I'm a in the middle of several projects right now, both reading and writing, and it leaves me a bit up in the air about all of them. I somehow managed to have a YA novel leap into my head fully formed the other day - how often does that happen? - so I have agreed that the gods must know something and just started plugging away at it. I'm pretty used to writing and reading more than one thing at a time anyway - it was always that way in college - so I'm not freaked out about two different book projects at once. It's actually kind of cool as the people are so completely different (and the situations), but still it's odd to be in this position at this moment.

I have been buzzing along on the columns for Bookslut - I was actually working on June yesterday, if you can believe that! I have four great high school type books for that column already (Nothing but the Truth, Open Ice, Dairy Queen and Chicks with Sticks). There are a couple of others on deck for it, and I think it's just going to be one of those huge ass surveys of the current lit on the topic.

Next month's column, on fantasy, is done - more on that tomorrow - and I'm reading Warrior Girl for hopefully the April column right now. It's about Joan of Arc and I think every French Catholic girl (whether you are France French or French Canadian) has a thing at some point for Joan. She is everything we hoped to be as young Catholic girls - to hear the voice of God, act upon it, and save the world. And the part about how the Church killed her? Well, growing up in the Church you kind of expect that sort of thing too. The Church isn't too kind to it's women. (Mary Magdalene anyone?) So far, Warrior Girl is pretty cool.

And more of the Neighborhood Story Project - I must call Ashley Nelson tomorrow and see if I can ask her a few questions bout her book and then get pounding away on the first review for the Voices of NOLA site. I'm behind on that.

Chaos, chaos, chaos - it's that real world thing interrupting the idealist writing life again. So annoying!

One bit of very cool news - looks like a short story excerpt from my flying book has been accepted by a lit journal. As soon as I have absolute confirmation I will post all the info here. It's nice to have that validation, to have someone whose been around for awhile and knows good writing say that it is good fiction. I think that book has value to the world, I hope this helps to get it's story out there.

Now - writing. A review for Booklist and some book stuff. And tomorrow - cleaning. UGH!