Balancing Easter with everything else...

Today is Good Friday, but
I have been so busy that I didn't even realize this until yesterday when one of my boys said, "We're having a big family Easter dinner Sunday, aren't we?"

Are we? I thought, feeling my spirits lift.

I turned around and he and his brother were staring at me -- expectantly -- and that's when it hit me. Having Easter dinner would require a chef and that chef would be me. "We're coloring eggs, too, right?" my 8 yr old asked, shooting me a look that said, You aren't gonna say you're too busy writing, are you?!!

It's been a busy week. My 2nd novel, The Penny Tree, went
out on Tuesday, and along with that comes a whole host of other issues -- interviews, emails and phone calls from my publicists (one from the US, another from Canada), ads being placed in newspapers, last minute readings being scheduled, invitations getting mailed, the creation of promotional flyers
for mail drops, etc. Of course, it's all good stuff, but it can also be a stressful balancing act. For example, next week, I'm driving up north to do two readings in my home town. Then, when I get back, I'm off to Chicago and Winnipeg and...

And in the meantime, I'm continuing to work on my third novel, The Silver Compass, which I just found out has been scheduled for publication a year from now in April 2008.

I've had three golden ideas come to me this week when it comes to the story, all of them epiphany-like as they cross the finish line in my mind as essential; the sort of ideas that will add to the book's depth and poignancy. I'm dying to start writing these scenes, but I can't yet -- at least not until tomorrow after the eggs are colored any my kids are in bed and the Easter Bunny stops by to put out the foot-high chocolate SpongeBobs (whew) she bought at the last minute for Easter morning.

Now I just have to figure out how to fit in cooking dinner for eight on Sunday night (my brother just phoned and invited himself). Have a great Easter everyone!