It’s chilly here in the land of sun and humidity. We’re poised for one of those very rare cold snaps. There’s the possibility of sleet over night, and the city is collectively biting its nails. But for now, I’m inside, and the electricity is still running.

Today we braved the cold and chilly rain (my little one kept asking when it was going to sleet already) to go see Arthur and the Invisibles, movie #1 from my Kid Movie List. We all liked it; it was very cute. After coming home, I spent probably close to an hour trying to get my Alyssa Goodnight quarterly newsletter out. (It hasn’t come out for six months now). The pickle of the matter is that I really don’t have much to say that readers of my first book (released two years ago now) will want to hear. They’ve been hearing, ‘I’m working on it’ for several newsletters now. I suppose it’s a really good thing I don’t actually have a publishing contract, because the way things have been going lately, I don’t know how I’d manage to meet its terms.

So anyway, the newsletter should put everyone off for a few more months, at which time I can hopefully say that I have something to tell them. Although, if I go the traditional publishing route, assuming (extraordinarily optimistically) that I could get an agent lickety-split, my next book wouldn’t come out until 2008, 2009, somewhere in there. No one is going to be pleased to hear that. My other choice is making another stab at self-publishing. And that, my friends, is a LOT of work!

After the newsletter went out, I played Omagles with my little one. Those things (a Christmas gift) are COOL! I even finished our chosen project (a mini jungle gym) after the little one disappeared. Alas, I’m too heavy to climb on it, so he reaps all the rewards.

Had to get up at the crack of dawn today to get to the RWA meeting across town in time for the early morning presentation. It was all about finding an agent, and I came away with a handout full of questions, offered up by pubbed authors, on what to ask a prospective agent. The chapter is bringing in two literary agents for the February meeting, and members are getting the chance to pitch. If I do it, it’ll be my first time, and I’ll probably spend countless minutes (hours) figuring out exactly what to say and then stumble over it when the time comes. But despite that six-seven minutes of excrutiating awkwardness/nervousness/weirdness, it’ll be a good experience. I just know it.

The second presentation was by Deanne Gist, who is a chapter member. Her debut, A Bride Most Begrudging has done extraordinarily well, and it seems she’s somewhat of a darling with her publisher, Bethany House. She had the most unique, interesting, fascinating presentation on how a book goes from a manuscript to a bound, printed book…complete with plenty of visual aids. It was great.

Now I have a headache and will shortly be falling onto my bed. A nap is very possible.