Susan, exactly.

The thing about the "Writing Mysteries" deal is that I didn't know Ruth had done that until eight or so years later.

But the voice - what she remembered from "Plainsong" and "Eyes in the Fire" - was apparently still there in the first draft of "Weaver" I sent her.

Lucky for me...

I like Deena's idea of a plant set up. Editors and agents get lots of signed stuff. Not tha Joss's autograph is something to cough at, but a plant, yeh. An amyrillis. Yum.

mart, she may well be like me, and glare at anything resembling a potted plant in complete dismay. And since she lives in the wilds of the east Coast, no idea what would grow out of doors.

Amyrillis grow on window sills just fine. And they can be tossed out after the season is over. If you forget to water them, seems to be ok. I had one and when it was done I put the pot on the back porch. It has been without water or love for two years. It is sprouting as we speak. You have some in the yard. The 'pink ladies'.

Marty, would you like to be my mother-in-law too? My current one's not nearly as cool as you are.

Nobody's mother in law is as cool as mine.

But I'm thinking not flowers for Jenn. A piece of incunabula, that she can enjoy, plus something non-sweet to eat, really strike me as best bet.

Just, not "bodice-ripper chocolates" as she calls the syndrome.

Next year's NaNo, I'm going to just enter all the frelling code I've written in the month into the word count thingy.

Yeah, word count of zero here. But I'm still glad for the thing, in that it got me thinking again about a project I hadn't even looked at in months. Oh, well.

Deena, you can be my daughter, but Nic belongs to Deb. Sorry.

When BF was an agent the gifts he liked best were luxurious versions of essentials. Like a soft leather-bound photo album, or a gorgeous artist-made tiny basket to hang out on his desk and hold whatever, or a cool set of colored pencils in a wooden box. Stuff one would love to have , but not buy for themselves. His partner (a female) also really dug these things, so it wasn't a guy thing, BTW.

Marty, actually, I didn't want Nic, didn't even think of that. I was imagining you being my husband Greg's mom. He's a nice guy; you'd like him. I could definitely stand to be your daughter though.