Writing Lying Down

Here's what happened:

On July 1st, my husband and I were planting two new small trees, given to us for our birthdays by my parents. Crepe Myrtles. We each dug a hole. I was faster than my husband, and proud of how perfect my hole looked. In fact, while he went to get the bag of fertilizer stuff to put in the bottoms of the holes before the trees were placed inside, I decided I was such a primo hole-digger, I'd held him out with his hole, show him how it's done.

Second shovel in, I hit rock. My foot slipped off the shovel and into the hole. And something in my back went pop.


Hubris. Gave me a big oh, yeah? You think you are so awesome, do ya? As hubris always frigging does.

I will not go into the horrible details, mostly because I am sitting up, here on July 17, a thing I can only do for very short stretches, still, before I have to go lie flat again. Suffice it to say that when my husband carried me into the house it would have been wayyyyy more romantic an event if he had been a linebacker, I had been a ballerina, and mostly if I hadn't been screaming my head off in pain.

Much better now. Can actually walk around a bit. Though when I walked out to the drug store yesterday, a block away, it took about half an hour and I almost had to stop to cry on the way back.

And I LOVE SUMMER. I love running in the heat and boating and biking and kyaking and way planning to (re)learn to waterski this summer. Also I have BOOKS to write. And friends to meet at outdoor cafes where we should be drinking cool white wine and laughing! Also, picnics! Yoga classes! And jumping on the trampoline with my little guy. And just wandering around in cute platform sandals.

And sitting up when I type for an HOUR at a time. Or even standing!

Hubris, you really suck.

Still, that hole I dug was sweet.

JUST KIDDING.

I am SOOO going to get in great shape when I can. My core muscles will be SOLID, so my back won't be tempted to go all zig-zaggy ever again. Meanwhile I spent some time compiling my list of best kisses in books, movies, plays, etc. -- for a great blog called STORYCRUSH. I'll link to it as soon as it's up. And speaking of kisses... there are some fun contests going on where you can win a free ARC of my upcoming sequel to IF WE KISS. It's called KISS ME AGAIN and it's coming out this winter. Here's the link!

And in all the excitement, I have not yet gotten to celebrate the publication of my newest picture book! It's a sequel to my book SOMETIMES I'M BOMBALOO -- this one is called FLABBERSMASHED ABOUT YOU and it's about your old pal Katie Honors on the day her best friend chooses somebody else, not Katie, to play with. Which makes Katie feel quite flabbersmashed. See it, and reviews, here.

As soon as I am up and about, I promise to run some kind of giveaway for FLABBERSMASHED -- but if you go out and get a copy before then, will you let me know? Send photos and I'll post them! Same with if you get a JUSTIN CASE book (starred reviews of the first and second JUSTIN CASE books, and a Q & A about writing JUSTIN here) -- I've gotten some really adorable shots of kids reading the JUSTIN books and have some ideas for putting something cute together... send more!

Okay, though -- back to the floor for more of my rug imitation, for now. Send me lovely pictures of your glorious summer...

Love,
Rachel Vail