Like Sands Thru the Hourglass...

...so are the days of my alleged "vacation." ((Hat tip to Bogenfreud for the hourglass picture.)

*sigh*
I've already semi-whined that going Home is NOT going on Vacation, and my recent days have been filled with fun (and sometimes tedious) family obligations. Sunday we leave to make the twenty-three hour trek back to the UK, and it's a little horrible to say that it will be a RELIEF to get back. For one thing, I'm pretty sure I gained twenty pounds, hitting the guacamole. (But oh -- the sad lack in Scotland! That, and jack cheese and root beer have been things I've had to enjoy at least once to make sure I know I'm home!) For another thing, I'm beginning to miss my desk. I don't know how rock star writers like Laurie Halse Anderson can do it -- running around speaking to schools, doing book events, attending conferences and smiling -- but I can't even think straight lately, and I might do something truly odd if I don't have some quiet time pretty soon. As it is, I've taken to hiding in my room and jotting things down on the back of envelopes. It's writer desperation.

I have been doing teensy bookish things. I've met with book people at various independent bookstores (shout out to the nice people at Copperfield's Sebastopol! Whoo!), I've been interviewed in an airport (which taught me that a writer really never does know the answer to the question, "why should we buy this book?" Um... because my Mom said it's cute? So far that's not convincing anyone.), I've had friends accost total strangers and show them my book -- and have those strangers in turn stare at me... stare at the book... back and forth... (I kind of think that because I was going to get my hair done, and I looked like I'd been rolled down a hill in a log the strangers in question were amazed I could read and write, much less write a book...)


We never create in a vacuum... our creations go out and collide with other people's viewpoints and expectations, and are seen in a way we could never foresee. It's amazing how that works. A friend told me her daughter took my book to the beach, and considered it The Perfect Beach Read. This made me oddly happy.

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Funny things you don't find out from just reading the news -- one of the American Girl books has been made into a film! I found that out by walking past a theater, and I'm sure you all already knew! However, NPR already has a review!

A few other things that stuck out to me in my blog perusing --

Tamora Pierce shows off the new cover for Bloodhound, the sequel to Terrier... nice.

Sara's putting us all to shame by actually publicly listing her summer goals. Do I even have those?

Finally, Sarah Aronson gives some excellent advice to writers on how to take advice -- some of us have a hard time hearing what people say about our work, and it IS hard to take and give criticism. A must-read for people in writing groups.

My time here in the U.S. is running out, and I'm feeling a mix of frantic, saddened, exhausted and relieved. This busy snippet of summer is soon going to give way to the cooler, slower life in the UK. We'll be back up to our usual speed hopefully by next week. Hope these hot -- or rainy -- summer days find you doing well.

Cheers!