If you were told a piece of express mail was just dumped on your doorstep, sent from the “Bound Company,” what would you think?

Bound Company? As in…bound books? As in…publishing? As in…someone is offering me a contract for one of my picture books?! I didn’t submit anything to Bound, but maybe it’s a subsidiary of a publisher I had contacted.

My husband plucked the bright yellow DHL envelope off our porch and asked me if I was expecting something.

“Who’s it addressed to?”

“It just says Lazar.”

My heart did little flips. I always imagined I’d get a phone call offering me a book deal, but an express letter will do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I ripped it open without even looking at the address label.

“It’s a bunch of checks, and they’re not for us,” I told my husband, confused.

Turns out, he was saying “Bowne Company,” not Bound. And the checks are for his employees.

Move along now. Nothing to see here.