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Who am I to stand in the way of love?

There is much to report.

First of all, in an insane burst of energy on Saturday, I cranked out 7000 words and finished the first draft of my new novel. I started at 10 AM and finished around 5 PM. I was sweaty with words. In case anyone is wondering what my process is, it's: I am a fucking nutjob.

Anyway the bones are all there and I'm thrilled. I started it a little over a year ago not knowing at all what I was getting myself into and I somehow figured my way out of it all. It needs some tending to near the end where I was just banging out ideas in a manic race to the finish, but it is most definitely a complete novel. The structure is there, and I don't think there are really any holes in it. Also it might be kind of a funny book. And, shockingly, dirty.

I told Kerri the plot of it last night and she was like, really? That came out of you? It's so different than the first two books. It's speculative fiction, for starters. And about half of it takes place nowhere near a major metropolitan area. Hopefully it's progress. After the last book I had no interest in writing about New York City ever again. I started in the middle of the country with this one, and kept moving westward. I dig it.

The plan is to revise the final third of the book over the next few weeks and then take the whole damn thing with me to Vieques where I will try and hammer out some sort of consistency throughout the book. That is my dream vacation, people. Final edits and a beach.

The second thing of note is that I have a firm date for the New York launch of The Kept Man: January 9. Barnes and Noble, Chelsea. Mark it on your calendars. There will be a reading and a party. You will come and buy books and consume great quantities of alcohol and fend off my inappropriate advances and you will LOVE IT.

No, I still do not have a final book cover. But hopefully soon.

Item 3: I have an article in this month's PRINT about the Ellen Forney/Sherman Alexie young adult collaboration, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The article is called "absolutely fabulous" and it is sweet.

And finally, once again please do not forget that I am reading Monday the 24th at Brooklyn Book Court with other fine people listed there in that left-hand column.

That's it. Is that enough? It is for me. My heart can only take so much excitement. It beats really fast. You can hear it clear cross the room.

(09/23/07)