The Paris Journal from Obvious State: A Sneak Peek

This spring, I had the very good fortune to help edit a new book by my fellow-Paris-passage-dwellers and dear friends Nichole and Evan Robertson. It's smartly called "The Paris Journal."

And seriously, y'all, it is so good.

Editing it was one of those experiences where you got to see your friends at their finest--when you KNOW they're already great at something, but then you spend a focused amount of time on their project and you realize, "Damn. These people can REALLY WRITE."

Because they can. And it's done so well that it almost makes me mad. (You know, in a healthy, inspiring way.)

Now that I've spent a good amount of time experiencing this fair city, I can tell you that, within their essays and photos, Nichole and Evan have managed to capture precisely what it's like to explore a neighborhood in Paris.

I can also tell you that they spent a lot of time thinking and rethinking this story. I heard their across-the-globe iChat conversations. I talked to Nichole about it late at night while we were on different sides of the apartment, trying to convince ourselves it was time to sleep, but instead staying up and chatting away. As an editor and reader, I got to see its different versions evolve and change and get better at every turn.

The result is a funny, quirky, thoughtful collaboration--a wonderful book that I can't wait to add to my bookshelf (and Kindle; there's a version for that, too). I am proud to have been a small part of its creative process.

Cool thing is, Nichole and Evan made the first three chapters free to download. Check them out here. The ebook will be available April 29. The printed book will arrive in about four weeks. And there will be more in the series, so keep checking back for updates.

It's an awesome way to support creative folks and independent authors and storytellers who want to keep putting real, authentic content into the world. Because we need this stuff, you know? Go get it!

The Paris Plan - Achieved Today: Rule #12. Big time.