I know. It's been awhile since I last posted and here I was vowing to post once a week on LJ. Sigh.

Ducks 1 - 4: The good news is that I've been busy and that's the only reason I've been away. I'm still meditating, I'm still taking yoga (two classes a week), I'm still working on my WIP (almost done), I'm still reading.

Duck 5: Last weekend I attended a novel writing retreat at the Vermont College of the Arts - for part 1 of my experience, click here. I'll post part 2 tomorrow. It was an incredible experience that reminded me of my early experiences as a newbie attending SCBWI conferences. I felt inspired, connected, giddy, and motivated! I met amazing people and made some new friends. I heard fabulous speakers (Julie Berry, Lauren Myracle, Cyn Leitich Smith, and editor Andrea Tompa)! I got to room with my WWa WWa, cfaughnan who for ten years has co-run this amazing retreat. And for the first time ever - I read my work out loud to a group of strangers! It was an incredible experience - I was nervous, but calm as I read 2-1/2 pages out loud. (I did not look up at the group, however.) There is nothing as amazing as having a group of 36 people listen and react (with laughter in appropriate places) to my words. Even better? I was able to hear everyone read their work out loud and I was very impressed with the quality of writing! A great weekend!

Duck 6: If all goes well, Bob, Trixie and I will be moving into our new home this week, but I don't want to say more for fear of jinxing it (we've been held "hostage" by Wells Fargo and their incompetence at trying to clear to close. It's a long hellish story and one I don't care to rehash).

Duck 7: While I miss Home in California - and I miss my friends and family and easy homelife tremendously, I'm really enjoying living in CT. It's almost like "coming home" because New England/the East Coast is where I pretty much started my children's writing career and got involved with SCBWI and the writing community. I'm so happy to reconnect with my writing group (jbknowles and cfaughnan) and all my friends on this coast!


(only 2 ducks here, but I assure you there are more and they are all in a row!)

Duck 8: Yesterday, I spent an awesome day in Boston where I met up with cynthialord and her wonderful daughter. We shopped, ate, browsed bookstores (yes, more than one!), talked, laughed, walked, and had amazing cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake.



While walking, someone called us "Charlie's Angels" as we walked by! :) All in all a perfectly wonderful and WARM (47!) day!

Hope you have a ducky week!