Oh I am a bad little blogger. But as the season winds down, and what’s left in the garden begins to wither, and my crankiness begins to bubble, I realize it’s time to write. The government is helping with that… Nova Scotia very kindly gave me a small grant to finish Fallsy Downsies. And my employer kindly granted my request for a leave without pay. And if Canada Council can make it a hat trick, my cunning plan will come to fruition by the new year. Actually, even if the Canada Council declines to give me anything, I will still take January and February off to finish the first draft of the book. They will be lean months, and I will be available for freelance editing projects as a result, so keep me in mind!

But honestly, the thought of having two whole winter months in which to write and write is quite intoxicating. The pile of notes and scraps and scenes grows, Lansing and Evan and Dacey continue to take shape in my imagination, and the cold days approach.

So all the people who say to me: when will your next book be out… I still don’t have an answer for that, but at least it’s one step closer to being actually written.