Friday's Five . . .

1. Sorry about the lag between posts. This was supposed to be a quiet time of year for me to write, write, write. Ha! Non-writing things have been piling up. Wonderful things. Time-consuming things.

But the next novel isn't going to write itself. Right? (I'm trying to spend less time with online distractions. Ha!)

2. There was an article about me in the Palm Beach Post this week. And, whoosh, local school visit requests have been rolling in. I'm so glad. Spending time with enthusiastic young readers is always inspiring and energizing. And fun!

3. Loyal blog readers (This means YOU!), super exciting 6-1/2 lists are coming your way here at Wild About Words. Authors, agents, illustrators -- Oh, my! -- with excellent advice to help you reach your goals for 2011 and beyond.

And book giveaways. Oh, there will be signed book giveaways!

Stay tuned . . .


4. Whatcha Reading?

I'm reading . . .

ROOM by Emma Donahue. Great storytelling. Great story . . . told from a five-year-old boy. Gripping and innovative. Master of the sparse setting and well-rendered scene. Dare you to put this gem down to attend to mundane things like, oh, the children.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS: ONE GRUMP'S SEARCH FOR THE HAPPIEST PLACES IN THE WORLD by Eric Weiner. So funny and interesting. Reminds me of Bill Bryson's wit and wisdom, which I adore.


5. It's been a challenging week here. Puppy decided that both the remote control and the telephone were chew toys. But that was small potatoes compared to . . .

When two big dogs were walking past our house, Puppy decided that busting through the screen and meeting them up close and personal would be a fine idea. Puppy didn't count on the truck. (His brain is very small.) THANK GOD the truck driver was able to slam on the brakes a centimeter before hitting our incredibly sweet (and stupid) pooch.

Did Benji (aka Butthead) even notice he was nearly Road Ragu?

Nope.

Just met a couple new four-legged friends and, like any toddler, refused to leave the party. So I had to CARRY his 40-pound butt back into the house, while oldest son kept our other pooch from charging out the window to follow. And our other pooch is not nearly as sweet and friendly.

Humph.

I'm not even going into the lightning strike that blew a transformer next to our house with a mighty explosion that knocked out our electricity and scared the baked beans out of me. Eh, it was God's way of telling me it was time to go to bed. What I didn't count on was the power coming back at two in the morning -- lights blaring, dogs barking -- you get the idea.

For now, though, all is well in the Land of Lunacy. Power's back on. Puppies are safe. People are safe. And as a wise friend, Yoda, once said: "Write, I will!"

Now, here's your Moment of Dog . . .







Have the best weekend ever. Okay?