Good News, Everyone!

I don’t know who amongst you doesn’t already know this, because I am, as they say in France “le behind the times,” but Carrie and I are engaged! Woo-Hoo!!!!!! It’s been four long years and some change in the coming, but well worth the wait. I really honestly can’t express in words how amazing my life is because of this woman. I can’t imagine it without her, and frankly, I don’t want to, and so I’m not going to-- I’m going to spend the rest of it with her. If you don’t know Carrie, you should get to know her. She’s honestly the most caring, wonderful, intelligent, funny, all around awesome person I’ve ever met. And did I mention that she’s a hot-hot-hot YA author and a high-powered trusts and estates attorney all at the same time? She is. And she agreed to marry me, of all people! Did I mention “Woo-Hoo?”

So the deets in quick: we go to Williamsburg every year circa Valentine’s Day. The reasoning for this is arcane, but essentially boils down to the fact that the first year I wanted to surprise her with a fun trip she wouldn’t be expecting, and it worked out so well we decided to keep going back. We do this every year, and each year is awesome. I decided in early January that this was the place and the time to get ‘er done, and the specific place was the one place we always, always go back to and have a fantastic time at-- the Winery. Let me make this clear right now for the world: we are winos, and the Williamsburg Winery provides it high-quality and cheap. I heartily recommend all their whites as the best value money can buy (the reds less so, but still good).

So yes, we got engaged in a wine cellar. I strongly recommend this method to the gentlemen (and/or trend-bucking ladies)-- the wine curbs your anxiety and lowers her resolve, the perfect one-two punch. I stammered out some words that went much better in my head but which she was kind enough to immediately forget, went down on one knee, produced the box, and, as our awesome tour guide Bill looked on, we got engaged! One more time with the Woo-Hoo! No idea when the wedding will be, but now it’s pretty much assured to be some time!

In other news, I have officially, if temporarily, divorced myself from short story writing for reasons discussed in more detail here. That said, I am now working on my first novel. I don’t necessarily have high hopes; I consider this more of a learning experience than an actual attempt to create something salable. I’m really excited about it, though, and excited to be writing again, and that’s what’s really important to me right now. I promised I wouldn’t say anything here until I finished Chapter 2, which I did today (and which is why I've been absent for awhile). I think I’ll talk in more length about the process that took me from total not-writing to writing regularly again some other time, but I think that deserves its own post-- right now I just wanted to let the world know that I’m back in the game, baby