I check my email about twenty times a day. Now, I have three email accounts - my personal account, the account I set up with a cute nickname that I thought would be perfect for writing purposes but learned otherwise after sending pending queries, and my professional account that I now use for sending queries. Every time I open each account, I hold my breath. I know that rejection is coming, but I pray that it will be the one right match that will want to read more of my stories.

To make matters worse, as I wrote in a previous blog post, I am now a top-ten finalist in a contest whose winners will be announced next week. I am beyond elated, excited, and amazed! Just to reach that top ten spot is a really incredible honor. It's boosted my confidence and given me what I need to keep going as an author. But I also dread the announcement, as I fear despite my efforts not to, I have raised my hopes way too high. I really don't want to be disappointed. Whenever I think about it, I try to put it out of my mind.

I am not the most patient person. You would think that being an adult and being a mom, I would have learned patience. Nope! Not in this situation. I see agents posting on Twitter and think, "Now if you have time to play around on Twitter, you surely have time to read my manuscript!" I know better than that. I know that those agents have lives and need some downtime. But I can't deny that that thought is there. Sorry, agent-y folks!

I started watching "The Witches of Oz" yesterday. Dorothy, now an adult, is an author. Within the first few minutes, Dorothy reveals that she entered an online writing contest, but didn't win. Instead, she landed an agent! Oh, if only things worked that way!

All in all, I'm really bad at waiting. But since it's how things are, I have to. But I'm keeping myself busy by starting a new story. And I love it! I just hope that someday, I'll get to share it with the world.

Today, J.K. Rowling's latest book cover has been released. She has written a book for adults, and it sounds very different from the other works she's written. Well, of course - where does one go after such sterling success with the Harry Potter stories? Between you and me, though, the cover doesn't excite me at all. But then again, I'm not much of a grown-up.

As you know from reading my previous blogs and checking out my website, I love sci-fi. But I have other ideas for stories that are not sci-fi related. Oh, they are fantasy, to be sure. But they don't have a lick of science to them. I once asked someone in the writing industry about this. Does an author have to stick with one genre? He told me that once an author builds a fanbase, it's hard to switch gears.

So will the Harry Potter fans switch gears with J.K. Rowling and read her new book? Who can say? A lot of folks who started reading those books as kids are now into adulthood. I, for one, probably won't. No offense to Ms. Rowling, but I prefer those fantastical tales. But as a writer, I applaud her for changing things up!

Today, my youngest child turned two and a half. I love taking every opportunity I can to celebrate. As a child, a birthday once a year just isn't enough! Just think of the Mad Hatter/March Hare's song in Disney's Alice in Wonderland...
    
    "Statistics prove, prove that you've ONE birthday."
    "Imagine just one birthday every year."
    "But there are three hundred and sixty-four UNbirthdays!"
    "Precisely why we gather here to cheer!"

Half-birthdays are so much fun! I've been making them a big deal with my family because we have three birthdays within a week of Christmas. Celebrating their half-birthdays separates it a bit and makes them feel special. We don't go all out, like we do for the real birthday, but we have a special treat. Over the last two weeks, we've thrown a surprise party with cake, gone to a local soda fountain and took a spin on our carousel, and purchased Gerber's Yogurt Melts. Little things that are special for those being celebrated.

I think we should celebrate more. Looking back at my childhood, celebrations made me feel special. Loved. I want to share that with my kids. I want them to feel important. This may be just a tiny thing, but I hope that when they look back, they will cherish these times as much as I do.