As of Friday, January16, 2009, I'm done with the manuscript. The front and back covers have been completed, and it is being sent to the printers this week. Whew!

I'm so excited that it is complete and that I'll be able to hold a copy of the finished product in my tattooed little hands soon!

After I completed the project of providing the correct page numbers for each of the cross-references in the book, I took it for a spin: I got to read it. Since it was a final draft there was very little to change or correct, so it was the first time that I'd actually READ the book, rather than worked on it, which is quite different.

I'm happy to report that I enjoyed reading it, and that I feel very proud of it. I didn't really know what I'd think of it by the time it got published. And there were plenty of times I was sure it never would get done; it was a long and winding journey. Now that it is a finished product, I can definitely say I've never read anything else like it. ; )

I can't wait for some other people to read it and let me know what they think... Soon enough.

I'm absolutely certain many piercers won't agree with everything I've written. But it clearly states at the front of the book:

Substantive research studies, statistical analyses, and other definitive resource materials related to modern piercing are in short supply; therefore, the information, practices, and procedures described in this book are largely based on my own extensive, clinical experience. I’ve integrated industry standards where they exist, but there is still precious little that is truly standard, so my opinions are a primary component of many chapters.

I'm off for a vacation to visit with my family and to attend a board meeting for the Association of Professional Piercers. I feel so guilty: I missed the last two meetings, and the Conference in Mexico City due to my committments with the book. But the board has been extremely supportive and taken up the slack to  allow me to put the book ahead of my board duties for a while. Though the book is in keeping with the organization's mission to disseminate health and safety information about body piercing. So, it was kind of like doing APP work at the same time.