We were off on a mission, Friend Judy and I. The mission was to take pictures for my book... for the inside section divisions and the all-important cover shot. We had several locations in mind, so - armed with our props and bottles of water to keep us going in the heat of the day - we set out.
My favorites of the props were my prayer shawl - made for me by a lifelong friend - and a Bible. We made our way along the river, taking shot after shot with the props in various settings. Finally, we decided to move on to the local botanical gardens for some different scenery. Through the intensity of traffic that moved between the barrier island and the mainland, crossing a bridge and driving several miles away from our river location, we pulled into the parking lot at the gardens. I rolled out of the passenger seat and opened the back door to retrieve the props. The props that weren't there.
"Where is the shawl and the Bible?" I looked at my buddy in bewilderment. "Did we leave them on that bench?"
Back in the car, back through the traffic, back across the bridge... we raced back to the river hoping to find things just as we left them. There they were. And that's the picture we chose for the cover of the book.
There's more to writing a book than writing a book. Filling the pages with words would be pretty boring without the help of an editor, a designer, a proofreader. Friends who will spend their time reading and critiquing your manuscript are special people.
And a friend with a camera who will traipse all over town to take the perfect shot for your cover is invaluable. She even drove her car. That put her in control of everything. Except the props.