Never Quit!  That's what my fortune at the Chinese restaurant said tonight.  Not quite a fortune, but a command I try to live by.

I drew the right fortune cookie.  This past week, I had one of those weeks -- I taught two upper level communication classes at The City College of New York; gave a speech on writing fiction for young people that is "ripped from the headlines," to 50 or so wonderful young adult librarians in Suffolk County; and wrote a daily "guest editor blog" for the inspiring websiteshe writes (check out my blog entries... from "what we talk about when we talk about Titles" to rejection letter immunity!).

In between it all, I was chief cook and bottle washer in the  personal lives of an active 12-year-old (stressed from three days of state testing) and a 6-year-old (with a packed social calendar). I squeezed in some thinking (in the car)  and creative writing (early in the morning)  on a new idea and checked in regularly on my elderly dad (lunch time). So, I had to laugh when I got this fortune. I don't have time to even consider quitting. It's not an option.  And most of all, I like my life -- it's my good fortune!!

Truly, the author of LIE.