And it's July--the time for patriotic speeches, parades, backyard barbecues, hot dogs, apple pie, fireworks, and politicians pretending they care. It doesn't get more American than that--unless you talk about the sorry state of health care in the good ol' USofA. We truly NEED a PUBLIC HEALTH OPTION--not that our politicians listen to "We the People." As the insurance companies dump millions of dollars into politicians' pockets in an effort to block significant and meaningful health care reform, our politicians only seem to hear "We the Lobbyists." Shame on you, Mr. McCain. Shame on you, Mr. Kyl.

Current Reading: Because of their popularity--popularity is an assumption on my part based on the number of titles in the series--I've just finished reading The Candy Factory Mystery, #18 in the Boxcar Children books. At the risk of sounding a bit like JY when she laid claim to the idea behind the Harry Potter books and criticized them as not being well-written, I must say the same. No, the idea is not mine. My complaint lies with the quality of writing, which is--for lack of a better word--amateurish. The characters are cardboard. The point of view is all over creation. One is never certain who the main character is--if, indeed, there is one. Granted, this is the only title in the series that I've read, but I must also say I won't be hotfooting it to the bookstore to purchase any others if this is representative of the series as a whole. In film critic parlance, I'd give it two thumbs down.

It's somersault time! After 48 revisions, false starts, re-starts, humps, bumps, and hair-pulling, I finally have a rough draft for a picture book text--JG, G--that I think I might be able to shape into something to send to my stellar agent. Meanwhile, we're awaiting word from RH/GB on a retold tale for which they are already discussing illustrators. The mere fact that they're discussing illustrators I'm taking as a good sign, but I won't jump for joy until I hold an actual book in my hand. Okay--honestly--I'll do a little dance if it gets picked up. But only a little one.

At long last, Birmingham Sunday is with the designer. Yahoo! All that remains for me to do is to write photo captions and deal with any last minute tweaks (and hopefully the latter will be few). Then, of course, there's the nail biting that comes from awaiting the reviews. (And here I am told to "avoid stress." Keep that in mind, dear reviewers. I am so ready to put this one to bed.

Remiss. Remiss. Remiss-is-me. That's why this isn't a traditional blog. I've been on vacation/staycation/workation. (How about that vocabulary, Angela F.?

In my absence, though, I did read a great mystery. If any of you are fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot, I've encountered a terrific, new, contemporary writer who writes in the same vein: G. M. Malliet. Her detective is DCI Arthur St. Just. Death of a Cozy Writer is her first mystery. Read it! You'll love it!

One of my dear friends works for a food service provider, the sort of company that provides food to restaurants. Because 98 percent of all restaurants purchase their food from this company, and others like it, it helps explain why it doesn't matter if you Outback it tonight or have a lobsterfest. Much of the food will largely look and taste the same. What prompts this post, however, is the little message at the bottom of each of her e-mails. It goes like this:

This email message and any attachments are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary to XYZ, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries or otherwise confidential or legally privileged. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by reply, and delete all copies of this message and any attachments. If you are the intended recipient you may use the information contained in this message and any files attached to this message only as authorized by XYZ, Inc. Files attached to this message may only be transmitted using secure systems and appropriate means of encryption, and must be secured using the same level password and security protection with which the file was provided to you. Any unauthorized use, dissemination or disclosure of this message or it's attachments is strictly prohibited.

Is this supposed to scare me? Intimidate me? Make me cower? If it should contain information about insider trading, do they seriously think I'm not going to act on it? I mean, cripes, I taught high school students for a long, long time. XYZ, Inc. doesn't know the meaning of fear or intimidation until it has spent time in a gang-infested high school . . . and survived using counter intimidation. Seriously, give me a break, XYZ, Inc.--we were only making a dinner date.

The Sloppy Copy Slipup by DiAnne DiSalvo. Excellent!

I've just returned from a delightful school visit at St. Johns Middle School. The children were all delightful and the day highly enjoyable. One youngster, a budding illustrator, especially stands out. During the Q/A portion of my program, one child asked for any advice I might offer somebody who wanted to become a professional writer. I said, "Read. The best way to learn to write is by reading, and reading widely." The budding illustrator screwed up her face and raised her hand. "If you want to be an illustrator," she asked, "do you have to read?" I nearly doubled over and I'm afraid she didn't appreciate my affirmative answer.

Summer has arrived in full form to the desert. It's time to close up the house, pack up my writing materials, and head to cooler climates. On the writing agenda, there's a picture book begging to be written (or finished, as the case actually is) and a biography brewing.

A friend sent this link to me. If you're a fan of West Side Story, you'll get a kick out of Worst Slide Story . . .

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/opinion/walthandelsman/blog/2009/04/animation_recession_singalong_1.html