Hurray! This weekend started just right, with my contributor’s copy of Jabberwocky 1 arriving in the mail. It’s just...so...cute! I can’t get over how adorable it is (no, seriously--it’s laid out so well, in such a cute, perfectly-sized package)--or how many cool-looking stories are packed inside it. (And no, I’m not egotistical enough to be referring to my story, I swear! I was thinking more of the stories waiting to be read by me, written by Jane Yolen...Theodora Goss...Sonya Taaffe...Greer Gilman...so many!) It put me in a happy, buzzing short story mood, so I spent my writing time this morning working on revising new stories to be sent out. (I’m also wearing the new, bright berry-colored cardigan I bought with my Jabberwocky check yesterday, so I’m feeling well-loved by my short fiction writing at the moment.) Buzz, buzz, buzz! Happy productivity mood.

It’s a misty day, which can be either depressing or really cool, depending on your perspective. Today, I’m really enjoying the eeriness of the shapes formed by buildings and telephone poles fading into the deep white mist. Nika hates it, though! She dug in her heels and dragged all the way through our first walk this morning. Having been born in Naples, she still feels that weather should be generally warm and dry. Of course, it’s hard to disagree with her, as my Southern California relatives would probably point out...

We’re trying to get lots of writing work done this weekend--Patrick’s revising his YA novel The Sleepers, and I just finished Chapter Ten of Congress of Shadows. As I’m balancing a lot of different characters and intersecting plotlines, I’ve decided to follow some recently-read writing advice and actually sit down and do some collaging with posterboard, magazines, glitter, markers and a gluestick. I’m hoping it’ll help me solidify my understanding of the characters and their stories...but even if not, it does at least sound like an awful lot of fun! (And a perfect weekend activity.) I’m really looking forward to next weekend, when Patrick & I will be going to Edinburgh for a 4-day writing trip. I’ve never been there before, and I’m super excited. A castle on the main street...perched on top of an extinct volcano--! How much cooler could anything possibly get? :) My castle addiction is about to be satisfied beyond its wildest dreams.

In the meantime, we’re baking raisin bread in the breadmaker, and it’s filling the house with the comforting scent of cinnamon. Happy weekend, everybody!