Objection Filed

Dear First Lady Obama,

I would like to formally register my dismay at your cruel and insensitive statements regarding possible names your new dog.

Let me quote you from a CNN article:

The only thing left to pick is the name, and Mrs. Obama said she is not a fan of her daughters’ choices.

“There are names floating around and they're bad," Mrs. Obama said in the interview. "You listen and you go – like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn't a moose? Moose. I'm like, no, come on, let's work with the names a little bit."

I beg your pardon! Frank is an excellent name for a dog. I should know. I have been called Frank (Frances when I'm being disobedient) since I was eight weeks old and I'm EXCEPTIONAL. I bet your daughters heard about me and that's where the idea came from. Or maybe you are harboring hard feelings since I withdrew my name from consideration for becoming first dog. Well, I heard Susan and James talking about about how good-looking I was and how cute and how I shed better than any dog they've ever known and I thought, I can't leave them. They would be lost without me and the tufts of hair I leave everywhere. Plus, they enjoy swimming with me in the summer, even though swimming makes me smell and causes my glands go a bit funny so they have to be "expressed" at the vet, which is fun for exactly no one.

As a result of your slur against the name Frank, Susan has taken to calling me Kevin. That's how much she is influenced by anything Obama. I don't care for the name Kevin and so I'm asking you to admit your mistake. You can do so by sending Susan a message via this email address or you can apologize by sending me several bags of Chummy Yummies and I'll just get used to the name Kevin.

Sincerely,

The Dog Formerly Known as Frank

P.S. I bet there are other dogs named Frank and they probably feel like I do. You can send me their treats as well.

P.P.S. Portuguese Water Dog? Pft.

Please join me...

in welcoming myself back to my blog. I'm at that stage of manuscript preparation in which my left eyelid has begun to twitch uncontrollably.

I owe MANY of you letters and responses to emails. I'm sorry I've gotten so behind. Sometimes it seems that the nicer the message I receive, the longer it takes me to respond because I want to be thoughtful etc. I will get back to you and I do appreciate you getting in touch. Sometimes, a well-timed letter is all that keeps me going. Well, that and cupcakes.

If you live in the Nanaimo area, I'd like to invite you to the beautiful Port Theatre on March 5. I will be giving a reading from the novel I'm currently working on. The reading is part of the Random Acts program and it starts at 12:15 p.m. and I will be followed by Shauna Sedola, a singer and guitarist. Admission is free.

xoxox

I'm going to go hold down my eyelid now.

Looking for a place to happen?

Have a lot of time on your hands now that Obama has won the election? Want to boost someone else into the stratosphere of power and popularity?

May I suggest that you vote for Stephan? Go to Eugene Chosen and click on Stephan Nance.

That is all.

(I wish I knew how to embed the video in my blog. But alas, that seems to be beyond me.)

S.

Fascinating Article

about censorship and its various insidious forms in School Library Journal

In other news, Another Kind of Cowboy, which has received more than its share of this kind of shady, underhanded attention, has been chosen by the ALA as a 2009 Best Book for Young Adults!

I'm trying (yes, still!) to finish not one, but two manuscripts, so updating will be a little light for the next while. If you are looking for some good times on your computer (no, don't get ahead of yourself), I highly recommend a fab. new podcast called The Read Carpet. Check it out. It's a must-listen for YA lovers. I'm hoping to contribute to the next one.

xoxo