Updates on BIG IN JAPAN
My publisher keeps sending me what I can only describe as teasers about my upcoming novel, which is set to release July 28th. I still haven’t seen the cover for Big in Japan, but they tweeted that it’s done and it’s fantastic and innovative and … it’s killing me! I’ve got to see this thing! The […]
A Few Tastes of Old Mexico
So, my babysitter of eight years and the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen has just celebrated her one year anniversary of marrying her husband Hector. Congratulations, Britlyn. You’ve saved my sanity on so many levels so many times. Every mother needs a Britlyn. I wish every frazzled mom out there some darling tweenager who […]
Happy Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!
Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, all. What a great day designation. Maybe I’ll have to make a batch. Of course, just last night my 7yo and I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I know it’s not autumn, but pumpkin cookies are so easy that they’re always in season around here. […]
A Good Problem to Have
The other day was my dad’s birthday. I sent him a book, of course. Oh, and some balsa wood planes. Those are fun. I sent him Joann Mortensen’s biography of her great-great grandfather King Follett. My dad’s a retired history teacher, so he loves a good biography. And this one is. Anyway, we were on […]
Elf (novel) on the Shelf!
My friend Anna from my American Night Writers group has been “bitten by the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy-bug,” she says, and is on an elf novel kick. Her sixth elf novel in just five years is now in print and e-book and ready to read, all you fantasy fans! I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I admit […]
Change Your Point of View
Somewhere in one of the songs on my running MP3 there’s a line, “change your point of view.” It might be in “Man in the Mirror.” No, I am not running very fast. And I’m proud of it. Anyway, as I’m prepping for this big rewrite of my NaNo novel, I got an idea about […]
The Sign of a Wasted Life
My friend has a plaque in her kitchen: “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life.” Is there a corollary that says a dirty house is a sign of an unwasted life? I’m not sure. All I know is that I’ve now proven to myself indisputably that a clean house and concentrated writing […]
Too Many Exclamation Points !!!
So, the edits are finally done and sent off to the publisher. Yeah! Now I can go see The Avengers as a celebration! It’s weird what a read-through can turn up. I’m really glad they sent me this round of edits. The thing that jumped out at me on this the 75th read-through–exclamation points. Lots […]
Books as the Enemy
Lately I’ve had a couple of conversations with friends and acquaintances about books, but not in a good way. These women echoed themes I’ve heard over the years–that some people have an adversarial relationship with books. Last night, for instance, I was talking to a woman when I dropped off my girls at their activity. […]
Final (?) Edits
My publisher sent me the latest round of edits for Big in Japan–and there’s hope this will be the last. I’m poring over the lines, looking for typos and flubs, and I can start to feel the energy of this-book-is-really-going-to-be-in-print! The MS is 322 pages in Word, and I’m on page 133 of this read-through, […]