Happy Valentine’s Day, a day for love and for D. Anne Love, my dear friend from the Atlantic Center for the Arts days. Dorothy has written a number of wonderful books, my favorites of which are Semi-Precious and the fabulous The Puppeteer’s Apprentice. You haven’t read those? You must! And speaking of love, she emailed me that she loved Meggy.

Oh rats and drat and woe is me! Dinah, my editor, responded to the first official draft of Will Sparrow’s Road and, as usual, I’m left in the slough of despond (I stole that phrase but isn’t it grand?). My first reaction to her critique is always I can’t do it, won’t do it, don’t want to change it, I

Here is generous praise for Meggy from the marvelous Kirby Larson, good friend and good writer: From the moment Meggy Swann wabbles on scene with a terse assessment of her new living situation with her long-absent father (“Ye toads and vipers!), I was swept up in this robustius book. Cushman transported me to smelly, raucous and mysterious London in Elizabethan

I have recently reread a few books about medieval England that I found when researching Catherine Called Birdy. They were written long before most of you—or even your parents—were born and are fairly short, simple, and, I think, best suited for younger readers or for those wanting just a taste of medieval England. Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Janet Gray,

If you are ever passing through the Portland airport, PDX to those in the know, look for my daughter, Leah Cushman, at one of the airport Powell’s bookstores. She is a librarian who decided she was at heart a bookseller. She quit her library job, took a big cut in pay and very early hours, and now is up to her eyeballs

It’s 2010, and Alchemy and Meggy Swann will finally be out. Book tour plans are afoot. In April, I go to San Antonio and Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and various places in and around San Francisco. In May, there’s a webcast from Seattle. June will see me in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC. August I’m in Victoria, BC, and

My beloved nephew Kevin is now a dad. Nicholas Townes Lipski was born the afternoon of December 13 to Kevin and his wife, Becca. This will be some interesting kid! Kevin is a former screenwriter who has music and movie blogs and is now writing for children (Jimmy the Christmas Zombie has promise but remains unfinished). He’ll be a stay-at-home

It is 18 degrees here this morning, sunny and dry but 18 degrees! We Vashon Islanders do not have the hardiness or the cold-weather expertise of folks from Minnesota, Alaska, or Siberia. We are cold and grumpy about it. But the kindly UPS man fought his way through the frigid forest to bring me a pot of gold. These coins

Philip and I are right now on the Oregon coast, and I am writing this while looking out the window at the magnificent haystack rocks of Cannon Beach. Then we head to Portland where we’ll spend Thanksgiving with Leah. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday. We have so much to be thankful for.