31 December 2015


  1. A day out with my 10-year-old son.
  2. More Star Wars.
  3. A new year!

30 December 2015

1. Chocolate Shop wine.
2. Drunken hamster cuddles.
3. Manda's Drunk History (now available to view if you're friends with me on Facebook).

29 December 2015

1. Taking a walk.
2. Cuddling a hamster.
3. Quiet time.

28 December 2015

Friends Visiting Edition


  1. Seeing old friends!
  2. Going for tarot readings!
  3. Good food!
  4. Talking into the wee hours!

26 December 2015

23 December 2015

Carmel/Monterey Edition

Been away again. Lots of good things happened on this little pre-Christmas trip.


  1. A secluded suite with a beautiful view.
  2. Deer!
  3. Turkeys!
  4. Seeing Star Wars again.
  5. Finding fun shops filled with incense and hot sauce and socks (those are three different shops).
  6. Good food.
  7. Relaxation.

18 December 2015


  1. A nice belated birthday lunch out with my mother-in-law, followed by a visit to the local olive oil tasting room.
  2. More presents! Including Very British Problems and more tarot decks.
  3. A good afternoon walk.


17 December 2015

My birthday. So lots of good. Presents, cake, an afternoon at the salon. Spending time with people who make me feel good about myself, and with people who love me. (Note that these are two distinct categories. There is some crossover, but not always.) I had to make some tough decisions about who to include in my day, but at the end I was satisfied with how my big day went down. It was a good day all around.

13 December 2015

12 December 2015


  1. Made good progress on my revisions. (I'm on page 75 of 302.)
  2. Christmas cards arrived so I can start sending those out.
  3. Bubble bath.

11 December 2015


  1. Another small press asked to read the full manuscript of Changers.
  2. Scott helped me figure out some fixes to help my revisions.
  3. Nice morning walk.

10 December 2015


  1. A small publisher has offered a contract for Changers. Yay! But I'm in the middle of a huge revision, so I asked them to wait until I'm done. Goal is to have it finished by end of January.
  2. Rain. We need it.
  3. The kids' dentist appointments weren't as awful as I anticipated. I was braced for a lecture, but their dentist really is amazing. And their teeth are in good shape all things considered.

08 December 2015


  1. More reviewers offering to read and feature Peter.
  2. Getting one project finished and out of the way.
  3. Getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

07 December 2015


  1. Having an article published on upcoming4.me about the story behind Peter.
  2. More reviewers offering to feature me and/or my book on their blogs and sites.
  3. Can I just tell you how adorable this hamster is?

06 December 2015


  1. Hamster. (We named her Thomasina and she is ridiculously cute.)
  2. An okay time chaperoning my youngest son at a kid's birthday party.
  3. Did I mention the cute hamster?
Really, I dislike the party thing. I do chat a little with other parents, but I'm awkward at it. So I endured this party pretty well, which I count as a minor victory.

05 December 2015


  1. Kids had their first gymnastics meet. Each got medals. They did great! So proud of them!
  2. An early Hanukkah with the in-laws.
  3. Really good wine.

04 December 2015


  1. My book is available for pre-order! Its release date is 15 January, but if you pre-order it, you'll get a great discount. (You can also find it on Amazon. Apple, Kobo, and Nook to come.)
  2. My husband got a promotion! He's been working really hard and totally deserves it.
  3. New workout clothes. I was in desperate need of some longer leggings and long-sleeved shirts now that the weather is changing.

03 December 2015


  1. A good writers group meeting. I'm glad I went; I almost didn't.
  2. My new raincoat and rain boots.
  3. Incense.

02 December 2015


  1. New games to play!
  2. Husband's birthday.
  3. New tarot and oracle cards!

01 December 2015


  1. Slightly warmer weather.
  2. New syrups for chai.
  3. Am (I think) successfully tightening my manuscript.