And the bit of happy news is...

A few years ago, I sat down and started to write a children's book. And now it is up on Amazon!  (That is the short of it. Read on if you are interested.)

This amused my close friends and immediate family - people who know me well - because, well, you know how much I like to swear. My other writing at that point had mostly been professionally; as a reporter, I tended toward crime and investigative pieces and columns of commentary. Later, I did marketing writing, which I hated every minute of.

In fiction, I've dabbled in writing for adults but what I most like to do is write for kids, and the adults who read to them.

Illustration by Nik Houser, aka my brother

It's my way of creating a happy place.

I have always loved good children's books, and I hate it when books talk down to kids or otherwise make reading a chore for them. Reading is supposed to be fun! There are not enough hours in the day or years in the millennium for all of the books I would like to read. It makes me sad when kids say they don't like to read, because it's usually due to bad or boring books having been forced on them.

So, a couple of years ago I finished a short collection of stories for younger readers. It's about a sassy 6-year-old girl and her adventures with her little brother, her endlessly patient dad, and their cat.

What adventures, you ask? she nearly cooks a pet blue lobster who looks too cold, tracks a polar bear's footprints (actually belonging to a plumber) through her snowy backyard, and finds her father’s Santa suit in the attic, prompting a frantic call to the police because "the man in red" has must be running around naked.

 My brother Nik, who is a writer as well as a fabulous illustrator (I envy his talent, as I can't even write my name legibly or draw a circle without it looking like a lemon), illustrated them when I threatened to yank out his teeth. (Just kidding, but it took some persuading.)

And since I am not a patient person, rather than sending it out to hundreds of agents (and I totally respect those of you who have the patience for this), when ebooks picked up steam Nik and I decided to go that route.

So, my blog friends, here is where I shamelessly plug my book. If you would like to buy it, and review it (the good! The bad! The ugly! No publicity is bad publicity!) on Amazon, Nik and I will be able to enjoy a few lattes. (Kidding. One latte would be just fine.) You can buy it for Kindle or, if you, like me, don't have one, Amazon gives you the option of sending it to your Android phone, or you can download (free, fast, and no spyware) Kindle Cloud Reader for your computer.

You will also see special shout outs to my friends who provided help and encouragement with this book, your fellow bloggers GB Miller and A Beer For the Shower. 

CLICK HERE TO GIVE US A LATTE.  Thank you!