Thursday, March 30, 2006

Tweaking

Happy to report everyone is on the mend, so today I am going to sit down with a cup of coffee, a pumpkin muffin, my revision notes, and begin to tweak. Yes, tweak, which is a much better word than revise since revision involves deep thought,pain, and loss. It should be a great day.

This weekend I will have the pleasure of attending my good friend Dianna Hutts Aston's book signing at Book People in Austin. I call Dianna The Picture Book Queen because she is becoming quite prolific. This year she has three books coming out - An Egg is Quiet, Mamma Inside, Mamma Outside, and Mamma's Wild Child, Pappa's Wild Child. Way to go, D!

My 18-yr-old son still holds to the fact that it is vain to have a website about one's SELF. So, I've decided that well, maybe I am vain, I mean I did have the photographer touch up my photo in the hopes of looking a few years younger. I gotta love the kid. He keeps me honest.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Vanity

It's been a rough several days, but since I like to remain positive, on the upside: my editor claims the revisions on Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds will only take a week or so to complete, I read a great book, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, by Markus Zusak, I saw Aquamarine with my daughter and really enjoyed it, I connected a writer friend of mine with my agent. On the downside, my 9-yr-old daughter broke her elbow, my 21-yr-old daughter got T-boned by a sorority girl from Houston driving a brand new Infinity (no one was hurt), both my dogs are sick and leaving lovely presents in the living room, and my 18-yr-old son believes I am vain for launching a website. The joys of parenthood.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Annibus

Looks like this is Pet Week for me. Not only am I trying to nurse my poor dog Hershey back to health (he is 15-years-old;living on borrowed time), but my daughter and I are taking care of our neighbor's three cats and pet rat, Annibus. In case you are wondering, Annibus is pronounced "on a bus" although I think "on a train" would better describe him since I've seen many of his kin-folk alive and well on the NYC subways. Anyway, I'm warming up to him a bit. Because he lives with three cats, he believes he is one. Yesterday, I scratched behind his little pink ears, and he tried very hard to purr. No kidding. Okay, enough of this, back to work.

Monday, March 20, 2006

The Blank Page

Ah, yes, spring break is over, the kids are back at school, and now as I am (eagerly?) awaiting my revision notes, it's back to the dreaded blank page. The new YA I'm working on is called The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. I'm trying something new - a fifteen-year-old male narrator who has been arrested for underwear theft and possession of marijuana. The book burners may light their torches, but you only live once, right?

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Okay, this week I have finally decided to create a web site and blog, and it's a miracle I have not shot myself in the process. I'm down to the last edits with the site, and very soon I will click "publish" and off we go. Monday I am supposed to be getting revision notes from my editor on Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds. Crossing my fingers they are not twenty pages long. Hoping she has written lovely comments in the margins such as, "Oh April, your prose is lovely, your characters jump off the page, your plot is riveting." My chances are slim.