News Journal Archive 2

Sat. April 9: Well, the robin couple hasn't made their home in the tree beside my deck, so I guess I won't be watching any baby birds grow up and leave home this year. After baby robins leave the nest, they spend some time on the ground before they're able to fly well, learning from their parents. I'm sure I'll see some of those robin fledglings hopping around the backyard at some point. They're cute.

I just booked our campsite at Awenda Provincial Park, for our August camping trip. We've never been to that park, and we're really excited about going there. They have a dog beach!! I'm looking forward to this summer. I have a feeling it's going to be great. I have my new niece and nephew to play with, and a new nephew arriving in the summer, and camping trips to look forward to, a book coming out, a birthday, and trips to Kincardine to see the Pipe Band and lie around at the beach. Fun!

Fri. April 1: It's April!! Spring is here for real!! I've seen robins, I've seen grass, I've seen the elusive sun! I'm feeling like a happy camper with mucho energy--no longer feeling like a Hershey's-kisses-popping slug.

As all you Canadians out there know, it's Rrroll Up the Rim time at Tim Horton's. I have bought and drank twelve French Vanilla cappuccinos since this contest began, and I have rolled up PLAY AGAIN on every single one. Is this some kind of record? Has anyone else gone that long without winning even a donut or muffin or coffee?? I've been struck by the Tim Horton's curse. "No winning cups for you!"

I don't like April Fool's Day. It's all tricks and no treats. What's a holiday without candy, a big meal, and dessert? Not a holiday, in my opinion.

My book, OVER AND OVER YOU, comes out in exactly two months. At some time in the next two months, reviews will begin to come in. Please, reviewers, have mercy on me and my nice, little book...

Mon. March 28: This is my least favorite time of year. The snow is melting, exposing garbage and dead grass, and everything just looks so dirty and gray. And I'm bummed, because I haven't smelled Spring, yet. The love the way Spring smells. Why is Winter dragging out so long? It's making me want to eat my rather substantial weight in Hershey's kisses. The flowers in my front garden are on their way up, though, which is one good thing. Every year, a robin couple makes a nest in the tree beside my deck. If they show up this year, I'll post pictures of the babies when they're born.

I finished reading a young adult novel called, The Year of Secret Assignments. I really enjoyed it, but found it to be a little too long. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Maybe after I'm finished writing my historical novel, I'll try my hand at comedy. But comedy is hard!!

Sun. March 20: Today is the first day of Spring! Tell that to my yard. Where are the flowers? The robins? Where's the grass!? I may not have robins, but I do have doves. They were kind enough to sit out there, cooing for my listening pleasure from five a.m. until 6:43 when I finally hauled my tired butt out of bed. Between the cooing doves and my snoring husband, I got almost no sleep. I'm sure I'm just the picture of loveliness at the moment. Picture. Of. LOVELINESS! Can you tell I'm a little on edge?

We watched Napoleon Dynamite, last night. I loved it. My husband hated it. We have another movie to watch this afternoon, if I can keep my eyelids propped open until then. It's a Clive Owen movie called, Croupier. And my favorite show, Deadwood, is on tonight. YAY!

Tues. March 15: It's March Break! Woo hoo! Party time! Actually, our March Break isn't going to be much of a party. But we are going to bake chocolate chip cookies this morning! And we're buying The Incredibles. Everybody's already seen it. Everybody but me, that is. I can't wait. My kids loved it. After we watch The Incredibles tonight, we'll be watching The Amazing Race. It totally surprises me that I'm rooting for Rob and Amber. Go, Rob and Amber! The show is at the point now where I'm not sure who I'd like to see get the boot. The couples I didn't like are already gone.

Yesterday, I finished reading Raising the Griffin, by Melissa Wyatt. This book is about a teen who discovers he's actually heir to the throne of a former Communist country. His entire life gets turned upside-down when he must become a prince--think a more literary and serious Princess Diaries with a male main character. Quite a few times, I found myself taking the numerous details for granted, because they seamlessly flow with the story, and then suddenly it would hit me--Melissa made all of this up!! It boggled my mind. She made up a fully-realized former Communist country--Rovenia. The language, the history, the family trees, the customs, the food, the present-day plight of the Rovenians... everything! She's one smart cookie. It was fascinating to watch the main character's growth and transformation. Alexei is a very different person by the end of the book, in more ways than one, and I started to cry, even though I already knew the ending. Still thinking about the book this morning...

Wed. March 9: The contracts for my new book came in the mail today!! Hurray! I received "the call" for this book sale on Dec. 20th, and the news came at me totally out of the blue, because I'd only sent the first three chapters of the book to my editor. Now I have to finish the book! By the end of the summer! Hopefully, if all goes well, it will be coming out sometime in the Fall, 2006.

The book is a young adult novel about women spies in France, during WWII. I've been flattened by research for the past few months. Every time I find out something new, it points to something I know absolutely nothing about, so I research that, which leads to even more research. Eventually, you feel swamped, like you're choking on historical details. But I love to learn about history and interesting people from the past, so research is also a lot fun for me. For now, the book's title is: Untitled Teen Spy Novel. It even says that on my contract, which is kind of funny. The title I'm leaning toward is, Through Moonlight, but we'll see...

Mon. February 28: I was a little disappointed by the Oscars. I saw Million Dollar Baby. I really liked it. I cried my eyes out during the last third. It was a very good movie and an emotional movie. Was it the best movie of last year? *shrug* I'm wondering if The Aviator got robbed for Best Picture and Best Director. I haven't seen it, yet.

I recently finished reading, A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly. This beautifully-written novel won the Carnegie Medal, the L.A. Times Book Prize, a Printz Honor, and numerous other awards and accolades. I highly recommend it.

Tues. February 22: One of the fun lists on the LiveJournal blogs right now is: TEN THINGS I HAVE DONE WHICH NOT MANY OTHERS HAVE

Wed. February 16: Not only are a few of my favorite TV shows on tonight--That '70s Show, Lost, and Alias--but I got two, count 'em, two packages of books in the mail today!! I have them all laid out on my desk, looking so nice and new and shiny. Which books are the cause of all my excitement, you ask? They are: Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, by Dorian Cirrone; Double Helix, by Nancy Werlin; and Raising The Griffin, by Melissa Wyatt. I've been waiting to read Melissa's book for so long. Since it was in manuscript form! I'm thrilled to finally have a copy of it. Can't wait to get reading.

Eleven days 'til the Academy Awards! Yes, I do count down. Oscar Day is my favorite day of the year! No, that's not some kind of joke.

Thurs. February 10: My twins, Ethan and Anna, are here! Okay, technically, they're my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's twins, but they know I'm plotting to steal them, first chance I get. They're soooo cute. Yeah, I'm definitely stealin' em. My kids are old. They're outta here! :)

I'm having trouble sleeping again, like I did while writing Over and Over You. My brain just will not shut up! If it's not blaring a song over and over, then it's working out book stuff, or playing crazy dreams like movies for me to watch all night long. Highly annoying! I finally had enough by four a.m., and got up to write. I have such epiphanies while I'm subconciously working out book stuff, and then when I wake up, I realize, hmm, pretty lame.

Here are my new niece and nephew!

Mon. February 7: Visited my husband's family on the weekend. My brother and sister-in-law also live there (in a little town nearby). But I didn't get to see my brother, because he is too reliable and responsible to take a day off work (Hear that, Adam? Too reliable! Too responsible! Be bad for once, I tell ya!) Both of my sisters-in-law are pregnant, so I was the odd girl out. I just sipped my drink and thanked my lucky stars. I was really hoping that my new niece and nephew (twins!) would have already arrived, but nope. This reinforces the fact that babies honestly could care less about accommodating my schedule. I've always suspected as much.

I must get as many Oscar movies watched as I can in the next few weeks. It was Ray's turn, yesterday. I thought it was just fantastic. Jamie Foxx will win best actor, and if he doesn't, I'll be flabbergasted, bowled over, and thunderstruck. I haven't seen Leo in The Aviator, yet, though. I don't get to watch movies at the theatre, but I feel insanely compelled to race out and see Million Dollar Baby before the 27th. I must see it. I will find a way. Anybody feel insanely compelled to baby-sit my kids? Phone lines are now open and operators are standing by to take your call...

Tues. February 1: Wow, it's February. A whole month of the new year has passed. I'm that much closer to the deadline of my new book (gulp!). Speaking of the new book, I've been working like a madwoman, and yet it seems like I'm getting so little actually down on paper (a Word doc, in my case). I'm putting a great deal of effort into squeezing out words like the last drops of water from a wrung-out sponge. I don't like to work like a madwoman and make progress slowly. I like to work like a madwoman and have pages and pages to show for it. Alas, no such luck. This book is a very different kind of book for me, and like kids, every book is born in a different way.

And speaking of books being born, today is the "birthday" of Dorian Cirrone's new young adult novel, Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, from HarperCollins. Hurray, Dorian!! The cover is absolutely beautiful. Katie and I can't wait to read this one. It sounds great!

Sat. January 29: Tonight, Katie and I watched Footloose. Oh, the Eighties memories came flooding back. Footloose isn't a great movie, but it's so much fun, and I took note of a few things.

1) I still remember the words to the song, Let’s Hear It For The Boy. How is that possible?

4) I got to see the “real” Sarah Jessica Parker, with her old teeth, hair, and nose.

Fri. January 28: I found this neat questionnaire, WHAT WAS I LIKE IN HIGH SCHOOL? on the blog of author Lara Zeises.

Thurs. January 27: I am absolutely freezing. And I'm bored out of my mind. I know, I know, I have far too much work to do, I shouldn't be even remotely bored. I am. Bored and cold. I thought I'd post a few of my Mexico photos. If that doesn't warm me up, my back-up plan is to wear gloves around the house. As a bonus, that'll make it impossible to wash the dishes!

Sun. January 23: I managed to ship my girls off to a sleepover, last night. Hurray, you're thinking, she got rid of two kids in one shot! A romantic evening was well within her grasp! Unthinkable!! Before nine, one of my daughters called to let me know that the other had just thrown up all over the hardwood floor. Isn't that always the way? Luckily, the friend lives behind us, our yards connect, and all the kids just hop back and forth over the fence (very handy!). My sick daughter came home, much to the delight of her very bored little brother. Want to know just how badly my husband and I need to get a life? Our idea of a really fun afternoon is playing Resident Evil 4 together with a bottle of wine and a fire going in the fireplace. Man, I just love Resident Evil 4...

What I'm listening to this morning: Audioslave, Barenaked Ladies: Rock Spectacle, Elton John: Madman Across the Water