jenlibrarian requested virtual flowers on her birthday. I'm more than happy to oblige.

Why sunflowers? Because they always make me smile - they look like big happy faces! And why this sunflower? Because jenlibrarian gave this painting to me as a parting gift when I moved to China. It's extra special because it's painted by our good friend, artist and children's book illustrator, Jacqueline Rogers.

I equate Jen with sunflowers because she is a bright ball of sunshine to me. She is warm and generous and kind and giving. Jen and I have been friends ever since we met at the Eastern PA SCBWI Pocono retreat - a quick introduction and an exchange of email addresses led to our now 7+ year friendship. I have very fond memories of coffees at Panera, lemonade and scones at her house, long discussions about books and writing, and heart-to-heart talks about our personal lives. I recall our two kids digging a hole in her backyard, making a fruit pizza, and later talking about anime and manga over ice cream at the Country Drive-In. I remember a fun sushi dinner with Jen and her son - he received a plastic finger as part of his meal. Odd, that. I think it was close to Halloween. We had fun with that. I remember having a blast at ALA in San Antonio with her, and hanging out at SCBWI Nationals in L.A. together. We've attended many conferences together over the years, and we co-chaired a Fall Festival for the Children's Literature Connection. She came to my house for a week last summer for a retreat and I stayed at her house this past spring. And I love love love reading her work. Jen is extremely talented!

So happy birthday, Jen! I'm so grateful for YOUR gift of friendship. May flowers brighten your every day!

Love ya!

Someone, I'm sorry I can't remember who, recently blogged a rave about the novel Gone by Michael Grant. I have a huge piles of books in my to read stack. HUGE, I tell you. But when I went to the bookstore today, I could not resist. I bought Gone. I'd never even heard about it before, but that rave on an LJ Friend's blog was enough to intrigue me. I'm not sure whether to thank or curse that LJer. Kidding, I'm sending mucho thanks! I look forward to reading it!

Meet my second cousin (or is that first cousin once removed) - K! He's my cousin and her husband's 19 day old adorable and sweet son! Yesterday, C and I drove out to visit K3 (yes, all three of their names start with the letter K). We also were able to visit with K2's (daddy's) mum who is visiting from Australia and my auntie (K1's (mommy's) mom. Whew. Confused yet? ;) C and I took turns monopolizing holding baby K. And then K2 (daddy) gave C and me drum lessons. That was FUN! And loud. No, C, I will not buy you a drum set. I'm mean that way. ;)

All in all a very fun day indeed!

Now, I must get my words in! Here I go!

I'm still waking up (ie drinking coffee), so I'm allowing myself this meme indulgence. E. Lockhart? Will you play? Anyone else? I blame janetgurtler for this one. ;) (A real post coming later.)

Subject: 37 ODD Things about me

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes. I know I've talked about my dairy allergy often, but soft cheeses are the one dairy thing that I can have without any adverse affects.

2. Have you ever smoked? Tried it. Blech!

3. Do you own a gun? No.

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Red. (What flavor was that? LOL)

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No. (Dentist appointments are another story, however.)

6. What do you think of hot dogs? YUM! Bob and I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect hot dog when we lived in the Albany, NY area. Can't find a decent dog here in Silicon Valley. :(

7. Favorite Christmas movie? ELF and LOVE, ACTUALLY

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee - sweet elixir of life!

9. Can you do push ups? Nope.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I have to pick one???? ACK! My engagement ring, then.

11. Favorite hobby? Reading. And does shopping count? ;)

12. Do you have A.D.D.? I don't think so. I can't multitask. I am very focused when I'm on task.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Contacts and glasses. Um, not at the same time, though. I'm blind, but not that blind! ;)

14. Middle name? Michiko. Named after the then princess of Japan.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I don't want to do laundry. I wonder if I can convince Bob we should go out for dinner. I need more coffee.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? coffee, water, wine.

17. Current worry? Will I ever sell my novel?

18. Current hate right now? Hubby's work schedule.

19. Favorite place to be? With my family.

20. How did you bring in the new year. At home, with C. (Bob was on business travel. See number 18.)

21. Where would you like to go? My top three travel destination wish list: Tuscany (we're going this fall), Paris, and Greece.


22. Name three people who will complete this? I have no clue. I wonder if anyone will read this far!

23. Do you own slippers? Yes, pink Uggs for winter only.

24. What shirt are you wearing? Oversize blue t-shirt from Austin's BOOK PEOPLE with "Keep Austin Weird" on the back. (Thanks Cyn!)

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No. Cotton please.

26. Can you whistle? Yes, but I don't. I don't like the sound of whistling.

27. Favorite color? I like to say purple, but I think it's pink.

28. Would you be a pirate? I get violently ill on boats.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever earworm Bob has evilly put into my head that morning.

30. Favorite Girl's Name? My daughter's.

31. Favorite boy's name? Conner.

32. What's in your pocket right now? I don't have any pockets right now, but even when I do, I don't put anything in them. Oh, unless I'm going for a walk - then my house key and my iPhone.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Lynn. She always makes me laugh.

34. What vehicle do you drive? Honda CR-V.

35. Worst injury you've ever had? Sprained ankle, on crutches in college for a week.

36. Do you love where you live? Yes, I do. I never ever ever want to leave!

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two.

Your turn!

I want to play!







So you want to enter thunderchikin's contest? Here are the rules from his post:

To enter:

1. Create your own candy heart at http://www.cryptogram.com/hearts/. Your heart can say anything you'd like. You are not limited to phrases from the ARC (since you haven't read it).

2. Copy and paste this entire post--as well as the image of your candy heart--on your blog, Facebook, MySpace, website, etc.

3. Once you’ve completed #3, email me at davidmacinnisgill AT gmail.com with the link to your post. Voila! You're entered in the giveaway.

4. The contest will be judged by three teen readers based on the criteria of originality, design, and message. The contest closes July 31st.

5. The prize is a personalized, signed ARC and a special gift, TDB by the judges. The winner will be contacted via email. Her/his name and winning entry candy heart will be posted on my lj blog, as well as my home site DavidMacinnisGill.com.

Good Luck!

Today marks one year since C and I trekked to our local Borders early in the morning to get our wristbands for the last Harry Potter book. One year since C and I met Lynn and her son B, also waiting for their wrist band. One year since we chatted easily in line and I gave her my business card. We bumped into each other again at the actual party. And thus started our friendship! In the past year, we've shared many emails, meals, and so much laughter that we give each other stomach aches. We discovered we both love to read voraciously, require much coffee, have an obsession with shoes, and love movies. She gets me. We became necessary for each other, needing to touch base daily and see each other at least once a week. Our kids get along, our husbands get along. We live about 5 minutes apart from each other. We lean on each other.

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the day our friendship started. We'll be meeting up at the very place where we first met. We and the kids will hold our book club meeting. We'll have lunch. We'll talk and laugh. I'm very grateful for my friendship with Lynn!

Also, I'm sending very happy and warm birthday wishes to susanwrites, my First Thursdays pal!

May you all have something to celebrate today! Cheers!

Check out my niece on author Terry Pierce's blog! I'm so in love with my niece! I get to see her again in a little over a month! Wheee!

Justin Nozuka. Whoa! I'm downloading his album from iTunes for sure!

Watch it here.

Um....there had BETTER be more episodes forthcoming......!

Seriously.


No, really.


Please????!!!!

EDITED TO ADD: Spoilers in comments. You've been warned! ;)

C and I drove into San Francisco to meet up with the lovely saraclaradara and the Webmeister, on the tail end of their vacation. Sarah and I had met briefly at the SCBWI Nationals in Los Angeles two years ago, via an introduction by dlgarfinkle. (Thanks, Debby!) It was great to catch up and to talk. We were able to talk a lot because we stood in a very long line for breakfast! It was definitely great to meet the Webmeister!

Mama's on Washington Square The "best breakfast in San Francisco" - the line was out the door! We waited for at least an hour, and the delicious food made it well worth the wait! Rachel Ray will be filming there next week!

Say Cheese! Or Breakfast Please! C snapped this photo of the Webmeister, Sarah, and me, after we were finally granted a table. We were hungry!

ARC! Sarah Darer Littman's forthcoming YA novel, Purge will be coming out with Scholastic in April 2009. I get to read it now! Whee! Thanks, Sarah!

It was a lovely way to start the weekend!

1. Dr. Horrible rocks! If you haven't seen the first two acts yet (Act III to go live tomorrow), be sure to check them out! Come Sunday they will be *poof* disappeared. (But apparently to come out on DVD later.) What's up with this Whedon project? Read more here

	2. The Beast C is working on a new fantasy story. She drew (+ watercolors) the two major characters.
	3. Ember C's other main character from her fantasy WIP. Ember's hot!

4. I am writing every morning. I'm making progress on my revision.

5. C and I are off to meet saraclaradara and the Webmeister for breakfast! WHEE!

Is even better than the first! OMG! Love this! Yes, downloading it so I can watch it over and over again. Love the last song best!

See it here!

Oh dear! Does Trixie have a drinking problem?

Debby Garfinkle is multi-talented as an author, columnist, blogger, dog-owner, and soon-to-be stand up comic. Her newest books are with Mirrorstone - The Supernatural Rubber Chicken series. Want to know more? (Of course you do!) Read on!


Congratulations on your Supernatural Rubber Chicken series with Mirrorstone! The first, Fowl Language, introduces readers to Ed, a rubber chicken with wish-granting powers. Why a rubber chicken?

Debby Garfinkle: I find rubber chickens intrinsically funny, in a so-ugly-they’re-cute kind of way, like my former boss.

As with your other novels, this one is full of great humor! But unlike your others, this one is geared to a younger audience. (ages 6 – 10) What were the challenges to writing a book for younger readers? What did you like about it?

DG: Thank you! There were several challenges. I wanted children to be able to read the books on their own, so I kept the vocabulary simple and the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters short. Also, I wanted to make reading at least as fun as video games, so I tried to include lots of action in every chapter.

I love writing for children. They’re willing to suspend their disbelief and laugh at my wacky, silly humor. Also, I got to use my three children as a volunteer critique group. By “volunteer,” I mean I gave them a choice of critiquing or cleaning the house. After some chapters, they begged to clean the house.

So, tell me, if Ed lived in your house, what superpower would you wish for?

DG: I’d like to be super calm. But, knowing Ed, he’d turn me into a zombie. I’d like to be super cool, but Ed would probably freeze me. Knowing Ed and all the trouble he causes, I’d be wise not to wish for any superpower.

How long does it take you to write one of the Supernatural Rubber Chicken books?

DG: About a day. I outline it, get feedback from my editor on the outline, draft 10,000 words, revise the manuscript about five times, read it out loud to my kids, and revise it about three more times. Okay, it takes me more like six months. Then I spend another day—okay, a few more months-- revising it for my editor and the copyeditor.

What's next for Ed?

DG: Professionally, Ed will have top billing in Poultry in Motion on September 9. Next year, barring the threatened rubber chicken strike, he is to be featured in Keep on Cluckin’, Chick Magnet and one more book. Personally, he is hoping to meet a single yellow female rubber chicken companion and possibly have baby supernatural rubber chicks with her.

What's next for you?

DG: I predict death and despair, not necessarily in that order. I’m also finishing up a young adult manuscript and recording new adventures dictated by my favorite supernatural rubber chicken and his human friends.

More about Debby:

My May 2007 interview with Debby

Debby's web site

Debby's blog

Argh! Am I the only one who can't connect to Genius Whedon's new blog musical, Dr. Horrible? I want to see Act I! NOW! If I can't log on by tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead and purchase it on iTunes. I don't want to wait! ;) I mean come on! Whedon, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion? I already love it.

EDITED TO ADD: I just watched it! WHEEE! Love it love it love it! See it here!

Yesterday, C made lunch. Delicious PB&J. It was a fabulous lunch - not only for the food, but for the conversation. C is working on her second story. She shared the first part of the first chapter with me and cfaughnan. She wrote her first story (32 pages) a few months ago and had both me and cfaughnan critique it, after which she did a revision. That was for an extra credit Language Arts assignment. This one is all for her.

While we ate lunch, we talked about plot and character. She asked smart questions about developing story. We talked about our current WIPs. It was very exciting! We both worked hard on our WIPs yesterday. We hope to continue our progress today!

Happy writing!

Bob's home! Just in time for Obon in Japantown, San Jose! We invited Lynn and her family to join us in this annual Buddhist celebration (no, I'm not Buddhist) commemorating our ancestors. My family and I attended this summer festival every year when I was growing up, both in West L.A. and in Japan, depending on where we were at the time. I have fond memories of participating in the Japanese dances and hanging out with friends.

Yesterday, the seven of us enjoyed a delicious lunch of gyoza, nigiri sushi, Chinese chicken salad, and beef teriyaki. The husbands were happy with the offering of beer and sake. I treated everyone to one of my favorite desserts, imagawayaki - kind of a pancake with sweet red bean filling. (Face it, for the Japanese, it's all about the food.)

After lunch, the kids (okay, and the parents) had fun playing at the game booths - ring toss, tic tac toe, high-lo and other fun festival games. But the highlight for me at these events is always the taiko demonstrations. I have always wanted to play taiko. Maybe someday I'll take a lesson or two. C says she'd like to take lessons.

UC Irvine Taiko Drummers Ranging in ages 17 - 22, this taiko group put on a great show in the heat of the day!

After a sweet second dessert of strawberry shortcake, we walked around J-Town and ended up at my favorite Hawaiian shaved ice store for yes, a third dessert! While we were waiting, a woman approached me and said, "Debbi?" She introduced herself and guess what? I'd gone to both junior and senior high school with her - and yes, I remembered her very well! It was wonderful to see her and I'm so glad she stopped to say hi. She said that when she saw me, she thought it was me. Then she said once she heard my voice, she knew it was me - that I have a very distinctive voice. Friends? Do I? I worried it just meant I'm really loud (and I am), but that's cool! I'm so happy to have another blast from the past!

After Obon, because the Florences and the Bauers couldn't get enough of each other, we met for dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants.

A really really great day!

And now? It's time to put words to paper! (Or words to computer.)

I'm chained to a book, but in a very good way. Yesterday I started reading halseanderson's Chains, a MG novel due out on October 21, 2008. Put this book on your list people! I wanted to stay up all night to finish it, but after a full week of entertaining two 13yo girls, I was exhausted and had to put the book down. But.....I couldn't stop thinking about Isabel, the MC - a young slave girl who is sold to Loyalists in New York right before the Revolution. She's asked to spy on her new masters. It's all very exciting and touching and sad and adventurous and very very real! I was awake for 45 minutes just thinking about Isabel. I was very worried for her!

This is what a fantastic book does for me - it makes the world real and the characters leap off the page. I used to say that I didn't like historical fiction, but the truth is, I like all stories if I get lost in them.

All I want to do is read. I woke up at 5:45 AM and all I could think about was finishing Chains. Except that I have promised myself that I would write every morning until I reached a certain word count, before I do anything else (except for first checking email and LJ). So, here I go with my words so I can finish Chains (except that I kind of don't want it ever to end).

Must write....!

Congratulations to angie_frazier! She won the drawing for the ARC of The Devouring: Sorry Night by Simon Holt! Email me your snail mail addy, Angie, and I'll send it to you! Thanks to those of you who were brave enough to play! ;)

What I'm Reading Now: Chains (ARC) by Laurie Halse Anderson/halseanderson

I've always been a big baby - scared of the dark when I was a child. I had to have the closets shut at night and I begged my dad to stay up watching TV until I fell asleep. It wasn't until years later I found out he just left the TV on softly and went to bed, and turned it off later. When I baby sat at the age of 13, I'd ask the child to stay up with me so I wouldn't have to be alone in a strange house at night, and then I had her or him leap into bed to fake sleep when the parents came home. (Let's just say my babysitting gig didn't last long.)

When I hit my teen years, my friends took wicked pleasure in tricking me into seeing horror movies. They'd tell me we were seeing something tame, and once we were there, it would turn out it was Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th. (This was back in the days when a theater only showed ONE movie.) I'd have nightmares and need to sleep with the lights on for at least a week after seeing a horror movie. (This despite keeping my hands over my eyes for most of the movies. The soundtrack was enough to get my imagination going.)

After I graduated from college, I did a stint as an Outdoor Educator in the San Bernadino Mountains. Each staff person would have to take a shift, walking in the dark through the forest to check on the cabins while the staff had a break for 2 hours after lights out for the campers. The staffers gleefully played tricks on each other, jumping out at the staffer doing rounds wearing a hockey mask or wielding a fake knife. They never ever did that to me. I think they just knew I'd lose it. (Bob and C learned quickly that I do NOT think it's funny when they leap out at me from the closet.)

After I married Bob, I was relieved to learn he didn't like horror movies. Oh, except he loved watching Predator. Over and over and over. I've seen it enough times now that I can watch it without being too scared. The last movie we saw together that scared me was The Sixth Sense. I loved it for the great twist and story, but....! As a child, I was scared of things under the bed. That scene of the thing that grabs Cole (the boy) freaked me out. For at least a week after, when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I couldn't walk back up to the side of the bed, for fear something would reach out and grab me. (I know it's stupid!) I'd leap from about 5 feet away onto the bed, jarring Bob awake. He was patient until the fourth night of being shaken awake. (This experience actually led to the first short story I had published called The Monster Under the Bed.)

Vampires have never really scared me as much as all those other things though. I've seen Bram Stoker's Dracula (Hello Keanu!), read Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, loved (obsessed over) the movie The Lost Boys. I loved Buffy (the TV series), and all the fun YA vampire romances. Strange, huh? Maybe because there's often some kind of romance tied up in those stories?

But recent reads are freaking me out. Bonechiller, an ARC by Edgar award winner Graham McNamee had me waking up from bad dreams last week. And now I'm reading The Devouring: Sorry Night (ARC from BEA) by Simon Holt. I think I'll have nightmares tonight. What is possessing me to pick up these books? I'm blaming my WIP. It's a YA contemporary. So as per my usual modus operandi when writing, I choose my reading books from a different genre. Normally, that means YA fantasy or historical fiction or adult fiction. For some strange reason, this time, I've turned to really creepy/scary stories!

MUST STOP! (As soon as I finish The Devouring.)

The Give-Away
EDITED TO ADD: I just now finished it. I can't believe it but I think this is just the first in a series and now I'm going to have to read the others! $#%*&#! ;) But I can't let this book stay in my house. Yes, I'm scared of it. Who wants it? Leave a comment and let me know if you want it. You have till midnight Friday (Pacific Time). Then I'll hold a drawing for one person to win the ARC.