Wordless Wednesday

"You lookin' at me?" 

Those in the Girl Scout "know" will recognize these items as swaps. Two years ago, I had no idea about the whole Girl Scout Swap industry. (Word to the wise - if you Google 'Girl Scout Swap' you might get some racier sites than you wanted. Just sayin.)

My girls attended an event this weekend and this was just a bit of their loot. I like the last idea - a pet cloud. I want a pet cloud. Also, I've come to realize that there are two categories of Girl Scout moms. Those who own a glue gun and those who don't. I don't. I'm not a crafty sort unless cutting crusts off sandwiches counts.

Teaser Tuesday: What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr

"Michelle had always feared that something would happen as soon as they were out of her sight. Nikki would fall off the swingset onto cement, or Tyler would be struck in the head by a baseball." - p. 25, WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS, out May 7, 2013 from Leslie Lehr

From the book jacket: How Far Will a Mother Go to Find Her Daughter?


Michelle Mason can't remember that day, that drive, that horrible crash that killed the young man in her car. All she knows is she's being held responsible, and her daughter is missing.

Despite a shaky marriage, a threatening lawsuit, and troubling flashbacks pressing in on her, Michelle throws herself into searching. Her daughter in the one person who might know what really happened that day, but the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of those closest to her, even herself. As her search hurtles toward a shattering revelation, Michelle must face the biggest challenge of her life.

-- 

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS and found it honest and compelling. It features an examination of that universal quality most mothers have for their children - that we are always their fiercest protector and will go to great lengths to help our children.

Read more about this book and the author at Leslie Lehr's website! 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Cover Reveal for Sure Signs of Crazy: Part Deux

A funny thing happened on the way to publication. My cover has gone through a make-over. 

My original lovely cover for my forthcoming middle-grade novel was this one. I liked it very much. I still like it very much. But...

there's a new cover in town. A bolder, brighter WOW of a cover. And I don't just like this new cover. I love it. I love it so much I bought an orange purse. No kidding. 

So you are the first to see this reveal. What do you think?

On a lack of blogging

Good Friday Morning!

I haven't been around the bloggy part of the world in a long while. I miss it. I miss the interaction with my virtual friends. I miss reading the book reviews. I miss the supportive blog writing community. But as I tell all aspiring writers, time management is your friend and you have to pare back many things you once did if you are to make time for writing.

I've been writing full tilt boogie for the past year. The pace and deadlines are exciting and remind me of my days as a speechwriter when my job depended on the ability to write something compelling and creative in less than 48 hours. Fortunately, while writing a novel, I'm not at risk of having a binder or a paperclip thrown in my general direction or under the threat of "shall I call your boss to rewrite this?" if the work wasn't up to snuff. I've had that happen. So far, no editor has thrown anything at my head for a misspelled word,but that might be owing to the fact that we are states apart.

Today I have the luxury of not having anything that must be done. It's good to have days like this. I get to go eat Thai food with a wonderful friend. Plan fun summer activities for my girls. And just READ while my lazy dog sleeps on the floor next to me. Sublime. I'm currently reading THE DINNER by Herman Koch. What's interesting about this novel is that so many of my friends have already read it. When I mentioned I was starting to read it this week, they all give me a sort of sideways look and say "Hmmm. I won't say anything now. We'll talk about that when you're done." I've gotten this exact response 4 times! What?! It's like they've dated this guy once and just want me to form my own opinion before letting me know he picks his nose. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book so far, but the odd looks and reactions are making me turn the pages quickly.

Apropos of nothing, I noted that April is National Poetry Month. I like what author David Lubar just tweeted about it.

David Lubar ‏@davidlubar1h

April is both National Poetry Month and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. I'm going to celebrate by not reading poetry to animals.

Ha!

To celebrate National Poetry Month, I discovered Book Spine Poetry in which a reader stacks a bunch of book spines in order to form a poem. There's a truly spectacular, laugh out loud, collection of Book Spine Poetry found at 100 Scope Notes

And I'm delighted that my forthcoming novel is included among these photos.

Happy Reading, friends!