Q: How are things arranged here?
A: There are four categories: guests, life, cloth, and story. Guests are for any posts that are available for the general public and special appearances by guest authors who drop in to tell us about their creative process. Life is about, of all things, life – what’s going on in my life at any given moment. Cloth is self explanatory, and story is the actual book. The story is written in pieces, so it won’t necessarily flow, but I do try to shape each piece so that it can stand on its own. Remember, I’m writing the book as we go, so it will appear in scraps, in fits and starts. What you read is essentially a rough draft and subject to tweak and polish.

Q: Sometimes you write in first person. How do I know if a post is from your life or is part of the story?
A: An excellent question contributed by my friend, Angela Kelsey who was shocked on 6/29/11 to read that my husband had died;) It was, of course, a piece of the story written in first person, so to prevent heart attacks, each post title is preceded by the category to which it belongs.

Q: What if I only want to read the story?
A: The best way to do that is to click on “story” in the righthand sidebar, scroll down to the earliest date, and read your way up to the present day. It’s kinda’ like diving when you think about it.

Q: Who are the characters?
A: Here’s the cast list, so far. I will update it with the appearance of every new major character.
Centerstage/lead character/it’s all about: Ever
Ever’s husband: Cooper (but Ever calls him Slide) (with very good reason)
Ever’s daughter: Moxie
Ever’s son: Micah

Q: How long will we be here?
A: Well, you know that creativity doesn’t wear a watch, so I just don’t know how long it will take. I can only say the obvious: it takes as long as it takes . . . and add that I’m sure glad you’re here with me.

Q: Can I upgrade my membership?
A: Yes, yes you can. For production purposes, there will be a cutoff, but I’ll make sure that’s broadcast in plenty of time for you to up your membership in The Grove. And if you do decide to upgrade and purchased your initial membership through an Affiliate, she will receive her percentage of the upgrade price.

Q: Will the ebooks be any different from the paper version?
A: Yes, the ebooks will contain graphics and audio clips and other fun things that can’t be included in the paper version. The paper version will be autographed, and I’ll see if I can’t find other ways to make it interesting.

Q: If I contribute – or selectively collaborate, as you call it – will my contribution be acknowledged?
A: Absolutely, enthusiastically YES. If you contribute during one of the open reader involvement spots, you have the option of being recognized on the web site, in the ebook, and in the paper version of the book. We’d like to include your name, your url (which will be a hot link on the web site and in the ebook), and identify your contribution (possibly link to is in the ebook). It will, however, be your choice as to whether you go public or not.

Q: If my contribution is selected for inclusion in the finished books, who holds the rights?
A: You do. Absolutely. We’ll just ask you to give us permission to use them in any and all versions of this book.

Q: What’s with the photos at the beginning of certain posts?
A: I’m a visual person, and I wanted to find a way to distinguish the three threads: life, cloth, story – without creating visual clutter. I’m an amateur photographer, so I selected a signature photo for life posts (the sky reflected in a pool in the waterfall we live on) and a different signature photo for story posts (a gray, foggy path through the woods). Cloth photos are always of the cloth I’m currently working on.