Friday Fricassee

Lucy
(because she is beautiful)

June!  It's June!

This means, of course, that I'm going on vacation.  Not that I've been around all that much, anyway.  As I mentioned quite some months ago, I'm ramping down this blog in preparation for launching my Real Me author web site.  I'm also spending more time on my writing (I've got 2 projects going at once right now, which is something that's never happened for me before, though I've tried!), which is as it should be.

I've watched my readership here drop (because, well, there hasn't been much to read), and part of me is going OMG MY BLOG MY TRIBE MY PEOPLE MY CONTESTS.  The other part of me, though, is going AH. NICE.

There's more in store for the rest of this year, though.  Let me offer you a bulleted list of Things Both Blog and Non-Blog, shall I?

• Our next Secret Agent Contest will be in AUGUST.  That gives you a couple of months to POLISH YOUR MANUSCRIPT!  (Hint: SF, Fantasy, Spec Fic, Literary, Contemp, Historical, and Thriller, along with YA and MG across all genres!)
• I am still not sure whether or not I will host a second ON THE BLOCK this December.  I will be offering a poll when I'm back in town, so if this is something you'd like to see happen, BE SURE TO CAST YOUR VOTE!
• Yes, I will be hosting another Are You Hooked? round, but I have to wait until Michael fixes the bot glitch.  Keep your eyes on the blog (and my Twitter feed!) for info on this and all in-house critique sessions (as I often come up with them spur-of-the-moment).
• My recent #CPTwitterSearch--an alternative to the on-blog Critique Partner Dating Service--boasted only a moderate showing on Twitter.  This was my fault, because I came up with the idea in a flurry and threw it out there too quickly.  Next time, I'll give everyone MORE TIME by getting the word out in advance.  My apologies if you missed this!
• I'm almost finished with my WIP and almost ready to start drafting my now-plotted Next Story.  This will be the first time I've moved straight from one draft into another.  One can only hope that this is a sign that I have somehow achieved a new level of writerness.  Or something.
• My agent, Danielle Burby, is truly remarkable.  She is working SO HARD on my behalf.  She consistently keeps me in the loop, she's ne'er-say-die, and her belief in me and love for my work are a fire that burns beneath me and KEEPS ME GOING.  Her editorial eye is incredible.  Her sense of the market is excellent, and SHE'S PRETTY MUCH THE ROCKSTAR I'M PAINTING HER OUT TO BE.  If you write in a genre she reps, put her on your query list!
• Mr. A has lost nearly 25 pounds.  This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except for the fact that I am INSANELY PROUD OF HIM.  And he is insanely proud of himself (and ready to hit the beach without feeling like a beach ball belly).  The best part is that he had recently gone on BP meds for borderline hypertension--and HE NO LONGER NEEDS THE MEDS.  That's cause for celebration, for sure.

And it's a wrap!  I'll swing by after vacation and see what I can offer up.  I'll also be posting that survey on ON THE BLOCK, so please stay tuned!  I will need to hear from you.  (And, yanno, FEEL FREE to leave your thoughts on this in the comment box today, to give me a general idea of people's feelings on this contest.  I only want to offer things that you REALLY WANT!)