Managing the Mayhem – September

Running on Coffee and Chaos

September didn’t just arrive — it lunged into the room like a caffeinated raccoon wearing steampunk goggles and demanding attention. I thought I was prepared. I had a plan. A real plan. A tidy little roadmap that said, “This month will be manageable.”

September took one look at that plan, snorted, and said, “Adorable. Anyway…” Because this month? This month has been fueled entirely by coffee, chaos, and temperatures that violated several laws of nature.

We kicked things off with the Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, MO — a delightful event that decided to cosplay as the surface of the sun. Friday hit 116 degrees. Saturday hit 120. I’m pretty sure time slowed down, reality wobbled, and at least one of my water bottles tried to file for workers’ comp. But we ran that booth like champions, sweating, smiling, and occasionally questioning our life choices.

And then, miraculously, the weather broke. Sunday and Monday arrived like a cool breeze sent by benevolent festival gods, and suddenly people had enough energy to browse, chat, and buy books instead of melting into the pavement. It was glorious. It was profitable. It was chaos with a happy ending.

We’ve already reserved our booth for next year. Because apparently I thrive in chaos and heatstroke.

And of course, September didn’t stop there. It noticed I took a few days off for my birthday vacation in late August — a tiny slice of peace, a moment to breathe — and immediately used that opportunity to turn my schedule feral. Then it saw me distracted by the Steampunk Festival and said, “Oh good, she’s not looking,” before gleefully rearranging deadlines, appointments, and priorities like a toddler reorganizing a bookshelf. I returned to the office after a four day absence on Tuesday to find my calendar sitting in the corner, wide‑eyed and trembling, whispering, “It went feral. I couldn’t stop it.”

Papers were stacked everywhere, the inbox has been auditioning for the role of “villain in a psychological thriller” and my schedule attempted another jailbreak. Technology sensed weakness and immediately launched a coup. And somewhere in the middle of all this, new authors wandered in like confused woodland creatures looking for snacks and contracts. I welcomed them, of course, because nothing says “professional publishing house” like onboarding new talent while your brain is running on iced coffee and sheer determination.

And then there’s the secret project. The one I’m not naming yet. The one that’s going to change how people discover new books in a way that’s actually fun. I am so excited about this and everyone I’ve let peek at it was overwhelmingly tickled by it.

I won’t give details — not yet — but let’s just say the chaos has been productive. And if everything continues behaving (unlikely), we should be able to reveal it before the end of the year.

September didn’t follow the outline. September didn’t even pretend to follow the outline. But the work still moved forward. The books still found their readers. The mayhem was wrangled, bribed with caffeine, and occasionally threatened with exile. And honestly? That’s enough. More than enough.

Looking Ahead to October

September may be running on coffee and chaos, but October is already peeking around the corner with a suspicious grin and a pumpkin spice latte. I’m sure it has plans. I’m sure those plans don’t involve my plans. But I’ll make another outline anyway.

It will last slightly longer than the last one. Maybe. Probably. We’ll see. Until then, keep managing your mayhem... or at least pretending you are.

Pretending still counts. Always.

By Lisa M. Orban