No, I didn't fall off of the edge of the earth, but I may as well have as deep as I was wrapped up in the final manuscript. Y'All should have heard my YAHOO across the world when I electronically submitted it last evening. I came home, read my mail, "window shopped" a few catalogs, watched my new favorite show, The Ghost Whisperer and then crashed. I was too brain dead to do anything else. I would have been a very happy camper to have gotten my first full night of sleep not worrying that I wasn't going to make my deadline. But no - darn Sophie got bored at 4:40 this morning and decided it was time to talk and play. She was up and down off the bed, playing with my pillow, and telling me she was bored with her loudest meows. Now I understand what Steve told me he like to do while he had her and she woke him up - she almost became a cat-apult!

Just submitted a review for Classic Teenplots: A Booktalk Guide to Use with Readers Ages 12-18 to VOYA. Gillespie is well knows for his professional titles, especially Juniorplots and Seniorplots that went out of print awhile back. This is an interesting group of 100 books because they are in print titles from his earlier professional titles. My only complaint is the subtitle - the book has only slightly over 4 pages on booktalking and no booktalks. So it is a bit deceptive in nature. As a summary of plots and suggested passages, it is superb. Am delighted to have my own copy. :-)

Also sent in my presenter information for a booktalking workshop I will be doing for school librarians in Kentucky in June. Can't wait to visit Lexington. I have been through that area many times on my trips between Texas and Michigan and Steve and I drove through on our way to Greenville from Missouri. The leaves were in their Autumn glory so it was a beautiful trip. Never had a chance to actually spend some time in the city though. Should be fun.

The students in my two literature classes at ECU have been wonderful with putting up with my quick emails to let them know the status of the manuscript and why I was not my talkative self on the first discussion board. They don't know what they are in for! :-) I am as talkative on the keyboard as in person, but you can't see my facial expressions, which is too bad. Steve says my face tells it all! So don't ask me for my opinion of something if you don't want my face to tell you the truth even if my mouth is trying very hard to be "delicate" about my impression. :-)

Now that my writing is caught up a bit, I am about to dive into Cameron Dokey's Before Midnight: A Retelling of "Cinderella". It will be out early in 2007 from Simon & Schuster. I'll let you know what I think - of course. But, now I really do need to get to those discussion boards and "meet" my new group of students.