I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 6 (YA): VESSEL is about defying destiny. Liyana is destined to sacrifice herself so a goddess can inhabit her body, but the goddess never comes. There are glass dragons in her world, so this #booknecklace is a glass dragon. I wear this one to book events all the time.

VESSEL is the only book I've ever written that was inspired by a dream. I dreamed about a girl dancing barefoot on the sand beneath the moon. She knew that when the dance ended, she would die. I woke up worrying about her and knew I had to write her story.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 7 (YA): CONJURED is the creepiest book I've ever written. So creepy I couldn't go into our basement while I was writing it. It's about a teen in the paranormal witness protection program. Lots of magic, a carnival, and a serial killer. Here it is with its #booknecklace.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 8 (adult): THE LOST is about a woman who is trapped in a town full of only lost things and lost people. My husband had a #booknecklace made for it that reads "Welcome to Lost," which is what it says on the sign outside of the town of Lost.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 9 (YA): CHASING POWER, an Indiana-Jones-style adventure about a girl with telekinesis and a boy who can teleport. Three magic stones play a key role in the story, so my #booknecklace (and earrings) contain three stones, possibly magical.

This book was so much fun to write! Kayla, the protagonist, has a minor power -- the ability to lift small (and only small) objects with her mind. Her true strength is her cleverness. I loved thinking up ways for her to have a big effect with a small amount of magic.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 10 (middle grade): THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM is about a girl whose family owns a dream shop where they buy, bottle, and sell dreams, and the adventure she goes on with her best friend, a monster named Monster who loves cupcakes. My #booknecklace is an adorable monster.

Usually my characters develop over the course of many revisions. But with Monster... It felt like he plopped down on my desk fully-formed and said, "Write my story! And feed me cupcakes!"

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 11 (adult SFF): THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, Book 1 of The Queens of Renthia, is an epic fantasy set in a world filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits. Only queens have the power to control them. So my #booknecklace is a crown with a tiny blood-red stone.

Writing The Queens of Renthia was such a wonderfully immersive experience. Every day I sat down at my computer, it felt like walking through the wardrobe into Narnia... except it's a Narnia where the trees want to kill you.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 12 (middle grade): JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS is a fantasy adventure for kids about two sisters, one winged lion, and a LOT of monsters. My #booknecklace is a winged lion!

This book was born one day when I wandered into the kitchen and announced, "I want to write a book about a winged lion." My husband said, "Great! How about plot, characters...?" "Winged lion!" I shouted. And then I wrote it.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 13 (picture book): ROAR AND SPARKLES GO TO SCHOOL is my first picture book, art by the amazing Ben Whitehouse. Roar the dragon is worried about his first day of school, but luckily he has his big sister Sparkles to help him through it. My #booknecklace is a little dragon!

My favorite part of writing this book was inventing the dragon school -- imagining a day in the life of a draconian kindergartner. I knew from the start he'd char his lunch with his breath, play hide-and-seek-the-princess in gym, and ride a dragon bus to school!

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 14 (adult SFF): THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, Book 2 of The Queens of Renthia. Bloodthirsty nature spirits, a dying queen, and a middle-aged woman who wants nothing to do with the power she could wield. This book shares a #booknecklace with THE QUEEN OF BLOOD but we added blood-red earrings!

I actually wrote 90 pages of THE RELUCTANT QUEEN (book 2) before I wrote THE QUEEN OF BLOOD (book 1). My editor at Harper Voyager, the awesome David Pomerico, read the pages and said, "Can this be book two?" And now I can't imagine it being any different.

In THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, I wrote my first middle-aged heroine. She's definitely not the last! The protagonist of my upcoming RACE THE SANDS is a badass middle-aged single mom!

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 15 (MG): THE STONE GIRL'S STORY is about a twelve-year-old girl made of stone who, when the carvings that brought her and her stone friends to life begin to fade, must go on a quest to save them all. So my husband gave me a #booknecklace made of stones!

THE STONE GIRL'S STORY is, at its heart, a story about stories. I believe that stories are as essential to life as food, water, and shelter. They're how we understand who we are. I wrote this book for everyone who wants to shape the story of their life and choose their own destiny.

It was surprisingly tricky to write about a character made of stone. She can't smell, taste, or sleep. Her stomach never drops, clenches, or feels butterflies. I couldn't use any of the common physical reactions to convey emotions, because stone. Made for a fun writing challenge!

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 16 (adult SFF): THE QUEEN OF SORROW, Bk 3 of The Queens of Renthia, is the final battle between vicious spirits and three strong-willed queens. I loved writing these books so much that I cried when I finished. This book shares its #booknecklace with the first two in the series.

I loved writing an epic fantasy trilogy! It's something I've wanted to do ever since my mom introduced my eleven-year-old self to the SFF shelves in the Northboro Public Library and placed THE SWORD OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks in my hands.

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 17 (YA): FIRE AND HEIST is about a sixteen-year-old socialite from a family of master thieves... who can also breathe fire. Think Ocean's Eleven with were-dragons! My #booknecklace for this one is, quite appropriately, a flame!

While I was writing FIRE AND HEIST, I watched so many YouTube videos on how to pick locks, read so many articles on real-life heists, and researched the specs of so many secure vaults that I wanted to add a disclaimer to all my Google searches: "This is for a book! Really!"

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 18 (adult SFF): THE DEEPEST BLUE is a standalone epic fantasy set in the same world as The Queens of Renthia (but you don't have to have read the trilogy first -- it's a true standalone). It features a LOT of sea monsters so my #booknecklace is a sea monster!

When I saw the cover for THE DEEPEST BLUE, I was thrilled to see that the artist (Larry Rostant) had depicted the sea monsters precisely as I'd imagined them. The sea dragon, the kraken, and the multi-headed snake -- those are my murder-babies!

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 19 (MG): SPARK is my newest book for kids. It's about a girl and her lightning dragon (a storm beast), and how even the quietest voice can change the world. My #booknecklace is a lightning bolt, and I wore it so much that I broke the chain.

I wrote SPARK for all the quiet kids out there. But it's not about a quiet kid who learns to be loud. It's about a quiet kid who discovers that she's strong exactly as she is. She doesn't have to change herself to change the world.

I also wrote it because I not-so-secretly want my own lightning dragon.....

I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...

Book 20 (adult SFF): RACE THE SANDS. And this brings us to my newest book and newest #booknecklace! Tomorrow my 20th book comes out! It's a standalone epic fantasy about monster racing. The primary monster is a metal lion, and my husband found the most perfect necklace on Etsy!

At the beginning of June Probert and I taught Doga as a fundraiser for One Tail at a Time rescue in Chicago. We had an awesome time with a full class and the Fido to Go dog food truck even showed up at the end of class so the Dogis could get  treat!

Here are some pictures:

Well, as they say, that escalated quickly.

Day 5 (Friday): Stayed home all day with jack. We ordered takeaway for our date night while we still can. The delivery guy wore a proper facemask.

Day 6 (Saturday): Woke up feeling kind of grim. Decided, on consultation with my partners, that I was fairly sure it was just a cold, so we agreed I would go ahead with my planned evening with cjwatson and the children.

In the morning I virtually 'attended' a livestreamed service, which is a really really new thing for my community who normally ban telecoms and electronics on the Sabbath. It was weird, but I felt good for praying with the community even if I wasn't actually interacting with them directly. In the afternoon I did a virtual play readthrough over Zoom, organized by the lovely wildeabandon. It was really really fun, and I got to see the faces of friends I haven't seen for ages, as well as a couple of internet acquaintances I had no mental image of previously. The play was Loves labours lost and I played a couple of small but fun roles, Lady Katharine, a slightly bitchy court woman, and Sir Nathaniel, a pompous curate.

And then I walked to my partners' house, and it was sunny and seemed basically normal. Plus I was feeling completely better by mid afternoon. I took a winding route to stay most of 2m away from any other pedestrians. We played Labyrinth and watched TV and I stayed the night.

In the morning (Sunday) there was more TV and another game, Robot turtles, a sort of cut-down, child-friendly version of Robo Rally, which the children have got much better at since we last played. And we walked part way together to metamour's house where there was mother's day planned, which I didn't join in with, I went home to jack. We went out to the local shop, I walked with him to enjoy the spring weather and he did the actual shopping, as I'm in theory more vulnerable than him.

Sunday evening I did my chevruta (traditional paired Jewish text study), which has always been online because my partner is in New York, and we had a long and pleasant video call with some old friends of jack's I don't see often enough.

Today, day 8, well, jack and I stayed home, mostly working. And anxiously watching the news of how most of the country treated the weekend as a bonus bank holiday and flocked to tourist spots and crowded into parks and gardens. It was kind of obvious the restrictions would have to get stricter, if that was how people were interpreting more gentle restrictions.

Then they cancelled the daily "briefing" (I haven't really been listening to them as it's mostly just our incompetent prime minister waffling with no substance) for a COBRA meeting. I carried out my intended plan of collecting Judith from OSOs' for a Hebrew lesson, and am I ever glad I did. Because as of an hour ago, and starting from tonight, we're no longer allowed out at all except for "essential" purposes. And we're explicitly no longer allowed to meet friends and family. So I don't know how long it will be before I get to hug my partners again.

In a way, lockdown isn't very different from how we were already behaving, with one vulnerable person in each of our three houses (me and metamour have asthma, girlfriend is pregnant). We were already going out only once a day for exercise, we were already only visiting shops to buy, like, food. But what it has taken away from us is that we can no longer bounce between the three houses, treating the polycule as a closed pod. I think our behaviour for the past week has been safe. If I walk a kilometre to my partners' house, that's no different from walking a kilometre in a random direction to get exercise. But the problem is everybody thinks they're an exception, (and multi-household poly relationships are never thought of in official rulings), so now it's forbidden.

The announcement says three weeks, but I think what's actually going to happen is that people will again not take the restrictions seriously and it will have to be extended.

Personal status: I thought I was doing ok, and the tighter restrictions are almost certainly necessary and not really a surprise. But it hurts.
Social circle tally: three cases, including one person I see face to face (though not for at least a month). 8 mostly online acquaintances with suspicious symptoms.

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I work from home, and the marvelous company for which I work gave me a VariDesk standing desk. I can adjust it to either a standing position or a sitting position, and I do so multiple times per day. Sitting now being the thing that’s going to kill us, I try to make sure I […]

January is a hunkering month. I get out when I can, stay home when I can’t, keep the sun box pointed at my face, and work on Wikipedia, learning new things and giving other people the chance to learn about my world. The #Lib1Ref campaign is happening, I’m barely paying attention to it, but it’s as […]

1. Kans op 2e golf, maar contactopsporing moet 2e lockdown vermijden: bekijk de beste fragmenten uit "Het coronadebat"  VRT NWS
2. Het Corona Debat met Marc Van Ranst, Erika Vlieghe, Maggie De Block (Open Vld), Bart De Wever (N-VA) en anderen  De Morgen
3. 'We moeten tijd winnen tot vaccin er is'  De Standaard
4. Het grote coronadebat: “We moeten tijd winnen tot vaccin er is”  Het Belang van Limburg
5. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Top 10 Friday Night SmackDown moments: WWE Top 10, May 8, 2020

I feel like I should be writing in here more given the historicness of everything happening right now. But mostly I’m just tired and want things to stop being so terrible. And it’s only like week three or whatever. In … Continue reading →

Yesterday Webstarts.com suffered a major crash resulting in the entire system going down for over 24 hours. That’s why if you tried to visit this site yesterday you couldn’t go on. Fortunately everything appears to be up and running again. Webstarts found and CEO Adam Barger issued this apology on FaceBook..................

Falling down is the tale of Bill Foster (played by Michael Douglas) a.k.a D-FENS which is his license plate. A guy who isn’t having a very good time. He lost his wife, his home, his daughter, and his job at a defence plant.............

'Think outside the box': How public transport will change as lockdowns are eased  Yahoo News Australia

Under partial lockdown due to the spiraling coronavirus pandemic, Spaniards are allowed to leave home only for essential outings, walking a dog being one of them.

Dressed as "Star Wars" characters, local officials in the Philippines are out and about to enforce strict quarantine measures while also handing out relief packages.

As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.

Something old, something new, something gifted, and a couple things green. READ MORE...

On October 31st, 1918, as the First World War neared its end, celebrated war poet and officer of the Second Manchesters Wilfred Owen wrote home to his mother. Sadly, this would be his last letter. Four days later–exactly a century ago–Owen was shot dead as he led his company across the Sambre–Oise Canal. His mother

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PotterCast is back with an all new episode this Halloween! We talk about some of the new Deathly Hallows TV spots and just what of DH Part 1 we HAVEN'T seen yet anyhow! More news including the release of the DH soundtrack and extended editions of the 3rd and 4th Potter film.

Episode 228 — Down the Toilets

Find the latest episode and explore PotterCast interviews, discussions and more at PotterCast.com

Visit the-leaky-cauldron.org for the latest and greatest from Harry Potter's Wizard World.

  COVID-19 is having an immediate and drastic impact on the construction industry with job sites being abandoned and workers being furloughed. A byproduct of these unprecedented pandemic-related changes has been the demobilization of

Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, former chair of the Mental Health Act Commission, makes the case for a radical new report that offers practical solutions to breaking integration barriers.

The following is a guest essay by Evan Villarrubia. “I feel stupid! And contagious!” — Nirvana The panic and lockdown state we are just exiting in Dali (southwestern China) has been by far the most intense historical episode I’ve ever experienced. I’ve gone through several deep emotional phase changes throughout this time. If I’d written more »

The post Guest Post — Lockdown! An American in China Caught in the Corona Virus Emergency — by Evan Villarrubia appeared first on Kunstler.

Remember the April 15th "Operation Gridlock?" in Lansing Michigan? In my piece on April 21st I said we needed to start tracking these protesters to show that they will spread the virus to other communities. Well, someone did.

The people at the Committee to Protect Medicare released data which shows the protesters dispersing to smaller communities across Michigan in the following days. The map above shows that cellphones that were in Lansing on April 15 scattered across the state. (Link)

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NOTE: You may pre-download this game, but it will not be playable until the release date/time: 05/22/2020 – 3:00 AM (check the product page for release date/time in your region).   Product Info: Developer: DillyFrameGames Publisher: DillyFrameGames Website: SokoBunny Twitter: @DillyFrameGames

NOTE: You may pre-download this game, but it will not be playable until the release date/time: 07/10/2019 (check the product page for release date/time in your region). Get three days early access when you purchase the Gold Edition. Product Info: Developer: Motorsport Games Publisher: 704 Games Company Website: NASCAR Heat 5 Twitter: @704Games / @MSportgames / @NASCARHeat

TPM Reader DB reports in from the Shenandoah Valley … So I was listening to your podcast tonight and I...

As more people around the world stay inside, more animals are able to thrive in places that are typically crowded by humans. In the southeastern U.S., sea turtles are enjoying a peaceful nesting season without pesky sunbathers, fishermen or boats.[...]

Downer

The Coronavirus crisis introduces critical operational challenges to business continuity, placing high stress on organizations' management. As a result, CIOs and CISOs face a double challenge on the cyber risk front – apart from the new risks that the mass transfer of employees working remotely brings, capturing the management mindshare for further investments in security becomes harder than

Would you ladies please leave. I'm trying to paint here.

How long have you been trying to build a team and generate a residual income with Usana Vitamins? Well whether it is 3 days. 3 months or 3 years it really does not matter. You will benefit from the information I am going to share with you today.