Merry Christmas!

My mom, sister and I used to decorate cookies every year for Christmas, but I can't remember the last time we actually sat down and did it. Until this year. (We even got Toddler Help.)




See our Iorek Byrnison cookies??


Wintry seals...


A Penguin Parade...


And when you've had too many cookies, you can lay by the fire and read a book. (In this case, Laini Taylor's Blackbringer, which my sister was reading before it was "aquired.")

वहत दो व्रितिंग मोम्स दो दुरिंग ठिर मतेर्निटी लीव?

I hope that title still isn't in sanscrit (or whatever language that appears in the title block at the moment). Anyway, it's supposed to say: What do writing moms do during their maternity leave? (Someone tell me WHY it's in another language!)

The answer is: change diapers, experience life as a cow, and stare at tiny feet while daydreaming their plot that they know they should be working on. Oh, and in my case, trying my best to convince Child #1 that Child #2 is not a toy.

Seriously, I was staring at my baby's toes last night after he started his milk coma and thought: I should be writing. Then I felt guilty because no, I should not be writing. I should be sitting on the couch, like I was, watching too much TV and wearing my son's spit-up on my shoulders. But honestly, I want to get back to my story. Ali had just exited a prison and then---I stopped writing. I got wrapped up in querying agents and then revising ROHANA. Then I became obsessed with being pregnant and then trying to become un-pregnant. Now that my baby is two weeks old, I'm ready to get back to work.

Only, I get on a computer once every four days and barely check my email.

So what do new writing moms do during this postpartum period? They work their brains and rest their fingers.

Well, it's what they do on the days they get naps.