Hello, friends, and welcome to cattywampus. Today, I offer an appropriately scattershot update of life here…
First, a more deliberate aside:
I’ve been at my mom’s celebrating her birthday, so I’ve been a bit out of the loop. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the “94.7%” “crud” situation. So many (Tracey Baptiste, Kate Messner, Cheryl Klein, Josh Funk, Kelly Yang, and Lauren Magaziner are just a few) have already offered such brilliant responses, and I am fully in agreement with their thoughts and fully in solidarity with my fellow authors and illustrators.
If we’re talking percentages,
100% of us should be uplifting each other and uniting with educators, librarians, booksellers, and parents,
100% of what we say counts as public-facing artists, especially those of us who hold positions of prominence, and
we 100% need to have a wider discussion about gatekeeping, about marketing dollars, and how all of that currently defines “worthiness.”
Okay. On to more random thoughts…
My mom’s birthday was great, and I’m so glad my daughter and I were able to surprise her in Connecticut and spend a couple of days celebrating her. (I attempted to make a cake for the occasion, but it, um…did not turn out as planned. It all worked out in the end, but I think the experience deserves its own post. More on that to come…)
Looking at my calendar recently, I noticed that my new middle grade novel, LICORICE, comes out on October 20. That’s fewer than six months away!
ARCs have landed!
I would have realized this milestone sooner, but some stuff has been going on. A death in the family. An estranged parent in the hospital. A nasty head and chest cold. A loved one in need of TLC. An intense day job. And, you know, THE HORRORS.
It all persists, as do I.
Of course, I don’t shower as often as I like, my house is a cluttery mess, and my laundry pile overfloweth, but those are just facts. I used to feel guilty or gross about that stuff. Now I just shrug it off. These things will get done eventually, and as ever, all I can do is my best. Post-menopausal clarity for the win.
I’d much rather focus on
These Mii characters my daughter made of me from the old and new Tomodachi Life games. I’m not gonna lie, I am flattered.
Old Tomodachi KL…
…and new Tomodachi KL. I would totally wear this outfit.
This photo of one of my cats (Ella) gazing longingly at a willow tree.
I suspect there may be a bird nest inside.
This photo of me wearing my other cat, Lulu, as a hat. (My head is her favorite perch.)
Going to see Stars on Ice here in Providence with my daughter. She’s become really passionate about figure skating since she watched the Winter Olympics, to the point where she can rattle off stats about all the skaters, she’s currently taking lessons, and enjoys performing mock routines around the house. I managed to snag excellent seats for her (13th — how??) birthday, and I loved sharing the moment with her. I was never really into ice skating, but I was really impressed and entertained.
Hope your week has been bearable, with plenty of pleasant distractions. If you need another one, you can always preorder LICORICE!
Yours in resistance and persistence…