I submitted the photos in question on October 29.  If they’re to be included in the field guide, I suspect it might be up to 30 days before I know for certain.

The last update?  An e-mail from the publisher:

Thanks Jason. We’ll decide what we need and be in touch with you. It can be a slow process.

Keep in mind they contacted me, not the other way around, so I have at least some hope that my pictures already have a leg up on the competition.

Time will tell, though.  I’ll keep you posted.

I submitted the photos today.  What photos?  These photos.

Here’s what I can tell you in addition to what I already said about this.

The book is a field guide to wildflowers.  Its scope appears regional.

I can tell you it’s being written by “noted naturalists Rick and Nora Bowers, with Stan Tekiela,” and will cover more than 200 species.

The publisher says their “goal is to educate people on the wonderful variety of wildflowers and the types of habitat critical to their survival.”

Although I only posted a few photos of the specific flower about which they contacted me, I provided them with the handful of images I have of that species.  They can peruse what’s available and decide which, if any, fulfill their requirements.

If they decide to use one or more of the photos, we’ll sign a contract selling publication rights to them for the image(s) they choose to publish, and only for the one book presently being considered.  Any future use will require a new contract.

You can see the flower in question in the last photo of this post and in the whole of this post

I again will admit what I’ve said all along: I’m an amateur when it comes to photography.  The photos I post here are the result of luck and numbers (i.e., I take a lot of pictures with the hope that at least one of them will be presentable).  To have been contacted about this represents a thrill I never imagined and can’t describe.

Even if none of the images are used, receiving that preliminary e-mail was a fantastic buzz.  It was also a kick in the pants telling me to keep doing what I’m doing, to keep snapping photos of what catches my eye.  Somewhere, someone wants to see the same thing.

Or so I believe.

As I said previously, I’m making a trip the family farm this weekend.  The reason?  One of my aunts is flying in from New York for a visit.  I can’t wait to see her, the crazy ol’ lady, for I’ve not seen her in years and have missed her zany ways.  I only wish I could spend more time with her, but her journey southward came as a short-notice surprise to me.

I’ll do my best to grab some photos while I’m out there, but understand this trip already has its share of activities to fill two days, let alone one.

On another note, I have more news on the message I received from a publishing company looking to use one of my photos in an upcoming book.  The deal is moving forward.  The book is a nature guide.  It’s written by some very well-known naturalists.

No, I won’t reveal more information on that at present, and it’s unlikely I’ll reveal precisely which book or, if I do, which photo.  At least I won’t reveal all those details on this blog.  When and if this discussion culminates in publication, I’ll make that clear and will share the specifics with those who won’t use my real name and information for disagreeable purposes.  Remember I blog pseudonymously for a reason; therefore, understand my reason for not sharing the details openly here while that’s the case.

In the future, however, that will change.  Just not right now. . .  So you can expect to share in my excitement if this culminates in something cool.  Similarly, you probably can expect to know the name of the book should it happen.  Maybe.  What you won’t know is which photo is mine, and that because it will carry my copyright, something that would reveal my real and full name.

The weather today has been nothing short of extraordinary and most welcome.  Cool with a gusty north wind, the overnight hours and this morning welcomed life with a drenching rain followed by gray skies and brisk breezes.  The temperature is more than 30 degrees cooler than yesterday at this time, and it’s expected to fall another ten degrees before tomorrow morning.

Ah, autumn has arrived.

And the rest of the week has highs at least 20 degrees cooler than it has been.  I can’t tell you how happy I am!  While others at work today arrived wearing jackets and complaining of the cold and having to use their heaters for the first time in what seems like forever, I dressed in my normal attire and wallowed in the colder temperatures.  It’s still warmer than I like, but this certainly is a step in the right direction.

I’m on call this week.  Keep that in mind if posting seems sporadic.  A dearth doesn’t equate to abandonment, only an attempt to pay the bills.

I received this e-mail today:

[W]e would like to purchase the use of a photograph from your website. Please let me know how to proceed and I can send you further information about our company.

It’s from a reputable company with a history of publishing a variety of nature field guides (among other things).

Kinda cool, huh?  Let’s see what happens. . .