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1. I am a huge fan of the absurd. Check out this article by the Onion on author book signings: www.theonion.com/articles/author-promoting-book-gives-it-her-all-whether-its,19985/
2. We just got Friday Night Lights on DVD, the final season. I am so hooked on Texas football and these characters. It's interesting to me that each year they allow the characters to move up a year in high school, graduate, leave the show, and bring on new characters. They keep the heart of the show Eric and Tammi Taylor. 
3. After reading this post on romance by S. Jae Jones, I'm looking at a rewrite for my YA romantic comedy. Thanks, kellyrfineman, for that link!
4. Have a great weekend!!!
4 1/2. Happy Spring!!!

1. I'm reading Cheryl Klein's Second Sight right now. I bought it at a writing conference and our conference coordinator described it as a "Master class in children's literature." That was not an exaggeration. Highly recommend.
2. We're getting signs of spring over here--Little League and soccer are starting up, and then there's these little beauties:
3. Daffodils!!!



4. I recently found my 2011 goals (they were hiding under a pile of papers. Ahem.), and discovered I have kept up with all my writing and reading goals, and none of my cleaning/organizing/exercising goals.
4 1/2. Clearly, I need to make a shorter list next year.

1. Isn't Nature the best April Fooler of all? At least here in New York, we got snow in April! Fooled ya! Thought it was spring, did you?
2. I just got back from the Whispering Pines Writers Retreat, which was fantastic. Great setting, great food, great company. I'm totally inspired!
3. I didn't take any pictures this year, but if you're curious about Whispering Pines read this lovely post by Betsy Devaney
4. Hope it feels like spring where you live!
4 1/2. Ooh, I did get one picture from last year. Doesn't the mantel say it all?

1. Well, lollipop in lieu of valentines was a big success in 8 y.o.'s classroom, and he was so happy to have something to give out because EVERYONE brought Valentines with candy. I'm not the kind to say, I told you so...
2. I did say, Mom can be right. To which he said...
3. Sometimes.
4. Tough crowd here.
4 1/2. I'm working on a new genre, YA romantic comedy, and having the best time watching romantic comedies and reading romantic comedies.
4 3/4. It's such fun to start a new story! Tell me where you're at in the writing process.

I feel like such an old lady that I'm so excited about:

1. These really toasty warm wool socks.

2. My new Lands End Dream Fleece pajamas--they really are a dream. Le sigh. Like walking around in a sleeping bag.

3. My fleece fingerless gloves that convert into mittens

4. My full-length down coat... 

4 1/2.  Despite the fact it makes me look like Han Solo, and other moms offer veiled insults to me, like [chuckle] "My, you look...warm."

1. We are gearing up for a trip to Disney World--break out the mouse ears! I'm my kids are counting down the days!
2. The Big Guy can't wait to go to Universal for Harry Potter land. I've heard it's like the book sprung to life!
3. Butter beer! Every flavor jelly beans! OK, calm down with the exclamation points! 
4. Seriously! 
4 1/2. Have you ever forgotten to set your clock back an hour? I haven't, but someone at work once did and it was so funny when she left at 4 thinking it was 5. We couldn't figure out why she left early at first. The next day we set her straight--despite the loss of future comedy. :p

1. I finished my Novel Writing class last month and I knew I'd really miss having the one-on-one guidance of my instructor. I even told her in my last letter, I NEED A MENTOR!

2. Lo and behold, for the month of October anyway, I have not 1, not 2, but 3 mentors!!!

3. I'm in a mentor program through the blueboards for the month, will meet my mentor for the day at the Rutgers One-on-One conference next week, and will be working with accomplished author and mentor (though she's unaware I consider her a mentor or maybe she does know, she's a smart lady mentoring all us writers)  Patricia Reilly Giff through her workshop for the month.

4. Aahh!!!! It's pretty cool.

41/2. Also, it's a gorgeous fall here in New York. Here's the view outside the window where I write:

1. Both boys are home full-time and they're fighting like cats and dogs. Ah, summer!

2. Getting zero writing done, but looking forward to jbknowles JoNoWriMo this fall to get back into the swing of things.

3.  Reading lots of middle-grade books and sharing them with the Big Guy. I love that he loves to read. It makes me so proud!

4.  Doing lots of agent research for potential querying in the fall. I swear this time, I'm really going to do it.

4 1/2.  How do you not obsess over your query results? I want to be that writer who dives into their next book, not the obsessive-compulsive e-mail checker, phone-ringing-heart-pounding, mailbox stalking kind. Is that even possible?

1. For those of you overwhelmed with greens, I found this AWESOME--as in I ate the whole bowl myself--recipe for swiss chard, which would probably work for other greens too. 

2. The Little Guy and I had a playdate, and can I just say it is great to be four? I joined them for popsicles, bubbles, and a game of baseball with a foam-covered bat and ball. It's good we used the foam-covered baseball stuff because they accidentally hit themselves and me with both ball and bat as the game wore on. 

3. There were a lot of home runs!

4. I went to a Young Author Event at the Big Guy's school. He confidently read his story, "The Smart Shark," to his second grade class and the parents. Of course, his was the most creative story there! After the applause died down, he told everyone, "And I'm working on a sequel!"

4 1/2. Big Guy told me he wants to be a middle-grade writer just like me! Aww...

1. I'm one of those people who like to HAVE exercised, but hate doing it. This post from Kristi Holl reminded me fitness is tied to creativity. 

2. I find creativity to be a bigger motivator than swimsuit season!

3. My husband has agreed to take the kids to see Marmaduke this weekend, so I can get a block of writing time. This is a win-win-win. I get writing time, the kids get to see Marmaduke, and my husband gets a nap to enjoy that dog's hilarious hijinks!

4. This year we joined a CSA and get a share of vegetables every week from a local farm. I've been picking up a lot of greens--arugula, tatsoi, broccoli rabe. I have no idea what to do with them, so I end up sauteing them with olive oil and garlic. They all end up tasting the same. Any suggestions?

4 1/2. Everything I cook turns out like this:




P.S. I happened upon this crime scene:





Maisy crushed by an army of very-famous children's books, while Max stands by making no move to stop it. Ruby, avert your eyes! (this was not staged, merely a reporting of actual events)

1. Preschool is over (no! already?). On the car ride home, I asked the Little Guy how he liked being done. He said, "Ah, no more shots, no more school, I can finally relax." :p  Apparently, the two shots he got a month ago still haunt him.

2. I'm very excited that the top-secret Middle Grade Book Group Blog (really, it has a much better title than that!) will be going live next week. I'll post a link when it does, there are a lot of wonderful writers contributing content and book giveaways for everything MG.

3. I'm ready to dive into revisions for my latest MG novel, but my schedule isn't.

4. Must. Find. Babysitter.

4 1/2. We're going strawberry picking this weekend. Finally, they're in season. What are your plans?

1. I miss my sister. Wah! She was here for a week to celebrate graduating with her Master's degree and my son's 8th birthday. We called her Master Kim 4.0 to in deference to her GPA. I'm lucky to have a sister who is a forever friend. Unlucky that she lives a nomadic life with her military husband so I don't see her much. Sniff.

2. The town pool opens this weekend. Yahoo!

3. My swimsuit and I can't agree if we're ready for this.

4. Thank you to kimberleylittle  for the book recommendation, Finding Your Voice, by Les Edgerton. It's awesome and gives lots of great tips that make this whole voice mystery so much clearer.

4 1/2. Have a fantastic long weekend! Hope there are barbecues and splashing in your future!

p.s. Here is a picture of my sister and I re-enacting her graduation ceremony (my idea--her actual ceremony was very small and she really wanted to throw her cap in the air at the end):

1. I've been watching Friday Night Lights on DVD--just finished season 1--this show is amazing. The writing and acting are fantastic. I care about every character, and my heart is in my throat every episode. Happy sigh.

2. I confess to a teensy crush on Friday Night Lights' Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler), Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch), and Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford). Please tell me I'm not alone in this. Just look at these cuties!

3. Almost ready for my mother-in-law's visit. Nothing like the last minute. I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning. I'm tired, I'm tired. She'll be here tomorrow!

4. At least visitors offer some motivation for cleaning. 

41/2. Enjoy the weekend!

1. Another huge snowstorm rolling in here. We're expecting up to a foot of snow. It looks like someone is shaking our snowglobe.

2. This is our second stuck-at-home snowbound day, with possibly a third tomorrow. So far we've played in the snow, baked, read books, watched TV. I think we might break out the Magic Science kit my son got for Hanukkah, but hasn't opened yet. Any other ideas? I don't think I can take listening to one more: "I'm bo-o-o-red, what should I do?"

3. I'm bo-o-o-red, what should I do? Oh, sorry, that was me.

4. Only one more week until I go to my first SCBWI Writer's Retreat. I am so excited to go (please don't snow next week), and I'm really looking forward to my 30 minute one-on-one critique session. 

41/2. Happy Wint...who am I kidding? Is it Spring yet?

 1.  My son is a huge fan of Louis Sachar and, in perusing his author website, I discovered he only writes 2 hours a day. And he's prolific and talented!

2. I shall be content with my 2 hours a day writing time.

3. I'm diving back into my MG novel from NaNoWriMo (or for me NaNoWriWeek), and I can't remember where I was going with this one. I think I'll have to sit down and read the whole first draft again.

4. My birthday's coming up on Sunday. I will break my sugar fast and dive into chocolate cake. 

4 1/2. I'm getting dangerously close to 40, but as my husband pointed out, there is still a 3 in front there. Let's just remember that!

 Here's 4 random things for Friday:

1. I gained 2 pounds over the holidays and have now quit sugar. It's been 24 hours since I threw out all the junk and things are just fine.

2. Grr....

3. I pulled out a chapter book that I wrote over the summer and it was like brand new to me. I love this story. After a little research I discovered that a standalone chapter book is a tough sell so I'm now brainstorming ideas for a series. I don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place. Writing a series would be so fun, you get to hang out with your characters for, hopefully, a long while.

4. I'm trying to think myself into liking winter. For example, Pollyanna Self: Isn't it so nice to spend all this time indoors? You can do all your favorite things-writing, reading, watching movies, knitting... (Mumbles) that is when the boys are sleeping. Realistic Self: Hmph. Pass the chocolate. Doh!