Once again, FanExpo has come and gone, and I am utterly exhausted! It is a four day whirlwind of craziness! But don't get me wrong, it is definitely a good kind of crazy, and I look forward to it every year. It is a chance to connect to readers and to fellow fans of fantasy and science fiction, Hello fellow Whovians! and I have a blast. I love the energy, the cosplays, the dealers floor, and the chance to meet people who I have looked up to for ages, and this year proved to be awesome.

An and I were there with our "minions" all four days. I can not thank these people enough. Emilie, Jeff, Katrina, Leah, you guys were amazing. Each day, you were beyond helpful. Without you, I don't think we could have eaten, let alone experience the con as we did, so thank you.

Another thing that happened was that Brian showed up on Friday with Joseph, 
Phillip, and Hailey! They went to their first FanExpo! They did it in full costume, and Joseph was the Hulk, Phillip was Iron Man, and Hailey was a Pirate Princess. Now, Joseph went all out. He was roaring at people, and smashing the ground, he was the Hulk. He even smashed a guy dressed as Spiderman who had asked him for a high five. He was a total hit with the grownup cosplayers. The funny thing was that the kids didn't realize that the people around them were fans like them. They thought they actually met the real superheroes! It was too cute!

Now that evening, I had planned a special treat for the kids. I had planned to take them for a photo op with Stan Lee. Phillip knew exactly who Stan Lee was. He knew that this was the man responsible for the heroes that he knows and loves, and is the hot dog vendor from the Phineas and Ferb special episode Mission Marvel. He had a special plan of what he was going to say, and how he was going to smile, and what he wanted to do. He had even planned on giving him a drawing of the hero he had invented: Captain Iron Man. We got to the photo op and waited for him to arrive. When he did, Phillip just stared. I think he was in shock. Joseph whispered to me that he "looked like a zaidy". Hailey got nervous, as she sometimes does around strangers. We went up to him, said hello, and took the picture. Phillip did not smile. But after the picture when he realized that we were just going to walk away, Phillip turned to him and said "Hi". Stan Lee responded with a smile, and Phillip went on to say "Thank you Stan Lee for all the superheroes." I swear, he looked like he melted. Later on, I discovered that upon forgetting his drawing, Phillip took it upon himself to sketch one into one of the copies of The Strings of the Violin that I intended to sell. Well Phillip, Mommy found a way. That book is now in Stan Lee's possession. You're welcome. Please do not deface anymore of my property in the future.

Oh! Before I forget, The Dybbuk's Mirror is out in two days! My ARC's are looked over, as are my galley proofs, and now I wait and panic!

Now, pictures! (and THE picture is at the end)

It's been a while since I've updated. But I have a decent excuse. As you know, An and I have been working on a short story that will be published in an upcoming YA Paranormal Romance anthology called Night Life. Yeah, that's right. We're ROMANCE writers now! I have to say, I was nervous about venturing into another genre, but I enjoyed it. Who knows? I may dabble in it again. As a matter of fact, my soon to be released novel The Dybbuk's Mirror does have a romantic subplot in it. Maybe the genre wasn't so new to me after all.


Anyway, our Night Life story is due on July 1, so we've been working like mad to finish it, get the edits done, etc. We've finally chosen a title (subject to change if our editors hate it.) and we're going with Ouroboros. Why do I always name books and people after things that spell check hates? Oh well. Anyway, check out the anthology's cover:

Pretty snazzy eh? Also, the other authors in here are all awesome, so if you're looking for some good reading... hint, hint.


Other updates: this weekend is FAERY FEST! I am ridiculously excited about this. Yet another opportunity to dress up and have an awesome time. Yes, I will officially be there selling and signing my books, so if you're around check it out in Marden Park in Guelph. Unfortunately, I don't have An with me, but I do have Tal! I've known him since he was two, and my brother's best friend. Also, he's letting me dress him up. Yay! After that comes Pirate Festival in August.




Last weekend was Father's Day, and the triplets' first dance recital. I didn't know what to expect from them. All I know is that they've been dancing up a storm at home, and in their class (which I get to watch with the other parents on a television the school provides in their waiting area.). I like to think they were amazing. I think every parent thinks that watching their kids up on stage. They didn't really do the dance they were supposed to, but they were extremely brave getting up there and facing the crowd. I am so proud of them. I will definitely have pictures soon. Their costumes were too cute!




I will have more updates soon, and will be better at this once Ouroboros is officially submitted!

Well, Chanukah is over, and the family had an amazing time seeing relatives, getting presents, giving presents, making latkes. I may hate the cold, but I certainly do love this time of year. It's full of so many wonderful excuses to get together, and to see people you may not have seen in quite some time. I know that Brian and I are going to certainly take every opportunity to do just that.


The kids absolutely loved the holiday, and Joseph has taken to hiding dreidels in his bed. He wants to pretend that Chanukah is still happening. He got upset with me when I tried to take down the decorations. He loved watching everyone light the candles (as he tried to blow them out), and he learned several songs at preschool that he, Phillip, and Hailey sang from the moment they woke up in the morning, until they fell asleep at night. I hope they embrace every holiday with the same vigour.


On the writing front, I am making slow and steady progress on the sequel to Sitnalta. I know exactly where the story is going, and in what direction I want to take each and every character, and that's a hugely important step for me. My broken computer monitor (aka my story board) is littered with post-its telling me exactly where I need to go. It's just a matter of plunking the words out on my lap top.


In other news, I will be having another online party for Sitnalta on January 15, 2014 between the hours of 2-4 Toronto time on Facebook. I will be pasting the link as soon as I have it, and if you could all show up and join in the fun and games, that would be awesome! Also happening in January, I will have an official trailer posted online for The Strings of the Violin, and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I am also deep into the first round of edits for the tentatively titled The Dybbuk's Revenge which I finished last month.


Since the holidays are here, how about giving a book (or two) to your loved ones?

The Strings of the Violin

Bath Salts

Sitnalta

And remember, a review feeds an author's soul! :)

It feels like September is such a long time away, but I know that time has a tendency to fly. As such, I am delighted to show you all the cover for the upcoming release of The Dybbuk's Mirror that Prizm Books is publishing in September, 2014! I think the artist Brandon Clay did an awesome job, and it conveys exactly what I'd hoped it would. So without further adieu...

Let me know what you guys think! Are you excited to read the sequel to The Strings of the Violin? I know I'm excited to finally see it in print.

If you haven't picked up your copy of the first book, be sure to do so here or here as an ebook, or here as a paperback. That way you're sure to be caught up by September!

Also, I got a certificate! Isn't she beautiful?

I did it! It's just over 51,000 words, and it's done a week early! Granted, I scrapped the majority of what I wrote before NaNoWriMo started, and I had a little prewritten (making me a NaNoRebel), but it's finished! I have completed the final instalment of the Hadariah trilogy that starts with The Strings of the Violin, goes on to The Dybbuk's Mirror (coming out September 2014), and will finish with (the tentatively titled) The Dybbuk's Revenge. It is so weird to be done writing about these characters. I have had them living in my head for so many years now, from when I first came up with the idea for writing a book based on Jewish folklore, to today. It's strange to me to have this sense of completion. I know that I still have edits to do, and more edits, and submitting it to the publisher, and then more edits etc. But for me, the hard part is over. The series now has a concrete beginning, middle, and end. It feels bittersweet. It's odd to no longer have to return to these people's lives and add more to it, because I feel there is no more for me to tell. I'm at a bit of a loss right now. 

In my other worlds: Sitnalta's sequel is chugging along nicely. I have the playground of Colonodona still to visit. I'm doing well there. I'm also adding up my list of cons and fairs that are to be attended this coming year, and it looks to be longer (and possibly American in some cases)! Bath Salts is offline temporarily. This is exciting news! Severed Press is doing an epic rerelease and relaunch with a brand new cover, and bells and whistles (sold separately). We will be appearing on Bathtub Bran's webcast in celebration.

My own celebration is as follows:

So, I bought this button making machine a while back so that I could make buttons for my books to give out as promotional materials at the various cons and faires I was going to this summer and fall. Question: How many authors does it take to work a button press? Well, apparently the answer is "more than two". That's right. An and I could not figure the darn thing out! Looks like there will be no buttons for our zombies to give out this weekend. Boo. But they will still have bookmarks! So there's at least that I suppose.

That's right everyone. This weekend when An and I are at Indigo at Bay and Bloor, we will have actual zombies walking around. I will definitely have pictures of all of this awesomeness to show you. We will be there on Saturday from 12-4.

In other news, I spent a bit of this evening going through all my old blog entries. My goodness how things have changed! I had to laugh when I said in an older entry that The Dybbuk's Mirror would be coming out in early 2013. Then I had absolutely no idea that I would be picked up by Prizm for my Hadariah books, or that I would have Bath Salts out and Sitnalta on the way. With the new year coming up next month, I have to take a moment and be so thankful for all that I have accomplished here. It really is astonishing, and I am amazed at how far everything has come. For that I have everyone who has read my books, helped me with them and has just been there for me. So thank you.

Next month also has Angelwalk's next show opening. If you haven't seen or heard of Tick...Tick... Boom! I encourage you to please check it out. It is written by Jonathon Larson who wrote Rent and is a great little show. Check out more details here. I am once again doing props, and am so excited to be working with Tim French as director once more. I last worked with him on Altar Boyz and I had a small little contribution on [title of show] ( I think I loaned a purse). So it's great to be back with him. Check out the whole season. It's sure to be great! 

We just got back from a family vacation to Aruba. It was my mother's 60th birthday, and all her children and grandchildren were there to help celebrate. We had an amazing time, Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey saw the ocean for the very first time. Phillip and Hailey were not too keen on it, and seemed to find the whole idea of wading in the surf to be frightening, however, Joseph was his adventurous self and had a good time of it.

They did a lot of swimming, and eating. We saw parrots, and they were confused by all the lizards wandering around the hotel grounds. Phillip and Joseph really enjoyed the swim up bar at the pool. They liked getting virgin strawberry daquiris and drinking them while in the water.

I have never seen my children eat as much as they did on this trip. This is good, since we have always been told that they are quite small, and we need to get them to eat more food. They tried so many new things. Some were hits: ravioli in cream sauce. Some were not: beef hot dogs. I think they have some strange tastes for toddlers. I don't understand how they can eat things like chili pizza when I can barely tolerate mild salsa. 

The one thing that was not too great was that we all seem to have come home with a virus of some sort. Brian, the children, my mom and I are all fighting something. It really sucks, and we are all trying our best to get better.

In other, more exciting news: I'm going to be a director! I have been asked to direct an original play for York University Vanier College Productions' One Act Play Festival! I have read through the scripts, and I will hopefully know soon which one I will be working on. This will be so exciting. I have always wanted to try this, and already I have tons of ideas for the shows I've read. I know the students in the group, and it will be great to finally be able to create something with them. Until now, I have only been a dutiful audience member. Yay! I will update this more when I have more information.

As for the writing, I may have a partner adding things to the zombie novel. (Guilt tripping An right now...) The third Hadariah book is underway, and my readers are being a little slow on the latest draft of The Dybbuk's Mirror. (Guilt tripping a whole lot of people right now...) I have a whole lot of balls up in the air. I really hope I don't drop any of them.

Well, Chanukah's over. Now we have to find spots for the toys the children have acquired. They are having a blast playing with all their new stuff. It's great watching them figure out what everything does. Joseph and Phillip are fighting over their Mickey Mouse figurines, while Hailey is loving her new baby.

I have a bit of the post holiday blahs. I don't want to take the decorations down, or acknowledge that it's over just yet. Soon, our friends will be in from out of town for Christmas, so I suppose it's still going on in some way. We will have our holiday party with everyone and their children, and we will get to see everybody again. That's always the great thing about this time of year. It's not the presents and the food. It's about being with everybody.

The triplets are growing so fast now. It's amazing the changes I see everyday. Not only that, their vocabulary is getting a lot bigger. Joseph's new favourite word is "cow". I read him Good Night Moon every night, and he has to find the cow on every page and tell me what it is. Phillip now tells me when he has to go. Every time he feels he must leave a room, a house, the car, he points and tells me "go go go". Hailey has developed this fascination with the parts of the body. She can spend hours pointing at the parts of the face, and tell you what they are all called. She also knows her tummy, fingers, toes, and bum. That last one always makes her laugh.

On the writing front, I have decided to do more work on the zombie novel before I move on to the third Hadariah book. I know how the trilogy will end, but I don't want to leave this new project so close to completion. I will pick up on the Hadariah books soon. The Dybbuk's Mirror is now in good hands awaiting opinions and suggestions. Then we shall see what the world thinks of it!

Now a picture of storytime:

The Holmes in the title is not Sherlock, even though he's awesome. (Seriously, if you haven't watched the BBC series Sherlock, DO IT!)

I've been slow to update here. Sorry about that. Anyways, Brian has abandoned me to go to Winnipeg in order to start auditions for Angelwalk's upcoming show. I will tell you what it is when I'm allowed. He's doing a coproduction with a company there. Very exciting stuff.

I have an outline done for the next book of the series, and The Dybbuk's Mirror is almost ready for publication. I am both nervous and excited for people to read it! So far, the rest of my time has been taken up by my kids (who have started their very first gym class.), planning for the festivals and appearances I have lined up for this summer, and learning my Tzeitel lines for the production of Fiddler on the Roof that I'm in. I am also working on an article for The Toronto Parents of Multiple Births' monthly news letter about my kids. When that's done, I'll post it here as well.

On a totally unrelated matter, I have learned that just when life is calm, something always happens to make it stressful again. Just as Brian and I have finally finished turning the basement area into an awesome play room for the kids, Brian mentioned that whenever it rains, he can smell it in his office. This has been mentioned before, and we have looked at getting the doors to our walkout replaced. Now that the kids will be spending a significant amount of time down there, I went about it in earnest. We found someone to do it, and he came by to look it over one more time. Listening to him speak about our door made me feel so nervous. Apparently, they are not insulated. The fibreglass frame is right up against the brick. The lintel is not draining and is rusting. The wood under the door is rotten. Where is Mike Holmes when I need him! Although, if he did show up, I shudder to think what he would find. Needless to say, we're getting new doors asap. Ugh. Oh, I almost forgot, as he was leaving, he pointed out that our front doors are fibreglass and painted with the wrong paint, so are peeling horribly.

Now to make myself feel better, I shall show you how to take triplets to the park without loading up an obscene amount of bags and strollers...

Tons of stuff happening. So, last night was the Dora Mavor Moore Awards. This was basically the Toronto equivalent to the Tonys, and it was a huge party and ceremony. Angelwalk was nominated for three awards, and well, we didn't win. But this was okay, we were just thrilled to be there. I had a new dress, and was armed with bookmarks. I only gave out one though. Didn't want to be pushy. Maybe I need to work on that. We were there with a large chunk of our casts from both Off Broadway On Stage and I Love You Because, and together, we had a blast, especially at the street party afterwards. Lots of music, lots of food, lots of dancing. It was awesome.

As you can see, I have my bookmarks, and my poster is in the process of being designed. I also have sent a copy of The Dybbuk's Mirror off to the amazing Liz Man so she can design a cover for that as well. Things are moving ahead on all fronts! So excited! Anyway, I'll check back in here, and add to this when I have downloaded my pictures from last night.