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Here's What's Happening My
big news to date is that I've become a member of the Adams Family! The Adams Literary family, that is! After an
exhaustive nation-wide search, I've found the best agent ever, Quinlan Lee, to represent my latest YA novel, The War at
Home. I'm already enjoying her enthusiasm, support, and gentle prodding ('Would you rewrite your bio? Can
we get an updated picture for our site? Can you update your website?...") to do things I should have done long ago.
The truth is, gentle readers, I've been a bit lackadaisical about my writing over the last year or so. Part of it was
life: a flooded house, a move to another, the loss of my mother...but part of it was feeling like maybe I'd said all I had
to say where writing was concerned. Last November, I decided halfheartedly to try NaNoWriMo one more time: lo-and-behold,
my writer's spirit stirred and woke again, and in 14 days I had the first draft of The War at Home. 'What's
it about?' you ask? (Okay, I'm asking for you!) The War at Home is about Dov Howard, a 16-year-old
emo kid who is perfectly comfortable in his role as 'the family loser,' a position which nicely complements that of his older
brother, Brian (aka "The Golden Boy"). When Brian joins the National Guard, gets shipped off to Afghanistan
and returns home a broken version of himself, Dov must decide whether he's going to step up to the plate and really be there
for the people who need him, or take the easy way out, as he's always done in the past. The War at Home is about
stepping out of one's comfort zone, about family growth, and about dealing with one member's painful experience, something
more and more families face as their soldiers return from serving in the Middle East. In other
news, my oldest child departed for France and is threatening not to return. The other kids are busy with summer soccer,
golf, basketball, skateboarding, and babysitting. The buzzwords of June have been 'umbrella' and 'mosquito spray,' depending
on the day. But the flowers are blooming, the grass is lush and green, and it's a delight to sleep with the windows
open, letting the fresh, cool air lull us to sleep at night, and the sound of birdsongs (and lawnmowers) wake us up in the
morning. Stay tuned for future updates! As always,
if I'm in the vicinity, I'd be glad to visit your local bookstore, bookclub meetings, or other events for reading, signing,
and/or Q&A; just email me to make arrangements And thanks to everyone for your wonderful reviews, emails, and comments!
I always love hearing from you!
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