Rachael

I did a reading at Copperfield's last night, and I had the best time! There was something kind of magic about the way that a knitting audience comes together, isn't there? I read a little bit and then we chatted, and a friend mentioned she had sheep, and did anyone want the wool? And the local spinning guild president handed over her card and we talked about quitting smoking by taking up needles, and…it was great.

And the two of you who brought me presents? Thank you. You seriously touched me. I would list you here, but I'm getting so paranoid about how bad I am about names that I'm scared to spell/remember everything wrong. But I love the gorgeous yarn bag so much and the knitted Digit? Seriously made me well up. (If you read this, please email me/comment so I can thank you properly — I was overwhelmed last night.)

You can't see the tail in this pic but it is SO CUTE, too. I am so damn lucky.

I'm fighting a dang migraine (another neuro appt tomorrow) so no more for now but I will leave you writers with an amazing post by Chuck Wendig. You all know how much I struggle with plot, right? Characters? Emotions? I'm on it. Plot? WHO NEEDS IT? Oh, wait. I do. Chuck outlines all the ways to fight your way through, right here. Enjoy.

(Oh, and I got the funniest, nicest review in Publisher's Weekly this week. It made me laugh.)

When you decide the world is too big, and there are too many things on your list to do, and you'll never get to them, and ALL IS LOST, go to bed.

When you get home and the floor – toilet – sinks – counter – dishes – corners – dogs need cleaning and you can't find a place to start, go to bed.

When you think of the word ENTROPY and all that it means, and how your little inside-the-house universe is spinning completely out of your control, and how everything is going to fall apart sooner rather than later, go to bed.

When you know you should write because you're so damn close to the end you can almost hear the exit door flapping in the wind, but the book is at such a sad part that your heart is breaking, and you'll probably never be able to write again, go to bed.

I went to bed this afternoon after a perfectly lovely RWA meeting (it was a good meeting — I didn't see the mean reds sneaking up on me at all). Lala made me go lie down — I wanted to FIX/MAKE/DO all the things, and I was seriously freaking out. So I went to bed. I read for about an hour and then slept for four.

Know what? When I woke up, the world was lovely again. Mean reds gone. Ka-bap. It took me forty-five minutes to put the house to rights (longer to mop the floor after I dropped the milk glass, but oh well), and chaos is again neatly corralled.

I'm even going to write a bit more, too, until Lala gets home, and then I'm going to hang out with her and do something fun and silly like play Zombie Dice, because there is no fun like a game that involves counting brains and shotgun blasts.

TUESDAY:

NorCal folk, Please come see me in Petaluma? Copperfield's, 7pm. I'm really excited.

If you're local, will you consider coming to my reading at Copperfield's in Petaluma in one week? You know me, and I'm convinced that NO ONE WILL COME, and I'll be there all alone, and they, the store that has hosted the Yarn Harlot and all the attendant madness, will look me up and down and say, "Really? That all you got?" 

This is the stuff of nightmares.(Literally.)

So if you come, I promise to read a REALLY juicy section from the new memoir (but I haven't decided which section — those of you who have read it, thoughts? The mama-sweater one? Can an audience take it?). And I will have prizes. And hugs. And we can go for wine afterward (yes! That!)

Copperfield's
140 Kentucky St, Petaluma, CA
 Tuesday September 13th, 7pm

Also, if you can't make it there, I'm launching book three (!) in the Cypress Hollow Series, WISHES & STITCHES and promoting LIFE IN STITCHES in San Francisco next month.

Bookshop West Portal
80 West Portal Ave, San Francisco
 Thursday October 20th, 7pm

Same terror for that, natch. Please come?

Talking about hospice and the little mama over HERE today.

(And quickly, a Digit update for those of you didn't see it on Twitter. Our trip to Vegas was awesome (Cirque du Soleil O! Spa time! Massage!), but while we were gone, we heard from our petsitter that Digit's paw was hurt. We were getting home the next morning, so I took him to the vet first thing. She x-rayed the paw and palpated it (because obviously she has a DEATH wish) and concluded it was sprained. And the way it was sprained? She thought by its positioning, he'd probably gotten it from bap-bapping another animal. Like, perhaps, Clementine, Digit's mortal enemy (she cowers when we say the word Digit as in Here he comes! Watch out!). So this: He sprained his paw beating up a dog. GOOD GOD. As soon as he gets off the pain meds, we're talking about kitty prozac, because that is just ridiculous. Terrible cat.)

Those are the pupils of a cat on Big Meds.

I told you I'd tell you when it was available, and A Life In Stitches is now out digitally (as well as in paper)!

I'm dancing around, throwing confetti made of yarn! (IS there such a thing? There SHOULD be.)

Available for:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes and Noble Nook

Apple iBooks

More yarn confetti, confetti for everyone! (Seriously, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.)

Digit Update

This week, Digit has created a ruckus and has looked funny while doing it. He got some weird infection in his chin, and had to be anesthetized to fix it. He's now in a cone, but he's feeling much better and we're happy to report that he is just as terrifying to Clementine as ever.

See? I'm torn between thinking he looks like a lion or King Friday XIII.

And now, you know what? WE ARE GOING TO VEGAS. Three years ago, we were going to go — Lala has never been — and we had to cancel, but not this time! I made an appointment for a massage, and I'm going to spend time at the pool with a cold drink in one hand, a book in the other. I'm not a gambler, but I'll probably put some quarters in the machines, and La is interested in checking out the roulette, I believe.

The animals can't wait to get rid of us because their favorite petsitter is coming to stay — she's active in the Bay Area punk scene and we always tell her it's okay to have her friends over. When we come home, our house smells like delcious lentils and later, at live shows, total strangers come up to me and show me pictures they have on their cell phones of our dogs. It's an odd, friendly feeling.

So yep. The book is now officially all the way out, and we're on the road. Oh, heck yeah.

UPDATED TO ADD:

I had no idea How to Knit a Heart Back Home was coming out on audio today, too: Audible link. Now both the first two novels are available that way!

 

And this: If you've read any of my books? Will you consider giving them a review on Amazon/BN, etc? No matter if they're good or bad, reviews are a great thing and make books happy and in turn, make their authors VERY HAPPY. Thank you so much!