DRAGON'S KEEP is out in Germany







It's always fun to pop open the box when one of my foreign language books arrives in the mail. This week my agent, Irene Kraas, sent me a box with beautiful copies of DRACHENKUSS. The cover art is similar to the US DRAGON'S KEEP except for the hand. The back cover has Lord Faul's yellow-green eyes and the top line reads: Prinzessin Rosalind von Wild Island . . .



A copy is now on the shelf next to the US hardback, and the UK paperback -- same tale titled TALON in England.





Irene has also sold the foreign rights to other countries. Can't wait to see the French cover.

Until next time

dream well

Janet

DIVINERS CELEBRATE HOLLY CUPALA'S BOOK NEWS!

Last week the Diviners were celebrating again. This time we whooped it up for Holly Cupala's amazing news! Holly's agent sold her YA novel A Light That Never Goes Out in a two book deal to HarperCollins.

Hooray for Holly!

As always, Peggy King Anderson wrote a fun cheer and we pulled out the pompoms.

Pictured here, Moi, Holly Cupala, Molly Blaisdell, and Judy Bodmer.

Diviners not pictured, Peggy King Anderson (currently in Germany), Justina Chen Headley (in China this year), and Dawn Knight.

After the cheer we loaded Holly with gifties:

And of course Diviner award, Ms. Nancy Pearl, has to pack her bags yet again for another move. This time from Molly's to Holly's (however as we speak, Molly's hanging on to the coveted Nancy for one more week.) Nancy says "Shhhh."

Well, Brave Molly deserves to hang on to Nancy a wee bit longer. She came to the celebration even though her back was out. Here's Molly on her knees ready to read her latest piece to the critique group. Yes, even though we're celebrating a lot, we still buckle down (or kneel down) and get to work each week.

Until next time

dream well

Janet

Yesterday I taught a fun Mystery Writing workshop in Leavenworth at A Book For All Seasons. Here we are out on the sunny back deck watching one of the campers seek a hidden object.

She's getting warmer!

We worked/played at mystery writing for two hours then the campers went off for lunch and a swim. Later in the afternoon I pulled out my sharpie to sign books in the store. This popular summer writing camp has been going for seven years. This years Poe Camp (Yes I mean Edgar Allan) was indeed mysterious. Run by the effervescent Amy Carlson (in bug eyes below)

Many thanks to Amy, to the campers and to the terrific staff at A Book For All Seasons for a great day, and to Lisa Wells for setting up my live radio interview today on

AM/560 KPQ’s Two O’Clock Show with Ken Johannessen.

Until next time,

dream well

Janet

LEAP DAY

Here I am on the edge of the cliff and stalling. Well who wouldn't stall before taking a leap? The leap I'm referring to is the next writing phase. I finished my rough draft (all 349 pages of it) On Tuesday. That's 240 pages in a little over two months. A new record for me and all because of the looming deadline (Sept. 1st) Now it's just a matter of reading it and marking needed changes on the manuscript and I've stalled out.

This phase of the process always terrifies me. Will the story delight or dismay? How much rewrite I'm I looking at here? How much will I need to cut, change, redo? I won't know until I read it. I have No Time to waste here, so I better stop stalling and take the leap!

Blogging is one of the ways I'm stalling. It's also a public confession to make me accountable. Now that I've confessed I've been holding back, unwilling to dive into the printed page, I have nowhere to go but in. I must have the courage of my craft, count to three, and jump.

Today is leap day.

May you have the courage of your craft.


Until next time

dream well

Janet

(cliff photo by Bruce Denney)