Mon. December 31 The last day of 2007. I'm excited to jump into 2008. I don't usually make new year's resolutions, but I would like to do some things more or less often next year. On the off-chance that listing some of those goals will help me actually achieve them, here goes. In 2008, I hope to do the following... More often: Read, write books that take place now, ride my bike, talk to my sisters, relax, put down the M&Ms, swim when I go to the beach, walk the dog at her favorite park, be spontaneous, and have fun with my family Less often: Sit on my butt, use commas excessively, research, write books that take place in the past, use the treadmill for my dust collection, worry, camp in tents, clean the litterbox (ugh, fine, there's just no getting out of that one), and swear when I drive. I got some fun book news to finish off the year. A library in Italy included Tu Tu e Ancora Tu in their 100 best books of 2007 list! The library selected a hundred books that readers appreciated the most or those they thought were interesting to read. It was pretty cool to see the Italian version of Over and Over You in the same list as books by authors like John Grisham, Michael Crichton, and Nicholas Sparks. Oh, Italy. I want to visit you even more now... Best wishes in the new year!!! Thurs. November 29 It's almost December. I can't believe that. We haven't had much wintery weather yet, which I'm happy about, but without snow everything just looks grey and sad and dull. It's bumming me out, man! While I wait to hear back about the latest revision of my spy novel, I'm going to read, read, read. So far I've read and can recommend: Lessons from a Dead Girl, by Jo Knowles, Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, and Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr. At the moment I'm reading Mistik Lake, by Canadian author, Martha Brooks. I'm not too far in, but this book grabbed me from the first page. I'm sure I'll love it. Occasionally I check Google for updates on Over and Over You. I've noticed that readers of Tu, Tu e Ancora Tu--the Italian version--have been so wonderful and kind to the book! To them, I'd like to say, "Tante grazie!" :) For the second year, Lizzie took her role as Assistant to the Christmas Tree Decorator very seriously...
Tues. October 23 I'm on vacation! Okay, so I'm not on much of a vacation, I'm sitting at the computer in my dining room, surrounded by the chaos that is a half-completed 9th grade Geography project, a few breakfast dishes, and a desk in dire need of dusting. But, hey, I'm in my jammies still. That's vacation-y. I mailed off the latest revision of my spy novel, VIOLINS OF AUTUMN, last week. It was a killer. I swear I seriously thought I might never complete it. I kept thinking of new stuff to add for character development. Then I would think of something to up the intrigue. The book just grew and grew. But it is gone now! Away! Out of my hands! And I get to take a BREAK. I do get paranoid, though, when the manuscript is tucked inside its bubbly envelope, all sealed up tight so I can't get at it again. Sometimes as I'm handing it over at the post office, I want to yank it back, saying, "No, no, wait! Geez, I bet there's a bunch of typos in there that I missed. And I'll bet that dialogue I wrote at 3 a.m. doesn't make any sense at all to somebody who is actually awake!" So, did I find a typo, after the fact? Yeah, I usually do. You'd be surprised by what your brain can skim over time and time again. In one scene, I fiddled around with some dialogue, and now one of my characters says, "You are the only one with hardships, Adele." The line is supposed to read, "You are NOT the only one with hardships, Adele." UGH! One little word changes the meaning altogether. Usually when I'm revising a book, I work almost around the clock like a maniac. I do my best writing between ten p.m. and three a.m. That kind of schedule is hard to keep up for long, especially when you have kids pestering you for clean socks and other stuff like, you know, food at seven in the morning. So when I finally get a book sent off it's a huge relief. I celebrate by doing things I squeeze out of my life while I'm revising. What kinds of things? I love to play Sims 2 games. I read a lot more. I paint rooms in my house. I leave the house again to breathe fresh air. I wear clothes that don't have stains and elastic waistbands. I also exercise like crazy, as if it's possible to fit six months worth of working out into a two week chunk of free-time. Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous. I got all my bike gear on, including my pretty helmet that makes me look like a supreme dork, and off I went. Wheeee! I love my bike! I love the sunshine! I could ride forever! I just kept riding and riding, farther than I'd ever gone before, venturing down new and exciting bike paths. Up some insane hills! The only problem with that is, after an hour and a half you're getting tired and your butt hurts. And then you have to turn around and ride an hour and a half back home! By the time I dragged myself up our driveway, I was merely a shell of the chipper biker who'd left the house. The word WHEEEE! was no longer part of my vocabulary. It sure gave me a new appreciation for the women who were bicycle couriers, during WWII, like my main characters Adele and Denise. I only rode for a few hours, not days, and I wasn't even getting shot at by Nazis! What I'm reading now: BLOOD BROTHERS, by Shirley Harazin TV I'm loving: PUSHING DAISIES Movies I can't wait to see: JUNO and RATATOUILLE Fri. August 31 Okay, how am I supposed to work. Like this.
Every once in a while Lizzie gives me a look that says, "What? You can still type. Just reach around me." Tues. August 7 My summer has been very busy! I've been revising my spy novel like mad. And the book finally has a temporary title, Violins of Autumn, which is much nicer than Untitled Spy Novel. Or, The Book That Will Never End, as I like to call it. The book takes place in Nazi-occupied France, during WWII. Violins of Autumn comes from the Verlaine poem, Chanson d'Automne. In early June, 1944, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) broadcasted the first line of this poem--The long sobs of the violins of Autumn--to the French Resistance. That code phrase let them know that the D-Day attack would occur within the week. The second line of that poem--wound my heart with a monotonous langour--let the Resistance know that the attack would happen within 48 hours. It was their signal to step up sabotage efforts by attacking German garrisons in France, derailing trains used to transport German soldiers and vehicles, cutting lines of communication, and more. Fortunately, my summer hasn't been all about work. This past weekend we visited my hometown, Kincardine--those of you who've read Over and Over You know that the main character spends her summer in Kincardine!--staying at nearby Inverhuron Provincial Park. At one point almost all my family members from Kincardine and our dogs were crammed onto two campsites, with even more friends and family coming by during the day to visit. That was our first trip to Inverhuron Park and I really enjoyed it. The bike trail was so fun, I rode through it several times each day. And the beach, like Kincardine's beaches, was beautiful. Only one thing marred what was an otherwise great vacation. We woke up the final morning to discover that someone (me!) had locked the keys inside our van! There they were, sitting on the seat, right below the lock. It was so terrible to be able to see them and know we couldn't get at them!! So we began a seach for a locksmith. Do you think we could find one on the Sunday of a long weekend? No. There wasn't a locksmith available anywhere for days. It didn't help that the park is rather isolated in a rural area. Visions of us resorting to smashing a window began to go through my mind. Luckily, we had another vehicle with us. We brainstormed some ideas on our drive into town to gather the supplies needed to break into our own car. When we returned, my sister-in-law, brother, and my husband worked so efficiently together I now suspect they're secretly in a gang of car thieves. When I heard the sound of the doors unlocking after hours of worry and dwindling options, I couldn't have been more relieved. Thanks so much to my wonderful relatives, who may or may not be criminal masterminds, for getting me out of a jam. After leaving the park, we all went to my mom's house in Kincardine to celebrate my daughter's fourteenth birthday. So, the day ended on a good note that included chocolate fudge cake. (Although at home that evening I got one of the worst headaches I've had in years. But did incredible pain stop me from watching Big Brother 8? Heck no!) I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Fri. June 1 Members of the Myspace group TANTALIZE FANS UNITE! recently shared their gothic fantasy reading favorites. I'm thrilled that they recommended Over and Over You! A big 'thank you' to them, and thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of TANTALIZE, for giving me the heads up! You can read the fantastic full list of gothic fantasy faves HERE. Thurs. May 17 In June, Over and Over You will be published in Italy. Here is a sneak preview of the cover!
So lovely! I can't wait to hold the actual book in my hands. I'm curious to know what the object dangling below the title is. My husband thinks it's a bleeding heart, and he might be right. I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that teens in Italy will be reading a book I wrote. It's a dream come true! Fri. April 6 I sat down to work this morning and found that about half of the keys on my keyboard were sticking. And even though I spent almost an hour prying out keys to clean them, some are still sticking down when I type. Evidence collected from the area suggests that someone was eating cereal at my computer and they got milk in the keyboard. UGH!! Strangely, nobody's admitting to it. Go figure. Maybe it was a ghost. Or the cat. Or a cereal-eating-ghost-cat. So, today is a holiday. All week I looked forward to being outside today, gardening in warmth and sunshine. What's the big idea with the snowstorms we're getting?! It's not supposed to snow in April. UGH! I'm a bit cranky today, can you tell? Def Leppard is at Sarnia Bayfest--a huge outdoor concert in July--this year, and my 8th-grader is pestering me to buy tickets. Def Leppard was one of my most beloved bands from my teen years, but for some reason I'm humming and hawing over seeing them in concert. What do you think? Should we go? Usually when I'm feeling bored and out of sorts, I go to the grocery store. I LOVE going to the grocery store (weird, I know). And everything is closed today. I can't even look forward to getting mail. Sigh. So instead, I'm sitting at the computer, pounding away on a sticky keyboard, getting even crankier. I think I'll go do one of the following: bake something, clean something, do a puzzle (uh, nope can't do that, I need the dining room table free for turkey dinner tomorrow), walk the dog, jog on the treadmill, or repeatedly open and close the cupboards and fridge to search for a snack without really knowing what it is I want to eat. Uh oh, I just remembered there's a bag of those delicious foil-wrapped chocolate eggs in my closet... Have a good long weekend everyone! Sat. March 24 I just found out on Google that the Italian publication date for Over and Over You is June 29th! That's only three months away! The cover isn't up on the Internet, yet, but the Italian title is: Tu, tu e ancora tu. I believe this translates to You, you and still you. Cool, eh?! I'm so freakin' excited. While walking to pick up my son from a friend's house this afternoon, I saw my first robin of the year. Hopefully, Spring is right around the corner. Thurs. March 8 This morning I took the big dog for a run through the park and back. It sure is cold at seven a.m.! Spring, where are you? Today has been the kind of revision day I like. I get so absorbed in work I don't notice that hours have gone by. I'll look at the clock and be completely surprised to see what time it is. That's when I know I'm making good progress on a book. And that makes me happy! My agent and I did some serious brainstorming on my novel recently, and now I have pages and pages of helpful notes to tackle. I love A-HA! moments--when missing pieces of the book-puzzle suddenly come together and click in my head--but I usually wind up with a ton of haphazardly scribbled notes all over the place. Notes that say things like: "Missing link from life in England. Gone to party? Life in rut. Nothing to lose!" and "What does Adele fear most?!!!" It can be tricky to wrap your head around all the new bits and pieces of information and find ways to weave them into the book. You have to really rethink what's already down on the page (uh, computer screen) and accept that it is not set in stone. Movies: Stranger than Fiction is wonderful! One of the best movies of last year. I loved it! Books: I'm reading Such A Pretty Girl, by Laura Wiess ***Writer Debbi Michiko Florence has a lovely updated website. Check it out! Debbi interviewed me when Over and Over You came out. Here's my interview. Thurs. February 1 I'm home from a relaxing vacation to the Bahia Principe resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The weather was gorgeous, the pools were awesome, the beach was incredibly beautiful, and the food and drinks were all-inclusive (my favorite kind). My sister-in-law and I loved Jose, the bartender at the Internet cafe. What a sweetie! And I found out that I LOVE pumpkin. Every time they served it at the breakfast buffet, I loaded my plate. Apparently, I also love french bread slices covered in cheese and ham... but that's not such a surprise. My one big complaint would have to be The Disco, which was terrible most nights. One night they played great music, but only a few of us had stayed awake long enough to enjoy it. Another night we requested ACDC and Guns and Roses. As soon as that music started, the dance-floor--which remained empty most of the time due to the near-constant CRAPPY music--flooded with excited people who seemed to come from out of nowhere. Then the D.J. cut our music short and everybody left the dance-floor again. Just terrible!!! So my brother, sister-in-law, another couple, and I decided to set up a table on the huge outdoor stage in the market and have our own party. One of our friends had brought a mini stereo, so we ate burgers and danced around to '80s and '90s music until the middle of the night. Then everybody went swimming in the pool at 4:30 am. We were the only people awake in the whole resort, I think. What a total blast that night was!
The day I left for the airport I found out that my friend, Cynthia Lord's middle grade novel, RULES, won a Newbery Honor. The Newbery is one of the most prestigious kid's book awards. Cindy is a wonderful person and RULES is a fantastic book--one I heartily recommended in this journal, back in July--and I was thrilled that she and her book were recognized so highly. YAY Cindy and RULES! Tues. January 16 Those of you who read this journal frequently know that I'm a bit of a pop culture freak. I love TV, movies, award shows, and glammed up celebrities in way-overpriced dresses. Some of you may be shocked by what I'm about to say. Appalled, even! Aghast! Flabbergasted! Knocked for six! Incapable of speech, especially temporarily! (Thank you, Encarta dictionary). Ready your smelling salts.... I did not watch the Golden Globes!! I know, it's almost inconceivable that *I* didn't watch. But I had a good reason. His name is Jack Bauer. First off, no channels here carried the Red Carpet, so I had to scratch that. Then the award show began, and all I could think was, I wonder what's happening on 24... I know, I know, I could have recorded 24 to watch later. I was recording it to watch later! I switched anyway. What a show 24 is! I thought the first four hours were phenomenal. And, what can't Jack and Chloe do? In writing news, I finished a revision of my spy novel over the holiday break. Frequent readers of this journal also know that I sometimes go into Deadline Freakout Mode, which is characterized by high coffee consumption, heart palpitations, a look of madness in the eyes, disheveled appearance, senseless muttering, and furious keyboard activity, mostly between the hours of 9 pm and 3 am. I swear, I almost laughed like a complete lunatic at the post office, when I was finally able to mail the manuscript off to my agent. I get to sleep again! And shower! And actually make sense when I talk to people! Now I just have to anxiously wait to hear back about whether or not my agent likes the book. Writers are always paranoid about something... Tues. December 12 Anybody giving a copy of my book, Over and Over You, to that hard-to-shop-for teen girl on your holiday list? Would you like a bookplate sticker signed by the author? I would be happy to send one to you! Simply go to the Contact Me page of my website. Let me know where to mail the bookplate, and if you'd like, the name of the recipient of the book, so I can sign it to them personally. The holidays are right around the corner, so if you'd like one, don't delay! Ohmigosh, the holidays are right around the corner! Ack! The contracts for my Italian book sale have arrived. I know they're just sheets of paper, but still, they're so cool. Sometime next year, I'll get to hold an Italian version of my book in my hands! I won't be able to read it, but I bet it will look just lovely. ;-) Fri. December 8
Remember how in my last entry I talked about the strangely warm weather we were having? One of the greatest things about growing up in Kincardine? Snow days. We didn't go a year without snow days. We had lots of them. As a kid, I absolutely loved getting that early morning "NO SCHOOL!" phone call from a friend. Or I'd wake up and hear a wicked wind, turn on the radio and hear the announcement that my school was closed for the day. My kids are in 8th, 7th, and 5th grade and they have never, ever known the pure joy that is a snow day. Until today! I woke up to my middle daughter saying to a friend on the phone, "I'm gonna play outside. All Day!" All day? What!? I turned on the radio just as they announced that all elementary and high schools, the college, and the university were closed. Okay. No school at all for anyone? That just doesn't happen here in London. How much snow did we get during the night?
Here's my oldest daughter, preparing to shovel the driveway. Good luck, Kate! :) Tues. November 28 I made the mistake of buying Blue Diamond's Maui Onion & Garlic almonds, and now I can't stop eating them. They're sitting on my computer desk, whispering, "Eeeeat us... just one moooore." Darn, delicious talking almonds!! Anybody who wants further evidence that Global Warming is occurring should make a trip to my city. I can't believe the weather we're having. People are running in shorts. Kids are wearing sweaters, not coats (or mittens, or hats, or snow boots) to school. Jogging with the dog at the park this morning, the temperature felt downright hot. Hard to believe it's the end of November! And it's very difficult to shop for my family's Christmas gifts when it seems like the entirely wrong season for it. I have a ton of housework and writing to do today. How come when I have a ton of work to do, all of the sudden I don't feel like doing anything more strenuous than surfing the Net and snacking? Sigh. Time to put a lid on the almonds and get moving... Tues. November 14 Do you like shows about flipping houses--Property Ladder, Flip That House, that kind of thing? I love them. Revising a book is a lot like renovating a house. You have to remove the junk, knock out a few walls, and sometimes strip whole areas down to the bare bones. That's the process I'm going through in my spy novel revision--clearing out the junk and stripping the story down to the basics. Gutting manuscripts and homes is scary, because all you see is a very messy, partially-completed version of what will *hopefully* be beautiful in the end. Now, I do love to cut! cut! cut! during revision, after I've taken some time away from a manuscript and can read it with a different perspective (i.e. I have to take off the rose-coloured glasses and see it for how it really is.) But a stripped down house/manuscript isn't a finished product. Everything that has been cleaned out must be replaced. I sometimes worry that I won't be able to flesh out the story and the characters; make them new, and fresh, and better than before. My friend Nancy Werlin is blogging about her experience in at the National Book Awards, in NYC, this week. You should check out the shoes she'll be wearing. They are pretty fantastic, but I would seriously fall flat on my butt if I tried to walk around in them. Four inch heels! If you'd like to share her trip vicariously, you can read HERE. Good luck, Nancy!! Tues. October 24 In an earlier entry, I mentioned that I had good writing news, and I think it's okay to share it. Italian rights to Over and Over You have sold! Isn't that cool? I've always wanted to sell foreign rights, but I wasn't sure if it would happen, especially since my book is now over a year old. When my agent called to tell me the good news, I was shocked. When I got off the phone, I couldn't stop grinning. Kids in Italy will get to read my book! I'm looking forward to seeing the Italian book cover. I just found out that my friend, Gillian Chan--President of CANSCAIP, and young adult author--is going to be a contestant on Jeopardy! this Friday. Wow! My husband and I love the show, and we play against each other almost every night. When we met in college, he knew I was the girl for him, because I was the first person to ever beat him at Jeopardy! (that's putting it nicely--I CRUSHED him, hehehe). Good luck, Gillian! We'll be rooting for you! Thurs. October 12 TV: Tonight is my TV-Night! Oh, who am I kidding, almost every night is my TV-Night. But Thursday night is the best. Survivor, Earl, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty (and Ultimate Fighter, too. Any fellow UFC fans reading this?). It's TV Heaven!! Book News: I just found out that my friend Nancy Werlin's novel, The Rules of Survival, is a finalist for the National Book Award! Woo! That's huge book news. HUGE, I tell you. I haven't read Rules of Survival, yet, but I can't wait to. And my publisher's graphic novel imprint, First Second, has a book in the five finalists, which is cool. Every morning after we drop our kids off, a bunch of us parents go for a long walk with our dogs, through the park behind the school. Some mornings there are as many as ten dogs there, and it's funny to watch them play and chase each other around. It's like a play-group for dogs. This morning, everybody had other commitments. My big dog and I couldn't skip out on exercise (I'd eaten an oatmeal cookie for breakfast. But, hey, anything with oats in it can't be too bad for you!), so I took her to Springbank Park, instead, which is one of London's nicest parks. And it was so fun to get out with the dog and do something different. I have an awesome new MP3 player that my husband loaded up with more than six-hundred songs. Usually, I just listen to the playlist I made up for running on the treadmill, but today I put it on shuffle and let it go. Every so often, a song I hadn't heard in a long time would come on, like old Weezer, Soundgarden, U2, and Foo Fighters, and every time it happened it was like a neat little surprise. We walked, and walked, and walked some more. I almost didn't want to go home! But we had to. I have a revision due in December, and the poor exhausted dog had some sleeping to do. When I got in, I called to the cat, because she loves to come greet me when I get in. From the kitchen, I heard a little, "Mew!" There she was. Sitting on top of the fridge. I should write a picture book called, Lizzie the Naughty Kitty. Fri. September 29 I almost can't believe I did this, but this afternoon I booked a trip to the Dominican Republic! Ack! You'd think that would make me really excited. It totally stressed me out. I do not part with money easily. And I maxed out my credit card. Ack, again! It's a done deal now, though. In January, I am so outta here. Nothin' like a big, icy margarita to make you care less about your financial woes. After I booked the trip, while I still felt a little sick about spending so much money, my agent called with very surprising news that made me feel a whole lot better. I can't stop grinning. I'm superstitious about writing stuff, so I can't say at the moment what the news is. I'll just say, I think it's pretty cool! Our kitty, Lizzie, is getting kind of round around the middle, and I wondered how that was happening. We measure her food out correctly. Today, I caught her sitting inside the bag of dog food, chowing down like it was a free, all-you-can-eat buffet. Such a brat. But she's so darn cute. She's also pretty fearless, which scares me. She likes the dog and she loves water. I gave the dog a bath today, and she sat on the toilet, watching. Maybe she was just there to mock the dog... Thurs. September 7 The kids have gone back to school. I love them and all, but YAY!!! I've started writing a new book, with only vague ideas to go on, so that makes me a little nervous. It's hard to face 200 blank pages and know you have to fill them in. With words that actually go together and make sense! We have a new kitty at our house. Her name is Lizzie. Isn't she cute? When she's not busy terrorizing plastic bags, rolls of toilet paper, and my daughter's foam hair curlers, or jumping out at the dog from behind corners (boo!), or hopping up on the table to sleep in my fruit bowl (ick!), she's a very sweet girl.
Sat. September 2 I can't believe Summer is over. School starts on Tuesday. Wow. I don't think it's hit my tomato plants that summer is over, either, because I still don't have a single ripe one out there in the garden. When we got back from our four-day camping trip to The Bruce National Park, we found out that my daughter's fastball team had won the play-offs while we were away. Yay, girls! My daughter was upset that she wasn't there to take part in those games and I was sad we weren't there to cheer them on. But her fabulous coaches are having a party for the team this weekend, so we'll celebrate winning the championship then. I still haven't started writing a new book (I know, that's bad... but I'm stumped!). I've been doing a lot more reading, though. I just finished Markus Zusak's, THE BOOK THIEF. The book takes place in Nazi Germany, during the late 1930s and early years of WWII. Death, himself, narrates the story of main character Liesel Meminger--the Book Thief--from the time she is sent to live with a foster family at age nine, to her early teen years. The Book Thief is a brilliant, exquisitely written novel, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to mature teen readers and adults. If you love books, READ THIS ONE. Happy Labo(u)r Day Weekend, everyone! Thurs. August 24 What an afternoon I had yesterday. I made it through my first author presentation at Book Camp London! I had a group of sixteen kids for the first hour, and then a different group of sixteen came in for the next hour. During the short break between presentations, I had to make a mad dash outside with visions of my husband's car being towed off down the street, to throw more money in the meter. Only twelve days until back to school!! Also, we now have a new kitten named Lizzie. I'll post a photo of her soon. She is CUTE. Mon. August 7 Advanced Reader Copy Offer Notice: Here is the blurb from the book jacket: They promised Meredith nine years of safety, but only gave her three. She thought she had time to grow up, get out, and start a new life. But Meredith is only fifteen, and today, her father is coming home from prison. Today, her time has run out. ****** I was fortunate enough to read this book in manuscript form. I loved it to pieces. Laura is a very talented writer, and if I can get the word out there to even a few librarians and reviewers who otherwise wouldn't hear about the book, I'll be happy. Thurs. July 13 It's been a long time since my last update. This is the busiest summer ever, with lots of baseball, camping, birthdays, and visiting relatives. We celebrated Canada Day weekend in Kincardine. The Scottish Festival was that same weekend, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate enough for me to take many good photos. I added two photos of the beach to the Kincardine Photos page, but they're not the greatest. I haven't started writing a new book yet, so I've been reading a lot more. Cynthia Lord is the author of RULES, a moving middle grade novel about a twelve-year-old named Catherine, who has spent years creating a book of rules for her autistic brother to follow. Rules such as "No toys in the fishtank", "keep your pants on in public", "If the bathroom door is closed, knock (especially if Catherine has a friend over)!" When summer begins, Catherine meets Jason, "a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the potential next-door friend she's always wished for..." Catherine's rules are meant to protect her brother, but they also spare her from embarrassment. That summer, it's her own behavior that forces her to confront her ideas of what is normal? "...a candid and sensitive look at feeling different and finding acceptance--beyond the rules." RULES sometimes made my heart ache and sometimes made my heart soar. I highly recommend it to readers ages 10 to adult! Mon. June 26 We spent the first weekend of summer camping at Turkey Point Provincial Park on Lake Erie. My brother, sister-in-law, and ten-month-old nephew joined us. We all had a lot of fun hiking, playing Scattergories, roasting marshmallows, eating Jiffy Pop, and hanging out at the beach, but I think I'm getting too old for tenting and sleeping on an air mattress on the ground. I'm also getting too old and cranky to tolerate obnoxious drunk girls in neighboring sites who holler every moronic thought that pops into their bubbleheads at three in the morning. Grrrr.... Tonight is '80s movie night at my house. We're going to watch Peggy Sue Got Married. I saw it at the theatre when I was fourteen, and I loved it. It's fun to re-watch older movies you haven't seen in years (two decades have passed since I last saw Peggy Sue Got Married! Yowza!). Sometimes the movies hold up, sometimes they don't. I tried to watch one of my teen-years-favorites, Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves, with the kids recently, and none of us could get though it. I'm a big Kevin Costner fan, and even I had to admit that movie had to be shut off. TV: This season of Deadwood has been absolutely freaking brilliant, so far. They should just hand Emmys to Ian McShane, Timothy Oliphant, and Gerald McRaney right now. Only two more days, and then school's out here... Tues. June 13 Today is my birthday. I'm not doing anything special to celebrate, though, because we already did that on the weekend. My husband bought me a weed whacker (not exactly romantic, but I needed one!) and he made me a totally amazing dinner--filet mignon and baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream, and chives from my garden. My brother and sister-in-law were here with my cute nephew. It's great having a little person in the house again. Oh, the joys of being an aunt. You get all the fun benefits, with none of the work! :) My daughter, Kate, is in fastball this year. How do parents of kids who are in sports do it? I find the games nerve-wracking, especially when they're close. The team won two games in a row, and I felt so proud of them! They've already improved a lot in the short time since their first practice. TV: Sopranos went out with a whimper, which I found incredibly frustrating, since right up to the finale I thought it was one of the best seasons yet. Deadwood came back with a bang! It took me a few minutes to get back into the Shakespearean-style dialogue of the show, but then I was hooked all over again. Summer is such a slow TV time, but that's okay. When it's light outside until late at night, it's difficult to stay indoors. I love to garden and walk the dog at dusk. Movies: Haven't watched too many lately. We enjoyed the family film DUMA. The baby cheetah parts at the beginning are the epitome of cute. We all wanted a cheetah after we saw that movie. And my husband and I both really liked The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. I am looking forward to summer vacation almost as much as my kids!!! We're counting the days... Sat. May 20 The three robins left the nest by my deck, yesterday. I was a little sad to see them go. Now I have nothing to watch while I wash dishes. Here are some photos that I took right before they left the nest. They're a little blurry, because I had to zoom.
It's Victoria Day weekend. To me, May 2-4 means one thing. It's time to start gardening! A bunny lives in the woodpile in my backyard, so I probably won't plant lettuce, carrots, or peas this year, but I will have lots of different tomatoes and peppers (some that are WAY too hot for me to eat--I can't even chew cinnamon gum, for crying out loud). And summer vacation will be here soon. We have three camping trips planned already, to Turkey Point Provincial Park, The Pinery Park, and Bruce National Park (our favorite). Have a fun (but safe--I'm a stickler for safety!) weekend, everyone! Sat. May 14 It's season finale time! The finale of The Office was funny, sweet and perfect, and I loved it. I also loved that My Name is Earl came full-circle, explaining just what happened to introduce Earl to Karma. And drunken Joy kills me every time. If Jaime Pressley doesn't get nominted for a Golden Globe this year, I'll eat my hat (that's a really weird saying). Survivor can be hit or miss, but I really got into this time. I nearly had an anxiety attack when TO BE CONTINUED came up, cutting short the fire competiion between Cirie and Danielle. We're looking forward to the finale on Sunday. And I'm dying to see the two-night Grey's Anatomy finale. The baby robins in the nest by my deck are getting big now. I'll try to post a picture of them next week. I occasionally get hits to my website from people looking for info. on robins, and since this is the time of year when people come across baby birds on the ground, I just wanted to mention that after some birds leave the nest they have a learning period that takes place on the ground. It is okay to leave a found baby bird right where it is, if it is fully feathered and able to hop. The mother is likely in the area, you just can't see her, and she is taking care of the baby. Please, don't try to save it by taking it home. It is also a myth that you can't return a fallen baby bird to the nest, because the mother will reject it. And any bird that is injured or can't be returned to a nest can be taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I still haven't heard from my editor about the new book. I'm becoming more paranoid by the day. I usually convince myself that the news will be bad. What I'm reading: RULES, by Cynthia Lord. Mon. April 24 Yesterday, for the first time, I read through my recently finished spy novel for fun. I spent so much time fighting with that first draft, even hating it because it was so difficult and unlike what I usually write. It felt strange to read through it and be entertained. I still don't know if my editor likes the book, but I do. I like it a lot. Every year a robin couple makes a nest in the small tree next to my deck. I always watch for them, but last year no robins showed up. This time, they did. Then, right before Easter weekend, we started some home renovations. My husband went outside, started up the saw, and the robins decided our place wasn't the greatest place to raise kids in. They were gone for over a week, and I thought they wouldn't come back. Either they returned or another robin couple moved into the empty nest. I'm so cheesy, but I love that there are birds right outside my window, ready to have babies. While doing dishes yesterday, I saw two blackbirds creeping up to the tree. One of them jumped right up next to the nest. And the mother just freaked out and attacked him. She flew after him when he took off, still attacking him, and then from my giant maple, the father came swooping in. It was so cool to watch them fight the bird off. I hope nothing happens to the eggs. We named our last batch of baby robins, Curly, Larry, and Moe. We've been watching a lot of old movies lately with the kids (weird how movies from the '80s and early '90s are now considered 'old'!). My kids love James Cameron movies and any movie that has Arnold Schwarzenegger saying something like, "Stick around!" after pinning a bad guy to a tree. I haven't watched a newer movie in a while that really grabbed me. My husband and I watched Hostel the other night, which was really scary. I had to cover my eyes a lot. But I'm so over 'UNRATED' DVD versions of movies. Editing is good. Some scenes are cut out of the theatrical version for a reason! Grrr... Mon. April 10 I haven't updated in ages. By the middle of March, when I still hadn't finished my spy novel, my Total Deadline Freakout Mode escalated to full-blown panic. I started working almost non-stop. Then for about a week I worked on the book until 3 a.m., got up to send the kids to school, and plunked right back down at the computer. But, I can now say that I FINISHED the book! I don't know if what I wrote made any sense, or if it's any good. I may have typed up complete gibberish and a shopping list somewhere between Chapters 22 and 23. Who cares! I'm done!! Done the first draft, anyway. I have a lot of work ahead of me, especially if what I wrote while only partially awake stinks really bad. I got some upsetting news on the day I finished the book, though. My grandma passed away suddenly, which came as a terrible shock to my family. I spent a lot of time with her when I was young, and I'll miss her very much. The past week has been rollercoaster-like, to say the least. To celebrate our 13th anniversary, my husband and I went to see David Gilmour in concert at Massey Hall in Toronto, last night. The concert sold out in minutes, but luckily, my brother-in-law got four tickets. Seventh row tickets! I love David Gilmour. To be within feet of him was so surreal. The weird thing is, when I listen to Pink Floyd or David Gilmour's solo music, I like to close my eyes. David Gilmour was right there in front of me, and I kept closing my eyes! I thought the concert was phenomenal, but I would have liked it if he'd sung Murder, which is one of my favorites. Thanks so much for getting us such incredible tickets, Brian! Well, now that I have some time off until my revision notes arrive, I'm going to paint the bathroom, start the gardening, and catch up on sleep. Zzzzzzzz.... Thurs. March 16 I forgot to mention that my friend Mary Pearson's book, A ROOM ON LORELEI STREET, won The Golden Kite Award. AROLS was my favorite young adult book of last year, and I'm thrilled that it received this honor. Congratulations, Mary! Movies: Walk The Line, I did like quite a bit. Though, I didn't think it was as good as Ray. I loved the music so much I bought the soundtrack. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were both fantastic. I had high hopes for A History of Violence, but I felt a little let down by it. It didn't pull me in, I felt held at arm's length from the story, and I didn't really care about the characters. In the latest Harry Potter, the characters are now dealing with teen issues, and I liked that a lot (the third movie is still my fave). One of the best movies I've seen recently was Jarhead, which I thought was excellent. My husband was in the army, so he tends to be tough on military movies. He, too, thought Jarhead was excellent--one of the best movies of last year--and very realistic. Next up: Good Night and Good Luck, Capote, The Squid and the Whale, and King Kong. It's March Break here in Canada. I hope all of you who are off school are having a fun week! Tues. March 7 We were lucky enough to watch The Oscars in high definition on a 92 inch screen. Let me tell you, it looked freaking awesome! A few times we got so caught up in the illusion that we were there, we clapped right along with the celebs. Anybody who wore vibrant colour looked amazing. My favorites were Michelle Williams and Keira Knightley. Heath Ledger also looked pretty spiffy. Jake Gyllenhaal looked just like Jake Gyllenhaal, and that's just fine by me. Naomi Watts wore a flesh-coloured dish rag. Ick! And for some bizarre reason, the ordinarily gorgeous Charlize Theron got dolled up like a '70s mob wife going to a 1980's prom. I thought maybe the HUGE bow on her shoulder was there to double as a pillow. At least then she could have napped in comfort during boring speeches. More annoying than the bad fashion and fly-away hair was the music that began playing the instant each winner took the stage. Not only was it in bad taste and an insult to the winners, it was distracting to viewers at home, kind of like forcing us to listen to somebody talking on a cellphone at the movie theatre. I kept wanting to say, "Shhh! Members of the orchestra, knock it off down there in the pit!" That experiment in background music better be a one time only deal. My biggest complaint about this year's Oscars was that there were no surprises. Throughout the day, conversations between my sister-in-law and me went something like this. ME: "Best Picture?" HER: "CRASH." ME: "You think so?" HER: "Yeah." (Later that afternoon) ME: "Crash. Really? You think?" Her: "Yeah, I do." Such a bummer that over the course of the day I slowly gave up hope that Brokeback Mountain would win. We pegged the rest of the winners, too, but on the ballot sheets my husband made up for us, I checked off two nominees I "wanted" to win, rather than the two I thought would win. I still believe Michelle Williams should have won Best Supporting Actress. I did love CRASH, though, so I was glad it won, and Paul Haggis is from London, ON (go, London!), so I'm happy to root for him. Oscar weekend is over (we had a houseful of company for Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship, too). Time to get back to writing the spy novel that will never end! Mon. February 20 What's that you say? How's the spy novel coming along, Amy? You know, the one you're supposed to finish in February? The one you must finish at some point in the next eight days? Apparently, the spy book is the book that never ends. It just keeps going and going. Anybody who's been pregnant and gone past their due date knows you start to feel a little bit desperate. You begin to seriously consider the old wives tales. Hmmm, maybe if I chug a bottle of castor oil, I really WILL go into labor! That's how I feel with this book. I am so desperate for it to be over with, I'm wondering if I should stop mid-sentence and just type: And they all lived happily ever after. Well, everybody except ________, who died. Ohmigod, are there really only eight days left of February?? Every summer we go camping with my brother and sister-in-law. But last summer they couldn't join us, because they decided having a very cute baby was more important than inhaling campfire smoke, eating charred burgers, and sleeping on the hard ground. Sheesh! Since camping is back on for this summer (YAY!!!), we decided we wanted to finally snag good sites near the beach at one of our favorite provincial parks. Reservations open for the day at 7:00 a.m., so we were awake (sort of) and down to our computers bright and early. We had our sites chosen, and back-up sites just in case. Seven o'clock came. Furious clicking and typing ensued. In the seconds it took me to reserve my site, someone else took my sister-in-law's. She tried her back-up. It, too, had been snagged! Within minutes the whole area was reserved. The sites went quicker than concert tickets. So quick, I thought maybe they came with a complimentary case of beer. Who would have thought so many fellow camping freaks were hovering over their keyboards at the same time, waiting to scoop up the good sites? Now that we know, you can bet we won't miss out next time! Time to get back to work. Hmmm, maybe it would be easier if I killed off all the characters: And they all died. THE END! Mon. February 6 A while back, I talked about how every year I fall in love with one movie and that movie tends to go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. But I got through 2005 without falling in love, and I was starting to panic. So I pinned my hopes on Jake Gyllenhaal. One of his movies had to make me fall in love. And Jake Gyllenhaal pulled through! That movie is Brokeback Mountain. Yesterday, while the guys looked after the kids, my sister-in-law and I went on a movie date. I swooned, cried, ate Junior Mints, drank a gallon of Diet Coke, and melted into one of the most beautiful movies of last year. I walked out of the theater thinking I really, really enjoyed Brokeback Mountain, but as the day went on I loved it more. I continued to think about it and talk about it. And that's exactly what I'd been waiting for. A movie I couldn't get out of my mind. It's such a relief to have found my Best Picture movie! I'm tempted to go back to the theatre during the week to watch it one more time, but I know I should wait 'til it comes out on DVD. I told my editor I would have my spy novel finished sometime in February, which means I'll be working on it around the clock for the next three weeks. I sure hope that at some point in those three weeks, I figure out how the book is supposed to end! Nobody told me that last night's exciting Super Bowl Grey's Anatomy was just the first part of a two-parter! Arghh!!! Thurs. January 19 To the winners of the Over and Over You giveaway, I just got the books out in the mail. Sorry for the delay. I was trying to figure out how to make pretty tassels for the accompanying bookmarks and had to finally give up in frustration. When it comes to anything crafty, I'm clueless. Last weekend, my brother-in-law stood in line for three hours to get tickets to see David Gilmour at Massey Hall in Toronto. The concert sold out in less than a minute, but he managed to get four seventh row, centre tickets. Two of the tickets are for me and my husband. Seventh row! If you've read my book, you know that some of the characters share a love of Pink Floyd, and that's no coincidence. I also happen to love Pink Floyd and anything David Gilmour. And it just so happens that the concert is right around my 13th wedding anniversary. I'm excited! (Note to Uncle Brian: As tempting as it might be to sell the tickets on Ebay and make a very tidy profit, you know I would choke you out with my bare hands. Ha!) The strangest thing just happened when I was at the mall. I bought a few groceries, left the store, and started walking back through the mall. Then I heard a really huge crash. A section of the floral department just fell into the hallway, right before my eyes, for no apparent reason. Glass vases smashed, water and flowers flew. Weird. Then halfway through the mall, I walked closer to a man working a small advertisement booth. Just as I was in line with him he went to sit on his stool, but instead crashed heavily to the floor, arms wheeling crazily into the cardboard display behind him. It was so unusual, like I was somehow causing accidents wherever I went! Luckily, I got home without anything crashing down on my car. Tues. January 17 I bet you thought I'd forgotten to discuss last night's Golden Globes, right? Au contraire! I just neglected to remember... I spent yesterday morning in a panic, because I could not find the Red Carpet show in any of my local TV listings. The red carpet is my favorite part! No awards show is complete without it!! Luckily, my husband did some checking and found the pre-show on STAR-channel, an entertainment channel I didn't even know I had. Phew! Crisis averted! I thought everybody on the red carpet looked amazing, especially Sandra Oh, Kiera Knightley, Felicity Huffman, Kate Beckinsale (who wore the best kind of accessory, her cute husband, Len Wiseman), and Evangeline Lilly, whose emerald dress was my favorite. As soon as the first set of nominations were announced, my daughter said, "Oh darn, this IS the boring awards show." There is no funny host (I do love a smart and funny host!) and they show no clips of the nominated actors, shows, and movies. And, as much as I love the Golden Globes, how much fun is it for us at home to watch wealthy folks eat a fancy dinner, hang out with Matt Dillion and George Clooney, win awards, and chug back free booze? As for the awards themselves, I was excited that Sandra Oh from Ottawa won. Yay! I love her character on Grey's Anatomy. And Steve Carell's hilarious speech, written by his wife, cracked me up. I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, yet, but I thought it would have been cool if both Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams had won. If any TV Drama had to go and beat ROME, I guess it had to be LOST. And the "Are They Kidding Me?" Award goes to Gena Davis beating Polly Walker (ROME) in the Best Actress TV Drama category, though Gena Davis's fib-speech was so funny. Kinda mean of me, but I have to admit, I was glad to see Mary Louise Parker beat out all four of the nominated desperate housewives. snicker, snicker... Next! The Oscars! Ooooh, I can't wait. Wed. January 4 More people entered the Over and Over You give-away than I'd anticipated, so I've decided to give away not two, not three, but FOUR signed copies of the book. Yay! Congratulations to Crystal, Meighan, Catherine, and Wendy! Thanks to everybody who entered. I'll be running another give-away in the spring. |
Lizzie thinks the tree is her very own toy-filled playhouse.
