Happy Valentine's Day, One and All!

Sorry that I never update this blog. Some of you may know I type slower than an untrained ape. So my sister is typing this for me. Thanks, Julie!This has been an exciting week for Em-Dawg. First off, I finished a very rough draft of my newest YA novel. Which is good because I was supposed to turn it in last month. It still needs some polishing before it is fit for my editor but it's almost there. Woo hoo! Second, I've been substituting for a special needs class in the mornings. Emma, a fifth grader with Down Syndrome, did my hair twice--each time it looked way better than usual. On Saturday, I went to a book signing with tons of Utah authors and carpooled with my friends Anne Bowen and Sara Zarr. In the car, Sara mentioned how fulfilling it must be to teach those with special needs and asked if it reminded me of my own childhood as a special needs student. Note: I was not a special needs student. Sara claims this was not a rude comment. Anne and I disagree. As payback, I am going to steal a picture from her blog and post it here. (From left to right Isa, owner of the Purple Cow bookstore in Tooele; me; Anne). If by chance anyone reading this lives in or frequents Tooele, Grantsville, Lakeside, Stockton, Stansbury Park, or any of Tooele's "bedroom communities," I highly recommend stopping at the Purple Cow. In fact, I insist upon it. The Purple Cow rocks! And they treat their guest authors like royalty. Tonight, I am hanging out with my awesome sister Julie as well as my brother-in-law Reo, who long ago lamented my lack of mentioning him on this blog. In this I am remiss. I even took a photo of him at one point intending to post it. Alas, I don't know how to. So maybe Julie has one. Let's check. Note: the small hand in this photo belongs to Julie and Reo's baby, Holden. Reo does not have a freak arm. All in all, awesome time was had by all. Hope your Valentine's rocked!