So, you may have noticed that I've been largely MIA for about six weeks. There are perfectly respectable reasons for this, but they'd most likely bore the hell out of anyone who's still reading this sag-adelic blog. In order to give "girl uninterrupted" a bit of a boost, I've pledged to myself that I will begin posting at least a little something-something five days a week, starting right this very second.

May I present to you the super adorable cover for my next book, THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON!





STELLA won't be out until July 2009, but I've been told that galleys will be available at this year's NCTE/ALAN conference in San Antonio. Know what else will be at that conference? ME! I'm speaking on a panel with Tanya Lee Stone, Laura Ruby, and David Levithan that's titled, "I Feel Good: Positive Portrayals of Sex in YA Literature." And on top of it all, my awesome publisher, Random House, has generously donated 400 paperback copies of ANYONE BUT YOU to be distributed during my signing later that same day!

Back to STELLA: I recently finished proofing the galley pages, and I have to confess, I am SO GLAD I had the opportunity to go over the manuscript one last time. Why? Because I discovered some serious authorial offenses. Like, how did we all miss the fact that I used the word "involuntarily" eight times? Literally, EIGHT TIMES. It's too bad that anyone receiving an ARC will have to be subjected to "involuntarily" seven times more than those who buy a copy in the store or check it out from the library, but hey - at least this wrong has been righted in time for publication.

P.S. Kudos to those who noticed the new journal design - and yes, it's in honor of STELLA!

So I'm fried.

I'm beyond fried.

I will write more about the conference later, when I am less fried. But I have to say that it, as always, was one of the highlights of my summer. Even though Lisa had to cancel last minute due to an emergency appendectomy, and even though the hotel was skanky and someone went into my room when I wasn't there and made long-distance calls from my phone (that *I* got charged for) and could've easily stolen my beloved laptop, and even though I was sweaty for 90% of yesterday ... the Westminster conference is a lovely, lovely thing. Even the presenters picked up on how energetic and close-knit an SCBWI region we are. So, yeah. Lovely.

And then today I wake up to this extra-special review of ANYONE BUT YOU, by the esteemed Cynthia Leitich-Smith, whose blog(s) I pimped during my blogging presentation yesterday. (But she didn't know that when she wrote this review.) And oh my gosh, how effing FLATTERING is that? I just have a big ol' sleepy grin pasted to my face.

More soon, after hot tea and more sleep work their magic ...