Inching into Spring

In February, I went to hear Kate DiCamillo speak. I'd been looking forward to the evening, but I enjoyed it even more than I'd imagined. Ms. DiCamillo is such a down to earth, real person. Seeing this and feeling like there are so many things I--we all--have in common with her, a Newbery Award-winning author, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature...it feeds something, like hope, or validation, or a combination of the many little-but-important things that can make us feel weak or strong as writers on a given day. Also, I like the way she talks, and when she read the opening of BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, my heart welled up like the Grinch's in reverse. It was a perfect moment.

I bought a copy of FLORA & ULYSSES for her to autograph. I went with friends Suzanne Selfors and Lynn Brunelle, which made it extra special.

left to right: Kate DiCamillo, me, Lynn Brunelle

Last week, my family bought chicks for our first time. They're so dang cute! We'll end up with seven chickens, once we pick up three more next week. We selected breeds we thought we'd like, and we wanted to have a variety of colors and personalities to keep things interesting. Eventually, we'll get fresh eggs with shells that are white, brown, and blue or green. Good to know that if there's a zombie apocalypse, we're good on eggs.

Other than that, no real news. I'm just bumping along, happily writing. This draft will take me a while, but I'm enjoying the process and the progress. I love this time of year, anyway, with Seattle getting a teeny bit more sunlight with each day. Love it!

Here are a few chick pictures. You'll see my friend Julie in one. Happy spring!