So I’ve decided that the world simply can’t live without a fabulous book about a girl who almost blows off her eyebrows trying to cook a potato, who finds a pseudo-dead body in the hallway of her hotel, and who lives on a houseboat in the Nile for a whole entire day.  

That’s right.  I’ve decided to work my blog entries about Egypt into a book.  With pages, and that.  

I’ve decided to do this despite my father insisting that traditional publishing is going down the tubes what with the Internet making everything so easily available electronically.  He thinks that in a few years digital books will replace real books in the way that digital music has replaced vinyl. 

I think he’s mostly just saying that so I’ll get a ‘real’ job.  Well, screw that.  And besides, call me a purist but I just think that the experience of reading a book is about more than the content alone.  I mean, people may use iPods instead of records now, but has concert attendance significantly flagged since digital music players came out?  I don’t think so.

But really, the prospect of publishing is a little daunting.  Fortunately I have the support of the Skirt! troops!  I had a lovely chat with Angelia who couldn’t have been more helpful, interested, or encouraging.  Not to mention the amount of positive reinforcement I got from all of you while I was actually in Egypt setting things on fire, witnessing horrible dust storms and dealing with pernicious winkers.

Thanks for all the encouragement so far, Skirt!s.  Suggestions, comments, or just old-fashioned advice are still and always graciously appreciated.