Judith Graves's Blog, page 15

Worth the Wait

Suzy, from the Edson Public Library, was kind enough to post a message on Facebook, saying she couldn't wait to meet me this Saturday. The feeling is entirely mutual. Not only will I get to hang with the effervescent Suzy (who has organized the day), I'll get to present four, 40 minute workshops on writing and chat with likeminded writers, or those interested in learning more about the craft. How lovely. Indeed, I can't wait.

There's a lot of waiting in an author's life so I should be used to it. You have to wait for agents to fall in love with your work, wait for revisions from your editor, chew your nails off waiting for production details, early reviews, and the anticipation of the publication date / book launch party.

But before all that good stuff – the actual writing of your book. This is possibly the most rewarding wait of all – the time it takes for you and your muse to make it to The End. Could be a few months, could be a few years. I've started a bit of a game with myself, to keep the wait bearable, to see progress along the way – to FEEL it in my hands. I've created something I refer to as the WEIGHT TEST.  I'm sure other authors do it, come on, fess up. I can't be alone in this simple pleasure. (Um…it's not as dirty as it sounds…lol…)

While writing a first draft I print my manuscript just four times before the final draft is complete. Each time I print the WIP, I read what I've got and make changes, sure – but what I'm really doing is the Weight Test. I put a black bulldog clip on the pages and lift the manuscript….testing the weight and bulk of it. Initially, it's not much. But by the fourth printing…oh boy, that mother is substantial.

I just printed Second Skin – the last time before it's complete. Here she is in all her heavy-weight glory.

Course she's still got edits and revisions ahead, but that's my baby. She's hearty, and hale, and ready to let out a good scream.

I hope you'll find her worth the wait.

___

Wanna talk books? In the Edson, AB area? Come on out to the Edson Public Library and let's dive into the crazy world of fiction.

Book Launches and Preorders

With Second Skin set for release in October, I've got my thinking cap on for both the live and online launch parties. The UMS live launch was held at a local cafe, Beantrees Coffee House and I'm hoping to use this venue again. Maybe have another band play, cake (of course!) and perhaps a karaoke chaser.

I've seen tons of wonderful online launches. Shannon Delany's launch of her second book, Secrets and Shadows, for example – her characters were brought to life, doing podcasts and radio interviews…and they're Russian werewolves! Talk about tough acts to follow. Since the main theme of Second Skin is fear – I'm thinking some sort of online Fear Factor event or trivia contest might be the way to go. There's still time to ponder and plan.

Speaking of scary, book launches are thrilling for authors in many ways. They're a chance to celebrate with friends, family and fans, but they are also the time of the dreaded – your book's not in my bookstore the day of it's official launch –  emails/Facebook wall posts/Tweets, etc. Believe me when I tell you that authors wish they had control over where and when their books were sold. But we don't. YOU, however, have ALL the power.

Jeri Smith-Ready, a fellow Class of 2k10 author, posted some excellent tips on how YOU, the reader, fan, friend, are key to getting books into stores. Here are a few excerpts from her post (used with permission) and a link to the original:

Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a bookstore on any given Tuesday (the usual day for new releases), giddy with excitement over the book you've been dying to read for weeks. Within a few hours you'll be curled up on your couch with your favorite hot drink, or stretched out in the sun with your favorite cold drink, reveling in the printed word.

You search the store's shelves, the tables, and endcaps. But the book isn't there. If you're feeling intrepid, you check the computer or go to the information desk and ask for it.

Nope. It ain't there. Maybe the store only ordered a few copies and they're already sold out. Maybe the books haven't been delivered yet. Maybe the store simply hasn't ordered any at all.

SADFACE!!

You go home, disappointed, and write the author an e-mail, or comment on their blog or Facebook or Twitter, telling them the store didn't have their book.

DOUBLE SADFACE!!

Now two people feel bad, but there's a difference between these two people.

Because authors have no control over which stores sell their books (oh, how we wish we did). Even publishers don't have that control (oh, how they wish they did).

But readers do. By making one phone call, you can be sure your favorite store will have a copy of Shift waiting for you on or near release day.

After all, your store wants to sell books. An order is a guaranteed sale, so they are more than happy to get a book in for you. Everybody wins!

There are two ways to do this, in order of certainty:

1. Phone your closest bookseller. Tell them which book you want. They'll call you when it comes in. No wasted time and gasoline on your part–yay!

2. Sometimes you can pre-order it online for in-store pickup, or order it online for pickup once it comes out.

These days, bookstores are buying smaller initial amounts of each book from the publishers than they used to. It has nothing to do with the individual books–it's across the board (not including huge bestsellers, of course). If a book sells out fast, they might reorder it, they might not.

So if you really want to help to an author (and help yourself), pre-order their book at your local store. It will not only help get that copy where you want to buy it, it'll also encourage the bookseller to buy more of that author's next novel. And thus, we get to stay employed. Everybody wins again!

ScriptFrenzy and Writing Binges

Well, what a productive month April has been….and I've still got a few days to produce Second Skin. I feel like the little writer who thought she could….I think I can…I think I can – No, I KNOW I can. With the aide of chocolate, of course.

Anyway, one of my focuses for April was co-writing a script for ScriptFrenzy. The challenge is put on by the creators of NANO. You have to complete a 100 page script in 30 days, 100 pages being the standard length of a feature film.
While we didn't make the 100 pages, and we ended up writing a completely different script than the one we had intended to start on (simply tabled for the moment, we'll get to it asap) – my writing partner, fellow Alberta based author, Dawn Ius and I did produce a complete script for television – usually about 60 pages – ours was 70. So I consider us winners despite not meeting the ScriptFrenzy official page count.
We had a blast writing the script. We plotted and outlined the whole thing on Google Docs and then Dawn crashed at my place for three glorious days of binge writing. We wrote from 5:30 am to 10:00pm. Many pots of coffee and chocolate Easter eggs later – we had ourselves a brand spanking new baby script.
Someday, I hope you'll hear it roar.

If you've been thinking of branching into scripts – I highly recommend giving ScriptFrenzy a try next year. The forums and cameos from screenwriters provided wonderful advice / tips and tricks on plotting scripts, formatting them, etc.

I'd also recommend investing in Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need and related titles. Invaluable.
His website rocks as well: http://www.blakesnyder.com/

The creepy doll factor

People often ask me why I choose to write horror/paranormal stories. And I usually give them a standard reply: I love a good scare—I'm a fan of mythology and folklore. Rarely do I get into the nitty-gritty details.

Until now.

When I was thirteen, an unlucky age for so many reasons, a visiting aunt gave me a spectacularly wrapped present. About two feet long and a foot wide. The rectangular box could have contained anything. My aunt was from away. Surely she'd have brought me something amazing!

Looking back, I know she thought she was being generous, kind, aunt-like even. She was just trying to bring a smile to the face of a girl she barely knew, but was tied to by blood. That she didn't know anything about me was painfully obvious as I unwrapped the present. A hush fell over the room when the gift was revealed.

A beautiful, lifelike doll stood in the box encased behind a clear plastic lid. Her eyelids flickered as the box dipped in my trembling hands. I dropped her to the floor and her eyes closed as if she were asleep. Or dead.

My aunt rushed forward to scoop the doll up. "Good God, be careful! She's made of porcelain. An antique."

Covering over the awkward silence and my pronounced lack of appreciative gushing, my mother assured my aunt that I was overcome by the generosity of her gift. As she told the lie, my father, leaning in the kitchen doorway, a silent observer as always, gazed at me with concern.

You see, I'd had a fear of dolls as far back as the family could remember, especially old dolls with aged, knowing faces and eyes that rolled back in their heads. Dolls so lifelike you could almost hear the faint gasps of their breathing.

For the entire duration of my aunt's visit I had to sleep with THE DOLL propped up on my dresser. My mother insisted, not wanting to offend her older sister (the one who was only visiting us because she had to come to town for a funeral and didn't want to pay for a hotel). When mother insisted, there was no plea-bargaining.

My father saved the day—marginally. "She should keep it in the box," he announced. "We wouldn't want it to get wrecked." After the sisters left on a shopping expedition, he helped me seal the edges of the doll's box with duct tape. She was locked inside. Or so I thought.

I'll never know exactly how the doll ended up on the floor at the foot of my bed the last night of my aunt's visit. I had jerked awake at the sound of a crash, and there she was, illuminated by the three nightlights my father placed in each plug around my bedroom. The doll had burst through the confines of her box and lay sprawled on the cold hardwood floor. Amazingly, she was in one piece with her head turned in my direction, staring at me with a strange gleam in her eyes. A hungry, I'm-going-to-get-you gleam.

Suffice to say everyone in the house charged into my bedroom, sure it was a burglar, an ax murderer, or a fire, at the very least. I had no control over the sounds of terror that ripped from my throat. I remember my mother apologizing to my shocked aunt, and guiding her back into the hall. I remember my father's grim face as he stuffed the doll into a black garbage bag that magically appeared in his hands. I remember my aunt hugging my brother and sister—but not me—before she got in her car the next morning and drove away.

But mostly I remember those eyes. Those ancient, evil, hungry eyes. And that, my friends, is why I write about things that go bump in the night—because certain events can't be explained and those are the ones that haunt me. So much so that I write about them and struggle to fabricate my own explanations.

In my writing, I share them freely. For what they're worth.

____

This post originally appeared as part of Confessions of a Bookaholic's Haunted Halloween series in October 2010, but since dolls feature in Second Skin, I thought I'd share the tale here on my blog.

 

Second Thoughts #4

With my second novel coming out in October (and it being titled, Second Skin), I've been thinking a lot about how authors tackle their second book. In efforts to stymie my own jitters, I've asked author buddies to offer their insights. I'm collecting responses and will share them with you as I get'm. So, here goes my forth, Second Thoughts, featuring YA author Janette Rallison.

Here's Janette's bio from her website:

"Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as "an eccentric cat lady." She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family's fearless little Westie dog can drive them off.

Since Janette has five children and deadlines to write books, she doesn't have much time left over for hobbies. But since this is the internet and you can't actually check up to see if anything on this site is true, let's just say she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, horse back riding and long talks with Orlando Bloom. (Well, I never said he answers back.)"

Did you start on the second novel directly after completing the first? And if there was some time between novels – was it difficult to settle back into the voice?

Thus far all of my second books are companion books rather than true sequels.  In My Unfair Godmother readers will see the same slightly incompetent fairy godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar, and her slacker assistant, leprechaun Clover Bloomsbottle, but these two have a different victim . . . I mean, damsel in distress to take care of.  Really, when you come down to it, I had to have a different heroine for the story because Savannah, the heroine of My Fair Godmother, never would have taken more wishes from a fairy.  She'd wised up by the end of the book.

Writing a second book to the series was a lot harder than I'd first thought it would be—so no, I didn't start writing the second book until more than a year later. (I had other manuscripts to keep me busy.) I set the bar pretty high with My Fair Godmother and I didn't want to disappoint fans.  I needed to come up with a story that had adventure, romance, humor, mystery, magic, social commentary, a fractured fairy tale, and a twist ending.  Plus I needed it to be enough like the first book that fans felt that it was the same type of book, but not so similar that it was predictable.

Finally, I came up with a plot that would work.  So far reviews have been good—which is huge relief.

How are your marketing efforts different with this second novel? Is it easier now that you have a fan base, or do you feel pressure to up the anti?

Yes to both those questions.  It's great that fans have been eagerly waiting a second book, but it's also a lot of pressure too.  I'm already worried about coming up with a storyline for the third book in the series.

If your novels are geared toward different audiences – do you find readers disappointed that you haven't stuck with one genre?

I started out writing realistic romantic comedy.  (Well, as realistic as romantic comedy ever is . . .)  I did worry that fans wouldn't like the fantasy element in my new books, but so far the response has been positive.

Cover love: how much input did you have with your covers? More with the second? Love them? Or wish they were something more?

I have basically zero input on my covers, which is sometimes frustrating—but worked out okay with these books. They really do have great covers.  The funny thing was that I originally didn't have a golden apple anywhere in My Unfair Godmother, but when I got a picture of the cover, there was the fairy not only holding a golden apple, but looking at it so that it becomes the focal point of the cover.  What else could I do?  I went back to the story and put in a golden apple.  So, note to students:  If your English teacher asks you what the golden apple symbolizes, you can answer that it symbolizes the fact that the marketing department doesn't read the books before making covers.

If you could go back in time and give the newbie author you one writing tip – what would it be?

Get a marketing degree.  You'll need it.  And that computer class you thought you would never use—take it.  Websites are lurking in your future.

Many authors experience shifts in their writing world before their second book is published. Some find new agents, get an agent if they didn't have one before, or even seek out new publishers. Have you had any such dramas?

Yep—right before I wrote My Unfair Godmother I left my agent.  (After ten books together.) When you first start out in this business, you're so excited to have an agent that it's easy to jump at the first one that offers representation.  That isn't always a good decision.  It took me awhile to realize that.

What's next for you – any WIPs?

I have a dragon book coming out in the fall and two more books in the works.

Can you share an excerpt of the 2 nd book? Link to booktrailer?

This is a few pages from My Unfair Godmother.  After a bad night where Tansy was mistakenly hauled down to the police station and treated like riff-raff, she's given a fairy godmother—or at least a fairy godmother in training.  This is from the scene where Chrissy first offers Tansy three wishes:

Chrissy put the scroll into her purse.  "All right then, on to your first wish.  What will make you happy?"

The way she phrased the question made me stop and think.  I had been about to wish for a huge bank account—enough money to not only keep the library open but to name it in my honor.  Would that make me happy though?  It wouldn't change being an outcast at school Monday morning.  It wouldn't change my father's disappointment.  I'm not sure what money would change, except instead of moving in with Grandma, I could stay here and live with people who thought of me as a snitch or a criminal.

I sat down on my bed.  "I'm not sure . . ."

Chrissy glanced at her watch again.  "Wealth is always a popular wish."

I picked at my pillowcase dejectedly.  "Money won't buy me friends."

"If you wish for enough, it will," Chrissy said brightly.  "People like to say they can't be bought, but they really can."

It sounded sort of horrifying when she put it like that.  I didn't want friends who were only interested in me because I was rich.

I shook my head.

"Revenge then?  You can wish to change city hall and the police station into toadstools."

I laughed at the image that presented.  I could see Officer Frisk-meister, a half-eaten donut in one hand, staring around with a baffled expression at what used to be the police station.  Better yet, I could see Mr. Handsome Undercover Cop trying to figure out who'd stolen the building.

Unfortunately, if I zapped away the police station and city hall, it would mean the mayor would have to take money from somewhere else to rebuild the buildings.  Maybe they would close more programs.

"I could change a few police officers into ravens," Chrissy chimed.  "Then they could be jail birds."

Clover looked at the ceiling.  "As if the world doesn't have enough birds with enormous egos."

Chrissy waved a dismissive hand at him, but I didn't want to hurt anybody.  And with that realization, thoughts of revenge fizzled in my mind.  So how did I fix things?  "The problem is we have a mayor who doesn't care what we want.  How do we fight the system?" As I looked around my room, my eyes rested on my bookshelf.  I had a copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood sitting there, nestled among a few other novels Dad had put in my room when I moved in.  He had given me that one because it had been a favorite of mine when I was little.  I had always loved the way Robin Hood stood up to the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John to help the oppressed people.

I was only thinking out loud, trying to figure out a solution to my unhappiness.  I spoke so quietly Chrissy shouldn't have been able to hear it.  "I wish Robin Hood were around today.  He would know what to do."

"Good choice," Chrissy said.  "He's totally hot."  She swept her wand in my direction and a flurry of sparkles surrounded me, hundreds of tiny lights zinging everywhere.

"Wait!" I sputtered.

"Oh, don't worry," she called, her voice sounding far away.  "I wouldn't let you meet him looking like that.  I'll throw in a free makeover."

When the light cleared, she and Clover were gone.  But there in my bedroom, stood a dozen scraggly looking men.

Thanks for the wonderful interview, Janette! Find out more about Janette on her website/blog:

http://www.janetterallison.com/

http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/

And here's the wicked cool trailer for My Unfair Godmother:

Alberta Junior High Writers: Enter to Win

The following promo is from the YABS website:

The Young Alberta Book Society and the Alberta Canola Producers Commission want to send you to summer WordsWorth – for free!

Do you believe in the power of words? Interested in spending a week with fabulous instructors, immersed in creativity and the awe-inspiring scenary of Bragg Creek, AB? Can you write? Why not enter the 2011 Martyn Godfrey Young Writer's Award?

Send us your homourous, 500 to 1500 word short stories by May 6, 2011 and you could be one of two selected to attend this year's WordsWorth. (Don't forget to include the colour canola yellow!) Download the brochure with the rules and regulations here.

Don't miss out on a chance to be part of this amazing camp! Our roster of talented (and famous) instructors and supervisors will inspire you to write, draw, perform…create. An event definitely worth writing home about!

Summer WordsWorth 2011 runs July 3-8 (ages 12-14) and July 10-16 (ages 15-19) at Kamp Kiwanis in beautiful Bragg Creek, AB.

Kidlit4Japan

Greg Fishbone, the founder of the Class of 2k program (of which I was a member of Class of 2k10), an author collective specifically to promote debut YA and MG authors, has once again banded authors together. This time in fundraising efforts to aid victims of the 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami.

kidlit4japan consists of children's authors and illustrators auctioning up copies of their books, critiques, Skype visits, etc…"For three weeks, beginning on March 21st, Kidlit4Japan will feature a children's and YA literature auction to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. A Daily Auction Preview will appear each weekday morning at 8AM EDT. New items will appear at least hourly from 9AM to 4PM. Items include signed books, advance reader copies, artwork, critiquing services, book-related swag, author visits, or the chance to name a character in an upcoming book.

Items are listed on the website as they come up for bid. There's a form in the right column where you can subscribe to the website to receive updates by email. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for "posts & items" or "comments & bids" if you use a feed reader. Twitter users can follow @kidlit4japan account and use the #kidlit4japan hashtag. Facebook users can follow Greg R. Fishbone."

KidlitforJapan

Greg Fishbone, the founder of the Class of 2k program (of which I was a member of Class of 2k10), an author collective specifically to promote debut YA and MG authors, has once again banded authors together. This time in fundraising efforts to aid victims of the 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami.

kidlitforjapan consists of children's authors and illustrators auctioning up copies of their books, critiques, Skype visits, etc…"For three weeks, beginning on March 21st, Kidlit4Japan will feature a children's and YA literature auction to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. A Daily Auction Preview will appear each weekday morning at 8AM EDT. New items will appear at least hourly from 9AM to 4PM. Items include signed books, advance reader copies, artwork, critiquing services, book-related swag, author visits, or the chance to name a character in an upcoming book.

Items are listed on the website as they come up for bid. There's a form in the right column where you can subscribe to the website to receive updates by email. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for "posts & items" or "comments & bids" if you use a feed reader. Twitter users can follow @kidlit4japan account and use the #kidlit4japan hashtag. Facebook users can follow Greg R. Fishbone."

Writing Madness: Join the Mayhem

So…my deadline for Second Skin is the end of March. I'm struggling to get in all the plot changes and character arcs, but confident I'll make it to the finish line.

Which is good news, as I've embarked on several other monstrously huge projects and I'm kind of in love with them. Proof of my devotion? I've joined forces with a writing buddy to develop a script during the month of April. That's right, we've entered as a team for this year's Script Frenzy – a month-long feast of scriptwriting. 100 pages in 30 days.

I know, I know, so I didn't quite manage NANO this year….I'm not sure I ever will…lol… But that doesn't stop me from trying. Or developing great plots / characters and continuing to tell their story long after November has passed. NANO and its ilk are great motivators and I've been chomping at the bit for an excuse to dig into scripts.

So…here's to meeting my deadline and the Script Frenzy yet to begin! If you're participating, my profile is under "JudithG". Good luck!

Second Thoughts #3

With my second novel coming out in October (and it being titled, Second Skin), I've been thinking a lot about how authors tackle their second book. In efforts to stymie my own jitters, I've asked author buddies to offer their insights. I'm collecting responses and will share them with you as I get'm. So, here goes my third, Second Thoughts, featuring Alberta author, Jan Markley.

Here's a bit about Jan from her website: 

"I spent about a decade working in broadcast and print journalism. In my late twenties I traveled for two years through Europe, Africa, and Asia, and freelanced for radio broadcast outlets including the CBC, BBC, and an Aboriginal radio station.

I completed a Master of Arts, Cultural Anthropology in 2002 and did my research among the members of the Peigan Nation in southern Alberta. In addition to writing fiction for children, I write creative non-fiction and have had personal essays published in the Globe and Mail and WestWord."

And now for the questions: 

Did you start on the second novel directly after completing the first? And if there was some time between novels – was it difficult to settle back into the voice?

I actually started the second novel before the first – Dead Frog on the Porch - was under contract (which is what you're not supposed to do). I knew I was getting close to a contract with the first (and since there's a lot of waiting in publishing) I didn't know what to do with myself so I started the second novel- Dead Bird through the Cat Door. I figured if the first didn't sell I would submit the second as a stand alone. 

It wasn't difficult settling back into the voice of the twin protags Cyd and Jane – they are firmly ensconced in my psyche. In fact, sometimes I wish they would just shuddup already! They tend to talk to me more when I'm not in front of my keyboard. Wow, that sounds spooky – Ouija board anyone!?     

 Have the overall arcs of your characters changed since you first envisioned the series? Or are you on track?

The characters are on track. Cyd – the non-animal lover who attracts animals – is all about the snarky comments, using her Nancy Drew smarts to solve mysteries, and writing. Jane – the two-minutes-younger animal loving twin – is all about the animals and following the rules. Together they use old fashioned curiosity and new technology to save the various animal kingdoms.  

How are your marketing efforts different with this second novel? Is it easier now that you have a fan base, or do you feel pressure to up the anti?

I think I put myself under pressure to up the anti! It is easier with the second book because kids have read my first book and I've done school visits and have an active blog. I think now it's about continuing the marketing efforts and building on them incrementally. As you said to me once Judith: "we're not launching a book, we're building a writing career." Wise words from your inner wolven (or maybe you're really a vampire …).    

Any world building or rule you established in the first book that caused challenges for you in the second?

 Not so much caused me trouble but I have to remember what I built in the first novel in terms of the small city they live in. In the first book they biked around the university as they were gathering clues against Dr. Talbot (aka the Cheese Pie Man) who was creating giant frogs. Now the girls have the river valley and bird sanctuary, where the director of the sanctuary Aviary Finch is kidnapping cats to kill birds, to bike through and explore. So, I've created new aspects of their existing world.  

Cover love: how much input did you have with your covers? More with the second? Love them? Or wish they were something more?

Love the cover. Gumboot Books used the same artist Mike Linton and the cover is striking. 

Many authors experience shifts in their writing world before their second book is published. Some find new agents, get an agent if they didn't have one before, or even seek out new publishers. Have you had any such dramas?

No drama (just comedy!). I've gained a lot of new writer friends through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) and the Writers' Guild of Alberta (WGA). I went to the SCBWI New York conference and the symposium in Bologna – both were great learning and networking opportunities.  

If you could go back in time and give the newbie author you one writing tip – what would it be?

Continue to focus on your craft and develop as a writer. Also, you might want to learn a thing or two about marketing since it is a part of any author's life.  

What's next for you – any WIPs?

 I'm working on a contemporary y/a working title Blood Scarlette … if I told you anymore I'd have to stab you with my mechanical pencil.  

Can you share an excerpt of the 2nd book? Link to booktrailer?

Here's a synopsis of Dead Bird through the Cat Door:

 Dead birds? Stolen cats? C'est what? When Cyd and Jane's cat Yin gets kidnapped – that's when it gets personal.

Once again, Cyd and her animal loving twin Jane are up to their bird beaks in intrigue cracking the latest Megabyte Mystery. The director of the bird sanctuary, Aviary Finch, is stealing cats to kill birds. The twins use the latest technology and Shakespeare's Macbeth to help crack the case. Methinks the culprits doth protest too much! Will Cyd and Jane save the sanctuary, free the birds, and return the cats to their natural habitat of their owners' laps? It's predator eats predator when evil meets crazy!

Here's a book trailer that my 13 year old niece produced for me. Lucky for me she works for samosas and chai tea (and cash money!).

Thanks Jan! I look forward to digging into any and all that you write. And I hope our paths cross again soon. ;)