Back in January I talked about intending to update my website and revamp it to bring it more into line with what I’m doing now — which you may have noticed is not cowboys.

So my webmistress and I began to talk. My notion of “tweaking” turned into her notion of “that’s not what I call tweaking” and so we went back to the drawing board to come up with a new design. We are almost there.

I’m comforted somewhat by the thought that website changing can take even longer than writing a book. Who knew? And it’s not all finished yet, but the basics are there and will be up on September 1st. The blog should be getting a “new look” then, too, if all goes well.

And, of course, Spence and Theo are in contest mode and have come up with a contest that Spence is quite pleased with. It’s called “Romancing the Boss.” (Can you see why Spence is pleased?) and I think it will be fun. Of course it’s in honor of his book, The Boss’s Wife For A Week. But it’s also to celebrate the new look. (Don’t tell him that!)

We’re still working out prizes, but it should be worth entering. It will open on Sept 1 and end Sept 30. So drop by the website sometime in the month of September and enter.

Be patient for some of the content because it won’t all be up right away. But if you don’t see something and you think it needs to be there, drop me a not via the “contact Anne” link and I’ll see what I can do.

Seb wants to know when he gets a contest. I told him he needs a book first, so he’d better get to work.

Those of you who were here a month or so ago may remember my “box” out of which I’ve been writing Sebastian and Neely.

I’ve been adding to it as I’ve done research. It now has pix of a great place in the Napa Valley to have a wedding (not theirs!) and an interview with a local resident who lives where I want them to live. It has more notes from my architect friend. It has several maps and reminiscences of early trips to San Francisco that I took when I was in college.

That’s the thing about writing. Nothing is ever wasted. My other box is my brain — all the memories and emotions and ideas that have been bouncing around in there for longer than I like to think. All of it is grist for the mill. But now I have a new place to put it — my external box.

And I like it because I don’t think, “Hey, that’s a great idea,” and then promptly forget it again. I toss it in the box and periodically I go through the box and discover things I’ve forgotten that really are surprisingly good ideas and actually help fill in empty spots in the plot.

The plot itself is coming together, but the focus is shifting a bit. It’s the “Presents” influence, I suppose. It’s the same story with a different emphasis. I’m not sure about it yet. We’ll have to see how it goes. It’s taking more time, though, I know that.

When one of my boys was little he had a lazy eye and they patched the good one so he’d look out of the other one and strengthen it. Frankly that’s what it feels like I’m doing in this book.

My natural inclination is to do it one way — which is not precisely “the Presents way” though I would say it’s “the McAllister way.”

I don’t yet know how I feel about doing it with this different focus. We shall see. I’m willing to give it a shot because it’s a challenge as a writer. Will it be as good a book? I dearly hope so.

Keep your fingers crossed. I can’t — I’m holding the baby.

And trying to write the book.

I promise I won’t do this again. Well, not often. There’s just something about babies that brings out the camera in me.

I didn’t even take this picture. Ellie’s other grandma did. Or her other grandpa. Doesn’t matter. It’s my desktop wallpaper now. I hate covering it up so I can write my book, but I suppose I’m going to have to.

Actually I’m going to be doing both, looking at it — and her in person! — and writing.

I’m off to be grandma for about 10 days, so if I don’t appear regularly, you’ll know what I’m doing. My editor expects that it is not all I will be doing — that I will be working on Seb and Neely as well.

I promise I will.

I’ve also been working on maps for the website. I made a really cool one which my webmistress assures me that no one will want. And she’s probably right — but I like it.

If you like to play with , Google Earth let me know and I’ll send you a link to it.

In the meantime, I’m off to pack. Behave yourselves while I’m gone. I’ll be checking in.