My friend Danielle and I were discussing this last night: can a novelist jump the shark? I think they can. Take Anne Rice and the Vampire Chronicles, for example. I think she did this exact thing towards the end of the series two different ways. The first was by integrating the Mayfair witches with the vampires. The second was by giving Lestat a Christ complex. What do you think? Can novelists pull a Fonzie? Who has?

... More to go! I sent out my first official query today to Serendipity Literary Agency. Go me!It wasn't a standard query, as I met with the agent at Grub Street's Muse & The Marketplace writer's conference this past year. Grub Street does a manuscript portion for an extra fee, which I gladly paid. It was a good experience and stroked my ego a bit. So, I emailed her a quasi-query reminding her that she wanted to see my manuscript when I was done. Now, I wait. I agree with Tom Petty. Waiting is the hardest part.

I previously stated how my cats are the best form of distraction ever. I still hold to that, but would like to add a disclaimer: DISTRACTIONS ARE BAD WHEN THEY HIT BEFORE DAYLIGHT. In case you've never seen the cats, look here: Cute, huh? They are the devil incarnate. Cheyenne (the stripey one) is viciously clever and somewhat of a trouble maker. She has a tendency to open doors and tear open bags of treats. Lucky (the white one) is rather dumb and quite possibly can be considered the Tommy Lee of the feline world. He also likes to destroy things - vases get smashed, video cards cracked, keyboard keys pulled off... you get the idea. He's also some kind of Oriental cat so he talks. Frequently. We've gotten used to these kitty quirks. They're cats, this is what they do. It's summer, so they like the windows to be open. We have a small one that stays open in our bedroom during the summer that overlooks our driveway and the side street. Since they're indoor cats, th