A Quick Note While the Week Flies By

I'm in the middle of reading a winner! Cheers to the astonishing, talented M.T. Anderson!

Just yesterday I discovered Nancy Werlin's daily blogging about the National Book Awards, and was disappointed on her behalf when M.T. Anderson's novel, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. One: The Pox Party won last night. Not that Anderson's book is anything that didn't deserve to win! No way! I'm in the middle of it, and it's intensely ...different. I'm deeply intrigued by Anderson, his talent, and his flexibility. Still, this was a hard, hard, hard choice amongst some really great books, so I'm also a little disappointed that American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang didn't win. I have big hopes for the future of graphic novels, not only because it encourages more writers/artists, but because it creates a new audience of readers. So, tough choices all around, but I'm excited that this is the FIRST volume in Anderson's work on Octavian. I can't wait to finish it and write up a review on our sister site.

Meanwhile, Competizione has more whacked out contests going on - don't forget to check them out to win fun stuff from the blogosphere that you completely don't need, but what the heck. Also don't forget our book awards -- the clock is ticking on the Cybils, guys, and nominations close the 20th!

On my own writing front, a note from S.A.M. informs me that my editor is still catching up on her post-wedding work, but my contract is coming down the pipe to me soon, and that my editorial letter and a read-through on my second novel is in the works. If I think I'm busy NOW, after Thanksgiving I have a feeling that things are going to really and truly kick into high gear, as we work to conclude this final edit so that my release date -- tentatively scheduled for Winter 2007-08 -- can stay on track. This is a good, if antsy feeling... one which I feel better not thinking about at all, which is why I'm just as cheerful to dive back into my Cybils novels once again. And can I just say it's a huge dive? Yesterday I just received my review copy of Aidan Chambers' newly released book... all 816 pages of it. I'd better get back to work!!

Cheers!

*secret agent man