SMACK DAB UPDATES - A NEW SERIES + PROMPTS!

My MG group author blog, Smack Dab in the Middle, will be featuring creative posts throughout the month of October.  Instead of our usual nonfiction on the business of writing, we'll be posting flash fiction, poetry, photography, short vids, etc.!  But in order to do that, we need a prompt from you!

Fill out the form below; if your prompt is chosen, we'll link to your blog from the sidebar throughout the entirety of October.  (A blog is not a requirement, though.)



Also, Sheila O'Connor is starting a new regular interview series at Smack Dab called Between Writers; the series will begin on the 21st of August.  Be sure to check in on the blog on Wednesday to catch the first installment!

THE JUNCTION IN PENGUIN'S '14 CATALOG

To add to the building excitement around the forthcoming release of THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, I got a copy of the Winter '14 Penguin catalog...

It's thrilling to see THE JUNCTION featured on a couple of different pages throughout...

...And an honor to see my book listed in a catalog beside so many authors whose work I've long admired...

JUNCTION ARC!

Look what came in the mail last week:

JUNCTION ARCs are out in the world...Feels good...

SIGNS OF SUCCESS (OR: SCENES FROM A REVISION)

You can always tell how successful a day of work has been just by looking at my nails as evening rolls around.  (Bigger chips = bigger word count.)

Here I  am at the end of the work day yesterday:

Seriously, Sally Hansen...where is that manicure-friendly keyboard???

FERAL REVISIONS

This is pretty much how the ol' brain feels after a full day of FERAL rewrites...Still pink from all the feverish activity...

But that's the sign of a good day's work, I think...

BUZZIN'

Just a quick shot of my summertime flowers...We're all keeping busy around here...even the bees!

HAPPY 4TH!

Jake and I were going to model our red, white, and blue T-shirts...

...But it quickly turned into a kiss-fest...

Happy 4th!

COVER REVEAL: THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY

I'm so excited, my heart's about to bust out of my chest!  I just got the go-ahead to share the fantastic cover of my debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY!

Jacket copy will be revealed on Monday, July 1 on my MG blog, Smack Dab in the Middle!

FULL BLOOM

It's been a wild couple of weeks around the Schindler abode...many of the goings-on have centered around recovering from a lightning strike.  (My house got struck when I was little; by now, I've had my fill of the stuff.)

Once calm settled, I headed outside to get some shots of the supermoon...and man, were they superbad!

So instead of the moon, I'll post some of the prettiest shots I've taken lately...One of our tulip tree in full bloom this spring:

I can't remember the last time we had so many flowers on our tree...

And one of our hibiscus in bloom right now.  These things are so cool; they're quickly becoming my fave flower:

LOVIN' MY MISSOURI SKY

GLAM. OR. OUS.

Ah, the glamorous life of a writer.  When not at my desk, it's all bonbons and massages. 

Actually, it's more like coveralls and bags of diatomaceous earth.  Nothing like a camo hat with lights and glasses with gobs of glue on the sides to complete the look...

Me just moments before heading into the crawl space beneath the ol' Schindler abode.

CALLING ALL GARDENERS

A question, gentle readers:

WHAT THE FREAK DOES A GIRL HAVE TO DO TO GROW SOME HERBS??? 

 

I MEAN SOME DECENT HERBS THAT SHE CAN ACTUALLY PICK AND PUT IN A DISH???

I'VE BEEN TRYING FOR YEARS...YEARS!  AND I HAVE YET TO GET A SINGLE STUPID HERB INTO ANY DISH.  EVER!  

DO I NEED A DEGREE???  DO I HAVE TO HAVE MY BLACK THUMBS SURGICALLY REMOVED???

SERIOUSLY.  WHAT IS THE DEAL???

JUST SINGIN'

The last time I embedded a video, it was visual (I wanted to show our unusual May snow).  This time, I had to share the sounds of the Ozarks...

I've noticed lately that the birds here have been singing like crazy!  (Even this short clip doesn't quite do their music justice.)  Maybe they're all just glad it's finally started to look like spring...


...Having problems viewing the clip?  You can watch it on YouTube.

ABOUT TO BURST

I'm in the midst of proofreading my debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY.  Seeing my book so close to its final form just makes me want to burst open!

I can't wait to get this book in your hands!