Tep? New topic? Have we done "independence day"?

Amy, I was about to ask for a new topic. I think we did ID last year on the 4th, though.

But have we done "freedom" as a topic?

How about "liberation"?

Or, hell, libation. Close enough, right? And freeing, in and of itself!

Allyson, I think our agent's life is about to get even more interesting.

Just got off the phone with Daymond and his manager, Bernie Yuman.

The project is on like an on thing. Bernie, as Nic puts it, is the guy with the on button for the star machine, by way of regular appearances on Larry King and a terrifying rolodex. He's thrilled to have me aboard, he trusts Daymond's instincts (which is a very good idea, since Daymond has never yet failed at anything he ever decided he wanted to do), and I've just committed to spending tomorrow morning taking the seven-page proposal I knocked together when we first started talking about it and turning it into what he calls a "treatment" (totally Hollywood), but which seems to be a solid proposal and synopsis breakdown of the first two books, with the third one in the story arc being kept quiet for the moment, as the hook.

Current plan seems to be for me to get that off to him (and, obviously, to my agent, but first to Daymond, because it's his history we're talking about here, and it needs his approval). According to both Daymond and Bernie, after that, it becomes a question of the best way and places to pitch it, so there's probably a week in NY coming up this autumn. If I can possibly arrange it for October, I will. It would be easy to hit NY after the "Cruel Sister" premiere party at Kate's Mystery Bookstore in Cambridge, the weekend before Halloween.

Anyway - meep.

meep back. You are going to be our first Buffista to to get rich while a Buffista. Our one currently rich Buffista was already rich when he joined the board.

cool, deb. Breath & Shadow finally is running my food-stamp interview story, rechristened "Stamped". [link]

erika, I love that story - and I love B&S's layout.

Thanks, and yeah, it's nice. Will pass that thought to Sharon and Norm(The editor and the web guy)

It really is nicely laid out. The bulk of the sites I've seen for online pubs the past few years have been so busy, and so Flash-heavy, that they're damned near unreadable. It's almost as if they're thinking right, I've got all the design toys, I must use as many as possible in one place to justify having them.

This one is deeply pleasing to the eye. Nice and clean and visually easy. And I liked that I didn't have top hunt around for yours: main screen, click to read.

Me, too, Deb. Nothing wrong with using the KISS principle on a website. If anything, it will bring me back more often.

Excellent essay, erika. Your food stamp lady reminded me of Doris Kroger there for a minute or two. Glad you got your two cents in with the glasses cleaning tip.