Wellllllll, it's been a while. I know my 2 readers have been on the edge of their seats (hi Elizabeth! hi Karen!) Love you guys. Geez louise, have there been some changes.
Let's begin with my writing. I turned in the final draft of my next manuscript, which I'm very happy about. Nervous too, since this it, but that's par for the course. It's called The 15 Second Rule, and mostly is about a brother and a sister, each coming of age in their own self-absorbed way and very distant as a result. They're home for the summer in Alabama, and working at their neighborhood pool together as lifeguards and swim team coaches; the same pool they've belonged to or worked at all of their lives. When a young black girl almost drowns on their watch, they're forced to come together in the aftermath. To me, it's a story about family and identity; race and religion, vulnerability and strength. I hope readers agree. It's scheduled for publication next May.
Another piece of huge news: after 13 years in New York, I quit my day job and moved to Atlanta with my husband. Thirteen years!!! That blows my mind. I really grew up there. Man, my 20's. Wow. At any rate, we'd been feeling restless for a while, despite our eternal love for Brooklyn, and a work opportunity arose for him that we couldn't pass up. Plus, he grew up there, so we'd have his mama and sister and childhood friends all around to ease the transition. We moved in mid-August, so everything is still very new. It's definitely a change, and there are already many things I miss about the old 'hood and lifestyle (the subway is not one of them, fyi), but mostly I'm excited. It was time to change it up. It's also going to be a trip to be out of the industry (I worked in book publishing as an agent and foreign rights director for around 10 years), but the fact that I'm writing full-time at the moment is a gift that I am unbelievably grateful for. No more up at 5 AM to squeeze in a few hours of writing before work! For the time being at least.
And the last bomb to drop: I'm pregnant. A little over 5 months in. I'm excited and weepy and hungry and astounded by the female body. Do you realize that women create other human beings inside of themselves?!?! I can't stop nerding out about that. Props to the people that can wait to find out the sex until D-day, but that wasn't for us. Found out last month that we're having a boy. Pretty excited. Can't wait to teach him the #1 rule of dating: if you're not gonna' call, don't say that you're gonna' call. Just don't.
So, that's the wrap-up: book, Dixie, baby. Hopefully, now that I've got some time on my hands, I'll get better at this blogging business.