Warp Core Malfunction

In my last post I mentioned that I was catching up on sleep and getting ready to face the world again. I lied. I am still beat. All week I have been draping myself over furniture and snoring. I made it to the gym a couple times, I weeded, I stared at the pile of work on my desk. Then I put my head on the desk and slept some more.

This is somehow connected to the introvert-extrovert author conundrum. I think most authors are introverts, or at the very least, their introvert-self is strong and healthy. If you are going to sit alone for thousands of hours and make up stories, it helps to be one of the silent, interior types. I used to be a total introvert and I liked it that way. Over the years and after hundreds of speeches and school visits and conferences, my extrovert-self has bloomed. So now I actually like to be around people…. some of the time. And I love traveling, mostly.

But I think that my warp core is still programmed for introvert settings and that being around bazillions of new people, say…, going on book tour and then overseas, drains me more than it would a lot of other people. Hence, the constant napping and brain fog I am living in. I still have a bunch more extroverted things to do in the next two months, but I will be able to balance them with quiet time here at home, so I am thinking that all systems will be back online by July and I will be able to move on more than impulse power by then.

OK, enough navel gazing.

First: the contest results. I declare two winners: and . They were each exactly 24 hours away from the actual melting day; one the day before, the other the day after. If the winners will please email their real names and addresses to admin AT writerlady DOT com, I’ll send you your book.

(edited to add) I am an idiot. See the comments for how I messed up the contest. I will try to fix this in a few days. ::headdeskthunk::

Thanks to everyone for participating. Do you think we should make this an annual contest?

I am anxiously waiting for The Golden Compass movie. I LOVE the Pullman books. Have you been to the movie site yet? My Daemon is a gibbon named Philon because the magicians in charge of the site determined that I was “modest, solitary, shy, dependable, and assertive.” What’s yours?

What else? Many thanks to Laura Ryan of the Post Standard for the great article about TWISTED (and me) that ran in the paper on Sunday. And because Laura maintains ShelfLife, one of the best book blogs around, she was able to put the outtakes of the interview on that. Quite nice. Thanks, Laura!

Now I have to fetch my mom, the crazy-wild woman, and take her bathing suit shopping. This ought to be interesting.

Oh, wait – before I go – please come to the River’s End Bookstore in Oswego at 6pm on Saturday night for my book signing. There will be a band and probably food and lots of nice people. If I get tired and fall asleep, you can put funny things on my head and take pictures. It will be great.

More pictures from Poland tomorrow, I promise.

Home! Spring! Sleep! Contest Winner!

I made it home from Poland late on Saturday and spent the next 48 hours in a confused daze about what time it was. I wanted to talk at 3:30am. I wanted to sleep at noon. Bah.

But today I am beginning to feel like my spirit has caught up with my body and all is well. I’ll post a few more Warsaw photos later. But now, we must turn our attention to the moment you have all been waiting for: the end of the TWISTED contest. Last month, I offered a free, signed copy of TWISTED to the reader who came closest to guessing when the last bit of snow would melt from my yard. I was a little worried that the snow would leave when I was out of town, but the Nor’Easter that ripped through here deposited a fresh foot.

So I was home when it happened. The last bit of snow melted at 4pm on Sunday, April 22nd. I am racing out the door right now and don’t have time to scroll through all of the entries, but I promise I will do so later and report who won. (One of the errands I have to run is to deliver the signed copy of Just Listen that Sarah Dessen sent to the Mexico Library to honor the bet she lost about basketball last month.)

One more drum roll…my daffodils are blooming.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Happy Spring, everyone.

Mid-trip

I am already at the half-way point of this trip. I hate how time speeds up when you’re having fun.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Trust me, friends. I am having a blast. This is me frolicing in front of the Summer Palace. (Your mission, if you choose to accept it: use the word “frolic” in a sentance today.)

Polish cafeteria food and more!