More Designing a Book

I thought I knew what was necessary about designing a book, because I designed my book The Cabins of Wilsonia.

That book involved preparing pencil drawings using Photoshop Elements, a few pages of text, all the frontmatter (that’s Book Speak for the pages of a book that are not the main part that normal people read), the backmatter (bet you can figure this one out yourself), the cover, captions and quotations. Oh, and chapter titles, page numbering, and all the little adjustments and details that no one notices in a book unless they are wrong.

A dear friend and author needed help with some photo editing on a book she was writing. I volunteered. It was very fun. Together we improved about 200 photos. This morphed into the actual copyediting of the book. It is pure pleasure to work with my friend.

As we got deeper into the project, I learned that the author and the 3 people who commissioned her to write their story were planning on using an assisted self-publishing company to get the book print-ready.

When I learned how much that would cost them, how many unnecessary extras they had to buy along with the book design, and that price did NOT even include any books, I was appalled.

So, I offered to do it.

Fall down laughing. . .

I’ll carry on tomorrow. For now, I need to take some deep calming breaths, and contemplate matters of peacefulness.

Pencil drawing of cabin door from The Cabins of Wilsonia.
Pencil drawing of cabin door from The Cabins of Wilsonia.

Firewood by the Wilsonia Door

Wilsonia cabin drawing

What is it about doors that is so attractive? In this pencil drawing, it is the light and shadow.

Does this look like a cabin to you?

What is a cabin? A little home in the mountains, but it can be a big fancy-pants home in the mountains too. (Ask my sister-in-law who lives in Tahoe!) But is any home in the mountains a cabin?

So many questions. That’s how I am wired. That’s how I learn, think, make decisions, and roll.

This looks like a cabin because there is firewood piled by the door. Did you notice that?

You can get a copy of The Cabins of Wilsonia here: The Cabins of Wilsonia.

Porch Time in Wilsonia

Wilsonia cabin drawing

Porch time is big in Wilsonia. People with cabins spend more time outside than inside. Umbrellas abound, and people read, watch deer, nap, and greet folks who are passing by. Sometimes they listen to birds, look up names in bird books, or play solitaire. I’ve seen people quilting, and if it were me, I’d be knitting.

What would you do on the porch of your cabin?

I really do knit on mine. Of course, I am always knitting, unless I am reading.

How do I have time to knit or read with all this drawing, painting and blogging?

Easy. When I’m off work!

For more, order your book The Cabins of Wilsonia here: The Cabins of Wilsonia.

Unsolved Building Mysteries in Wilsonia

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

A man cave? A Dude Den? a tool shed? guest quarters (so they won’t be inclined to overstay)?

Even after four years of visiting Wilsonia while working on The Cabins of Wilsonia, there are still many unsolved mysteries.

Get your copy here to learn about (or at least just look at) many mysterious buildings in Wilsonia: The Cabins of Wilsonia

Willow 4
Pencil drawing of Wilsonia outbuilding

Neighborly Wilsonia

wilsonia cabin drawing
Pencil drawing of Wilsonia cabins

Sometimes the backsides of cabins were more interesting to me than the fronts. There are porches, fire rings, sheds, and little paths (in the mountains we tend to refer to paths as “trails”) leading from neighbor to neighbor.

Mountain communities like Wilsonia tend to be very neighborly.

To learn more, you can order your copy of The Cabins of Wilsonia here.

Wilsonia Cabin Porch Drawing

Porches, decks, balconies. . . all those outdoor living spaces are very important to all cabins, including Wilsonia cabins.

willow 1-2

This one was very charming and it was for sale during the project. A friend bought the cabin, so her daughter secretly bought the drawing for her. Then, the mom secretly bought the drawing of her daughter’s cabin for her!

I was caught in a web of cabin gift giving secrets. It was tricky, but I don’t think I spilled any beans.

This four year project, The Cabins of Wilsonia, had many benefits, and one of them was rekindled and new friendships.

Wilsonia Cabin Confusion Drawing

Wilsonia cabin drawing

This Wilsonia cabin kept me confused for a long time. The cabin sits on a corner of 2 roads. On one road, it looks very rustic. On the other, it looks like this.

You can see this drawing and one of the other side in The Cabins of Wilsonia, available for sale here.

The book was a huge project. Confusion was a regular occurrence as I worked through how to depict a cabin community with 212 cabins.