Eric, on Chuck Bass

Is that guy supposed to be a miniature Hugh Hefner? He's like, 16, and always wearing a robe.

54 things...

Via JE MacLeod.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

What about you?

It isn't Thanksgiving without some drama, right?

As I write this, I'm curled up in a big armchair in my parents' house, post-Thanksgiving smells wafting through the air as Eric online Christmas shops (hopefully for me?), Baxter snoozes, and my dad reads his Daniel Silva book.  

It's warm and cozy and quiet today...about the exact opposite of twenty-four hours ago, when I was at one of those crazy wonderful giant family Thanksgivings, complete with thirteen adults, six kids under the age of 7 (and one yet to come), three dogs, an enormous bird and more stuffing than any 19 humans should be able to consume.  Holidays at our house are way too loud, way too political, and really really fun...but, as the old adage tells us, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.  And last night proved that saying very very true.  

In a triptophanic, apple-pie-induced food coma, my sister...pictured above, much smaller, balder and fuzzier than she is now...had a devastating meeting with a model train and a flight of stairs.  She came out of it with a dislocated and fractured shoulder.  Lesson learned.  In battle, model trains will win.  

So...Eric (who earned his keep as new husband/brother-in-law) and I brought her to a sleepy little emergency room in a small town in Massachusetts (quoth Eric: "Chiara!  We brought you to 1952!"), where my sister was wheeled into Trauma Room B and a lovely nurse pumped her full of morphine and a remarkable ER doc (v. cute...no George Clooney, but maybe Noah Wylie-esque) slowly and impressively relocated her shoulder.  She came through it like a trooper...I'm certain that was no picnic...but I was in the room and she neither lost her cool nor her consciousness, so...wow.  

At some point, I looked down at the floor and saw a lone penny, lying face up.  Just as I was about to reach down and pick it up, because certainly my sister could have used some good luck right about then, I realized that, at some point, someone in Trauma Room B would need better luck than we had.  Because while she's definitely in some serious pain, she's going to be just fine...soon able to once again wave her hands around like the Italian she is.  

And for that, I am thankful. So I left the penny where it was. For someone who needs a little good luck for themselves.  

The Jackal...

I'm having a pretty great day, for reasons that hopefully I will be able to share in a bit. BUT...I did share them with Eric today. And, because he is a fantastic husband and knows exactly what I need at all times, he sent me an mp3 of Ronny Jordan's The Jackal. Because good news makes me feel like CJ Cregg. I can't share the mp3 with you...but I CAN give you this little gift from the Sorkin gods:



xoxo

Smart Girls Have More Fun...

Amy Poehler's new webseries, Smart Girls at the Party, launched yesterday...and it brings the awesome like nobody's business. Truly. It looks like, weekly, Poehler and friends will interview one amazing girl about her talents, her experiences, and her amazing brain...proving that Smart = Cool. If Amy Poehler says so, it must be true, right?



In the first webisode, Poehler interviews 10-year-old Cameron King, a writer, poet, playwright and scooter enthusiast. Then, the two join forces with SG@TP's producer to write a short story. Yay for girls writing!

In honor of this post, I'm creating a new label for MacLeanSpace!

time for a teaser, methinks...

thanks to the genius behind Wordle, I'm able to give you a fun teaser for The Season!

I'm totally in love with this little thingy...and seriously considering making t-shirts, magnets, etc. to celebrate its awesomeness. I also LOVE the words it selected out...partially because they make me think of my little book...and partially because they get my imagination going for the next one!

Win a copy of The Season!

I'm very honored that My Favorite Author (one of my favorite blogs) has selected The Season as their November ARC giveaway! I'm so thrilled that Angela enjoyed reading my little book...and that she's willing to share it with the readers of MFA!

So...if you've been itching to get your hands on an advanced copy of Alex's story, here's your chance!  Tool on over to MFA and comment on any post during the month of November...and you'll be entered to win.  Just promise me that you'll come back over here when you win and let me know what you thought! 

And, while you're over there, don't miss the interview with the fabulous Saundra Mitchell, author of the fantastic Shadowed Summer, which is one of the best ghost stories you'll ever read.  

mom and dad

my parents are in town today...i'm waiting to be summoned to meet them at my mother's favorite destination. my dad and i will suffer through drink coffee and chill out until she is ready to do something that we're excited about (although I do like to look in the windows). afterwards, we'll tool down to SoHo for shopping and bonding, and then Eric will meet us for yummy lunch.

I like my parents. I'm looking forward to it.

from 52 to 48 with love...

Ze Frank is a pretty awesome, creative guy. And I totally heart his most recent project, in which voters from all over the country write notes to those who voted the other way. I can't stop browsing these photos...they're so poignant and touching, and I've teared up more than once.

So...here's mine:

Dear 48,
We're good together. Really good.
xoxo,
52

Thank you, America. I believe again.

How to Get a Girl...

Bill Cammack knows how to get the ladies.

Get Happy

In this week's Publisher's Weekly, Richard O'Connor writes the Soapbox essay...Get Happy: How authors can stay positive through the publishing process. It resonated with me for a few reasons...mostly because my second and third books went out to editors, quite literally, today...and the nerves doubt panic that comes with the submission process is sort of consuming me.

"Write well, and be proud of that, no matter what. Chances are your book won't sell as much as you want it to, but don't let that ruin your life."

Word.