There are only seventeen days till What Came First comes out, and I know what you are all wondering.

“How is her foot feeling?”

Well! My custom orthotics came in, and for a full day I’ve been wearing them with my timelessly unfashionable Merrells, and so far, so good! Don’t worry: I will keep you updated.

In other news, I received my first copy of What Came First, and I love the book design even more in the flesh — okay, in the paper — than I did when it was just a thumbprint. First, there’s the background color, which is way more green than it looks on Amazon (or in this reproduction) — kind of a Tiffany blue and really, really pretty. Also snazzy: the background is matte, but the booties, chicks, eggs, grass, etc. are all glossy.

Another nice touch: the back cover has three little chicks at the bottom. How cute is that?

And finally, I’m excited to have reached a certain milestone: What Came First is my first original trade release that doesn’t feature a half naked woman on the cover. It’s the first cover that doesn’t scream CHICK LIT.

Except, of course, for the chicks.