In the life of every publisher there’s an assistant who actually makes everything happen. We are not an island and all that.
For me, that person is Debbie. Without her I’m a bit lost. She keeps track of all the details in my life: my calendar, commitments, communications and weekly (sometimes daily) task lists. She’s been known to call me after-hours just to remind me of an important meeting the next day. When I have to leave for a meeting, she pesters me until I actually get my ass out the door. This is no easy feat as I can become quite absorbed in whatever I’m working on. One minute has been known to turn into one hour in the blink of an eye.
Sometimes she brings in flowers from her garden and gifts our desks with beautiful blossoms just to make our day a little cheerier. Sometimes she brings in food. Sometimes she just has a kind word to share.
I’m a lucky (and far more productive) gal when Debbie’s around.
Update: This morning Debbie took one look at my face and said, “You look tired.” Yeah. And even worse, before I had a chance to take the first sip I dropped my coffee in the parking lot outside the office. I was sooooo bummed. If there was ever a morning that I needed intravenous caffeine, today’s it. Well, Debbie being Debbie, went out and got me some coffee. A really, really big cup of coffee. She’s so wonderful I want to cry.
