Big, cold week

It's super cold out again. We had a mini-March of sort for the last seven days or so, but as of yesterday, and certainly as of today if my cold toes are to be trusted, January is back, 110%. Let's all put our heads down against the wind and get through it.

That is, as soon as I get back from New York. I'll grant you, New York isn't much of a respite from winter blues, but it's a little one, if your winter blues are Minnesotan -- especially if while in New York you get to go to the SCBWI Annual Conference! Which of course I do. I'm extra excited (and nervous) this year because I get to meet my inimitable agent, ENIV, and hopefully a handful of Tenners, of which I've met exactly none, at least in person. Online we are not counting for these purposes. Or porpoises. I have a cold and feel very foggy in the head, but I'm sure I mean "purposes" or "porpoises."

I like dolphins.

Yesterday morning, I finally decided to send a finished draft of YA MS the Third to ENIV. I know it's not perfect, so yesterday's decision was about letting it not be perfect, after lying awake night and night and anguishing over every paragraph and plot decision for the past several months. I think it's good. I think it still could use some work, but let's remember that agents and editors (if this book ends up seeing any) are very helpful people when it comes to creating a book. Now, I will look forward to hearing from ENIV and his thoughts on what I've written.

Is it okay to say I know a lot of it is really good?

Now, back to life. Everyone here is sick with a cold; Sam probably picked it up at the Rosedale Mall play area late last week, and has been good enough to share it with myself and my wife since then, by all manner of coughing and sneezing on our faces.

Going back east, sans laptop

I am saddened, for two reasons:

1. I lost a follower on this blog! I'm back down to 30. Sadness. I think I get a few followers here who aren't terribly interested in anything I have to say but are merely hoping I'll follow them back. I get a tremendous number of such followers on Twitter, too. Oh well. Good riddance, I suppose.

2. My laptop--aka, the most important inanimate object in my life--is in dire need of repair. The display simply doesn't work, 9 out of 10 times I try to start it up. And that 10th time, it usually goes black after a few minutes. The thing is still on warranty, so I'll have to ship it out to Dell and wait for it to return to me.

I am cheered, as well, though. For beginning Tuesday of next week, my family will spend a week in New York! This is great for all the usual reasons (i.e., food), but also because we will finally meet Sam's cousin Jaden, born to my brother and his wife in California way back in December!

With any luck at all, my laptop will be back in my possession shortly after we return home in early July. Then I can get cracking on YA MS the Third, which I am re-excited about after a long discussion with my agent yesterday. Oh, and YA Novel the First? I have to write the two tiniest little passages you ever heard of, which I'll probably do this weekend on Beth's laptop (using it right now!), and then I do believe the editing portion of our show will be over. Woo! Then it's final title, cover ideas . . . I can't stand it.

Oh, and speaking of early July, here is a public service announcement: Please, if you live near a family with a dog, don't shoot off firecrackers or fireworks. Thank you. Oh, also if you have fingers.

What's up, Doc?

Some news.

First, the release date for Novel the First is set for Fall 2010. Because the Imprint is part of a larger company--a company that is in fact a school and library publisher--we're looking at a two season, even two-release-date, schedule: January or July. So Fall 2010 essentially means finished books next July. (Release, btw, does not mean in stores; it means at the warehouse and available. Or it did at S&S, anyway. I can only assume.)

I learned this last night, over my first-ever editor lunch, albeit a dinner. It was at Ngon, which I am still not confident trying to say out loud. But the food was fantastic. I had two appetizers, including the tofu lettuce wraps, and one other that I won't mention because I think some people who read this might faint or never speak to me again if they find out I ate rabbit. Oops.

But I'll definitely eat at Ngon again, and they're even baby friendly. There were like three babies there last night, actually, and Editor mentioned he and his wife brought their own baby there too. He liked the pho. (Baby did, I mean. Though I'm sure Editor did too.)

In related news, I have become a Tenner. This thrills me more than you can imagine. If you want to get an idea of how awesome they are, look at all the comments in my first entry. They are a supportive and welcoming crew!

Some links this morning:

Head over to Carrie Jones's blog, because she waxes poetic about my new agent and her deep affection for him!

Jay Asher, rags-to-riches author of 13 Reasons Why, has a great little post today in answer to the question "What is wrong with these kids today?!"

Finally, someone up and bought kidlit.com! I suspect it's going to be big, what with the excellent URL. I recommend subscribing to the feed now to stay ahead of the mob.

Four items of varying degrees of note

Hey hey!

Good evening, happy Friday, and such and such.

No news on the YA MS the First front; I trust the esteemed EN4 arrived home from Bologna today and will be back in the office on Monday. I feel confident I'll hear all about the details (or "deetz," for you young people) at that time.

In news today, however:

1. I remembered most of the bass lines I was required to play at our first band-back-together practice last night! We're having another practice tomorrow afternoon, after . . .

2. Taxes! Tomorrow, lunchtime-ish, I'll be off to see our tax professional. Being a freelance, self-employed person is complicated, what with home offices and 1099s and expenses and such.

3. It pays to comment on your favorite blogs, people! I have been invited to become a new contributor at The Spectacle. This is pretty cool! And it's all because I dropped the correct answer to this week's Stump the Bookseller, one of the current contributors clicked over here, and thought I would be a good fit! My first official duty: write next week's Stump the Bookseller.

4. Since I was at practice last night, I'll have to make some write time this weekend. If I don't, Eric Stevens will be missin' deadlines, and that ain't cool.

Nothing more to say! Have a good weekend, y'all.

It's trivia day!

First and only question:

1. What is McIntosh & Otis?

a) An apple and an elevator
b) A comic strip from the 1910s about two hobos, riding the rails
c) One of the oldest and most respected literary agencies in the world
d) The agency that represents Steve Brezenoff, author

If you said a, c, and d, you're right!

I have been enthusiastically offered--and have enthusiastically accepted--representation from the firm of McIntosh & Otis! I'm officially agented, which means everything can get rolling with YA MS the First!

More news soon. . . .