Happy Halloween!

EVACUATION PLAN goes to Denmark!

I spent two hours this morning discussing my novel EVACUATION PLAN with students visiting Austin from Denmark. What a treat. They asked interesting questions and we had a lively discussion of hospice. Best of all, I can be assured that there will be many copies of the book floating around Europe. Speaking of which, my mother's friend had a copy with her on a recent flight to India and accidentally left it on the airplane. I wonder where it ended up?

Two new reviews of EVACUATION PLAN worth checking out by the wonderful Peggy Tibbitts and the good folks at Curled Up With a Good Book. Joe-O sez check them out.

And YES I will be selling the book at the Texas Book Festival this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Look for the tents!

'Evacuation Plan' is No. 1!

I woke up this morning, grabbed the Austin American-Statesman and saw that my novel EVACUATION PLAN is ranked as the No. 1 local bestseller this week! Woo hoo! The commotion at our house confused Nicholas, but he eventually calmed down.

In other book news:

If you're in Austin and have Time Warner cable, you can catch me repeatedly this month talking about and reading from EVACUATION PLAN. I spoke to the Writers League of Texas recently and it was recorded for their series "Writing Across Texas." It's airing on Channel 10.

And a story from the book titled "The Gambler" has been adapted by Janet Heimlich into a play that will be performed in early 2008 as part of Frontera Fest.

Wascally wabbit

This week Nicholas moved from rice cereal to carrots as the parade of pureed foods continues. Guess what orange carrots + Nicholas equals? Green poop.

Taking it on the chin

Lots of drooling and grimaces, but Nicholas tried some semi-solid food for the first time tonight. He wore most of it.

The high and mighty Nicholas

We bought the rapidly aging Nicholas his first high chair this past weekend. Once we spent a few days figuring out how to put it togeher, we slipped him in and let him play with the accompanying toys that are supposed to get him to like it before we start with a little solid food--that's coming tonight!

After six months of nothing but mother's milk, we have also started substituting one bottle of formula a night. The poop is no more stinky from the change so far, but give him time.

Nicholas measured a whopping 28 inches tall at his six-month doctor's appointment, making him in the 95 percentile for height. I expect him to tower over me one day.

Friday Night Lights, season two

My story from the set of Friday Night Lights made the cover of the Dallas Morning News entertaiment section. The show's second season premieres tonight.

Diaper David, I love you

I'm turning into a major fan of the writer/artist David Shannon. What, you've never heard of this genius? You clearly don't have young children. In the pre-K set David Shannon, and his alter ego Diaper David, is a god.

It seems that when Shannon was five he drew a crude picture of himself as a baby. Years later when he was an artist and a new dad, his mother sent him the drawings. They are the basis for a series of books.

Shannon has three Diaper David board books, which are the ones that can stand up to chewing and potential shredding. My friend Mary Hoover sent u\s the book "Oops!" as a gift. Nicholas loves it, to say the least. When he so much as sees the books, he starts giggling. And they've made up the better part of his vocabulary with "uh oh," "yum," and "ahhh!" being heard a lot around here.

For Nicholas' six-month birthday this week, I gave him Diaper David himself. David immediately received a lick, the highest compliment in the land.

Writers, sharks and hospice workers

It's been an interesting week. I was at the Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers last weekend in Houston. Right before I left I got a wonderful email from the writer Carmen Tafolla, who picked up a copy of EVACUATION PLAN at Langdon Weekend and really liked it. She's offered to help with some events in San Antonio.

On the plane back from Houston I sat net to a woman who described herself as a shark wrestler. She was coming back from Nashville where she'd purchased a few more sharks for Qua, an Austin nightclub that's about to open. People there will dance over a tank of sharks!

On Monday I spoke to my first book club, and it was an important one made up almost entirely of people who work directly with hospice patients (that's me with two of the book club members in the photo. David Zuniga set this event up.). It was very enlightening and reminded me of what I hope to accomplish with my book.

This Saturday I'll be at a book festival in Manor. It's at Jenny Lane Park. Stop on by and say hi!