Of Popovers, Moscow Mules, Rene Magritte and reasons Houston rocks

So I didn't peek. And I added a bit more milk and a tablespoon of melted butter. And the popover quest succeeded!

Yes, this is what you get from just flour, milk, eggs, salt and butter. And I'd bet you don't need the snazzy popover pan, but since I have it…

Sunday found me at the Menil Collection in Houston -- a free and gorgeous art museum. It's the last week of the Rene Magritte exhibit. I have loved Magritte and his surrealism for as long as I can remember. We spent a lot of time at Chicago's Art Institute when I was growing up and his painting called Time Transfixed (below) was one I visited every time And what do you know -- it was part of this retrospective exhibit. Actually there was even a second exhibit with his later works. Now I'm obsessed again…. Plus the Menil. Quiet,  with lovely wood floors and amazing filtered lighting… Live oaks and gardens and the Cy Twombly gallery across the street. (I was the ONLY ONE in the entire Twombly gallery. That was crazy, but I don't know if people even know it's there…) And the Rothko Chapel and a million other reasons that Houston is really one of the unsung coolest cities (except for the weather) around.

Also, there is this- a Moscow Mule--a Mad Men inspired vodka cocktail served in a copper cup (why, I'm not exactly sure). Vodka, ginger beer, lime, sugar... I first saw it at the kid lit party at the Arctic Bar in Seattle during AWP. And first ordered one this week. I'd imagine a popover or two might go well with a couple of these pretties…

Five For Friday

And somehow it is Friday again!
Actually, it is technically still Thursday night. It's me and Jimmy Fallon -- who just told his 2nd Vladimir Putin joke-- and my laptop and this post. And the dog, who is snoring. Yes, this is the glamor life of an author.

Anyway, Friday!
So what am I obsessed about this week?

1. Just read THE OTHER SHEPARDS and WHERE I WANT TO BE, both by Adele Griffin. Brilliant! Simply brilliant. She explores family and loss and desire and achieves this delicate otherworldliness that just blows me away. Did I say brilliant? Times a zillion. An amazing talent, and if I'm lucky, I'll snag a galley of her upcoming ADDISON STONE (Soho Press, August 2014)

2. Popovers! Ordering a popover pan from Crate and Barrel. Popovers! I want to make popovers! It looks easy and I still have this luscious memory of the popovers and butter and salt they served with my fig Old-Fashioned at the bar at BLT at  Camelback Inn in Scottsdale. Okay yes, this was like 3 years ago! But I've been too busy to follow through. It is hard being both lazy and obsessed, I tell you. These huge puffy yummy popovers with melty butter.

*Oooh. It's now me, snoring dog, Jimmy Fallon and also Daniel Radcliffe. Hello little Harry Potter!

3. Game of Thrones Season 4! Starting Sunday. Now my only worry is: Exactly how many days are left on my free 6 months of HBO? Or will Comcast cut me off just as the opening credits roll? I shall let you know. But Game of Thrones! You are almost here!!

4. Secret News!!! I have secret news!!!
Okay, enough shameless self promotion. But seriously! Secret news. I have some. And I'm really excited about it.

* Ooh! Daniel Radcliffe is a fan of the Food Network! He watches Chopped! Harry Potter watches Chopped! Just like me. (let me note here that Chopped makes me very nervous. Because it's all: Okay, here is a baguette, corn, some kind of horrible fruit no one has heard of, canned haggis and gummy bears. Make an appetizer. You have 20 minutes. This makes my heart race. I'm all: Good God almighty, what is that ugly fruit? And haggis? In a can? I think I would puke. And then I'm all: Hey, I hope someone uses the ice cream machine or starts a fire or cuts their finger. Yeah. Chopped. I love it. I have this idea that we need to put YA authors on Chopped. Yup. Me (since it was my idea), John Green, Rainbow Rowell and Maggie Stiefvater all opening our mystery baskets. IT COULD HAPPEN*

5. It is only a month until THE A-WORD comes out! That's the weird thing about books: It's months and months or often years until a book arrives. And it feels like it's never going to happen and you wander along all la la la and then you're like "crap!" It's almost here. And then SLJ says some nice things and you're pretty happy. Which is a relief when it's book 2 in a series.

*Jimmy Fallon and Daniel Radcliffe are wearing jumpsuits and playing sticky balls* In case you were wondering.

Happy Friday, my lovelies!!
If you're at TLA, please, please don't let me be alone in the Author Area signing line. Come get a galley of A-WORD on Thursday morning at 11. Tell your friends. I will give you candy.