I knew these drabbles would hurt to read when i saw the topic. And they do.

Hi Fay! I'm very interested in hearing how the children's books progress - I have one of my own that I'm trying to figure out what to do with.

Fay! Come and join us, of course.

Raq, that was absolutely raw and painful, in the best possible way.

Faylove, always ready to hear from you.

Raq, um. So, that Depression. Made things miserable for more than just the ones who lived through it. Painful.

Ouch, Raq. Ouch in a good way, though. I haven't tried one of these in a while, so here goes:

Some days are so beautiful it's painful. Skies so clear and blue you want to jump up and swim in them. Orange leaves that glow in the afternoon sun. The barest scent of star magnolia on the breeze, fainter than imagination. Sunrises of shell pink and soft gray blue - not a sky to swim in, a sky to wrap around you.

I took me a while to discover what it was I was feeling on these days. It was almost like discontent, or greed. I wanted to consume these days, make them part of me. They made me hungry.

Oh lovely, Anne.

Anne, that's gorgeous.

Thanks guys...that drabble tried to come out for "comfort food" but kept twisting around on itself.

Anne, that's perfect. I know that feeling, but didn't know it until now!

An after deadline comfort food one:

Misunderstood

Arms flail. Legs kick. Chest gasps for air in talons grasp.

The dragon loosens his grip slightly on the black armor. “Sorry” he tells the knight.

The knight inhales a long relieved breath. “That’s OK. Thanks for the rescue.. Who knew those ‘fair maids’ were cannibals?”

Roar and flame of a dragons chuckle. “Anyone with sense. Everyone on this mountain is some sort of bandit.”

Now there was amusement in the knight’s voice. “Anyone? What about you? When you destroyed the cannibal nuns, why did you save me?”

Another fiery dragon chuckle. “For later, knight. I’m saving you for later.”

Oh, nice!

...is it VERY wrong that I'm slashing the knight and the dragon like crazy?

...

...

hangs head

(Also? One of your apostrophes escaped while you weren't looking. Wriggly little buggers. Line 4.)

FAY!

OK. Warning: a seriously ME! It's all about MEEEEEE! post:

Deb's Little Comfort Zone Goes to Alpha Centauri

First things first: the Maybach Mercedes is a very posh car. I don't know if Daymond consciously wanted me to get the feel of why the women in the industry will queue up for a shot at these guys; I doubt it, though. I suspect this is how he sends everyone to the airport. In any event, it was a very comfortable ride to the airport and I got to talk politics with his driver.

Deb's New Motto: Golly gee willikers, Mrs. Cleaver, I feel all fly and shit!

I have to hit my daughter up for a list of sites and books I'm going to need. In my very near future, I'm going to have to steep myself in the llanguage of the Industry (the whole hip-hip thing), of which I speak about ten words and two phrases. My current lack of knowledge has to be rectified, and fast - see below. A good start is going to be asking Daymond or more likely Jared, his assistant, who's actually from LA - to hook me up at a club or two in LA, VIP level, so I can go down and just get the look, the feel, the vibe, the flow of how the whole predator-prey thing works at these clubs. Call my agents and have the official conversation with them.

Yo! Yo! Yo!

Remember that book - singular, non-fiction, as told to me- I was doing with Daymond?

Slight change of gears. Singular became plural, non-fic became fiction. They're going to be novels, a multi-book series. And the money is going to be major, especially since Daymond wants it structured so that I'm happy, because I'm doing the work. And what makes me happy - what my agents are going to put on the table when they sit down with Daymond's agent at Paragon - is a 50/50% split that includes subsidiary rights, a two-book deal with a third-book option, and a draw against advance predicated on a $75K advance.

So I have to do it right.

But while I'm setting stuff up, ordering books, saturating my middle-aged white ass in the language and vibe - which, entre nous, is not all that alien, since really it's updated rock and roll crap with different skin tones, different music, and the addition of pro sports to the mix - I need to slam through the prologue and at least the first chapter of New-Slain Knight. And then take a couple of weeks while stuff is being finalised, and finish what I want to finish: Cleveland Rocks. I'm in desperate need of a dose of JP and Bree right now.

Why yes, all about the meeeeeeee. Can't say I didn't warn you upfront. Also, all the way jetlagged.

FAAAAAAAAAAY! Is this the novel I read the first bits of? Because, yes please.