June is passing by

It's totally "summer" here in Seattle. Which means lots of things, none of which is sun or warmth. Most days we're still in sweaters and jeans. I might defiantly shove my feet into a pair of flip flops, but then I just end up with cold toes, so it's not really worth the optimism.

We're wrapping up our first week of the kid's vacation. And, I have to admit, it's gone well. I work about three hours a day, and that's a little hard to fit in, but is doable in bits and pieces. Max and Claire have accompanied me to the grocery store once, a group trip that I usually dread. Before we left I sat them down and told them I would buy one box of popsicles, but that they weren't allowed to ask for anything else. They tried really hard not to. And once we got to the produce section we went wild loading our cart with pineapple, cherries, raspberries, and kiwi and that seemed to make them happy enough. It was...dare I say...fun!

***

On Tuesday afternoon, J. and I went to an office to sign some Very Important Papers. I was able to secure a playdate for Max, but Claire had to come with us. This office had a basket of snacks in the lobby, from which they let Claire choose something. She picked cornuts, which, if you didn't know, are the loudest foodstuff on this earth. Think hominy, but crunchier.

So, we are in a very quiet conference room scribbling our signatures on things. I am attempting to whisper jokes while my whip-smart husband asks lawyerly questions that I wouldn't even think of. And Claire sits at the head of the table listening to a Judy Moody book on my iPod and devouring cornuts. It sounded like a small construction site in her mouth. Luckily the woman shuffling the papers around and explaining things was very kind and also the mom of a seven-year-old girl.

***

This happened and is kind of noteworthy:

I finally formatted and received a hard copy proof of Spectacle. This took hours and several clumps of missing hair to accomplish (not including years of writing the manuscript) and I'm kind of proud. I always swore up and down that I'd never go through a "vanity press" just to see my book in print. But Createspace, owned by Amazon, has a pretty good program and I needed a few review copies.

I'm hard at work, between kid care, actual employment, and moving shit in the house from one place to another, also known as "organizing", on my next manuscript. It's another YA. A novel in lists. Kind of strange, right? But I think we all like to read lists, find it easy and quick, and I hope, really hope this works. I think it does. Here's the quick synopsis I wrote on GoodReads:

>>I am currently working on a somewhat experimental YA novel (as yet untitled) about a girl named Nelly Platt who is an actor in L.A. with a role on a YouTube-based cop drama called True Blue.

She's falling for the wrong guys (narcissistic actor types), and panicking as her younger brother Graeme starts displaying symptoms of an aggressive disease.

When he gets really sick and Nelly loses her job on True Blue (which is the family's bread and butter), she has to figure out how to keep everything afloat.

The twist on this whole thing is that Nelly is an uber organized control freak who keeps continually updated lists on her iPhone. The novel is told in list format.<<

So, that's that.

***

Oh, and I finally bought my ticket to China for October! I'm going to be so out of my element, but I'm really, really excited.

It's crazy to think that a year ago J. and I were meeting in Detroit and jetting off to France for a week. How did I get so lucky to be able to travel far and wide?

Comments

[M]

Corn nuts..they are loud..and they make your breath stinky!! But her mouth was happy, so she was happy!

Congrats on the "book in hand". (Remember "cupcake in hand"?) That's exciting and I want to own one, too!

[Averil]

That book is beautiful, definitely an eye-catcher. And I love the idea of a story told in list format. You're right, we all dig lists and I'd imagine you can squeeze a lot of story into them.

Your kids are a lot like my son at the grocery store. I always tell him he can have anything he wants, as long as it comes from the produce section. Leave it to a kid to find the fruit roll-ups.

[Karen (formerly kcinnova)]

Oh, YAY!!! Hardcopy!!! There is something so incredible about holding a book in your hand (I'm not a convinced e-reader... maybe because I don't own one) and I cannot even imagine the thrill of holding YOUR OWN BOOK in your hand. Just... WOW.

Corn nuts? Ick. But funny to have the loud crunching while trying to get Important Things signed.
China? I'm excited for you! If my friend ~A~ still lived there (she matches or exceeds you in height), I'd be downright jealous.

[sarah piazza]

I think the list format is intriguing!