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Though I have decided to get back down to the business of the next book that’s due in New York, it won’t get a start this week. Why? Because this is the beginning of the publicity for “Hit List”. What do I mean by that? It’s the week for the video shoot. Interviews, stand-ups, my part of the commercial, and lots and lots of me looking, deeply, into the camera, and saying, “Hello, my name is Laurell K. Hamilton, you killed my father, prepare to die,” Sorry, couldn’t resist, I love the “The Princess Bride,” But it will be a lot of me on camera answering questions, or saying hi to various places for various things. If I was someone who believed my own hype weeks like this one would quite turn my head, but lucky for all of us I was raised to look at anything that was too positive with a jaundiced eye. I’ve done a lot of therapy to be able to have a positive outlook about life, and still not buy into my own publicity. I used to avoid believing it, by simply being that negative about everything, now I balance a healthy love of self, without believing I am either as good as some say, or as bad as others report. You are seldom as great as your admirers praise you, nor as much a villain as your detractors paint you. It’s a slippery slope to listen to either side too closely.

I got my hair done today, Tuesday, and had my eyebrows waxed. I’ve actually done it often enough it doesn’t really hurt anymore. Should that worry me? *ponders* Maybe? Tomorrow; time to choose outfits. No patterns, no bright colors that contrast, because sometimes the colors bleed on screen, beyond that not really sure. Do we stay with the signature jeans, boots, and leather? Do we try something different? A skirt, perhaps? A dress? Something more fetish-y? *shakes head* Surely not. Just something that looks good on camera is the goal, and doesn’t distract from me being the talking head in the interview and short messages, but still looks good from a distance for the walking, and standing long shots. Is all that so much to ask from one outfit? Probably, but ask it, I will. Since I’ll have my wonderful hair and makeup person, Priscilla, with me, I could do more than one outfit and if I smudge something she can fix it. Hmm, maybe try for more than one outfit? But changing takes time and it’s going to be an all day shoot now.

This week I give over to primping and doing what I’m told to the best of my ability. I probably won’t see the gym until Friday, but since I know other writers that would love to have their week eaten up by this much publicity I’m not complaining. Once I would have, but my recent break for recreation has left me truly embracing the fact that publicity is just another part of my career, like the writing itself, it’s part of the job. I love my job, and my goal is to do every part of it with as much grace as possible. Grace means you show up on time, do your job, hit your mark, and remember not to rub your eyes, or run your hands through your newly curled hair, or wipe anything on the on-camera clothes. Ah, the things you learn when first you begin to stand on the other side of the curtain.