News . . . at last

Well, I have news. It's old news, but news nonetheless. My book is going to be published. YES! After 7 years of writing it, it is going to happen . . . Harper bailed and Viking stepped in. But as the old cliche goes, there's a silver lining . . . and it's true. My book is going to be the lead title on one of Viking's lists (can't say which or my secret identity will be null and void). Another satisfying fact is that my advance is over THREE TIMES what Harper offered 7 years ago -- and this isn't simply a matter of inflation (though, now that it's occurring to me . . . it could be -- and now I'm depressed. Great). Plus Viking is buying the rights to my first book, so that will be reissued with hopefully a v. cool cover (not too hard to beat Harper's.). My new editor is very cool and works w/ some very well-known YA authors! Can't say who because I may blow my cover. But she really totally "gets" what I did w/ my book (finger's crossed), which is so refreshing. So, I'm working on the revisions. Hence why it's v. v. v. late and I'm writing here and now. After months of silence.

Soccer is soccer is soccer. But since this blog is obstensibly to annotate the doings along the sidelines, here I must plunge into it. My oldest got an offer to play at the Air Force Academy next year. My son (number 4 of my 5) has an amazing new coach, a stud who once was an MLS Goalkeeper and an asst. coach to the U.S. Women's National Team. Great guy. And lots of fun (the boys love him). And I have to admit, kinda -- okay VERY -- on the cute side. And exactly 6 weeks younger than I am, so my little crush isn't too weird. (An aside, he and I and a bunch of soccer parents had a blast recently at Vail imbibing liquid courage at a bar in Vail. I suggested that we go around and reveal our most embarrassing moments, they made me go first and then . . . nobody would tell theirs! Yes, mine were (yep, that was plural) admittedly hard to top, but COME ON! (and I only told 3). I mean, the coach for one was in the MLS. You're telling me he couldn't conjure up some good stories? On the positive side, my stock as a storyteller extraordinaire skyrocketed.)

Let's see, what else? Well, got some new soccer mom friends. A real interesting collection these days. My 7 yr old's soccer is getting intense -- imagine that! -- and one of the moms is an ex-Mormon, yoga teaching, pot smoking, hiker, who wants her husband to get her a girl this year for her birthday. Not a baby girl child kind of thing, but to have some fun (if ya know what I mean) with a girl (woman). Um, yuck. And she buys pot from the 15 yr. old neighbor kid at the end of her cul-de-sac and every Friday starts drinking heavily around 3 PM so she's totally smashed by 8 PM. Um, yeah. Not a real good influence, but I think I can handle it. Despite all this, she is a lot of fun and v. interesting and good for a laugh. And isn't laughing some of the best meds? Another soccer mom pal is a runner like me (we were supposed to run together at 3 vs. 3 Regionals in Vail, but somehow we couldn't get it together and ran alone. I think we both were afraid that the other would kick our butt!), who is a mom of 4 (tho hers are much younger than mine), who stays-at-home and who is an aspiring writer and a lover of books. What else could you want? We're starting a book club w/ some of the soccer moms on that particular team. Then an old soccer friend whom I've recently reconnected w/ is spinning tales of adultery and love affairs. Hmmmm, not sure I'm buying her brand of fiction. It is a sick world these days.

On the more neg side of things, I've discovered some gray hairs creeping in. When I can't stand them anymore, I get out my eyebrow tweezers and pull those intruders out! Very dumb, because I often pull out the nice healthy dark hairs at a ratio of about 5 good ones to 1 gray one. I'll be bald before I know it.

They say the 40's are the new 30's. Wishful thinking.

Still Alive

But not all that excited about this blog. Obviously.

I went through an entire soccer season w/out one post? Tons of drama occured, but it's pretty hard to articulate any of it in a meaningful way. After the fall season, none of my kids were cut, got injured, or insisted on quitting, so that's a positive.

Right now, the indoor season is in full throttle. One of my kids, the 12 yr old, has had a couple of weeks where she was either playing some indoor game (within one of the many indoor leagues she participates in) or attending a practice every day of the week except Sunday. Then the Christmas holidays arrived -- thank God! -- and I was knocked back into reality, and we put on the brakes. My daughter was getting a little burned out, but I was fried. This is the off-season, supposedly.

See, this is boring, all this soccer stuff.

So, on to more interesting stuff. . . .

I finally finished my work-in-progress that's been in the works for 6 plus years. Novel #2. My publisher sneakily called my agent and told her that they are thinking of terminating my contract because I hadn't delivered a manuscript after all that time. Now, this is def soccer related because the primo reason why my book was tossed on the backburner for so long is precisely due to my soccer mom habit. How can I write for 4 hours/day when I'm spending at least that much time driving my kids to soccer practices? Come on! I've got priorities!

Also, in my defense (not a lot of cause for that, I know, but I'm still going to give it a go), my editor hadn't given me a deadline. I had asked her for one a couple of times, but she just didn't. "No worries!" she said. "Just get it to me when you want. I understand that you're busy with five kids and a husband in Iraq (that excuse only involved one of the 6 years of negligence on my part)!" HOWEVER, I do well with deadlines! I understand them. If I know that Kid #1 has to be at Field A at Coach-Specified-Time, I bust my butt to make it happen.

So, I got my deadline, finally. On December 12th, my agent told me that I had to turn in my completed manuscript by Jan 15th. Very considerate timing! So, yes, despite the holidays, the Christmas shopping, the wrapping of presents for five kids plus, the baking of cookies, the making of Christmas dinner, the drama w/ in-laws, the contending w/ bronchitis and one kid w/ walking pneumonia, I made my deadline. I stayed up until 2-4 AM for two weeks, pounding away at my laptop. So, don't know how it's been received, but at least I did my part.

Also, I got a puppy 2 days after Thanksgiving, and I'm allergic to puppies. So that chaos was dumped into the mix. But that will be the subject for a different post. I'm sure I can find a way to make it fit the theme of my blog -- where soccer touches life. Like last wknd, when the puppy tagged along to a soccer practice in 30 degree temps . . .

~Hasta.