Topping Off the Summer

On our last Saturday before school started, we took a day trip to Philadelphia and had a great day. I blogged about it Monday at The Gab Wagon.

It's been a good summer. Lots going on, many intentions that were never fulfilled, some stresses, but some good things, too, and overall, I'm happy.



All the summer TV shows are winding down. Royal Pains ended with a not-surprising revelation, but one still unexpected in its details. Leverage and White Collar are almost done. Covert Affairs, happily, has a few more episodes, as do Eureka and Haven, so they'll carry me until fall premieres. I can't express disappointment with any of them. Light, fun summer entertainment.

I didn't go to the movies much this summer. There are several I had to add to Netflix. My favorites would have to be The A-Team and Toy Story 3. The only movie I'm looking forward to this fall—enough to remember it, anyway—is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (aka HP7.1).

I did manage to read a lot. I just devoured The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay all in a row. I have to laugh at all the comments that Mockingjay is so much darker than the other two. I don't think it is. I mean, from the very first chapter of HG, the theme is oppression, fear, deprivation, and murder. Of children, no less! I think Mockingjay just gave it greater scope, so more of the darkness is personal to Katniss. I really enjoyed all of the books, but in Mockingjay, she spent way too much time doing nothing but feel sorry for herself, and she was rarely active, rarely made choices. When she did, the book was unputdownable.

Summer's not officially over. We have four days before Labor Day, the end of "social" summer, but with all the kids back in school already, Labor Day weekend has lost its power. August has become the end.

So that makes it kind of cool that I top off a novella sale, potential agent interest, and a sale to Carina Press with a contest final. My paranormal YA, Full Fusion, is a finalist in the SF-RWA Heart to Heart contest! Nice topper, no? :)