Today's word of the day is: Inauguration, a new beginning.

I'd be there in person, if I could, if there were room for another person to stand anywhere on the Mall. But from what I can see on CNN, the entire city of Washington D.C. looks to be as crowded as a rush-hour subway train.

This is the most amazing day in the life of our democratic system. ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is: Audition, a process in which an eager applicant often makes a fool of him- or herself in public.

There's a new "American Idol" season starting that I caught a few minutes of this week. The first few episodes of a season are the only ones that interest me because of all the desperate characters who come crawling out of the ( Read more... )

The word of the day is: Moving Fast.

The M in Project M should stand for Moving Fast. I got the information for this series last week, spoke with an editor, and drafted an opening chapter over the weekend. I sent it in for comments on Monday and had a conference with the editor on Tuesday. Now I'm working from revision notes on another draft chapter ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is Finally, an expression of relief after years of outrageous injustice.

When I was growing up, Jim Rice was one of my all-time heroes. Rice played left field for the Boston Red Sox from my childhood through my teen years. He never played for any other team. Rice put up some totally sick numbers during his career, including a ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is: Project. It's not a book or a manuscript yet because most of it still only exists inside the author's head. "I'm working on a new project" sounds just as impressive as "I'm working on a new book" but also covers those times when "new project" is writerese for "new game of Minesweeper."

My new project is a magical mystery ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is: Bingo!

I've never won a game of Bingo in my life--not that I've even played in the last twenty years--but I was at a holiday party last night and there were Bingo cards to be had and one thing led to another...

My card was unlucky for the first few games, going deep into each session without a hit while other cards filled ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is: Website, your virtual face.

I maintain the New England SCBWI website, which undergoes a facelift and feature enhancement every few years...

Version 1.0 (2000-2002):


( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is: Cranberry Sauce, food of the gods!

You know that gelatinous red goo that plops into a serving bowl, still retaining the perfect shape of the can it came in? That's not a complement to your Thanksgiving dinner, it's an insult! You can't even call it cranberry sauce, any more than you'd pry meat out of a can and call it ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is Howl-a-Day, combining two parts holiday with one part full moon.

I'll be signing copies of THE PENGUINS OF DOOM today (Saturday) at the Howl-a-Day Craft Event in Waltham, Massachusetts, from 10AM to 4PM to benefit Greyhound Friends, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving racetrack greyhounds and placing them in ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is pitch, the process of throwing a book against the wall to see if it will stick.

After a manuscript is written, "the pitch" is what gets it turned into a book. The pitch, in the form of a query letter, is made to an agent. The pitch, in the form of a submission, is made to an editor. The pitch, in the form of accounting ( Read more... )