WHAT'S NEW?

The updates here will be both personal and professional, whenever something noteworthy is going on.
Most recent update: 2 December 2008

The Portable Spell Book, I am told, is due out (from Adams Media) in July or August of 2009.  It's my first not-Wicca book!  I look forward to working with my line editor, and expect to be in touch with her soon.

Canyondancer and I have bought a vacation club membership!  That journey started when we attended a Wyndham timeshare presentation in Sedona in July, and ended when we found out about WorldMark's credits system.

The kilt gear we ordered in February has arrived, -ish.  Jim's kilt is wonderful, and as predicted, he looks great in it.  My hostess skirt is fine, and I wore it for the first time at Thanksgiving.  But my waistcoat (vest) was supposed to be tartan -- I paid for it to be tartan -- and it's plain ol' black velveteen.  The Celtic Craft Centre has not responded to e-mails, and are very hard to reach by phone.  We have therefore ordered one or two other things from a different kilt-maker, who is a member of our clan.

In the meantime, our preparations to attend the Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh in July of 2009 continue.  We've got an itinerary sorted out -- it's in the hands of a travel agent in Edinburgh -- and through AAA we've booked return passage on the QM 2 . . . .

And, Jim and I took a six-week Scottish Gaelic class.  That was a hoot!  It wasn't a complete waste of time, either, and though our schedule's too cramped to pursue it right now, we do plan on a bit of follow-up.  I can't imagine being fluent enough to Actually Speak it when we're in Scotland, but we might be able to say things like "Where's the loo?" and "I'll have the salmon, please," and "Thank you."  We trust the Scots have a good sense of humor . . . .

Martie MacCoon has found a new home, with a little girl in the Phoenix area.  We're told that she and Martie are already BFFs.  We wish them both all the best!

I got a tattoo!  It's of a pen hovering over an open book, with a sparkly mist of magic rising from it.  Being unlike anything the artist had ever done before, it's taking some time to finish properly -- the final session is scheduled for the 5th of December.  (No, it didn't actually hurt; and yes, I probably will get another one eventually.  For a little more about it, check out the My Writing page.)