Bad Stuff and Good Stuff

As expected, the last editor who had it passed on my mid-grade Armadillo Season. I knew she was going to, and I knew that it needed an overhaul but it still feels like you've been punched in the stomach. Agent E is upbeat as always and still feels that it will find the right home which helps. I know what I'm going to change and how I'm going to streamline the story so I just need to buckle down and do it. Anytime I want to quit I go over to Verla Kay's message board and read the post from Jay Asher about how much he wanted to quit and stomp his cyber-feet over the unfairness of it all. This was...oh, less than a year before he got his mega six-figure two-book deal for his YA Thirteen Reasons Why which comes out this fall.

Speaking of Jay and the Discomermaids, my cool Newbery Jewels totebag came today.



If you want one of your own, head on over to cafepress and order it right away.

So that's one good thing that happened today. Also, TK2.0 is a regular kitten now, eating wet food and using the litterbox. Now, I love the big hairy dog, but I'm sorry, cats are so much smarter. I remember when BHD was a pup, standing out in the backyard at 2am in a freezing February rain waiting for him to do his business because it took forever for him to be house-trained. TK2.0? Figured out the litterbox in about a minute and a half. It looks like the folks that found him might not be able to keep him, so we're feeling out new homes. Anyone want a wonderful, sweet almost 5 week-old kitten?

DH, if you're reading this, don't panic. He's not staying.

On this date: In 1939, Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial. (There's a great picture book about that called When Marian Sang.)