ocean diver upslash

Happy 2015.

I love this time of year. Everything seems fresh. New. The perfect time to start something. And it doesn’t matter what that something is—a new project, (or finish your 2014 or 2013 project), climb a mountain, explore the ocean, learn to play the oboe, find a job, grow your family or your business—the beginning of the year gives us unlimited potential to be creative, get out of a rut, and conquer our world.

The beginning of the new year can also be a time to reflect and be thankful. Which is how I started my 2015. Thankful and grateful for so many people who helped me finish my two-year project, my forthcoming cookbook, Eating Salmon (Storey Publishing). There’s more about  how I’m paying it forward in my January newsletter. Yes. That’s my not-so-subtle way of getting you to subscribe.

Here’s where I am with my Eating Salmon cookbook project:

Manuscript edited. Check.

Illustration and photography list complete. Check.

Chef permission forms received. Check.

Submit manuscript to publisher. Priceless.

Now that that is out of the way, the most often and practically only questions I hear at this point are, “When can I buy your book?” and “When will the book be released?”

So. To keep things simple, I will refer to the information I was given from SP:

“The entire editing process takes nine to eighteen months, depending on the complexity of the book and the timing of the book’s release.”

Seems like a crazy amount of time, right?

I’m thinking either spring 2016, which would coincide with Lent, and the beginning of the Alaska salmon run, or Oct. which is National Seafood Month and the lead in to holiday shopping. Stocking stuffers anyone?

While I wait to hear from SP, I have a list of projects for 2015, because it’s not enough to start a new year with only gratitude and thankfulness:

  • Research for the next book in my sustainable seafood series. Eating Grouper.
  • Last week, I was invited to work with the Wild American Shrimp Blogger Program. What that means for you is this: delicious shrimp recipes (courtesy of yours truly), information about the sustainability and traceability of the US shrimp industry (cause I know you can’t live without that), and more. Which I don’t know yet, but will keep you posted.
  • Keep your fingers crossed (and say a few prayers too please if you are inclined) that I will be invited to speak on a panel about salmon aquaculture at the 2015 Best Aquaculture Practices conference in Seattle.
  • On a separate but totally important note, if I don’t finished my thriller Thornton Park this spring, I think Elvis will make me take a real job! JK. Who does he think will coddle and spoil Reagan?

So. Enough about me. What are you working on in 2015?


 

About Maureen C. Berry

bioMaureen is a flat-out, irrefutable seafood geek, writer, cook and emerging photographer. And when she’s not, she take naps and tries to play better guitar.

At Seafood Lady, Maureen helps people make better choices with all things seafood. Are you hungry for more articles about sustainable seafood, ocean conservation and the environment? Maybe you can’t wait to read more about her forthcoming cookbook Eating Salmon (Storey Publishing)? Sign up for her monthly newsletter at the top of this blog and don’t forget to join her @seafoodladyorl and on Facebook, too.