First of all, let me say that the snow is BEAUTIFUL. And it came on the full moon, so last night was kind of breathtaking. After the snow stopped, the moon was shining so brightly on all that WHITE that the world was kind of glowing and everything was frosted in snow. The treetops, the houses, the yards; the world.

Oh, and my client said "yes" re: reading & giving me feedback on the Valentino novel. Kind of a resounding yes, which of course made me feel great. I really want this new book to be carried in libraries. So I am trying to get feedback on how non-fringe, non-fetish, non-GLBT, non-erotica readers might respond to it.

On other exciting fronts...

Remember that new stove I got for free a few weeks ago when my old one died? Guess what?? There was a rather awesome glitch in that stove last night. I had broiled some meat in the oven around 5:15, and by 8:15, my oven still hadn't turned off. For several hours, I had kept coming into the kitchen, heard the oven's fan running again and kept hitting the "off" button and then leaving the kitchen, thinking this was normal for one of these computerized ovens that, frankly, I don't really understand all that well. I have to always check the manual to figure out how it works. But by 8:15, the oven was still cranking away at, like, 500-degree heat so I called the guy and said, "You know, I've read my manual, but I can't get my oven to turn off..."

He said, "Oh shit! You gotta unplug it right now. It could catch fire."

So the upshot of that??? Yes, I'm getting a brand new -brand new stove today and it's going to be even nicer than this one they just gave me -- for free!! It's supposed to come this afternoon!

Gee, what should I look at next? Since it seems all I have to do is look at something and suddenly someone comes along and gives me a brand new one, for free.

On other even more exciting fronts...

I got a contract offer yesterday for 3 audio books. Yay! That was a nice surprise! (This makes 8 contract offers since this past summer, gang.) (And these are all for material that's already written.)

Plus, I was invited to the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans to do a reading and/or be on a panel. So of course I said "YES!!" I was so honored. I had wanted to get in touch with them last fall, to see if I could do a reading/signing for Freak Parade at this year's festival, but my life got away from me and then I figured all the slots were probably full.

Then, suddenly, they turn around and ask me. (FYI: Saints & Sinners is a GLBT festival, and Freak Parade is nominated for a GLBT literary award.) (It's also nominated for an Independent Press Award.)

So I will be in New Orleans, in mid-May, gang! And if Freak Parade finals for either of the two awards, I will also be in New York City later in May.

Hey, maybe if everything continues on this lucky streak, when I go to Paris in October, I can do a reading from the French-language edition of Neptune & Surf! It's being re-issued in France this year. The book is a little above my head, you know? The translation is a little more complicated than, say, Dr. Seuss in French. However, I could just read aloud from the book; I certainly know how to pronounce French! I could preface my reading by saying (en francais, of course) "Ladies & gentlemen; I have no idea what I'm about to say...." and then just plunge in and start reading. Wouldn't that keep everyone perched on the edges of their chairs???? Even the writer doesn't know what this story's about...

Well, we'll see.

Anyway, my point is that everything is so cool. Hope things are chillin' where you are, too. Thanks for visiting, gang! See ya!

(The view from my window last night; isn't that full moon beautiful??)