That New Manuscript Smell

Oh man, I'm sticking my toe in and testing new waters. I'm writing something totally new and different and, psssst ... it scares me but also gives me a butterfly belly. I'm taking that as a good sign.

Summer Reading

Read some great books this summer. Here's a list in no particular order:

How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Conner
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My Brother Abe by Harry Mazer
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino
Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Next up: Donut Days by Lara Zielin

Stuff and Junk

My soon to be fifteen year old has always been a collector of junk------ I mean stuff. The other night, at an end of summer event, someone was selling light-up junk------ I mean stuff. You know, light-up necklaces, sabers and other dust gatherers that parents throw out the first chance they get.

Then it happened. It was there, in front of the hopeful vendor and underneath the stars where I received a sign that my STBFYO was growing up. You see, when my husband asked if she wanted a light-up thingy she said, "NO."

No?

Holey smoles. That has never, ever happened before. So, I guess this is goodbye, Summer and goodbye to you too, fourteen.