Six Books

I was at a party of women friends last night when one of them asked me how this blog was doing, and if I was on track to get the six books done.

It's going to be a squeaker but I think I can do it.

This photo is one I took in the fall of 2009 as I worked on my first independently published artisan book called Gifting Green. In its 20 pages, I laid out the instructions for making elegant, lined drawstring bags that can be used in a wide variety of ways.

Since that time, I've had reason to regret the book's title because it ties in too closely with the holidays. Plus, I've discovered all sorts of uses for the bags I've sewn and developed patterns for others. So that book is going to be expanded, and it's called Bag Land. It will be out in May along with my other quilt book below.

I'm working on The Hands-On Guide to Book Publishing for Everyone and that will be out in February of next year. I'm already taking orders for that one on my business website, www.SonjaHakala.com.

Then there's the Nellie Bly mystery novel I finished a few years ago. Of all the projects I've worked on, I think that's been my husband's favorite. Over Christmas break (next week), I'm going to to through all the versions I have of Nellie to find (I hope) the one Jay likes the best and start editing it. It's called Exposure and it will be available in April of next year on both paper and as an ebook.

I'm penning another novel, this one set in contemporary Vermont, that will be the one that squeaks the most because I only add three or four handwritten pages to it per work day so it's slower to come together than the rest. It's called, at least for now, The Road Unsalted.

Then there's the book of scrap quilts in which I attempt to leap tall buildings in a single bound while developing a different way of looking at this very traditional way of piecing. All original designs and when finished, it will tie in with The Road Unsalted. This book is called New Cloth from Old.

And finally, there's this blog, The Power of Sixty. When I reach my next birthday, I'll compile the best of this blog, add some stuff, take away some other stuff, and then publish this as an ebook only.

I've rearranged my pages on this blog to start tracking the progress of the books and to post excerpts or pictures from them. So check in from time to time so see how it's going.