Yes we failed, but is anyone really reading this?
To those of you that read our New Year’s Day blog committing to following a schedule, I apologize for not adhering to our resolution of providing you with an ever-exciting, hard-hitting (okay, okay, I’ve been thinking about book trailers too long), or at least a relatively dependable blog for the month of January. It’s obvious we have failed.
Of course, I doubt you’ve actually noticed, but my guilty conscience forces me to confess to my failure. You may have also noticed that Beth, the plucky, determined cowriter to this thing, has been holding down the blog for both of us the last few days. But, before you sign me off as just another lazy ne-er-do-well, I have an excuse for my absence. I’ve been in Miami visiting two wonderful Spalding pals, Marjetta Geerling and Liz Ramsay, and attending the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators) conference in Miami.
The conference was fine, the company good, and I was lucky enough to get critiqued by Aimee Friedman from Scholastic. I also met Elizabeth Law, editor extraordinaire, who has agreed to review the first 100 pages of my manuscript, which I’m currently giving a much needed overhaul and a new title (either After Normal or At the End of Normal — if you have a preference let me know).
“Oh,” you may exclaim. “Miss Fancy Pants leaves her poor bud Beth alone to shiver in the cold while she goes off to the fun of South Beach.”
To this I brashly reply, “For your information, ye naysayer, the weather on Thursday, Friday and Saturday was chilly and rainy (although Sunday and Monday were spectacular) and I dropped my brand new (and first ever paid for) cell phone, an IPhone5 on the beach after our wonderful yoga on the beach session.”
Now, I know this will surprise even the most jaded among you, but minutes later when we returned to retrieve it, the phone had been stolen and turned off so we couldn’t find it. So before you get all huffy at me for being a selfish cow, remember that it wasn’t all peaches and cream, or I guess since it was South Beach, Mojitos and protein.
It was fun though, and big thanks to Marjetta and Michael for putting up with me, and to my roomie Liz Ramsay for being yourself.
And, as to our failed resolution, all I can say is, ohmmmm, I’ll meditate on it. 
