THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is one of my favorite childhood books. I love it so. I remember when I got the Chronicles of Narnia boxed set. I remember what the shelves of the book warehouse (back before those were common) looked like. It was with great excitement I started reading TLTW&TW to the little angel.

She was bored until Aslan made the scene. Of course, once Aslan shows up, everything gets good. Always.

Then we got to the scene with the Stone Table, and as I was reading, she looked up at me from where she'd been snuggled into the crook of my arm.

Her: "Are you CRYING?"

Me: "Yes. I love this part."

She gave me the long look that only a child on the edge of adolescence can muster: that mixture of shock, amusement and horror at what her previously esteemed parent is saying. Then she put her head back down and we kept going to the part where Lucy and Susan hear the table crack.

Me: (sniff)

Her: "Seriously?"

Me: "What? It's amazing. I love it. Aslan knew the deeper magic, and he came back."

Her: "ASLAN'S A ZOMBIE?"

Me: "Yes, you're right. He's a zombie, and I've failed at your literary education."

Her: "The ending is pretty good. I like this book."

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Read my review and enter to win a copy of fellow InkSpell Publishing author Lisa Voisin's The Watcher, as well as an angel-wing necklace, on Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews!

I'm really excited to share this news. I'm on the board at The Writers Place and will talking about prose and THE OBVIOUS GAME on one of the workshop days.

Now Enrolling for Writers' Block Summer Youth Workshops

The Writers Place is currently enrolling students ages 12 - 18 in itssummer writing workshops.  Featuring published, experiencedwriters/instructors and renowned guest speakers the workshops beinteractive and exciting.  To enroll click here.

Writers Place members may enroll for both weeks on this Web page,at the reduced rate of $125 for both weeks — then selecting "Additem(s) to your cart," and proceeding to checkout, using a debit orcredit card to pay tuition on our secure site. Members can use this pageto enroll only in the first week on Poetry (July 8-12); or use this page to enroll only in the second week on Prose (July 8-12) — both at the weekly rate of $75/enrollee.

Non-members in The Writers Place members may enroll for both weeks on this page ($150/enrollee). Non-members can use this page to enroll only in the first week on Poetry (July 8-12); or use this page to enroll only in the second week on Prose (July 8-12) — both at the rate of $100/enrollee.

But do the math, non-members! Studentmemberships are just $20/year, and regular members' children qualify formember-rate enrollment in this special program: Why not join TheWriters Place, for immediate savings? You can do so by first visiting our membership page and signing up, then "continue shopping" to add your workshop selection from the "Member Store."

Joining The Writers Place will bring you a full 12 months of other benefits, too, listed under "Membership" on this Web page.

My sister has pulsatile tinnitus. You can read more about it here. She's had it for years and has spent thousands of dollars trying to not hear her heart in her ear every single day of her life. Imagine the Tell-Tale Heart. That's her. And there are other whooshers, but because there's no diagnostic code for it, pulsatile tinnitus gets lumped in with regular tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and thus is harder to get treated.

Sign this petition to get it a new diagnostic code? They need 1,500 signatures and are so close.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

This morning while waiting for the bus, my daughter and I were looking at the llama picture I have saved to my desktop. I got it somewhere from StumbleUpon and I don't remember where. It doesn't matter, any llama picture will do. I have the llama on the desktop because the llama makes me happy. How can you look at a llama and not smile?

We started talking about things that make us laugh when we are stressed out. I told her about the motivational wolf my sister sent me years ago. I guess the motivational wolf is a whole thing -- I tried to figure out where it started and I guess I'm going to blame Reddit. My wolf looks like this.

Try to source me, motherfucker.

My daughter sort of didn't get the humor in my motivational wolf, which I suppose makes sense, because she hasn't yet had to replace toner. She thought I should have a motivational cow instead, because it would be ... wait for it ... moo-tivational.

This story is going nowhere, but the llama plus the wolf plus the cow reminded me of the reviews of this wolf t-shirt on Amazon, which are nothing short of comedy gold.

Today that is all I have. I also wrote about muffin tops on BlogHer.

Setting: Waiting for school bus

Her: Your breath smells like coffee.

Me: Your hair smells like hair.

Her: Your coat smells like cold.

Me: Good one.

This Friday night at 7 pm, I'm going to be reading from THE OBVIOUS GAME with my former professor and mentor, Michael Pritchett, author of THE MELANCHOLY FATE OF CAPT. LEWIS. (Yes, it's THAT Capt. Lewis. The one who hung out with Clark.) I'm not sure if Michael will be reading from TMFoCL or his novel-in-progress, but I have heard him read from both, and his stage delivery is awesome. You'll be quite convinced he hates writing with the power of a thousand suns, but you know, in a good way. I find it existentially hilarious.

It has occurred to me that I should probably practice for this reading. I have never read from a novel before. I have also not had too much time to get nervous about it, because last week MAJOR CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY and also MOMMY TOTALLY UNDERDELIVERED ON THE EASTER BASKET and then THIS SATURDAY IS THE LITTLE ANGEL'S BIRTHDAY and then OUR CAT JUST DIED AND A BUNCH OF OTHER CRAZY SHIT WENT DOWN IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES and well, holy hell. It's Monday, I don't have a birthday card for my daughter yet (I do have the big gift, but she probably needs some other little things to open), I don't have a game plan for anything and I'm taking a SEWING CLASS on Thursday, the night before my parents and sister arrive to stay with us for said reading and birthday party and oh, holy hell, I hope I've scrubbed the smell of Buttonsworth's last accident out of the playroom carpet (hydrogen peroxide and baking soda).

If you want to attend the reading, all the details are on this Evite. The reading will be from 7-9 at The Writers Place in Kansas City. Both Michael and I will have some books for sale or to sign, and I'll bring some signed bookplates for anyone who wants one unless I run out. Thanks, as always, for all your support of my writing. It means so much.