Random photos

'When I do No. 2, I look like No. 1!'

This is the funniest commercial. It's for new limited edition 'denim' Huggies diapers. Watch it - only 30 seconds long. You'll be glad you did!

Oh, we won't be buying these for our son. He's not into fashion.

Coming out of your shell

This just in, from AOL news:

BRENTWOOD, N.H. (July 11) - A New Hampshire couple says a 25-pound pet tortoise has reappeared four years after escaping from its pen.
Mike and Christine Wellington say their African spur thigh tortoise named Lucy made off from their greenhouse business in Brentwood. But on Friday, the Wellingtons received a call from a neighbor half a mile up the road that Lucy had reappeared.
The Wellingtons say they're certain the tortoise is theirs because of the unusual protruding bumps on its back.
Mike Wellington says turtles of Lucy's species dig deep holes in the ground for protection in extreme weather. He says he supposes Lucy did just that to survive New Hampshire's winters the past four years.

These people are so naive. I know the truth. The turtle's stepmother kidnapped it!!!

Jennifer Weiner writes about self-promoting one's book

Jennifer Weiner has a fun blog entry about this. Not that she has to self-publicize, but she did anyway. She bought a full-page ad in the Times book review this weekend. She writes... "The rest of us are left to beat, and tweet, our own drums."

Read it here.

Spotted in stores

On Saturday I went with a friend of mine to visit some friends in Westchester whose baby is nearly 2 years old and I haven't seen him yet. So I finally got to visit cute little Jackson. Hi Jackson!

Anyway, we walked to the main street and there was a Border's book store, so I had to see if my book was there. They had five copies in the teen section! That's pretty good. By the time I found them, said friend had already convinced some poor girl who looked about 14 to buy my book. She DID say, "It sounds interesting, actually." She was buying three or four books to take on a vacation. I signed one for her even though I she hadn't bought it yet. Hope I don't scar her for life. Anyway, thanks to my friend who talked her into it (if I can use your name, let me know).

The book was right beside to a lone remaining copy of Will Leitch's Catch from a few years ago. Will has a new book out, although not for teens. Actually, it could be for them too, I guess.

That's about it for book updates!

Food I have to avoid, and food I am eating

Has anyone else found that peaches really taste bad this year? Well, it can't be all peaches. But I've bought peaches at different stores, and they all taste kind of...dirty. (Yes, I wash them, of course. It's just something about the way the whole peach tastes.) I'll stick with plums, blueberries, and teeny bananas (less wasteful than big ones) for now, I guess. I also love cherries and kiwis. Apples and grapes give me heartburn right now.

Speaking of which, here is a list of foods I don't eat because I'm pregnant. Now, keep in mind, this is NOT a complaint. Just a little exposition on why it's sometimes hard to find things to eat these days:

>Deli meat, including bought in packages. Deli meat can contain listeria, an infection that is pretty rare, but prego women are 20 times more likely to get it. Being that my doc said he's never seen a case, and many pregnant people probably eat it all the time, it's probably a low risk. But not one I can afford to take. You can read about this here. Oh yeah, you can heat the deli meat up to 140 degrees or something, but when I'm at work, I don't have access to an oven. And I've been told that microwaving really wouldn't kill it. (Also, the prepackaged kind is probably better but I'm still not chancing it.

>Sushi, even cooked. Sure, cooked should be fine, but do you really think the sushi chefs are preparing it on a different counter than they're preparing the raw stuff? Nooooo.

>Deli cheese. Because the deli people are probably slicing it with the same machine they use for deli meat. Unless they keep kosher, which I doubt. (Packaged cheese is fine with me.)

>Feta, brie, bleu, and some other cheeses we're told not to eat because they're sometimes unpasteurized. I really doubt these would cause a problem, but I can sure live without them.

>Chocolate - Maybe it's psychological, but even when I wasn't prego, I could feel myself breaking out when I eat it. I think my organs are better off without the miniscule caffeine.

>Certain seafood at restaurants, like mussels. I just don't trust the chefs. Sorry.

>Tea or anything with caffeine. Told caffeine is bad, and don't have it much anyway.

>Trying to limit artificial sweetners although they say some are OK. The tests aren't extensive.

...Which reminds me. There are lots of things that doctors think are probably safe but no one is gonna test them on pregnant women, so you don't know for sure. The experts have categories of medicines, for instance: A, B, C, X....for how safe they are in pregnancy. There are categories for "probably ok but not in animals who we gave big doses to" etc. Not always reassuring.

>Tomatoes, tomato products, apples, oatmeal. All good for me, but cause too much stomach acid. I think I can add granola to that list, too.

>Category "DUH" - Alcohol, which I hardly ever had anyway. I don't even remember last time I had any. Although it's ok to eat it as part of cooking - like when I had bananas foster for my b-day earlier this year. It's got rum sauce. I was kinda afraid but I did have some of the rum sauce.

>Certain fishes that are on the list of too much mercury. I can still eat most shellfish, which is mainly what I like anyway. I kinda miss white meat (albacore) tuna, which I have to keep to a low amount. Here's the grand fish-in-pregnancy amount list for whoever cares (no one).

THIS JUST IN: My hubby just called from the Mets game to tell me his whole row won free pizza for some reason. The one time I'm not there, they get free food! But the tomato sauce would have given me acid, so I guess it worked out.

Things I do eat:

-Eggs. Cooked well enough, of course.

-Shrimp, non-albacore tuna, crab - Because I still have to make sure I get enough good brain food (as long as I avoid the fishes I'm not supposed to eat.)

-Fruit. Yummy. Bananas are kind of so-so but my mom has been on me since the beginning to eat bananas.

-Yogurt. Some with artificial sweetners, some without.

-Yogurt covered raisins. These actually aren't all that healthy, but sometimes I need the sugar.

-Rice pudding. Hey, it's got calcium!

-Hummus. Hummus is the one food that doesn't give me any heartburn or reflux at all. Not sure why, but ok!

-Cereal. My beloved hot cereals give me heartburn, but sugar cereal is OK and also is, as you know, fortified with vitamins! Plus the milk and fruit I put into it can't hurt.

-Pasta. Butter, garlic, cheese instead of tomato sauce.

-Avacado squeezed on sandwiches. Not the healthiest veggie, but nummy.

-Some veggies. Especially peas. I like peas.

-White pizza is ok.

-Trying to push myself to eat meat, like burgers and chops, even though I've never eaten all that much meat. I need the iron.

-Potatoes with melted cheese, broccoli, sour cream - mmm. Also mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Potassium is important. And yummy.

-Chicken. Pushing myself to eat more chicken than I used to. Protein is key.

The main problem is at lunch. Most of what's above isn't for lunch. But I've made do. Yesterday I ate a grilled vegetable sandwich from the local deli - fried eggplant with grilled portobellos and zucchini and olive oil. That was GOOD!

Baby has been measuring a week ahead on growth, so so far I guess we're doing ok. He's a boy, and I think boys tend to be a little ahead. 10 weeks to go!!!

New word

Musician and witty punster Michael Lynch writes:

Unonymous....That's when everyone agrees to not sign their names.

I like it!

Re-release today!

Today's the official re-release date for Carrie Pilby! Buy your new edition here...

And here's an interview and contest that went up on the Chick Lit Central blog today.

Oh lord

I got a press release today for a new song called "F--- My Face." Apparently there is a clean version and a dirty version. How could there be a clean version of F--- My Face?

Too easy

As if someone would say 'no' to this. But really, how complicated was this dessert to think up? Just put a bunch of yummy stuff together. Big deal. I could do that.

French kiss

There are a lot of mentions of La vie (pas) tres cool de Carrie Pilby on the web. It's one of the first releases from French Harlequin Teen and it came out there a month ago.

Here's what one person wrote on her blog, as translated by Google:

Summary: Not easy to live your life when you feel a girl apart and found the hypocritical world.

Constantly disappointed and tired to ask a thousand questions, Carrie is definitely much refuge under his blanket. However, a secret voice whispers to give a second chance ... by throwing a few challenges. Notably, "Making an important meeting" and "Saying 'I love you" to someone "...

My opinion: This is a book in which he generally does not happen much and which can easily take heroin flu ... But it is also a book that gives cause for reflection on oneself.

Carrie asks a lot (too) questions. Carrie has one side a bit pedantic: as with a High IQ more than average, it tends to find "normal" people are uninteresting. It is the sort who quickly judge people just on her looks. What logically force a loneliness that weighs more. Especially since Carrie is way ahead of his age: not even 19 she is already graduated from Harvard. Some find it unbelievable, it is actually difficult to live.

Sure, that's no excuse any lack of Carrie, her haughty side to the other, but I was sorry for her. Especially when she shares with us his reflections on life and our scoiété. She knows that she considers too quickly and too easily, it would make an effort, but too often it has taken bowls. Obviously it hardens. The loneliness that besets is also a way to escape it all.

But this is not the solution to everything. We follow its evolution and development during a period of several weeks. She learned to reach out to others, to accept them as they are and to gain acceptance of them.

Each meeting is a milestone in its progress and its importance for the rest of the route. Even if sometimes we say "roh but a lucky chance anyway!" I thought it was pretty well done.

This brings us to a final, simple, a little short perhaps, but to me much. It is an end "security blanket" that makes you want to shake his book as one would press a teddy bear!

In short, far from the chick-bed that could be expected, it is a book about the difficult access to the adult world of a young lady like no other, and yet one that may restrict attach and even identify with. I liked: o)

My rating: 9 / 10

Life (not) very cool Pilby Carrie (French Amazon link)

Get shorty

We went to a minor league baseball game this weekend and saw this fella playing...he really does look tiny out there even though he's taller than me. He was a darn good player, actually! He plays...shortstop. (What else?)

So, meet 5'3" Chris Cates of the Rock Cats in New Britain, Connecticut, shortest player in professional baseball.

Various quick updates

Baby is still doing well in my tummy, thankfully. We are starting to play some music for him to enjoy.

I finally got the rest of my Carrie Pilby press releases out via regular mail, since it comes out July 1. Glad to get that out of the way.

We're going to a minor league baseball game soon. Always a fun experience to go to these little pockets of America.

And now, a photo version of the quick update:

1.


2.

3. (Okay, this doesn't really have to do with baseball.)

Happy summer!!!!

A Mother's Love

This story made me cry. So sweet! (Don't worry, it has a happy ending.)

Carrie Pilby on Kindle, Part 2

Oh, OK. It costs $7.20 on Kindle. The paperback version is only $9.99 Cheap! (As Mad Mag used to say.)

Would you...

Would you keep walking down the sidewalk if this was in the way?

Carrie Pilby on Kindle, too

Apparently there will be a Kindle edition. Looks like it will be available July 1. I'm not sure of the price, but it may be the same as the regular book, $9.99. The regular book is now orderable on Amazon for delivery. It says there are only two left in stock (they must not have had a lot, but maybe are getting more) so check it out!

Isn't the World Cup dangerous...

...to viewers?

Actually to players, too, if they kick into the wrong team's goal and get murdered for it.

I know I can't blame a sport for the actions of its fans, but this one seems to stir some strong feelings.

Oh well, I am glad our version of football doesn't stir those feelings...okay, except maybe on Super Bowl Sunday when it leads to (according to statistics) domestic issues.

Hmmmmm

Instead of spaying and neutering, wouldn't it be better to teach abstinence to feral cats?

To Do

Have you bought your new copy of Carrie Pilby today?

'A thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon'

That's what they forecast for my area. But I've notice that they forecast this for every hot day, especially as it gets toward summer. After all, the conditions are right. It COULD happen.

It probably won't, though.

But just in case it does, look how smart they are!!

Article today about rerelease of Carrie Pilby!

Once a chick lit book, now rereleased by Harlequin Teen.

Click the long story here.

Some worthy items from the Book Expo of America

1. Fat stuff:

Some think the Book Expo of America is just about getting free totebags. Nope, there are books to read, too! (Ha ha ha). Anyway, I've been meaning to share a few things I picked up:

When I was a kid and read young-adult book after young-adult book, I enjoyed a few really good novels about fat kids trying to lose weight. Some that fell into the category were:

I. One Fat Summer (I thought there was a sequel to it, but now I can't find it on the web). Author Robert Lipsyte is more well known for his baseball writing, but his YA stuff was great. One Fat Summer is a true classic. (You also may have heard of Lipsyte's son Sam, a successful novelist in his own right).

II. A book called Slim-Down Camp that I really loved. According to the web, it came out in 1983 and was by Stephen Manes, who went on to write more YA in the 1990s.

III. Jelly Belly was popular with my friends, and I liked it too, but not as much as One Fat Summer and Slim-Down Camp.

IV. The Fat Girl. I'm just realizing that all four of these books have a guy as the protagonist - even The Fat Girl, which is about a teenager who starts dating a fat girl and works with her to help her slim down. The ending of this book really made me think, and was very well-done. The book was by Marilyn Sachs, who wrote a few YA's I loved as a pre-teen. It was re-released three years ago by a new young-adult imprint called Flux.

Anyway, this is all a lead-up to a YA novel I spotted at BEA called Fat Boy Chronicles. This one definitely joins its illustrious forbears. It's also about a guy (I'm starting to wonder about this! How come the chick lit books about fat protags are about women, but the YA is about boys?) It's published by Sleeping Bear Press in Ann Arbor, Mich. The authors are Diane Lang and Michael Buchanan and it says it's "inspired by a true story." It's also dedicated to Cincinnati Children's Medical Center.

With that lead-in you'd think it might be maudlin or medical, but it's not at all -- It's very a lively, true-to-life YA in the voice of a typical teenage boy. The novel chronicles 14-year-old Jimmy Winterpock, and is told (in a humorous way) through the journal entries he's forced to write for his English class (weren't we all?) It starts like this:

"Hey, Mrs. Pope. I'm the diet-challenged kid who sits in the last seat by the door. I'm probably bigger now than I was this morning because your class is right after lunch and homeroom..."

I'm only a few pages into it but it's already made me laugh out loud. It's told like a YA should be: Straightforward, no pretentiousness. Very well-written. The kid isn't perfect, either; he comments in one entry that another kid sitting near him smells. Isn't it just like an insecure kid to hate being picked on, but have a choice word about someone else? I think that's pretty realistic. Anyway, so far, the book is a good read, and should definitely resonate with teen and YA readers. I like Jimmy and want to see what happens to him in high school. So I hope to keep reading, and to see more from Sleeping Bear Press. Some of the other children's books on their website look really great.

2. Two charities:

I happened to also stop by a booth run by a group called WriteGirl (www.writegirl.org). It's an organization in Los Angeles that helps young girls channel their energy into writing. They say they are "helping girls through mentorship and self-expression." I am soooo for that. (There's a mentoring group like that here in NYC, too, called "Girls Write Now.") Anyway, stop by www.writegirl.org if you desire. I just did, and what a great website. Love the layout and pastel colors.

Also, a group called Happy Hearts Fund (www.happyheartsfund.org) was giving out stickers. You can text "HEART" to 85944 and reply "YES" to donate $5. Their site looks really involved, and it says "The Happy Hearts Fund mission is to improve children's lives through educational and sustainable programs in natural disaster areas." Looks like they rebuild schools and start programs all over the world. So take a look!

For Jennifer Weiner fans

Just saw this on Publisher's Lunch, where they post publishing deals:

General/Other
Another four books by Jennifer Weiner, again to Greer Hendricks at Atria, for publication once a year, by Joanna Pulcini of Joanna Joanna Pulcini Literary Management (world).

Four books! I guess she still has a lot of ideas burning inside of her. So take heart, fans, because she's got more coming!

Playing catch-up

I have to write about some things I saw at the Book Expo of America, and also my reaction to the Sex and the City movie (no spoilers).

So....as soon as I get a chance, I will.

Baby was moving around a lot during the movie. Could be that he liked it. Could be that he hated it. But the truth is, I think it had to do with the grape syrup in my Icee.

Who says there's no drama in publishing?

Actually no one says that, but anyway, this tidbit was in Publisher's Lunch today:

ICM agent Esther Newberg told the NY Post she is "lying in wait for the moment when I can get back at" Andrew Wylie after he tried to poach a client from another ICM agent recently. Speaking about the ridiculous supposed nickname for Wylie "The Jackal," used almost exclusively by the UK press rather than anyone in the business, Newberg told Pia Lindstrom in a Sirius radio interview that "I think I gave him that."

I feel a reality show coming on.

June 1 = resolutions

June 1 isn't even halfway through the year - that'd be around July 1. But I need to make a resolution anyway. So I may just do that. Why not? Anyway, I'll keep it private (except I told hubby what my main one is) so feel free to make your own June 1 resolutions.

Vacation

Hubby and I spent a relaxing weekend on vacation. We were facing the ocean and boardwalk. (Technically, it wasn't a boardwalk because it had no boards. It was also touted as being three miles long, but a mile marker sign near the end said 2.5. Hmmm! It's just inferior to New Jersey.)

It was lovely to hear the waves crashing at night, and see dolphin fins in the water in the morning. There was a Jacuzzi in the room taunting me. Us preggo types can't sit in hot tubs, although luckily hubby was nice enough to take advantage of it for both of us.

I did briefly swim in the indoor pool. It feels good to have all of my weight floating instead of pulling on me...

We walked a LOT. Definitely good exercise, although between that and BEA on Wednesday, I have blisters on my foot now. I'll have to stay closer to home today.

Hubby also drove both ways, so kudos to you, hunky hubby!

Camera conundrum

My question: Why does higher ISO on a camera mean less blur?

I wonder if the 3-4 readers of this blog know the answer. Not that I need to know the ins and outs of this stuff, but well, I am curious...

My digital camera manual says that a higher ISO will mean less blur. I usually keep mine on 400 or 800 in case I want to snap a shot of something fast-moving. Technically, a higher ISO increases the camera's sensitivity to light and images, so in a low-light area or in a situation where you want the shutter speed to be faster, you'd want to increase the ISO to let more light register. Fine with me, but I don’t understand why that would mean less blur. If a higher ISO lets in more light and is more sensitive to images ("noise"), wouldn’t it show MORE blur??

The camera also allows me to decrease the shutter speed to let in more light, but not to increase it. If I want to let in more light, I can decrease the shutter speed, but I better not shake the camera. If I decrease the speed, the camera automatically lowers the ISO to decrease the sensitivity to noise and graininess. But then, there will be lots of blur. Why won't my camera let me increase the speed, though?

It seems to me in action shots, you’d want a faster shutter speed. But again, they recommend increasing the ISO instead, to cut down on blur. And again I ask, why would more sensitivity to light and other images mean LESS blur and not more? Wouldn't it make more sense to have a faster shutter speed to cut down on blur, than a higher ISO?

Maybe I'll ask my photo-taking friend Sarah about this, or someone at work.

UPDATE

note to self. wikipedia says:

"halving the shutter speed doubles the exposure (1 EV more), while doubling the aperture (halving the number) increases the exposure by a factor of 4 (2 EV). For this reason, standard apertures differ by √2, or about 1.4. Thus an exposure with a shutter speed of 1/250 s and f/8 is the same as with 1/500 s and f/5.6, or 1/125 s and f/11.

In addition to its effect on exposure, the shutter speed changes the way movement appears in the picture. Very short shutter speeds can be used to freeze fast-moving subjects, for example at sporting events. Very long shutter speeds are used to intentionally blur a moving subject for artistic effect.^[2] Short exposure times are sometimes called "fast", and long exposure times "slow".

Adjustment to the aperture controls the depth of field, the distance range over which objects are acceptably sharp; such adjustments need to be compensated by changes in the shutter speed."

Update 2:

I got an answer to my questions on the net... here.

I am still a bit confused, though. Let's say I set my camera at a high shutter speed to capture a fast-moving image. I then set the ISO high to prevent blur and let in as much light as possible at that speed. Will setting it high cancel out the shutter speed to begin with? And will it not always make a diff anyway because there's only so much light that can be let in if the shutter speed is fast?

Thanks to the Chick Lit Club

Thanks to chicklitclub.com for this writeup!!

If you like reading chick lit, they have a whole bunch of great features and reviews here.

Just got back from vacation, so a post on that later. We got a lot of exercise on a boardwalk with no boards.

Book Expo of America

I managed to get to the Book Expo of America in NY today. I got some great books, saw a few old friends, learned about trends in young adult publishing, and actually meet the editor who handled the new teen edition of Carrie Pilby. (I also finally got copies of the new edition in the mail - the cover and inside stuff looks great!!) In a future blog entry, I'll plug a few of the books and organizations I came into contact with.

One of the neat things about BEA is sometimes celebrities are there to sign their books, and it may be under the radar because so many other things are going on. For instance, I got a great seat to see a Spin Magazine guy interview Rick Springfield about his upcoming memoir. (As you can tell, I only went for the most intellectual events. No, seriously, Rick is talented, and what an '80s icon he was. Not just for the music, but the appearances on General Hospital!)

Below: some video of him talking about why he'll never let "Jesse's Girl" be used for an ad, or at least, not with the words changed. You get exclusive footage of him singing the never-will-exist Golden Grahams/Jesse's Girl commercial: "Where can I find a graham cracker like that?"

Very strange

Simon Monjack, the husband of late actress Brittany Murphy, was found dead Sunday night in his Hollywood Hills home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was 39. The screenwriter was reportedly found by his mother-in-law, Sharon, in the master bedroom of the house he once shared with Murphy."The preliminary cause of death is natural causes," Sgt. Louie Lozano told the Associated Press.

Not suicide? I just find this too much of a coincidence.

The Sex and the City movie

I'm looking forward to it because it's going to be funny, but I'm pretty sure it won't be as good as the last movie. If none of the women are dating (well, except Samantha), right away that kills some of the fun. Who wants to only hear about their babies and husbands?

What I'm really bothered by, without having even seen it yet, is this: From the previews, I don't think it will be consistent with the show. In the series, Carrie chose Mr. Big over Aidan, because Carrie is into superficial things like fashion, money, nightclubs, etc. Mr. Big is into those things too. Aidan is a "guy's guy" who likes nature and simple things. I'd definitely choose him over Mr. Big, but Carrie would not.

Carrie couldn't stand Aidan's house in Suffern. She walked his dog and the dog ran away. There was an episode in which Aidan wanted to sit home with his bucket of fried chicken and watch a fight on TV. Carrie wanted to go to a party at a gay bar rather than snuggle with him. They were two good people, but not right for each other.

So in the movie she's supposed to be bored with Mr. Big and then get excited because when she's vacationing with the girls, she sees Aidan. How are we supposed to believe this? Aidan represents everything she really is not attracted to: woodworking, country house, dog, stability. Carrie is New York City, nightlife, shopping rather than creating things, and no pets.

I may just have to suspend my need for consistency and laugh. I do miss those girls and their breakfast banter.

By the way...tonight was one of my favorite episodes on TBS - the one where Mr. Big has to bribe a horse-and-buggy driver to bring him and Carrie to the hospital because Miranda is having her baby. The ending is really sweet. It was the first episode of the new season after 9/11, and there's a little note of dedication to New York at the end. My kind Hubby watched the ending with me even though I warned him it would make me cry. It takes a good man to watch SATC.

Oui!

This is how Google translates my book summary from the French:

Not easy to live your life when you feel a girl apart and found the hypocritical world. Constantly tired and disappointed to ask a thousand questions, though Carrie is definitely refuge under his blanket. However, a secret voice whispers to give a second chance ... engaging in some challenges. In particular, make an important meeting and say 'I love you' to someone ...

Ooh, ooh: French Carrie Pilby!

I found the French version of Carrie Pilby in the web! Harlequin Teen's French imprint chose it as one of the first four books they're releasing, which is so nice and exciting...I love the cover. Click the "here" link in the next paragraph and then scroll down on the page to see it. You can even click to read the first few pages in French, for all you who actually remember your high school French. (I don't - but I took Spanish.)

Does this mean that if she kisses anyone in the book, they change it to a French kiss? Anyway, check it out here.

Have I mentioned that you can order the new version (in English) by clicking on Amazon?

And that there's a Facebook group for the book, too? I'm also on Twitter under my name.

Thanks, Ned!!!

Ned Vizzini, whose writing I've enjoyed since he was penning screeds on being a nerdy high school student in New York Press when he was all of 15, mentioned the re-release of my book (and items about saving public libraries, etc.) in this wonderful blog entry today. He actually refers to something specific in my book; he has a great memory!

By the way, his second novel, It's Kind of a Funny Story, comes out as a movie in September. One of the stars is Zach Galasdlksdajfldsasflkadfkis. Can't wait to see that!

Quote of the day

"If he's a Yankee fan, we're going to push him back in." -- Anonymous member of my household on the baby

(Not mentioning names.)

Another mystery solved

I used to think that pregnant women walked around with their hands over their tummies & chests in order to bond with the baby. Now I know there is sometimes another reason: hearburn!!

Random stuff

Well, since I'm not really keeping my pregnancy a secret anymore (if you've seen my tum-tum, you'll know it's not much of a secret), I might as well mention some significant things:

1. On Monday someone at work gave me the first baby gift I ever got! I wasn't expecting anything, but she is the sweetest person and it was such a sweet gesture. It's a book called "Guess How Much I Love You" and it's a place I can record things about the baby, before and after birth. It's ADORABLE.

2. My elementary school friend Kathy blogged last year about the first random acknolwedgement of her pregnancy by a stranger - someone who said something to her about it in public. I can't seem to find the entry now, but I think it happened when she went to a store. Anyway, this weekend I was making the rounds at the "citywide gate sale" and a woman asked if I was expecting. (I think people are afraid to take the risk of asking, because if I'm not, I could potentially be insulted...) Anyhoo, she asked because she had some maternity jeans to sell me. I didn't buy 'em, though. I'm sticking with the two pairs I have.

3. I think I am feeling the baby move, finally. It's hard to tell the difference between him kicking me, and all the weird feelings I get after I eat.

4. For a while I was sure I had a gallstone problem. I have had pain after eating right where the gall bladder is. But I got checked out and there was no evidence of stones or liver problems. I guess it's just really bad heartburn that occurs right where my gallbladder is. I even get the pain after I drink water! As a gastrointerologist said, if I'm going to have pain after I drink water, I might as well eat whatever I want, because it's all going to cause me pain. But the truth is, so far I found something that doesn't cause me pain: Hummus. I don't know why, but hummus on pita doesn't bother me. As a result, I'm eating fairly healthily. I'll have to see if I can find some other things that are ok. I'm probably going to eat grilled chicken tonight and I think that should sit well.

Anyway, as for other things...Hi hubby, if you're reading this. Thanks for being patient with what must be a very boring blog entry for you...

Also, I guess I should plug the new edition of Carrie Pilby again, since it's coming out this July 1 in time for summer reading. I sent a lot of emails to people over the weekend who had e-mailed me five or more years ago, after they read the original. I still have their emails, but a lot of them were on aol or hotmail and are no longer at those addresses. Not to mention, many people are not still at the same jobs they were at back in 2003-2005. Oh well! If half of those people get the emails, at least that's something. I'm checking my webpage to see who actually clicks on it. I've emailed people on Facebook who mentioned my book, too. I feel a bit icky wearing the hat of a publicist, but that's what we authors must do.

So far I got into something called Park Place, a publication of NJ Monthly, whom I sent a release to. The story isn't on the internet though.

So that's all the stuff I wish to share publicly on the internet. How's YOUR life goin'?!

Chick lit: Dead or 'undead'?

So there's been an ongoing debate for several years over whether the chick lit genre of women's fiction is "dead." I find it a little silly - There will always be readers for a well-written, good book about a twentysomething/thirtysomething woman's attempts to find her place in the world, but the key is GOOD. What, then, separates a "chick lit" book from women's fiction? Some say humor, some say a focus on dating, some say just a first person voice in women's fiction alone makes it chick lit automatically. Well...

With any genre, a really good book will transcend a simple categorization by having more depth and shading. If you write a book about a woman dating, DON'T just make it about all her bad dates. The reason chick lit is being called "dead" is that there were a million books like this released in the first half of the decade, some very well nuanced and others not so much. Some were great, and some latter ones were copycats that sold to take advantage of the trend. After all, if Bridget Jones did well, publishers had to have their OWN Bridget Jones knockoffs. The glut of those books is what led agents and publishers to suddenly say they weren't going to publish them anymore.

So the marketing term of "chick lit" is not widely used anymore. However, books about confused women post-college can still be written and published. I just read a novel called "Falling is Like This" by Kate Rockland, who lives in my town, that St. Martin's just published. It's a really good book, and it's still in first person and about a woman in her early twenties navigating her romantic relationships.

Here is a point/counterpoint on the whole "chick lit is dead" issue.

Jenny Bent, an agent who has handled a lot of the genre, has heard many times from publishers and book buyers that it is 'dead'.

But the women at a blog called chicklitisnotdead.com, feel that it's not...well, that's obvious from the title!

Anyway, have I mentioned that my book (published by a chick lit imprint in 2003) is coming out again this summer for teens, this July, in fact? By Harlequin Teen. Read more about it and see the new teen cover by clicking HERE!

Hmmm...

People keep telling me I don't look like I've gained much weight, being prego and all.

I have a solution for that!

We moms are so willing to sacrifice for our little ones.

Eatin' and readin'

Eatin'

Hubby and I did some eatin' on Friday night so I can write a food review (well, more like a restaurant profile). Here's a photo of the "pound cake French toast" for dessert. I had never heard of this item, but it was delicious. Apparently there are recipes for it on the 'net, as well. I told my dad about it, as he's a big French toast fan. Maybe I'll be able to lure him up for some.

That's heavy cream and hazlenut ice cream in the middle, which I largely skipped.

Readin'

Most of us unfamous writers know that it's very rare for your publisher to do a lot on the publicity side - they are busy with many books. It's important for the author to promote his/her book him/herself, even if bold self-promotion is not the hat we're used to wearing. (Most of us prefer to stay inside looking out the window at the other self-promoters.)

I've finished working on a press release for the new edition of Carrie Pilby, as well as a publicity kit that goes with it, including an excerpt from the first two pages, some articles, and even Carrie Pilby Post-It notes. I bought fluorescent blue and yellow envelopes to mail it out in. Even if one person is looking at the release on the bus, someone else may see it over their shoulder. And who knows who that next person may be?

Today I sent out four packets to four major consumer mags. It's not like I'm gonna spend a ton of time on this, but now's the time to spend a little bit, so I'm glad I got these out.

Happy Mother's Day!

Blizzard warning today!!!*

*...on planet Saturn

Puppy wub

This gigantic dog, whose name is Sophie, just plunked herself down on the sidewalk today so she could get a belly rub. I think the Basset got jealous!

Made the beast with two backs

How come kids today use "get some ass" to mean "have sex"? I don't think I like that expression. It sounds like they slipped or took a wrong turn somewhere.

On Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax

Two weeks ago, Hubby and I went to try the Dumpling Man in the East Village. It was a really neat place, and fun to watch the chefs prepare those delish dumplings before our eyes.

Anyway, when we walked in, there was a guy kind of standing up on the sidewalk outside, looking like he was about to fall one way or the other. His eyes weren't focused on anything or particular. He was on drugs or very drunk or maybe very sick, but it wasn't normal. He was maybe in his forties or fifties, with ripped, dirty jeans, so he was probably homeless.

Most people see things like this and ignore it. But the guy could have fallen backwards and cracked his head open.

The cashier was debating whether to call, and then he did. I am glad he did that. He may have saved a life. And even if you think it was the guy's fault for being drunk/stoned/unemployed, whatever, think of the relatives who may have lost contact with him and wondered for years on end where he is. Or maybe the relatives right in the city who have been trying to push him to get help and be productive like he was when he was a kid.

Yes, this is conjecture, but why take the chance?

When the ambulance showed up, the cashier couldn't leave his post, so I showed the men in the ambulance where the guy was standing. One of the men said to me, "Did you ask him if he needs help?" I said, "No, but he's a danger to himself." The man kinda looked defeated, because that's one of the standards where you can force someone to get treatment. (He was also, as the cashier had said on the phone, a danger to others, because he was blocking the sidewalk.)

Anyway, I was glad the cashier called, because most people think "Ah, it's just a homeless guy" and ignore someone like that. But you know...everyone comes from two parents. Everyone has or had someone who loved them.

What spurred me to write about this was this story that's in today's New York Post:

(April 24) -- A homeless man who was stabbed while saving a woman from a knife-wielding attacker lay dying in a pool of his own blood for more than an hour while several New Yorkers walked past without calling for help.

Surveillance video obtained by the New York Post shows that some passers-by paused to gawk at Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax early Sunday morning and yet kept on walking.

Some guy even took a photo with his camera phone! Alfredo was only 31 years old.

Now, some of those who kept walking may have assumed help was on the way already. Still, if you're not sure, just call. It's free, you know. If you're afraid of getting involved, call 911, give the info on the location and occurrence, and walk away. You're not doing anything wrong.

(I'm on the right end of the middle row, red pants. Click for larger.)

I was happy

(This story has an interesting visual ending, I promise, so stick with it...)

When I saw this photo on someone’s Facebook page in January, I nearly cried. I have only my kindergarten class photo in my possession, no others. But this one, second grade, was particularly near and dear to me, so I was thrilled when it popped up on the internet. For 30 years, I'd remembered people's names and how much I liked them, but had forgotten what some of them looked like -- particularly since I moved after that year and never saw most of them ever again.

At first I wasn't sure exactly why it struck me so much when I looked at it. But I have a good idea now: I look so genuinely happy.

Things weren’t good after that. I moved to a new school. I made a few friends, but I was an outcast. I didn’t really “get” the kids at my new school. I'm not saying it's their fault, at all. And it wasn’t as if they were from a different background than my previous year, or that my new town was demographically different. Maybe it was that everyone grew up between second and third grade, and I didn’t? Who knows?

I eventually reacted by getting even sillier. Sometimes I tried harder to fit in, with poor results.

Second grade, the one pictured on top of this entry, was the “Enrichment Program”; in other words, the kids with the highest test scores in the previous grade from all five of the district’s elementary schools were bused to one second grade classroom at this particular school. I was lucky because the program was based in the school I already attended, so I didn't have to switch.

In second grade, there were two big fads – the movie “Grease,” and the candy Pop Rocks. Each day at snack time, some lucky kid would bring in Pop Rocks and everyone would ask for some. One girl actually announced, “Okay, these people may have Pop Rocks” and listed the names on a blackboard. Then she had everyone line up to get a few in their hand.

One day, I was in the grocery store with my dad and asked if I could get some. To my surprise, he said yes. The next day in school, a boy saw me with them and he said to another boy, “Oh, she’ll give everyone.”

I overheard that and thought that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said about me, and I was especially moved that a boy had said it, because boys and girls kind of avoided each other then. Of course, he may have just meant I was a pushover, but it was rare insight into what a boy thought of me, and I liked that he thought I would share my Pop Rocks.

I wasn’t perfect. I won’t go into the stupid stuff I did. And my schoolwork was horribly sloppy, even if I always have done well on tests. But I was happy in second grade. Everyone was so nice in that class.

And then...

As I said...I moved. Before third grade.

The kids in my new school in Freehold were more, er, advanced. Some of them were already “going out” with each other. What was up with that? Some (NOT all, just a few) were kinda mean. They’d yell at you if you missed a ball in gym, wore the wrong clothes, just if you stood in the wrong place. They taunted the fat girl...typical stuff.

Did I change between second and third grade? Or did everyone else? Or was it the difference in towns? Or was there a big difference between being in a class of all smarty pantses and being in a "normal" class? I'm not sure.

There were a million things about me that I should have changed, too. But gosh, we were all young. Everyone gets off the hook for who they were in school.

So anyway...yesterday, some later photos popped up on someone's Facebook page of me in school in later years.

I was worried, and rightfully so.

One of them was the dreaded seventh grade, middle school. ACK!!!

I'm on the bottom row, third from left. Click for larger.

Okay, it wasn't so bad. I look normal enough. But then there was this other one they posted, of fifth grade.

At first, I was horribly, terribly embarrassed when I saw this.

Take a close look on the right end of the middle row (click to enlarge)...

And then I thought, you know...maybe I just knew how badly everything sucked.

A great, detailed review of Carrie Pilby

Click here. "Constance Reader" really wrote a lot about my book on her wonderful blog! Looks like the other entries are worth reading, too.

The cover she has displayed is the cover of the new version coming out from Harlequin teen this summer, which you can order at Amazon now!