I wrote Sparrow's story so fast that it's more of a skeleton than a full-bodied novel. I had to send it to my editor before my usual next step -- letting it sit for a month and then revisiting it -- because we're on a tight timeline. (The book has to be released during the upcoming presidential campaign.) Margaret Woollatt of Dutton is applying her keen editorial eye to suggest revisions. Once I get her comments, I'll need courage and energy to make the book sparkle before it goes to press. In the meantime, I plan to attack my overflowing, much-neglected in-box. I also heard today that I'm going to be on the faculty of the New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators annual conference in New Hampshire April 29th, 2006. I'm presenting a workshop for writers called "Name Branding: Creating A Lucrative Niche In A Competitive Market." Sounds good, doesn't it? Too bad I have no idea (yet) what I'm going to say. But it will come. I know quite a few writers who have done this successfully, and I plan to pick their brains.