KISS, INCORPORATED - behind the scenes

You've heard the old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, in my case, it takes a corporation to write a book. Allow me to introduce you to a few of the key players and departments within Corp KISS :-)

Although I hold the title of Writer in Residence, I could never have produced the book without the following divisions:

First there's the Boss Man. This is the guy who pulls the strings. The mastermind behind the book. The one who calls the shots. This job is lovingly and faithfully filled by none other than Jesus Christ. Thank God he works at Corp Kiss! I couldn't do it without him.

Next there's the CFO. He pays the bills, manages the money and barely winces when I announce that I need to go to LA or Atlanta or Birmingham. This job is forever assigned to my uber supportive husband, Lindsey. Occasionally my father has also made appearances in this department.

The largest and most crucial department at Corp KISS is the Encouragement Division. This division has offices all over the US and is headed locally by SF. The Vice Presidents of this department are my parents who never forget to remind me that I can do it! Behind them are too many people to list, but this large wing is overseen primarily by Shelli and Jessica from their Atlanta posts.


The Tech Support wing is operated in Memphis and is led by this guy, Glen. Glen makes sure my laptop is in top working order. As a fellow writer, Glen also sometimes does double duty in the Encouragement Department.

Randy, at the UPS store, who is also an aspiring writer, has asked to be my bodyguard and chauffer when I become super famous. I love Randy for this. Whenever I show up with some snail mail, he reminds me that he will drop his job at UPS to chauffer me around in all of my literary glory while he also works on his novel. So Randy heads up the Support Staff. SF's and my hairdresser Carrie also works in the department and we have promised to take her with us should we be nominated for an Oscar one day :-)

The newest division at Corp KISS is called CRACK TEAM KATIE. CTK was formed in the middle of the night recently and operates much like the Navy Seals, or any black ops division. CTK consists of three new adorable readers, Lisa, Laura and Elana. They are going to help me polish my first 15 pages to a shine for submission to the LA critique and beyond that, the first 50 for a special "classified assignment." CTK also includes an adult literary agent and editor who has volunteered her services but who's identity must remain a secret for now.

Lastly, in light of the economy, there is one department which the Boss Man says MUST GO! This is the Self Doubt Department. My desk was recently moved into this room and I feel it's totally UN-Feng-Shui and messes up my mojo. I am taking the Boss up on this idea.

Boy, I could literally go on and on listing people and departments without whom this book would not be possible. It's strange to think about how many people it has taken to get me here. Does everyone operate like this? Oh! And I also have a few job openings. The first and most critical is the "Agent" post. Interested parties may inquire within.

Here's hoping for success! Thanks to all who work at this amazing corporation!