Home, home, home! I'm back in America, in my hometown and my family house, for the first time in over 6-1/2 years...and oh, does it feel good. :) It's amazing how much I'd forgotten while I was gone - and just how happy it's made me to be back, surrounded by family (including my lovely new sister-in-law, who is such a fantastic addition to the ( Read more... )

Wooot! I finished the first draft of "Courting Magic" yesterday afternoon. It's complete at (currently) 32,609 words, and it's been sent off to several fellow writers for critique. The cover went out by email to my newsletter subscribers this morning, and tomorrow it'll be publicly revealed on Jennifer Rummel's fabulous book blog, YA Book Nerd. I ( Read more... )

MrD is still in the middle of his two-and-a-half-week school break right now, so it's mostly family time over here, with bits of sneak-writing slotted in wherever/whenever I can manage them. Mostly, we've been doing a lot of reading (MrD and I are in the middle of re-reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now), visiting castles, playing in the park, ( Read more... )

Oh, did this past week end better than it had begun ( Read more... )

I've never, ever been an outliner for any of my writing - but, surprise surprise, different projects turn out to require different techniques. As I get ready to launch into my big Family Magic rewrite, I've been really struggling to figure out HOW to approach it - and it finally occurred to me that outlining, for once (for me), might hold the ( Read more... )

This week, I could do with some bribes ( Read more... )

Wooot! Saturday morning I sat down with a cup of decaf tea and two pieces of delicious chocolate fudge (made by MrD and his classmates and VERY happily bought by us!)...and I finished the first draft of Family Magic! I am sooooooo happy about this. I love this book, I love the characters so much, and I was SO desperately hoping (but not really ( Read more... )

Oof. I have definitely reached the beached-whale stage of pregnancy! Between my swollen feet and ankles and my unbelievably massive belly...well, let's just say, I'm not doing a lot of walking right now. (And the walking I do do, I mostly regret!)

But! I am doing a lot of writing. In the last couple of days, I've written 4,000 words of Family ( Read more... )

On Sunday, Patrick and I had our twelfth (!) couple-versary. We've been together for twelve years! Yay! (Our 9th wedding anniversary isn't until August, but since we'll have a very young baby at that point, we decided to get serious about celebrating our coupleversary this year. ;p ( Read more... )

Lovely moments from the last 2 days:

• MrD bringing me a big, luscious purple flower that he'd carefully selected for me from the garden.
• Reading Merrie Haskell's Handbook for Dragon Slayers, which was just fabulous! I finished it last night and let out a happy sigh. Full review to follow, either later today or tomorrow.
• Passing 46,000 words on my ( Read more... )