I am thankful for all the usual things*, of course, but also for these things:

Pie and coffee for breakfast (the most delicious pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten, and no, I didn’t make it).

I got to sleep in this morning, instead of waking up early to bathe the half-frozen turkey. Yay, roast chicken!

Critique partners who read ugly first drafts and offer helpful feedback instead of running away screaming.

Local writer friends like Lisa Schroeder and Suzanne Young (with whom I enjoyed viewing Taylor Lautner’s torso New Moon – see Suzanne’s recap here), April Henry, Laini Taylor, Christine Fletcher, Emily Whitman, and Sara Ryan. I’m thrilled that Bridget Zinn sold her YA novel recently, and will be joining our ranks!

My book has been out in the world for almost two months now, and I think it’s doing as well as can be expected for a realistic YA boy book by a debut novelist published in economically challenging 2009. It’s not going to make any bestseller lists, but it has received some nice critical acclaim, and has even made a list or two. As Smekday’s J.Lo would say, “I am quietly proud.”

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!



*A happy, healthy family … good friends … plenty of food … a warm house … music … laughter …

REALLY thankful I got the H1N1 flu after my book launch and after getting home from Las Vegas, where I went to see U2.*

I arrived home Saturday night, showered off the stench of Vegas cigarette smoke/plane travel, and slept happily in my own bed. Woke up Sunday morning sick.

Today is my first day back at work.

I would say I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about getting the H1N1 flu anymore ... but apparently, you can get it again, if the strain mutates. Awesome.

Very thankful to the co-worker who just walked up to me with three copies of my book for me to sign. *sniff*


*Pretty sure I'm never going back to Vegas ... unless it's to see U2.

Little things:

A double shadow this morning at 5:30 ... one from the streetlamp behind me, one from the moon overhead.

A surprise gift from a friend - a little silver camera charm on a necklace. I'm going to wear it to my book signing! Thanks, friend. xo

Listening to THE HELP on audiobook. Ever since lisa_schroeder commented that she thought the Southern accents in this book would be wonderful to hear ... I've been looking forward to it. And it's terrific.

Big things:

Eyesight. A blind man with a guide dog sometimes eats at a deli I frequent. His dog has the absolute sweetest face I've ever seen on a dog, including my own doggies. He dotes on her. It gives me a pang to know he can't see that sweet little face.

My son. This time 12 years ago, he was all of eight hours old. *mimble*

Found things:

For a whole day, I thought I had lost my pen.

No, listen: this is the beautiful, weighty, fancy pen I treated myself to when I sold my book. I paid off credit cards and contributed to my son's college fund and did other practical things with my advance money, but the pen was just for me.

So when I thought I lost it, I felt a little sick.

My husband found it on the floor of my car, on the passenger side. HE HAS EARNED MANY REWARDS, AND I AM THANKFUL.

Reminder about the Flash Burnout photo contest:

If you want details, go here. The deadline to enter is midnight, October 19. You could win $50 to the online merchant of your choice!

I'm thankful to be heading to LA in a few hours, where I will:

- hang out with many children's writers!

- finally meet online friends in person!

- see some high school and college friends!

- hear Sherman Alexie speak!

I'm also thankful I started my day with pie and coffee, as nature intended.

:-)

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know my son left yesterday morning for a three-day, two-night field trip with about 70 other classmates (3rd, 4th, 5th graders). They're doing Lewis and Clark studies on the Oregon coast. My husband was supposed to go on the trip, also, to be a chaperone and work on the chuck wagon. :-)

But he got sick at the last minute, and couldn't go. So we had to let our son out of our sight for three days! Which we're not good at doing. He's an only child - yes, we know - he's waaaay too important to us. (Heh.)

Anyway, he called last night on his "Tent Parent's" cell phone.

I tried to restrain my wild joy. "Hi, honey! How are you?"

Son: Tired.

Me: Yeah? Did you guys do a lot today? Was it fun?

Son: It was tolerable.

(Bahahahaha! Tolerable.)

Me: What did you have for dinner?

Son: Buffalo stew.

Me: (gagging silently) "Really? How was it?"

Son: Pretty good. Maybe it was elk?

Me: Wow.

Boy in background: Who are you talking to?

Son: (to boy) My mom.

Boy in background: Why did you call her?

Son: Because I wanted to talk to her.

Hee!

Thankful we have only thirty-six hours to endure before our sun is back in its rightful place in our universe.



(Yes, I know, we're pathetic.) (Perhaps after his teen years, we will be eager to send him to an out-of-state college.)

I am thankful the Little League game ended in a win last night, and I could rush my blanket-clad self to the car and turn on the heater. I swear, when I took out my cell phone, it felt like a slab of ice. THAT'S HOW COLD IT WAS. After three days of lovely warm weather, it was a bitter slap.

I am NOT thankful for the ripped pieces of Burger King bag and french fry carton strewn across the floor this morning, DEEJAY, YES I'M TALKING TO YOU. Bad dog. And less-than-tidy kid who didn't throw away his trash, but left it on the table close enough to the edge to cause bad-dogness.

I’m thankful for GALLEYS!

They arrived yesterday evening, and there was a perfect little detail on the page after the title page that I didn’t know the designer was going to add … and it just happens to be a tiny piece of art in the shape of an item I contributed to the Debs’ Giveaway packages. Wavelength!


( Cut for hard drive angst )

I am thankful for a big dog sprawled on his back like a drunken starlet. Soon he will sneeze and roll onto his side. He always does.

What do you think of my new website?

I got my editor’s permission to share the cover for FLASH BURNOUT!


I really love it, and I wanted to write a long post about how much it means to me to finally see my characters come to life… but nothing I can say will accurately capture the feeling.


I just really love it.


( Really, really love it. )

I am thankful for children's books.

I picked up a grown-up book at the library the other day. I had placed a hold on it, and there was a huge waiting list for it, so when it was finally my turn to read it, I was excited. Glowing NY Times review ... big displays at the bookstores ... bestseller status ...

I took it with me to my hair appointment Saturday (cut off about 2 1/2 inches, got color - yay!) and started reading while I was under the dryer.

The first 5 pages set up an interesting problem, but they were a prologue.

Then the book went away.

It turned its back on the prologue and started telling me a WHOLE BUNCH OF EXPOSITORY STUFF. Back story, long and involved money laundering details that I know I was supposed to care about, but didn't, and unwieldy chunks of blah-dom.

I read about 20 pages.

I flipped ahead in the book. It still looked boring.

I flipped ahead further. Still boring.

I closed the book. After my hair appointment, I walked over to the library and put the book in their return bin.

Then I came home and started another excellent children's book.

You can't bore kids. They won't allow you to become a bestseller if you bore them.

I am thankful to still have a job.

(I work in the financial industry.)

I am thankful that my first day back at taekwondo did not result in any more broken bones.

And I’m thankful to Maureen Johnson for reducing world suck with her ranty post about teen pregnancy, because we all come “pre-installed with hormones and squishy bits:”

http://maureenjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/09/free-bristol-palin.html

And extra-special thanks to fabulousfrock for playing Word Twist with me during Sarah Palin’s speech, which kept my hands busy so I couldn’t tear out my hair.

I found this video yesterday, when I visited Laurie R. King’s blog (she linked to it). At first I thought, “What’s so funny about a Joe Cocker performance?”

Ahhh … sub-titles.

It’s four minutes long, but even if you only watch part of it, you’ll get a chuckle:


http://meggardiner.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/man-scream-part-2/

I got to hang out with the cool kids Tuesday evening - literaticat and Sara Ryan, sararyan.

We met for cocktails at the brand new Secret Society Lounge.

I felt very hip.

Then we ate lots of lovely tapas at Toro Bravo.

I felt very full.

It was fun to meet another local YA writer!

And really fun to look my agent in the eye and thank her in person for selling my book.

Aloha!

I am sooooooo happy to say that tomorrow my family and I leave for ten days in Hawaii. We haven't had a vacation since last August, and that one involved barfing, so it wasn't the most enjoyable time ever.

And although we lovedlovedloved our trip to Great Britain last June, that was a very busy, time-changing, continent-hopping, distance-covering adventure.

This one is going to involve lazing, lounging, relaxing, and hanging out. Oh, and some snorkeling.

I'm not going to do any writing, or take my laptop. It will be good to take a real break and come back with a fresh head. But I might take along a very small notebook ...

See you July 1.

xo

Lisa

I'm thankful that my vertigo is gone.

Although it's a Hitchcockian ailment, it's a drag.

Why does it happen?

I don't know.

If I knew, I would stop doing it.

Having the room spin when you're sober is wrong.

And sitting around the house trying to keep your head still is boring.

I'm thankful that 416 children in Texas may grow up without being forced into marriage at age 12.

I hadn't paid much attention to the "Polygamous Ranch" story that was unfolding over the past few days. In fact, my only passing thought was, "Those poor moms ... having their children taken away from them."

But yesterday on my way home from work, I heard the following story on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89695220

Suddenly, I don't feel any any sympathy for the weeping mothers. No 16-year-old girl should be giving birth to her fourth baby.

I am thankful for dreams beginning to take root. They’re not just seeds, waiting, anymore. Their shells have split. Roots are curling out. They will flower in the fullness of time.

One root that has taken firm hold is my membership in the group debut2009. I get to hang around online with a bunch of amazing writers!

I mean, yes, I’ve already been hanging around online with a bunch of amazing writers. Hi to all of you!

But now I’m a peer. I belong to a group of middle grade and young adult authors whose first book is coming out in 2009.

EEEeeeee!

(Sorry … sometimes it still does feel like a dream, then a scream escapes me.)

We ask questions and cheer and commiserate in locked posts. It’s a community dedicated more to support than promotion.

We have begun posting unlocked entries about the writing life. Here you can learn about how we got “from there to here.”

Happy Thursday, everyone.