Merry Christmas!

From the middle of the stormy, snowy, sleety, rainy midwest (as in "Is this the ice bowl?" "No, it's Iowa."), I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming year.

Thank you for joining me here on my blog and on my website. I'm so glad to have had your companionship over the past year and I look forward to another year here, sharing books and ideas and heroes (especially, but not exclusively, Hugh-in-a-towel) with you.

If you have questions or suggestions for making this a better place to visit, please share them.

Blogs aren't one way streets. It helps me to hear your ideas and learn about what you want to read about, too. Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Take care and have a wonderful holiday season!

From all of our family to all of yours,

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!

Bye, George!

By George, he's gone.

George, that is. He took his heroine and cyberspatially took off on the weekend so he'll be spending Christmas on the other side of the pond.

It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Neither could his heroine, Sophy. I am sooooo glad they finally got it together and managed their happily-ever-after.

I hope the ed likes it when she reads it which, she tells me, will probably not be until January. Not a problem. The last thing I want is George coming home for Christmas. Even though I love him dearly, we need a little space. A little less togetherness.

I'm now in the throes of planning Christmas in a week. Or less, obviously. Fortunately before I threw myself headlong at the last few chapters of George, I got most of my Christmas shopping done and the presents that needed mailing were mailed. And a week ago last weekend we put up the tree.

But since George left the building I've been baking and cleaning and washing sheets (for descending grandkids and kids to have places to sleep) and shoveling snow and figuring out Christmas dinner. At Thanksgiving I came within a blink of forgetting potatoes. So I need to start making lists.

It's snowing again tonight. It's supposed to snow for the next three days. That should make the indoor preparations easier and the shopping preparations tricky, to say the least.

I'm off now to write my blog for Tuesday for Tote Bags 'n' Blogs. Drop by and say hi.

To get you in the holiday spirit, in case you're not, this is where Sophy and George are spending Christmas.

Where are you spending it?

It's Spring in December

At least it feels that way. The temperature is nearly 60 F this afternoon. I know it's December 1st, but it sure doesn't feel that way.

I am so tempted to go on long walks with the dogs, but I'm in nose-to-grindstone mode with George and Sophy. They need to be finished by December 15th and I'm on track to get there. It would be nice to have a week beyond it to 'tweak' it myself before the ed makes her own tweaking suggestions. But that would take us too close to Christmas, so it's not going to happen. I just want to get it out of the house before the holidays.

I'm pretty well done with Christmas shopping. The internet has made my life so much easier that way. But I still have to find something fun for the 5 year old twin grandsons. Got any suggestions? They're each getting a sweater, but that's no fun for kids. So I'm open to suggestions. The rest of the grandkids are all taken care of as are the kids and The Prof.

I was talking with a friend the other day about Christmas gifts and I said that the best gifts I ever got were from two aunts who, each in her own way, seemed to understand what I would like even when I didn't realize it myself. One of them bought books regularly -- and they were always really special books that I usually had never heard of, but then fell in love with. And the other, who taught piano, was always good at thinking of record albums (this was pre-CD, you understand) that I would love.

So I'm trying to think about the people I'm buying for and come up with things they'd like. That's why I know the sweaters will only please the twins' parents. But I need something else for the boys that they will like.

Their dad says they like all sports, games, DVDs and books. Got any good ideas?

What was the best present you ever got? Do you still have it?

Merry Christmas!

I didn't really vanish. I just got absorbed in revising and throwing out and revising and throwing out until I thought the ripple effect was really an undertow, and I was done for.

Happily, I don't think it is. I still have work to do -- but it's not going to get completely finished until after the first of the year. My new year's resolution is going to be one of patience. I hope my editor's is, too!

I have seen Antonides' Forbidden Wife in one store so far, so I know it exists -- just in time for Christmas stocking stuffing (I hope). At least for those who are doing their shopping on Christmas Eve.

We are celebrating the lovely news that yet another grandchild is expected come summer. The 4th of July, they tell me. An auspicious day, to be sure. And the birthday of my grandfather as well, which makes it even more special. We've also just learned that the baby due in April is a boy. All very exciting.

Must get busy and write the next book so I can go visit these new little people and their parents without deadlines hanging over me.

But first -- revisions.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season. May you find joy in the celebration and be in the company of people you love this year.

Meanwhile -- the dogs wouldn't sit still for a photo. They sent stand-ins ( see below). Happy holidays to all of you from all of us!