And Happy New Year!

What’s that? You forgot I was your friend? Because I never write my blog anymore? Hm. There’s something to that.

There will be a few merry blog blips coming up soon. I need to choose my Word of the Year (and I can’t make up my mind this minute), and the Morris interviews are happening all next week. On Thursday I’m interviewing Stephanie Oakes, author of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. I’ll post links to all the others, too. We decided to do all five in one week this time, instead of spreading the joy over several weeks, like we usually do. ALA Midwinter comes early this year.

I’m settling down to the third draft of TESS IN BOOTS (not the final title, probably), my 3rd book set in Seraphina’s world, my first without Seraphina as the protagonist. I’ll finish this revision by the end of January, and then we shall see. I can’t really imagine a day when a book only takes three drafts, and yet I always hope for it. A few more back-and-forths and we’re looking at May or June (I hope) to get this squared away completely.

That makes it sound really dry. THIS BOOK, YOU GUISE. I am excited and scared and nervous about it. It’s funny and horrifying and painful and exhilarating and I’d hand it over to you right now if they’d let me, even though I know it’s going to be even better after I work on it some more. But I love it so, and I can’t wait to inflict it on the world.

More soon, but now it’s time to walk the dog – part of my glamorous authorial existence.