USPS smh

I’ve lost my notes. For 10 years I’ve been working on a 5 book fantasy story, and I’ve lost my hand-written notes. I have some backed up on the computer, but the bulk of it was in a three ring binder shipped to Texas with a bunch of books. Which is also lost…

Thanks USPS. You guys have been so helpful…

I guess my mother’s whole – place an extra copy of your address on the inside of the box advice wasn’t just paranoia. Apparently, the outside label can come off. Even when taped on like a protective seal. I stand by my theory that the label was cut off and someone stole the box because it was a heavy one.

Well, HA to them! Most of the books I had up in NYC were pre-sale copies – not for resale – written on the cover bitches. You’ll get no money from these books.

Not much comfort in the end though since ALL MY NOTES were in that box.

And yes, it’s been a few months at this point and the shock and anger has mostly worn off. But it still sucks for me.

Don’t get me wrong, after working on the same story over and over again for 10 years, you get to know it very well. So I don’t need the notes to complete the story, but for posterity sake it would be nice to have. Especially since the story has changed SOOOOOO much from the original version. If I chose to pick it up again and finish it, (which would require another total rewrite to work) it wouldn’t resemble the original very much.

But to be able to compare the completed story to where it started… that would be awesome.

The most frustrating part of this is the work I’ve put in to getting both my notes and my books back. I have a three page list of the title, author, publisher name, and type of book (hardback vs. paperback) that I created for USPS to help them find it. I even sent it to the loss prevention office or something or other. All I’ve gotten back in some Harry Potter books – replacements for the ones I lost. I know because they didn’t have my signature it them like all my books have.

THE BOX HAD TRACKING! I CAN SEE THAT IT MADE IT TO TEXAS BEFORE I DID! HOW DO YOU LOSE A BOX WITH TRACKING?

Stolen. Must have been.

I’m keeping an eye out for a 5 book fantasy series published in the next couple of years with an all too familiar plot.

In the meantime, keep moving forward.  SIGH. USPS smh.