The Great and Powerful Ozzy

Ozzy has arrived!

So we didn't name him after the Wizard of Oz (even though we love children's lit).



And we didn't name him after Ozzie Guillen (even though we love the White Sox).



We named him after a reality TV star.



Seriously. Maybe I should be embarrassed about that, but I'm not. Our family loves Survivor, and we watch it together every Thursday night. And anyone who is a fan of Survivor is a fan of Ozzy!

You may remember when I first started thinking about getting a dog. It was after my cat died, my house (and all my diaries) were robbed, my editor was let go, and worst of all, my grandmother passed away. There was a lot of yuckiness, and it seemed we needed a dog.

Now we have one. :-)

It feels like getting married, or having babies, in the way I know my life will forever be divided between Before Ozzy and After Ozzy. I don't really have this puppy thing down pat. I haven't figured out how to balance the rest of my life with taking care of him. I don't know how I'm going to give him a bath or train him. And I don't know when I'll have time to write. But I do know that Ozzy was meant to be a part of our family.

Faith and her new BFF

Five Days and Counting

In five days, I will be bringing home one of these puppies.


I remember when I was pregnant with twins, and I wished I could store up sleep to cash in once the babies were born. (In case you're wondering, that doesn't work.) When the babies were about a month old, I was so exhausted that I actually fell asleep at the dinner table.

I feel sort of the same way now. I wish I could store up this calm, quiet feeling in our home, this freedom to be gone all day, to not worry about a puppy chewing or peeing or pooping on something important.

But on the other hand, I'm getting a dog!!! Yippee!

If we choose the male, the black one, we're naming him Ozzy (after Ozzy from Survivor, one of our family's favorite shows). But if we choose the female, the brown one, we don't know what we will call her! Any suggestions?

Three Things on a Thursday (and a contest)

1. Jacob and Faith, my 8th graders, have been studying literary devices. They had to search in books to find examples of everything from "allusion" to "understatement" (and everything in between). I had fun helping them with this assignment, but I became aware of something... I don't use many literary devices in my writing. I just sort of tell the story. Hmmm...

2. There are 19 days until the election! I'm so nervous. The more Obama pulls ahead in the polls, the more I worry that people will think he's got it in the bag so they don't need to vote. Please... all you Obama supporters out there... don't forget to vote! 

As for you McCain supporters, if it's too cold on November 4th, you might want to stay inside. I mean, you don't want to get sick, right? Or what if it's raining? You for sure better stay home in that case. I mean, your hair will get all frizzy, and who wants that?  

3. Writing news (in three parts): 

a. After Michelle Andelman left Andrea Brown Literary Agency, I was reassigned to Caryn Wiseman. She is wonderful, and I am now quite certain ABLA only employs amazing agents. 

b. I'm writing a very detailed outline for my next novel. It almost feels like writing a first draft, but without the torture. 

c. I finally received my revision notes for THE YUCKIEST DROOLIEST STINKIEST BEST VALENTINE'S DAY EVER. Not too much left to change in this manuscript. Yay! It's all about the refrain. I go to sleep at night thinking about cynical wisecracking rhymes about love, and I wake up in the morning with a few more possibilities for the refrain. Don't you love being able to work in your sleep?

**CONTEST**

The first person to find three literary devices in this post will receive a FREE copy of JULIA'S KITCHEN!

I Dare You Not to Laugh

A little sunshine for your weekend...

My sweet niece, Billie:

Don't you wish you knew what she was laughing at? Talk about an "inside" joke!