This might be the first fork in the road, but it’s certainly the most significant. I’ve been quiet lately because I was settling down (and getting used to) a new schedule involving work and writing. No, it’s got nothing to do with my day job, though that’ll be affected down the line if things go as planned.

The long and short of it is that I now have a part-time gig as an editor for a small press, and I’m currently finishing up my first official assignment. This is something I’ve seriously considered for some time now, largely because I’m ready to devote my time to the publishing industry both as a writer and an editor.

As far as my day job goes, I’m not getting any younger. Last week, I tackled a couple of sports jersey projects, which, at the end of the day, left me with a really sore lower back and aching feet. Both didn’t ease up the following day, annoyingly enough. I happen to be the sports jersey “specialist” in the shop, so I’m on my own in handling these things that measure at least 32 x 40″ and weigh quite a bit. These large shadow boxes never used to bother me, but they do now – more and more so. Even when I’m working on smaller and simpler designs, I find that I need to sit down several times to rest my feet and legs (sometimes back) – again, something I never used to do. And that’s just the natural progression of things over time, unfortunately.

There are several benefits to editing stories on the side, not the least of which is helping other authors, especially those who’re new to the business, polish their babies further for publication. Others are much more technical, and I’d rather not go into them here. But I am thrilled to finally get one foot in the door, and because of that, ideas that’ve been nothing more than possibilities to me back then are now within reach, even if luck still plays a role in how things turn out.

I’ve voiced out my then-pipe dreams to Andy, and after I got hired for the editing job, I sat him down and had an earnest discussion about what all this means.

My ultimate goal is to quit my day job and devote my time to edits and my own work as well as to make up for lost time insofar as the house is concerned. I’ve got so many plans that’ve been put on hold for years, and as far as writing goes, I also have all these things I want to do to beef up my backlist, only to have my day job complicate matters.

Money remains a pretty tricky area, though. Even with what I get from my books in addition to the current editing job, I won’t be earning enough to equal what I now receive at the frame shop, so I’m still on the lookout for additional editing work that I can take on before I feel secure enough to hand in my notice. What I said about luck being a factor has everything to do with finding another publisher who’s hiring. But this is definitely the much-needed first step in the right direction, and I’m pretty darned excited.