Five for Friday and #icebucketchallenge for peace

So much going on: Waiting for arcs of FINDING PARIS! Working on IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS! Working on new book ideas. Enjoying the dog days of summer -- particularly because I am also plotting out events straight through next spring and beyond, as one does in publishing. But you know summer is waning when the family has already begun our "Who's hosting Thanksgiving" discussion. Yikes!!

Also keeping the world's craziness firmly on my mind. I wish there was an #icebucketchallenge for peace, you know? Wouldn't that be great and simple? Putin would dump ice on himself and stop invading. Every leader in the Middle East would do the same. And here, too, in Ferguson. Put down the guns and pick up the ice bucket. Done. Then everyone would eat a Klondike bar and just breathe.

But for now I've got my measly five for Friday.

1. So excited that our proposals for AWP have been accepted! Minneapolis here I come! 10,000 writers and writing teachers all in one conference. That's wonderful crazy. And I get to present academic-ish panels with amazing authors: Janet Fox, Geoff Herbach, Nova Ren Suma, Nikki Loftin, Kari Anne Holt, and Laura Ruby! How grand is that?

2. Taking a break from Outlander. 6 books this summer. That is a LOT of Jamie and Claire. But you can't get enough of Jamie, you know? You really can't. Still, the series has jumped the shark more times than I can count and the plot threads whip here and there and sometimes I feel that things are thrown in just to throw them in: Meningitis! Murder! Incest! Adultery! More adultery! Illegitimate children! Rape! More rape! Explosions! More Explosions! Kidnapping! More Kidnapping! Time Travel! Pirates! Executions! Witches! More witches! Sexy Times! Hangings! Missing Limbs! More Missing Limbs! And look! it's John Hancock! And on like that. Still. I will finish the series this year. Just not right this second.

3. Some other grand book events shaping up for next spring which I am very excited about and will tell you about soon. FINDING PARIS is on its way. And soon I can show you the cover. Just a few more weeks…

4. Had an awesome time at Ft. Worth Library Round Up last weekend. Thank you a million times over to Wendy Dunn for inviting me and asking me to moderate the What's Hot in YA panel.

5. And did you know that COVERT AFFAIRS is back for another season? Well it is. Oh Auggie. Oh Annie. Everyone's spying. Everyone's keeping secrets. And I say we need more Eyal Levin. But maybe that's just me.