the Archangels to be with us always. And so we should...
But I had never heard of this beautiful prayer to Saint Raphael. As soon as I read it, I inwardly saw all my friends and future acquaintances turned to Radiant Light, Divine Light. If we all said this prayer we would all be surrounded by angels, always - both incarnate and disincarnate.
Wednesday, February 2
Diana e-mailed: Dallas is in a deep freeze until the weekend and her hot water pipe froze. Her final comment about Visits With Angels: "There is NO logical reason to be requiring the page numbers switched around!!" In short: she is not happy about the publisher’s newest requests.
She contacted the publisher and sent me a copy of her message to them:
"Text is not 100% Black"
You are undoubtedly referring to the many instances in which I have lowered the opacity of the black text so that its appearance will be gray, not black. This style has been used for decorative effect on some of the title pages, etc - but certainly not on any text blocks, so readability will not be affected whatsoever. When I checked the original file in InDesign, all the text in text blocks (in other words, the entire content of the book) is 100% black. If there is something else you need changed via InDesign? (in color management? in document presets? in color settings?)
Important note about Ms. Conrad's previous two books. They too had gray type (used as decoration, not as text blocks). Today, I checked the file of the last book and of this current book, and the percentages of gray are essentially the same. I have also exhaustively proofed these pages in print and they look great with the gray type. You did it for our other two books, and we were perfectly happy with the results.
"The image is below 150dpi"
On page 7 there is one icon, "Art Temple" that isn't 150dpi; but no worries about this on our part because (1) it's printing at the size of a postage stamp and (2) I used the exact file in Ms. Conrad's previous book and it printed just fine. However, the image you pointed out on page 206 has been changed to reflect your request and is now 300dpi.
"Odd Numbered Pages Should be on the right not left"
With all due respect, this request is not appropriate for our book's design since the first two pages in our design happen to be a double-page spread. That means, by necessity, that this book's page one starts on a left-hand page.
Diana also sent them to an address on the internet web for the correct file, instead of snail mailing it in. My only concern is that now the publisher will print up the wrong file...
Snow and more snow; Monica-next-door had shoveled all the sidewalks before I went outside today. Walked into town amid small flakes carried in the wind. Passed two abandoned snow forts, both rather complicated and intricate; reminded me of the simple pleasures of childhood. More snow on the walk home, and more predicted for the next few days. I look forward to nights of practicing the piano with snow falling in the lamplight, with the indoor stained glass lamps I made so many years ago throwing their soft light and bright colors... and the silence and peace that always accompanies snowfall... The sounds of the piano against that silence...
And tonight, if the roads allow it, the meditators will come for meditation and class.
Tuesday, February 8
Heard back from the publisher: I need to sign a form and send it to them. Diana wrote: she has done more work on setting up her files for We Meet in Dreams.