We made it, the kids and I. Another school year wrapped up, more report cards filled with grades I surely never achieved (unless I remember wrong, which is a possibility), and … time to sleep in, even for an hour.

Just an hour.

It’s the first day of summer vacation. Instead of getting up at 5:30 like I do during the year to provide backup alarm systems, I was up at …

Ready?

Wait for it.

You know it’s good.

Five.

Five freaking a.m.

I may as well put the time to good use, so if you’ve got a manuscript that needs to be edited, drop me a note. I’ve got extra time on the summer calendar, but it’s not going to last. I laugh that my clients like to send me their babies to work on while they’re off having a great vacation, no worries about anything, and they come home, recharged and renewed, ready to go. It’s a smart strategy and I swear, the finished products or the revised drafts that cross my desk again for more thoughts and help are all better for it.

I like that strategy, writer friends.

Of course, that means that summer’s my busiest season of the year. Even though I’ve got two kids underfoot, it winds up being very productive for me. (Guess I’m motivated by the idea of, “Guys, let me hit my page count and we’ll go to the pool for a few hours.”)

Take advantage, especially once I succeed at this sleeping in stuff. Less tired means less cranky means more productive, despite promises of going to the pool. Means better editing for you and paying off my landscaper for me.

Nine more days of school and I am SO not ready for summer vacation. Or am I?

Check out my plan for getting work done AND entertaining my kids during this year’s upcoming break, over at WorkingNaked.com.

It’s the first weekend of summer vacation, so I’m headed to the pool and stuff with the kids. Get it in before I get tired of them, you know?

I have some new fiction for you. Well, not really. It’s old fiction that’s been hanging around my hard drive, waiting for the right time to make an appearance. But it’s new to you and it features a tender scene with Mitchell and Kerri and I just love it, so…

Head on over to the #amwriting online home site and read it there. Yes, it’ll be included in Demo Tapes 5. But it’ll be AT LEAST two years before that comes out (most likely. I mean, hello? Have you seen Demo Tapes 3 yet? This week, I promise — well, not in print. That’s going to take a bit longer. Stupid mail.).

Why wait? Go read it now.