Five Years

Five years ago, when I was eight months pregnant with my third child, I decided to write a novel.

My first book took me more than a year to write.  When I finished, I thought it was AWESOME.

It wasn't.

Now, five years later, I've written five finished novels. Two of them are pretty darn good.  Two are passable--meaning I could probably let friends and family read them without dying of embarrassment.  And one, the one I wrote first, is really, really awful.

I don't regret writing any of them.  Each one taught me something about my voice and how I build worlds and create characters.  The hours I put into writing crap made me a better writer.

Have you finished a book? Five? Ten? What have you learned as you've transitioned from a clueless new writer to a less clueless older writer?

The Conference That Got Away

Two years ago I planned to go to a writing conference in Orlando.  I registered for the conference, bought airline tickets, had a place to stay.  I was SOOO excited because I'd get to meet my agent, Sara Megibow, for the first time AND I'd get to hang out with one of my best friends, Karen Hooper.

I was 6 months pregnant and healthy and doing great.  And then I wasn't.  I had some major complications and had to cancel my registration a week before the conference, get my plane tickets refunded, and tell my roommates I wouldn't be coming.

It sucked.

Now, two years later, I'm finally headed to the conference that got away, RWA (in Los Angeles this time). Karen and Sara will be there along with many other writer friends.

I'm SOOOO excited!

You probably know that RWA is short for Romance Writers of America, and if you've read this blog for a while you know that I'm not a romance writer.  I write books for kids.  So why would a children's writer go to RWA?

Short answer: because I've heard it's the best.

I've been to a couple other conferences.  They were super fun and I learned a lot at each of them, but everyone I've talked to says RWA events are on a different level.  I can't wait to see if they're right!

Is there a conference you'd love to attend?  Is there one you've been to that you highly recommend?

On Traveling with Children

I always think summer will be some magical time when I finally catch up on everything, get back into blogging, and write outside while my kids play sweetly in the grass.  Surprise, surprise, that's never the way it goes. :)

I'm still horribly behind and my blogging has been awful. I promise that someday I will be better--unfortunately, at this rate, "someday" might mean 10 years from now.

Anyway, here's my attempt at not letting the blog die.



We try to take our kids on some sort of summer vacation every year. This spring as my husband and I were talking about where to go we skipped over all the usual places and decided instead to take a road trip through the western U.S. and Canada.  Why did we decide this?

Because clearly, we are insane.

Have you ever taken a long road trip with one child?  Not fun.  Now multiply that by FOUR.  I cannot even tell you how many times we stopped to pee or how many times we didn't stop and wished we had...

Most of the trip at least one child was unhappy. Every twenty minutes someone was hungry or thirsty or had to pee or needed a diaper change.

But guess what?  I'd do it all again.  Because when my kids think back on the experience all they'll remember is this:

 And this:

 And most of all THIS:

Worth it.


What are your favorite family memories?

What to do when you finish a book

In the past few weeks I have:

-Attended oodles of end-of-school-year activities and programs
-Refinished a dining room table and chairs
-Cleaned out my kitchen
-Traveled to a family reunion and slept in a yurt
-Painted a desk

That really doesn't look like a lot of things, but it was, trust me!

Anyhow, I'm sorry I've been away and haven't been focused on writerly things.  Right now, I'm desperate to start a new book--two weeks away is about all I can handle.  All the other things I planned to repaint and clean out will just have to wait.

How is summer treating you?  Are you writing?  Doing house projects?  Vacationing in Maui?

How to Write a Book in one CRAZY Month

In May I wrote a book.


(I'd started it in March, so I guess I didn't write a WHOLE book in May, just 150 of it's 180 pages).


And I revised it.


And I edited it.


All while planning Jayden's auction, working on another huge writing project, and doing all the regular stuff a mom of four does the last month of school.


IT WAS INSANE.  I slipped writing into every spare minute, early in the morning, during nap times, and late at night.  At the beginning of the month I didn't think I could even finish the first draft, much less get the whole thing done, but luckily this was a book that wanted to be written. It's a book I'm really proud of, and it's been a long time since I could say that about anything I've written.


Now I need a few weeks to catch up.  My kids have their last week of school next week and there are about a million other things I let slip through the cracks during this crazy time.  I promise to be back in a few weeks with a lot of exciting stuff to share.


Jayden's Auction finishes SUNDAY!  All the stuff is posted now, so bid away!  We've been so thrilled with how it's gone.  This really is an amazing community and I know everyone's donations are going to make such a huge difference to Jayden's family.  Thank you SO MUCH.

Auction Starts TODAY

Come and check it out!  We've got some awesome stuff up today and tons more to come.

Bid on agent and author critiques, art, crafts, jewelry, signed books and much more!


And Stephanie, Jessica and Keisha win a books!  Email me to let me know what book you want and where I should send it. :)

Jayden's Auction Starts Soon

Just wanted to remind everyone about the auction starting Saturday, June 2.

You'll find the usual must-haves like agent and author critiques, signed books, and jewelry, and also some fun new things like original art, customized portraits, and even a special little something from the new HOBBIT movie.  Yeah, it's going to be super cool.

Make sure to follow the Help Baby Jayden blog (where the auction will take place), Facebook, or Twitter so you can get all the updates.

And if you'd like to help us out by tweeting or posting about the auction (you can let me know in the comments), I'll add you to the drawing to win a 2012 debut of your choice! I'll pick 3 winners Friday.