Yesterday morning my husband the fully qualified chef made up a big mess of pork stir fry with rice noodles before he went off to work, thus freeing me from the general panic of trying to cook dinner for not only last night, but today as well.

Yesterday evening my sister, who lives around the corner, came over for several hours. Mostly she worked on a grant application, but we still got to visit some. I got about 600 words written on a book proposal.

Last night my charming four month old son pretty much slept without waking from 11pm to 6am.

This morning I weighed myself and had inexplicably lost another two pounds, putting my weight loss since we moved to Dublin at about 7 pounds and putting me over (or under) my first weight loss goal, thus earning me the reward of wearing my sapphire ring. Then I made bread and an exceptionally good batch of cinnamon rolls, bathed the baby, and poured peed-in bath water all over myself.

This afternoon, having arranged earlier in the week to do so, I went out for coffee, where “coffee” proved to actually be iced hot chocolate, a beverage I was uncertain about but ultimately enjoyed, particularly given how warm it was out today, with /Sarah Rees Brennan, author of the very fine DEMON’S LEXICON and the sort of person to whom things like getting stuck in a Catholic girls’ school cupboard wearing nothing but butter happens*. On our way to coffee (which neither of us actually drink) I had a moment of admiring just how cool our lives were, that I could randomly say “Half two on Thursday!” as a time for us to meet up, and indeed, we could do so without any quibble or concern. Of course, it’s often difficult to meet up with Sarah, who tends to be off jet-setting or taking cruises down the Nile, though she informs me that she will be in Ireland for the entire winter. I submit that she’s doin’ this rong.

We spent a lovely couple hours in St. Stephen’s Green, chatting about books (“I had a five year plan,” I said. “Do you have another one?” Sarah asked. “Yes,” I said, and she said, “Yay!”, since the first one had worked out so well. *laughs*) and playing with Young Indiana, who was as usual perfectly delightful throughout the entire visit. As a result of hanging out with her, I’ll be dropping by the Mountains to Sea Book Festival next weekend, although not participating in it because I don’t write childrens’ books or YA**, which apparently is the In Genre to get invited to those sorts of things.

So after a splendid day out, I came home and added up my mileage for the past week, which came in at slightly over 30 miles. That may have something to do with the otherwise inexplicable weight loss…

My life is awesome.

*True story. Not one, however, replicated during today’s outing.

**Actually I do but the manuscript is lingering unrevised since TWO THOUSAND AND TWO.

currently: pleased

I’m guest blogging over at Drey’s Library today (and off and on all month!). Pop on over for a chance to win a copy of TRUTHSEEKER!

I got some excellent work-related news I didn’t know I wanted today. This pleases me enormously. :)

*laughs* People are reporting receiving and having read TRUTHSEEKER already. It takes so much less time to read them than to write them! *amused despair*

Oh! Oh! (Free) cool things going on soon! There’s a neighborhood arts festival going on for the next week! And a sports photography show at Trinity College, too. I’m looking forward to going to those things! Yay!

Today is the official release date for TRUTHSEEKER! It is my fifteenth published novel. o.O Go forth to yonder bookstores and see if you can find it! Buy a copy! Buy many copies, so that there will be sixteenth and seventeenth and so on published novels*! :)

ACROSS TWO EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS, TRUTH IS THE DEADLIEST MAGIC

Acting against her practical nature, Lara agrees to step through a window into another world. Caught between bitterly opposed Seelie forces and Dafydd’s secrets, which are as perilous as he is irresistible, Lara finds that her abilities are increasing in unexpected and uncontrollable ways. With the fate of two worlds at stake and a malevolent entity wielding the darkest of magic, Lara and Dafydd will risk everything on a love that may be their salvation—or the most treacherous illusion of all.

A teaser chapter is posted here. I think this one’s a charming little story. A fairy tale, in fact, although being merely the writer, I didn’t actually realize that until I was nearly done writing its sequel. :)

Today I’m blogging over at Suvudu, about what happens when an editor asks a writer (or at least this writer) to do a blog on a specific topic. Tomorrow I will start a month of being the Featured Author at Drey’s Library, which should be fun, and later in the month I’ll be blogging at Bitten By Books. I’ll link to those things as they come up, but there’ll be chances to win copies of TRUTHSEEKER at both those locations during the month.

Speaking of which, I owe several people copies. I will send them as soon as I get paid. :)

*ok, technically, the 16th and 17th novels are already done and dusted, as those are SPIRIT DANCES, the 6th Walker Papers novel, and WAYFINDER, the sequel to TRUTHSEEKER, both of which are out in 2011. Let us not get hung up on details. :)

currently: accomplished

And lo, so came the day when she faced the question that in time must come to all who walk these halls:

What should I do with the signed & personalized books I don’t expect to re-read? I’ve gotten very hard-hearted about keeping books, because they take up so much space and are so much of a pain to move, and because I don’t read, much less re-read, very much anymore. (*snivel* Also, this is why I want an e-reader.) But the question of signed copies, well. That becomes a difficult one. *frowns thoughtfully at the shelves*

(Don’t be silly, I’m keeping *yours*, of course.)

My big accomplishment for the day was getting the living room clean. Apparently I’m feeling fairly strongly that this house is ours to do with as we wish, because I keep staring around it thinking about ripping up the carpet and either putting something newer and brighter down, or seeing what kind of condition the floor boards beneath are in, and maybe doing something with them. I suspect they’re a disaster, though. And I want to repaint that room. But given that it seemed like it took all my wherewithal to get the room picked up and vacuumed, I’m not sure how I think I’m going to get those other things done unless I get myself a wife. She could cook and sew for me and come for me and go for me and go for me and nag at me and the fingers she would wag at me–

No, sorry, I don’t think I need to think it out again. A wife would be very helpful.

Yesterday we went down to the market at The Point again, this time in much better weather. :) There, we had coconut macaroons and a taco and some mini-doughnuts, the first two of which were worth repeating but the doughnuts, eh. Not great. The Dublin Wheel is up and running down there now, and we figure we’ll go on it, but it’s a crummy location, as The Point building is half as tall as the wheel, and directly in front of it. But on a clear day you can probably see England from the top of the wheel. Anyway, it was a lovely day out. Good weather we’ve been having. :)

currently: tired

Mostly for :

MIT TARDIS hack

and (significantly more awesome photos):

more TARDIS hack

Hat-tip to . :)

currently: pleased

Mom, Dad, Young Indiana and I went out to the Hill of Tara yesterday. This is one for my Bucket List, as I’ve wanted to go to Tara since I was about, oh, eight, and read A WRINKLE IN TIME and its companion novels, of which I believe A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET may be my favorite. (I should re-read those.)

It’s worth being on the Bucket List. I’m sure that for many people it’s just a big lump of hills and gulleys with no spectacular import, but for me, walking over territory which was sacred thousands of years ago, and which has left its mark on the land, is something special.

The view is spectacular. Tradition holds you can see from one end of Ireland to the other from Tara, and the impression you’re left with, standing up there in the wind, is that you can. You certainly can see to every bordering mountain range (such as they are), and you can watch the rain whip in from the distance while the sun scrapes through clouds above you to splash brightness on patchwork earth.

The Stone of Destiny (which is supposed to shriek so loudly as to be heard across Ireland when the true king of Ireland lays hands on it) was not where I thought it was, but it turned out that it’d been moved at some point, and the place I /thought/ it was supposed to be is where it used to be. It did not, to our dismay, scream when any of us touched it–but Young Indiana was asleep, so didn’t lay his hands on, and so might yet be the true kind of Ireland. :)

I didn’t, as it turned out, take all that many pictures, because mostly what Tara *looks* like *is* a big green of small gulleys and hills. It gets more interesting from an ariel view, because you start being able to see things like the Hall of Kings’ actual structure, but from the ground it just looks like you’re walking along between a couple of long low hills.

Usually, though, you don’t catch a whisper of cheers from warriors past carried on the wind behind you as you walk between hillocks.

Photos here.

My Lucy cat died yesterday. She was pretty old and had been fading for a very long time, but that doesn’t make it one bit easier. We’d had her ten years this month, and I miss her a lot.

I’m turning comments off on this post. I’m sure you’re all very sorry, and I appreciate it, but I really don’t like having floods of emails coming in saying “I’m so sorry.” I will be making a post after this one, too. Please don’t leave condolences on it either.

currently: sad

Want a copy of TRUTHSEEKER? Go to Laura Anne Gilman’s journal on August 25th, wish her a happy birthday, and perhaps be the lucky winner of not only TRUTHSEEKER, but about eight other awesome books coming out in September!

Here is where you want to go!

We leapt out of bed this morning (for the value of ‘leapt’ which applies to parents of a four month old, which is to say, we staggered bleary-eyed and weary out of bed) and went to see “The A-Team”, which I thought was entirely enjoyable. Importantly, unlike in “Knight and Day”, I didn’t think, “Wow, is that a body double?” when Brad Cooper was running around showing off his mag. ni. fi. cent. body, which is what I thought when Tom Cruise lost his shirt in “Knight and Day”. Young Indiana was once again a perfect darling during the movie, which had Brad Cooper without very many clothes on. Did I mention that? :)

On the way to the movie we noticed, not for the first time, apples in the road down the block from us. I’d glanced up before, vaguely assuming there must be an apple tree up there, but hadn’t actually seen the apples, what with them being still green against green leaves. This morning we backed up a bit to have a look and discovered there is indeed a massive apple tree up there on city property behind the railroad station. It is surrounded by blackberry briars. Obviously if we could get in there it would be a motherlode of froots. I’m seriously considering contacting the city and seeing if we could get permission to get back there somehow.

One of the cool things about living where we do is that it’s less than a mile from the stadium, and so every weekend afternoon this summer we’ve been able to hear the roar of the crowd. Must’ve been a good match today, as they were particularly vocal. I love the rise and fall of voices and the sudden bursts of sound when goals are made.

Yesterday we celebrated my dad’s 70th birthday (which was actually last month, but they were busy moving into Dublin on the day itself). Mom made two big lasagnas and mmmmm blueberry and apple pies (individually, not combined), and we had a lovely time of it. My sister taught us a Johnny Cash song (“Long Black Veil“) which a friend of hers had bluegrassed, and did it with such panache I thought it must be a song I knew from Allison Krauss (which should give you an idea of how beautiful my sister’s singing voice is). I’ve never heard the Johnny Cash version, but it makes an *awesome* bluegrass song!

Let’s see, what else. I made some brilliant honey wheat oatmeal bread, but I don’t seem to have bookmarked the recipe, so if anybody wants it I’ll have to write it up. And now I’m doing laundry. The exciting life of a writer, mine. :) *laughs* I said something today and followed it up with, “I need to get out more,” which made both Ted and me pause before I said, “Actually, I’m getting out a *lot* these days!” Go me. :)

currently: busy