Cricket! My Sweet Cricket!

 ♥ ♥ ♥

Holy #$^%, you guys. THIS ILLUSTRATION of Cricket Bell by Simini Blocker.

I never, ever, ever show pictures of what my characters look like, because I don't want to spoil what's in *your* head, but . . . I had to break the rule for this one.

Because this is *my* Cricket.

Ohmystars, Simini. You have made me a deliriously happy author!

(I am dying. DYING.)

National Gingerbread House Competition

♥ My new holiday computer wallpaper ♥

My town (Asheville, NC) is lucky enough to host the National Gingerbread House Competition, and last night, Jarrod and I checked out this year's entrants. I won't bore you with the winners, but here are my favorites:

Adult category: Très Parisian! Très jolie!

Teen category: Rainbow food truck! Figgy Puddin!

Youth category . . .

WAL-MART! SECURITY CAMERA! HA HA HA!!!

That One Time Mayim Bialik Held My Book

If you want to know what it's like to win at life, it's when your friend Sasha emails you a picture she took of Mayim Bialik holding your book, and you're like "HOLY CRAP, MAYIM BIALIK IS HOLDING MY BOOK."

Not only is Mayim on two of the greatest pop-culture shows of all time — The Big Bang Theory and, of course, Blossom (which I watched religiously as a preteen) — but she has a freaking PhD in neuroscience! Also, she's classy. And adorable as proved by the above picture.

The picture in which she is holding my book.

Thank you, Sasha (and Mayim!), for making my heart feel as if it were made of sunshine and kittens and ice cream sandwiches. :-)

NOVEMBER: In Pictures

Before

After

John Hodgman and Lookalike Husband

Chicago, The Bean

Chicago, graffiti

Chicago, window display

Thanksgiving (the first of three!)

Special thanks to this post from Laini, which taught me how to make my pictures bigger on Blogger. I can't believe this upgrade has been available for ages!