Just taking a moment out of my busy weekend to pop in and tell you (well, remind you) all how wonderful Cynthia Leitich Smith is to give me a shout-out on her blog. She rawks! Go buy her books, minions.

Every story needs it. And what it is differs with every story. It’s that thing, that spark that drives an author to put the tale on paper (or screen, as it were). And for me, I can’t move forward without knowing what it is.

So I’m dropping BEYOND THE LOOKING GLASS for a while, until I can find whatever is missing. It’s a smart move, but that’s not saying I’m not troubled by my decision. I worry (senselessly, I suspect) that all I’ll ever be able to write are tales of Vlad. And while Vlad is fangtastic and fun and scary and easy for me, and I believe that his stories will entertain the masses…I want more. I want, when The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod are finished, to be known as a spooky YA writer, not just as “the Vlad Tod chick”. Love Vlad as I do, I want more.

So what’s next? Well, I’m hard at work on DEVON’S PLAYGROUND, which can be best described as: “The epic battle between good and evil for the fate of all the universe…but with kids.” So far, the words are flying. Keep your lil minion fingers crossed that they continue to do so.

Plus, this week is an enormously busy one for me (with family in town), so blogging, email, everything will be sparse. Except for writing–that’s one thing I can’t let go.