Starbucks is for old people

At least, the one near my house is.

I occasionally like to take the laptop and write in a different location; I find I usually get more done with fewer distractions. Usually I'll head to the Caribou Coffee at the end of my street or the library down the road. Caribou is usually hopping with students and folks of all ages, talking and getting work done. The only drawback is, they play the music a bit loud, and the conversation decibel level has to exceed the music. So, for a change of pace, I biked over to the Starbucks down the road.

Noise was definitely not a problem there; you could barely hear the music. Also, the place was near-dead, both figuratively and literally. Of the 3 or 4 customers that cycled through while I worked there, I don't think one was under sixty-five. The difference in age distribution between the 2 coffee shops is bizarre; they're about a block apart. Perhaps self-segregation is at work, or maybe the kids just don't like Starbucks.

In other news, I passed the 2/3 mark on "Slideways" yesterday. I'm happy with the progress I'm making; I've solved a number of plot holes and filled in some explanatory background, all while working to maintain heightened tension. This writing stuff isn't for weaklings!

Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl

If you know me, you may know that I'm a big fan of Mr. Daniel Pinkwater. If you are not familiar with this brilliant juvenile/YA author, you should immediately run out and purchase this collection of five novels and this collection of four novels. These collections contain some of my favorite D.P. novels, including Alan Mendelsohn, the boy from Mars, Borgel, and two Snarkout Boys books.

But that's not why I'm blogging today. Today I want to talk about Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl, which Mr. Pinkwater will be publishing in June of next year. I'm excited about this book because I've already read the first two in this series, The Neddiad and the Yggyssey, and I can't wait for the third.

Luckily for me I don't have to. While you can pre-order it, you can also read it online, right now, for free!

What are you waiting for? Go read something awesome!

Free Tarot Readings

Alayna Williams, author of the upcoming book Dark Oracle, now offers free Tarot readings via her website. Just click the link in the upper right hand corner.