7 great things that happened today

1. When we went to pick up the rental car, the Hertz agent said, "Is a Mustang convertible okay?"

2. I talked the cop out of a ticket for entering a parking lot through the exit.

3. After I avoided the ticket, instead of being upset, Jo called me a rebel.

4. We went on the same 4-hour hike we went on three years ago for one of our first dates.

5. On the way home, Jo turned on Sirius radio, saw the Elvis station, and said, "Oh, how about this?"

6. On the West Side Highway, around the 95th Street exit, where it says "Bump Ahead," I accelerated and hit it full-speed, and instead of being upset, Jo said, "Weeee!"

7. BBQ takeout.

Thank you, Jo, for accepting me as I am and being a great wife.

All my book news in one post

Library Books Are Not for Eating is out. 

The timing isn't ideal. We're still smack in the middle of a pandemic, with most book stores still closed. (We held a "virtual launch party" via Zoom.) It's a weird year. You may have noticed.

But I'm very proud of it it. It's got a cute storyline, clever rhymes, and great illustrations. And real bite marks in the cover.

Frances Gilbert, the editor, is terrific (an under-appreciated role). And it has a major publisher--Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House. 

I'm biased, but I think it should be a Best Seller. Never say never.

While I was checking its first-week sales on Amazon, I noticed two new books on my author page.

My Seuss books!

I wrote two "Step Into Reading" books featuring Dr. Seuss's Lorax. They're coming out in January 2021. I'm giddy about writing in the voice of the Lorax (which is obviously the voice of Dr. Seuss, my favorite author).

 

And while I was there I saw the cover of my NEXT Dr. Seuss book:

It's a rhyming nonfiction book for a series called "The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library." I had seen the series at the book store and did some research online, and decided to write a manuscript for them and submit it and see what happens. I picked volcanoes because it seemed like an obvious missing topic in the series.

Is there anything cooler than writing in the voice of the Lorax? Writing in the voice of the Cat in the Hat. It comes out in March 2021.

There. One post. Four books. Efficiency. 

Time to kiss my beautiful wife goodnight and go to bed.