I FINISHED MY REWRITES!!!

I spent the last three weeks of April hitting global rewrites for my next YA...and when I clicked "send" yesterday, I hooted and hollered for joy.  (That's what we do here in the Ozarks, hoot 'n holler...)

Nothing quite like the euphoria of meeting a deadline...

While I was whipping this revision into shape, I got a new doormat for my mom (because humor trumps all in the Schindler household):



Front porch and toenails to be painted this week...



Yeah.  We think it's hilarious.  In the past few weeks, though, NO ONE HAS RUNG OUR DOORBELL.  Nobody.  Neighbors won't.  The mailman won't.  A little boy stopping by with his school fundraiser actually shouted "DING DONG!" when he stepped up to our door.  I'm not kidding.

It just shows, I think, the power of the written word.  Shows how seriously we all take the written word—whether it's in a book, a Tweet, a status update...or on a doormat.