Do you want to know what goes into planning something like this?

Imagine the longest to-do list you have ever had. Quadruple it. Now you know what it feels like to launch a book.

Ok, truthfully, that is how it would feel if you did not have support.

I have no idea how people organize events without the help of friends. We borrowed some colorful paper lanterns from one friend, and tropical plants from another, to help set the mood for our beachy theme. At least a dozen friends helped make goodies for our dessert buffet...hmmmmm...

Sorry, I got distracted thinking about the chocolate cake and pumpkin cookies. Where were we? Oh, right...friends helping. Someone else offered to provide the drinks. And we had several volunteers (including our husbands!) to help with set-up and clean-up. This party confirmed the fact that we have surrounded ourselves with awesome people. :)

There are so many details! You have to decide what to give as door prizes, purchase gift bags to put those door prizes in, and tissue paper to make the bags look pretty...you get the idea. There is never just one thing. There are layers upon layers to every task, and you have to make sure that nothing is forgotten.

This is another area where co-authoring offers fantastic perks. You get to tear the list of responsibilites, and give half of the work away. There are two sets of eyes on the big picture, and that helps to ensure that nothings gets overlooked.

Co-authoring is not so great when one half of the duo threatens to take the other half on a forced shopping trip to make sure their outfits are co-ordinated. Thank goodness, I (Tracy) dodged that bullet! For anyone who does not know me personally, I DESPISE to shop. Hopefully, I still managed to look socially acceptable at the signing in spite of this character flaw. :)

All in all, the work was worth the result. It was a really nice evening with yummy food, a fun atmosphere, and lots of books.