Back to the Drawing Board

Or rather, back to the printer/publisher we go...

Jordan and Karli came over today with 4 copies of Twinkle and Luna.  Naturally, I was both grateful and delighted!  The cover looks pretty close to what I'd expected; but the inside colors are dull and lifeless, very poor quality.  Poor Twinkle should drift away in a swirling sky of purple, white, lavender and blue.

Instead, it's a dismal combo of black, charcoal and greyish tones....Further, there's a thin white border along the top of each page, which absolutely should not be there. I nearly cried right there in front of them!  Since all 4 of these look like this, I'm afraid all of you who were trustful enough to order must have received equally disappointing versions of the book.  I'm mortified and embarrassed! 

But there's a silver lining to this.  I've contacted customer support and, while they don't accept returns, they have agreed to take care of the problems and send out replacements. If your book has a white border on the top of the interior pages, they absolutely should not be there!  The colors on the digital images are sooooo much brighter--like what you see here.  Happily, the customer service agent agreed; the physical copy should have the same clarity and brilliance.  

I understand why, if you've already ordered and received a copy, you might want to go give it away to a child for Christmas.  But FIRST, jot down some numbers, if your book has the same issues (and I'd be happy to know if they don't!).  If you can find a moment sometime this week, please call/email Amazon or CreateSpace (wherever you placed your order), with the name of the book, Twinkle and Luna by J. E. Sakura; as well as your order # and product ID # (that's just inside the back cover on white paper, under a barcode) to receive a free replacement book.  Tomorrow I'll send photos of the problems as well (when the light is better).  If they can't produce higher quality images, I won't be using Amazon anymore.  

Again, I thank you for your support, and I believe it'll be worth it!!   However, well, you know how it is...to have produced and reviewed one thing and then receive something of very inferior quality is quite a blow.  I shouldn't have trusted the digital preview, but I so wanted to get the book out in time for Christmas.  You know the old saying, "if you want something badly, that's usually how you'll get it."

Like snow...look at the view now, same location as I posted in Autumn, while driving up to Logan!

But seriously, if you like snow, 

the Salt Lake area is the place to be, having more snow than Logan or Prove this year!!

And it just keeps coming down!
Also, I've happily delved into a couple of other creative projects, including this table:

It was an old and scratched, but solid wood table Karli and Jordan found at a thrift store to go with their other find--the sofa.  They asked me to, umm (I keep forgetting what the proper term is now), distress it with a type of "birch white" paint color.  So much fun!

Just let some of the old wood show through, sand off a little more, and it's got a whole new look!
Also, painting this basement wall in Lindon was super fun.

That solitary pole will have BYU's "Cougar Lane" attached to the top.  You can see 1/2 of it at the bottom.  The window and door were already there, leading into a play area for the younger kids.  Such a creative family of singers, dancers and musicians!  Despite forgetting to bring along a radio or anything to listen to, I was never bored.

Looking out over my fence, here's a scene from earlier this week.  There's even more of the white stuff now!  Snow or no snow, hope you have a wonderful holiday;
and again, forgive my clumsy first attempt at self-publishing.  I'll learn.
Happy, WHITE Christmas everyone!!!