Welcome back to Thursday Blog Day, faithful readers. It’s actually Wednesday as I type this, but that’s because I’m flying out to Spokane on Thursday and won’t have time to write it then. So, this is kind of like time travel. It’s Wednesday as I’m typing these words but it’s Thursday as I’m posting them, from the Sky Club at MSP. See how weird that is. Weird.

Let’s dive right in… Last week I wrote about the latest milestones with the book, and that was the submission of it as approved, by the author (me.) Early this week, as I was beginning to think the dimensions and template for the cover would never arrive, I watched as my email program indicated it was downloading a large file, and voila! There it was. That was yet another “hair standing up on my arms” moment.

I’d tipped off Todd Myers that it was about to happen, and he was on standby for a couple of days as we waited. During that time, he came up with a great concept for the spine, and once I received the template I fired it off to him so that he could complete the cover art. The directions were pretty complicated for an idiot like me, but that’s why I hired a pro. Todd had the cover back to me within a couple of hours, and we had it headed back to Outskirts Press later that same day.

The middle piece of the cover is, of course, the spine. And, just like in humans, a book needs a good strong spine to stay together and stand out, and that goes for the physical nature of it and the look of it. After all, a lot of people put their books on a shelf, so the spine is the only thing you can see. His idea of having the top part of it be on a grass background and the bottom (my name, in big bold print) over an asphalt surface, was brilliant.

Todd wanted to make sure I was okay with it, and he was ready to make any changes I asked for, but in an email I told him he’d nailed it. I didn’t want to change a thing. I think it’s fantastic.

When I showed it to Barbara, before she had to get back on yet another plane to first travel to the Bay Area before heading up to Spokane for the rest of the week, I saw something on her face that made it all sink in, for me. She had a slight look of disbelief, mixed in with a dose of emotion, spiced with some pride.

All this work. All these months. All the editing. And finally, there it was in front of her. It’s not a project anymore. It’s not a pipe dream. It’s not some crazy fool’s errand. It was a book cover. And that means the stuff I’ve slaved over for 16 months is going to be a book. It’s actually going to be a book, just like the ones you see in a book store. There’s my name, and that’s me. For months, the front and the back have looked like this but they were separate files. You had to imagine them as a cover. And there it is. It was kind of a big moment.

But, the biggest of the big moments is still yet to come. It’s all back at Outskirts again, and the next time I see it I should be holding it in my hands. Now THAT will be a big moment. The big moments have all been building for the last year and a half, and each one has gotten us closer. The last one will cap it off.

They think we might have books in 4-6 weeks. To be safe, I’m aiming for the Joliet race as my debut appearance, with books, at an NHRA race. After that, I’ll make as many races as I can to promote it and talk to fans. I can’t make Sonoma, because of another family wedding, but I’ll get out there on a pretty good run of races other than that. And with all of that in mind, it was time to put the PR plan in place.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t believe I’ve named names. I knew I’d need to hire a PR professional to represent me, just like I hired Todd Myers to be my graphics professional, Mark Rebilas to be my photography professional, and Greg Halling to be my editing pro. So I hired Elon Werner.

Elon is the best. He’s the best PR person I’ve ever worked with, and his ability to not only promote but to manage the effort for many years at John Force Racing has made him one of the most respected pros in all of sports, much less drag racing. He left JFR at the end of last season, and is now doing PR and communications work for Heritage Auctions, a premier auction house for highly collectible and rare stuff, including a lot of mind-bending sports memorabilia. He gets to be home with his family, near Dallas, on weekends now and that’s been something he rarely could do when he was with JFR. Plus, he’s really REALLY good at what he does.

Elon and I have worked up a plan and he’ll be the guy to implement it for me. Trust me, it’s way better to have Elon Werner call a TV or radio station, or a newspaper, or a magazine, and say, “I want you to interview this guy. His story is great and his book is fantastic” than to pitch those things yourself, about little old you.

I could’ve made a bit more money by cutting corners in all these areas, and I could’ve tried to do a lot of it myself or have Outskirts do it. I chose, instead, to hire real professionals I knew I could trust to deliver the goods. It’s worth it, 10-times over.

For the record, I’m writing this on my laptop and for once it’s on  my lap. And, I’m out on the porch with my security guard up in his tower keeping me safe from flying things. Buster has his eye on all 200 birds that seem to be in the trees around us. And again, it’s yesterday. But to you it’s today. Today is actually yesterday. And now, I’m in the Sky Club and not on the porch. But I’m on the porch. It’s really confusing. I’ll have to try this method the next time the PowerBall gets up to $400 million. I’ll just write my blog a day early and get a glimpse of the future. That would work, right?

And since it’s tomorrow while it’s still today, I shall divulge the reason for my quick trip to Spokane. I’ll only be there one night, and then Barbara and I will be on the 1:45 p.m. flight out of GEG to get back to MSP on Friday. She got us enrolled in a beginner’s class for developing kitchen knife skills. After that, we plan to have dinner at Clinkerdagger overlooking Spokane Falls, where their chef can utilize his or her knife skills on my entree.

I’ve been a pretty good “short order” cook for a long time, and since I do most of the cooking for us I’ve gotten incrementally better at a wider variety of dishes, instead of only knowing how to grill steaks or chicken breasts. My knife skills, though, are still very amateurish. I’m not sure what they can teach me in one class, but coming out of it with better skills is almost a certainty. Because I cut just like I did when I was 12. It’s easy to get smarter when you start out knowing nothing.

So here I sit on the porch (in the Sky club) writing this important blog on a Wednesday (Thursday) before having a nice dinner (getting on a plane). Maybe I’ll leave a note for myself in the Club…

I’m really confused. But guess what? We have a BOOK COVER!

When you combine the photography of Mark Rebilas (okay, and also a file photo of a young me from the SIUE Athletic office) with the graphics of Todd Myers, you get an awesome cover. With the great help of Greg Halling, I hope the book holds up to bar set by the cover. In this case, go ahead and judge my book by its cover. Because then you’ll think it’s terrific.

UPDATE: Well, best laid plans and all. It is indeed Thursday and it’s today, and I’m in Spokane at the hotel. Turns out, I had some last minute crunch-time stuff to do in the Sky Club and before I knew it we were boarding, so here I am.

I am a member of the board of directors for our neighborhood Home Owners Association in Woodbury, and as such I am also our sub-association’s representative on the master association’s board, as well. So I’m on two boards. You can call me Mr. Director, if you’d like. We’ve had a lot going on and there are a lot of moving pieces with board work, so I got a bit buried with some communications for that at the airport. And now I’m here.

It’s always fun to come back out here, and this time I was sitting on the correct side of the plane to see Liberty Lake as we approached. Yes, without squinting I can see our former house, or at least its location, in the quick iPad photo I took.

UPDATE No. 2: And how about this… Just before we started our descent I got an email from Outskirts Press alerting me that my cover had been approved as “print ready” and as soon as I click into my publishing center at their website I can send the whole book, every page and cover of it, to their publishing department.

So, gang…  WE’RE THAT CLOSE! Just a few weeks now. Another “big deal” kind of day in my world.

Now, a chance to relax or walk around downtown Spokane for a bit, before our knife skills class tonight. Here’s hoping I fly back to Minnesota tomorrow with the same amount of fingers I arrived with.

See you next week.

Bob Wilber, at your service and traveling through time.