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It's been so-oo-ooo long since I posted because:

1. I've been revising a MG novel that I'm sorta obsessed with,
2. And also battling various viruses and power outages that regularly beset my family
2 1/2. Good news! I can play Frere Jacques on my acoustic guitar! First song! In French!


p.s. How are you all? Busy writing? Holiday shopping? Cookie baking is just around the corner!

1. Picture if you will, Chicken Little running around in circles to the tune of The Sky is Falling...My mother is coming! My mother is coming! The house is a mess! Pant. Pant. Pant. 

2. I just finished reading The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler-Corrie. What a fun middle-grade book! Snappy, smart dialogue and a lovable Amy made it a fast read. Besides an interesting plot weaving current day New York City with a history of the city, the whole story was told in a unique way through a series of emails including humorous one-act plays. 

 1. I recently read Tara Kelly's Harmonic Feedback and loved it. The main character, Drea, has Asperger's syndrome, which gives her a unique perspective on the world. But what I thought was most striking about the story was how universal Drea's yearning for connection felt. Above all, Drea's journey felt authentic and real. I hope I'm able to express the same level of emotional truth with my own stories.

2. I'm looking into a work-from-home opportunity--freelance indexer. I was surprised to learn that people write the back of the book index, not computers. There are a variety of training classes you can take, but I'm not sure of the relative quality of the different classes. If anyone has experience in this area, could you point me in the right direction?

1. I'm donating the last of our baby stuff. Sniff. And I'm okay with that. Even though the Little Guy has been begging me for a baby brother. He wants one just like his friend's baby brother Mikey. I said, "What if we have a baby girl?" He replied, "No, not a girl. Keep having babies until you get a boy." Methinks he'll get a goldfish instead.

2. The NESCBWI conference is this weekend and I'm wicked psyched (trying out speaking like the MA natives). The workshops sound fantastic, and I'm so looking forward to meeting up with some of my online writer friends in real life. Hope to see you there!

1. Today Little Guy goes back to preschool after a LONG spring break and I get my two hours of daylight writing time back! Yahoo! I managed to maintain my momentum (what an alliterative day Two on Tuesday is) by spending 15 minutes to an hour each night on my WIP. I felt like a little bird pecking away at it, but I hope in the end I can pull all those little bits together.

2. I was inspired by my visit with a VERY FAMOUS AUTHOR who had a tale to share with me:



Me and VFA Mark Twain reading from the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn