My New Best Friend

Me and my new best friend (photo credit: Child #3)

When my writing critique group, Denny's Chicks, spent a weekend in Dana Point, uh, writing and gabbing, Stacey Goldblatt brought her milk frother. Actually, Stacey also brought homemade vegan goodies, a mean salad and squares of chocolate.

But it was her milk frother that I coveted.

And coveted and coveted and coveted.

Finally, I just broke down and bought myself one. So, now I'm the proud and happy owner of my very own milk frother.

With his love for hot chocolate, Child #2 is also thrilled with the milk frother.

And on the topic of Child #2, can I just brag for a quick sec? We're all very excited as more and more colleges send him acceptance letters! At some point, a decision will have to be made. But, for this week, it's all fun and games and ego boosting.

Have a great Wednesday! And if you haven't bought yourself something recently, go for it!

My Town Monday: Dana Point, CA

Welcome to this week's My Town Monday post!

Dana Point has a population of about 37,000 and is located on the coast in the OC, roughly halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles. It was named after Richard Henry Dana (1815-1882), a lawyer, a seaman and an author. Mr. Dana wrote the first book about California in English. The book was published in 1840 and was titled TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Mr. Dana described Dana Point (then called Capistrano Bay) as "the most romantic spot on the California coast."

Here are a few more interesting tidbits about Dana Point:
-It's a great whale-watching place. Depending on the time of year, you can see gray whales or blue whales.
-It's a great spot for surfing.
-The historic area, called Lantern Village, has many streets named after different colored lanterns (Blue Lantern, Amber Lantern, you get the idea). A couple of hundred years ago, ships used colored lanterns to guide traders safely into Dana Point's harbor.

You might be wondering what I was doing in Dana Point. It was my writing critique group's (Denny's Chicks--so named because we often meet at Denny's) getaway weekend!!


Here we are hard at work!

Stacey Goldblatt! Not only is Stacey an amazing writer, but she's also a very talented baker...of desserts. We encourage her in both pursuits. P.S. Stacey is the author if two Young Adult novels: STRAY and GIRL TO THE CORE (both published by Delacorte Press/Random House).

Kathy Krevat! Kathy wins for Most Words Produced This Weekend! Congrats to Kathy and her twinkle fingers.


Kelly Hayes! Kelly brought very delicious homemade soup. Very delicious. She also prepares mouth-watering appetizers. And she has a good sense of direction.


Me in my pink, fuzzy writing socks. (Kathy also has a cute pair.)

Here's what awaited me when I arrived home. That Child #4...so thoughtful!

Here we (me, Kelly, Stacey, Kathy) are in our natural habitat (at Denny's)! Just for fun, can you name the ONLY Denny's Chick who eats red meat?


Oh, oh, oh! If you haven't had a chance to check out the book trailer for I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS, here's a link. I'm really proud of it.

Please click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. Have a great day!



sources:
http://www.ocexecutives.com/Cities/danapointrealestate.html
http://www.danapointtimes.com/view/full_story/7059770/article-Once-Upon-This-Coast
http://www.danapointharbor.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Point,_California

Denny's Chicks or My Writing Critique Group

This past weekend was the Denny's Chicks' Annual Potluck Holiday Party. What? you say. Isn't it January? Yes, yes, but we were all so busy during December that we put off our get-together until the new year.

The Denny's Chicks' Annual Potlock Holiday Party is the one time of year when we force our husbands to hang out with all of us at the same time. We drag them out for an evening of good food, good drink, good conversation (of course!) with four talented and cute authors (that's us!).

Interestingly enough, over the years, the husbands have gotten chattier and chattier. For the first time ever, the party went past midnight!

By the end of the evening, the Denny's Chicks chose the saying on Mr. Summy's t-shirt as our theme!


Here's a very blurry photo of the Denny's Chicks. Left to right, it's me, Kathy Krevat, Stacey Goldblatt, Kelly Hayes. Stacey, author of the YA novels STRAY and GIRL TO THE CORE (published by Delacorte Press/Random House), joined us in September. We love her to death! (Despite her scary, feral eyes! Kidding.)

If you've been following this blog, you may have a question about Denny's Chick Sandy Levin. Sandy is setting fiction writing aside to pursue other creative outlets, such as gorgeous work with glass. She was busy on the weekend, but was, of course, invited to the party. Because once a Denny's Chick, always a Dennys Chick! (Photo credit: Mr. Summy took this with my blackberry, following two cans of orange crush.)

Here's a photo of Stacey with normal eyes. This is the first time we met--at the San Diego Book Awards where her book, GIRL TO THE CORE, won an award!!!

Disclaimer: Our critique group actually meets at Panera's now, not Denny's.

Kathy, thank you for hosting the holiday party!

I'm wondering if we should start having a mid-year party...

More News From the Chameleon Cage

Welcome to the nursery! Aren't they just the cutest little reptiles you've ever seen? I caught six out of the seven (two more hatched today) in this shot. They're asleep at the top of the cage, close to the warm infrared light. How did they get to the top of this 30-inch cage? They climbed. CUTELY.


Thank you for all the congratulations re getting some of these eggs to hatch (still MANY (like 42?) to go). Now, we have to get the babies to start eating. Kids. Yeesh! There's always something to worry about.

Anyway, this container is home to hundreds of pinhead crickets. Chameleon food. Today we'll see if any of the baby veileds eats. We think they're ready because a) Most of the little yolk sacs attached to their bellies have been absorbed. b) Eyes are opening. c) Mouths are opening. Wish us luck!


I wonder if this little guy (or girl) will be out of the egg by lunch?

Oh, and to answer the big question...we'll be selling the babies to a reptile/pet store.

And not in chameleon news, I'll be at the Yellow Book Road this Saturday, September 18 @ 2:00 for a Random House Tween/Teen Author Panel. Who else will be there?
Stacey Goldblatt (GIRL TO THE CORE), Laura McNeal (DARK WATER) and Laura Peyton Roberts (GREEN). Please come by if you get the chance. We'll try to be entertaining and educational. Also, I can't imagine that a panel like this will happen all that often.