First off, I did a little Q&A with my Spanish publisher, Versatil. You can check it out in Spanish and English I am pleased to say that I can actually (mostly) read the translated Spanish version…my Spanish is rusty, but still there!

And I’m doubly pleased to announce that the paperback version of Still Sucks to Be Me is now out (in English…the Spanish paperback has been out for awhile)! Just a reminder, if you haven’t entered already, you can enter to win a spot in a short story featuring YOU and Mina!

And lastly, in bookish news, the French translation is in progress right now. Which I think is quite cool. Très bon!

Rach and The Max At Trafalgar Square

In personal news, my niece Rachael (she was the one mentioned in Sucks to Be Me in the dedication section) is here in London visiting with us for 3 weeks as a graduation present. The Max is having a blast, of course. He loves his cousins! She got here on the 3rd of July. I can’t believe how fast time has flown!

We started off with a bit of a whirlwind tour around the Thames and things like that, then we went to Paris (PARIS!) for four days. It was our first time in France too, so that was lots of fun. We stayed in a little apartment in Montmartre (thanks to Lisa Yee for telling me about VRBO), which was where the movie Amelie was filmed and where the Moulin Rouge is. Not to mention the Basilica Sacre Coeur.

On the Seine

Which has a LOT of steps to climb to get to the top of the dome.

A lot.

We also took The Max to Disney Paris, which I can’t even describe to you how much he enjoyed. I know he may not remember this trip later in life since he’s only three, but I can tell you that it brought him much joy. His very first Disney ride was on Pirates of the Caribbean, which he actually found a little too scary (oops) but has since turned into a very elaborate story of how he beat up the pirates and stole three gold pieces from them. We also did Dumbo, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, a Buzz Lightyear ride (wherein he got  a blaster and was very joyous), It’s a Small World, Pinocchio (fastest ride EVER), a Tarzan show (very cool), saw a parade, ate some incredibly overpriced but yucky hamburgers and  some really good food at a restaurant in Pirates of the Caribbean. Overall, an exhausting but exhilarating day.

Evil Robots and Aliens Beware

Then, of course, we did a boat tour down the Seine and walked along the Champs-Élysées, saw Notre Dame, went on the Eiffel Tower, walked the city, experienced the metro (ack…I so much more appreciate the tube in London now), met some nice French people, met some rude French people…basically, all the obligatory things you do when you go to Paris for the first time. Oh, and we ate lots of baguettes and pain chocolat.

Since we’ve been back in London, we’ve been to Spitalfields Market, Petticoat Lane Market and the Sunday Up Market. And Kensington Palace with tea at the Orangery, Hyde Park (complete with boating on the Serpentine), the Westfield Mall, the Tower of London, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Chinatown…it’s been a whirlwind. Today we’re probably just going to Portobello Market. I say “just” because it’s right where we live, so no journey required.

Anyway, having fun, wish you were here!