we went from doing

this in los angeles:

to doing this

in minnesota:

maddy and i left

california before brooke

(who had to work)

so we could attend

maddy’s cousin weston’s

first birthday party

along with all

of her other cousins.

a good time

was had by

all, but as

you may expect in

the chaotic environment

that is an indoor

play area in minnesota

during a much

colder than normal day,

there were a

few injuries…

maddy’s cousin ava

fractured a finger,

and maddy herself took an

errant four-square ball

to the face.

(ouch).

but i’m happy to

say that i didn’t

cause any of

the injuries

while doing this:

or this:

and of course,

almost every single attendee

(both big and small)

ended up with a

wicked cold.

…

within a day

or two, the snow

was gone

(well, almost gone)

and the turkeys

were on the run

which meant that

thanksgiving was almost

upon us, and that

of course meant

that everyone would soon

be in town.

first to arrive

was deb,

who relived part of

her childhood,

and added another

defining moment

to maddy’s by

helping her

build this awesome

marble run:

(at the same time, giving me an idea for what maddy will be getting from santa this year).

(also, kranky is the name of a record label).

then brooke arrived

and we had

a big party with everyone

…

on thanksgiving we

visited three different

houses, though photos

exist for only

one of the visits

because it was a rare

moment that my

dad and all

of his sons

(and two grandkids)

were in the same place

at the same time.

from there we

went to tom and candee’s

house and then

on to my mom’s.

…

friday was a day of

go-cart racing

with my brothers,

friends, and deb & dawn

and a day

of rest for maddy,

who was still

feeling the effects

of the illness she

picked up earlier

in the trip.

…

by saturday, she

felt better, so brooke,

ashley and i

took maddy to the

children’s museum

maddy walked away

with a new

cape and mask

and ran around

proclaiming herself

“superhero batman”

(batman is a new obsession since one of the boys at her school dressed up like batman for halloween)

that night

we decorated some cookies

and i spent two

hours on this:

and then promptly

let maddy eat it.

…

tired and exhausted,

the next day

we were on flight

back to los angeles.

i lost track of

a few days there,

but it’s gonna take

me a very, very long

time before i

forget the hell

we experienced late

last week.

first, our part

of the world

got hit by some

epic windstorms

which led to a power outage.

i have to admit,

the first night

without power

wasn’t so bad…

it went out late

wednesday night

and it had very

little effect on us.

the second night was

actually kind of fun…

the three of us

went out for

dinner then when

maddy went to

bed, brooke and

i read by candlelight

(it felt positively 1820 or so in here for a few nights).

then it happened…

“daddy! my tummy hurts!”

it was late,

maybe 2:00 or 3:00

in the morning.

i rushed into

her room with

a flashlight,

got her up

and into the bathroom.

nothing came up.

within seconds of climbing

back into bed,

everything came up.

she threw up

all over her bed.

no problem.

we got her sheets,

blanket and pillowcase

off and ready for

the washing machine…

wait.

no power means no

way to wash

the vomit-soaked linens.

okay, instead of washing

them, we go them

into a garbage bag

and put the bag on the

porch until the power

came back on.

new linens on the

bed and bucket

by her head,

we all attempted to

go back to sleep.

soon it happened again.

the whole bit.

and again.

and again.

and again.

(for those of you trying to do the math, that’s 5 times).

and three times

it was all over

her pajamas.

not once did

she hit the bucket,

(i don’t blame her for this…it’s pretty fucking difficult to wake up from a deep sleep and vomit directly into a bucket).

at this point,

we were down to

our last set of linens.

sometime in the morning

she puked once

more, this time it was

about 8 ounces of

red gatorade on to

our light brown couch.

with 7 bags of

clothes/linens on

the front porch,

it was time to

give maddy a bath.

oh yeah.

never mind.

with no power

we have no hot water.

with some help

from a phone call

from the bastard,

i was reminded that

i could light the

stove manually

so that i could boil

water to ensure a

warm bath.

with the bath tub filled

half way with

cold water, i proceeded

to use all four

burners to boil water.

it took three rounds

of boiling water

to fill

the tub up the

rest of the way.

as i laid down

on the floor

next to the tub

i sighed, coming to

the conclusion that

living without power

really sucks.

and having one

or the other of

these problems

by themselves

would have been fine,

but combining them

was the kind

of nightmare i

hope to never

witness again

…

it wasn’t until early

saturday morning

that we woke up

to every light and

television in the

house coming on

at once.

i was never so excited

by the prospect

of doing laundry.

and i’ve vowed to

never again

take electricity for granted..

…

as some of you may already know (and thanks to many of you), my book, two kisses for maddy won the goodreads choice award in the best memoir & autobiography category. i’m incredibly surprised and thankful, and more than a little hopeful that this doesn’t make me the creed or nickleback of the literary world (you know, a fan favorite and a critical disaster). that said, i’m thrilled to have your support.

well, thanks to your votes, two kisses for maddy not only made it to the semi-final round (which i failed to mention on the blog), but it actually made it to the final round…

yeah, so i’m up against folks like dick van dyke, nikki sixx & rob lowe (among others) which makes it pretty tough to win, but my publisher would really appreciate you voting for the book that i wrote. i also wouldn’t mind it.

so click below to head on over to goodreads and vote for two kisses for maddy.

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards vote now for two kisses for maddy!

so what happens if i win?

i get the satisfaction of beating rob lowe and nikki sixx (but there would be no satisfaction in beating some of the other authors like jaycee duggard, alice ozma or rachel lloyd).

you have until november 30, 2011 to vote.

thank you…

just a quick note from my sponsors: i was paid by BlogHer to write this post and moderate some blog-to-book discussions on Chime.in.

and a note from me: i get offers like this quite often and have turned all of them down for various reasons, (mostly because they don’t appeal to me and i can’t imagine they’d appeal to you) but in this case, i was asked to talk a little about how i turned my blog into a book and to facilitate a discussion about it, both here and at Chime.in, which is something i’m happy to do and i think may interest at least a few of you (based on the number of questions that still flood my inbox asking for advice on getting published). oh, and i get to give away a kindle fire to one lucky commenter (details at the end of the post).

so. here goes.i’ve talked a bit in the past about how i went from writing a small blog for my friends and family to this:

after liz died i was approached by several book-industry people who suggested that i think about writing a book.

i thought they were insane. my blog was (and is) pretty poorly written, generally in a verse-like style that makes most learned people cringe. oh. and i never edit it, but i wasn’t writing for others…i was writing for those close to me, and for maddy. i never imagined anyone would actually ever read the thing, and i didn’t even consider that a major publisher (let alone several) would be interested having me write a book.

i didn’t consider myself a writer. i didn’t have an english degree (i earned a BA & MA in sociology of all things), nor did i have a life-long desire to write anything more than an email. i thanked them for their confidence in me, and led them to believe that i’d someday consider writing a book, but i didn’t think i’d ever actually do so.

as the months passed, my blog continued to gain more attention thanks to appearances in several newspapers, blogs (& especially) people magazine. and my appearances on the rachael ray show and (of course), oprah certainly didn’t hurt. (i also acknowledge that there were several sociological reasons for the attention i was getting). as a result, more and more publishers started contacting me. and so did literary agents. i had no idea what to say or do when it came to working with a publisher, but thankfully i found an agency (and two agents) who helped me immensely. having an agent is a must, especially if you’re as naive about the publishing world as i was.

after speaking to all of these agents and publishers, i finally felt confident that maybe these experts in the industry were on to something, and that if they believed in me, maybe i should start believing in myself. my agents helped me craft a proposal (basically an outline of what i wanted to write about), and made sure it got into the hands of the right publishers. yeah, i had already made some connections in the industry, but their connections were far greater, and their guidance was critical in getting me into the best situation.

believing that i could write an entire book was complicated by the fact that i felt an almost crippling nervousness about facing the inevitable criticism that comes with having my words published and reviewed. ultimately, when presented with the chance to share my life with a bigger and somewhat different audience, to help others who’ve experienced the death of a partner/family member/friend, to promote the liz logelin foundation, and more importantly, to create a monument to liz for madeline, i decided to let go of all of my neuroses and write the thing.

but more than anything, you really have to like what you’re writing about and have to be ready to work your ass off. because there’s nothing easy about finishing an entire book (i used to struggle with 20 page essays in grad. school). so many times i thought about just giving up, and someday giving maddy an unfinished word file with what i’d written, but in the back of my mind i knew i had to finish it. i wanted to see it sitting on a shelf of a bookstore and to see it in the hands of readers i didn’t even know.

about 10 months after i started the manuscript, i actually finished it. as i’ve mentioned before, i missed every single deadline and sometimes thought my publisher was going to cancel my book (which would have sucked after getting so close to the finish line).

holding the book in my hands was like having validation that what all of our parents told us as kids was true…that we can accomplish anything we put our minds to. and the fact that the hardcover and ebook versions spent a combined 5 straight weeks on the new york times best seller list was incredibly surprising.

more than anything, i’m so glad that maddy will someday be able to read what i wrote, knowing that i wrote it for her.

(note. results not typical, but totally possible).

with some hindsight, i can say that having a well-established platform really helped me. publishers love a good story, but what really solidified my chance at getting my book published was the built-in audience i had via my blog, facebook and twitter.

i also got a ton of advice about the publishing world through people i met via several social networking sites. i found that talking to people who had been down the same road as i was heading had an amazing perspective and were almost always willing to share inside information that helped me get to where i am today.

and from the few days i’ve spent on Chime.in, it really seems to have the potential to be another great social networking tool; one that will help you cultivate your interests and meet people who share similar interests, whether your interests are turning your blog into a book, finding new music to listen to or catching up on the latest news. (there’s even a section for grief, loss & bereavement, which i’ll now be including in my resource list for widowed families). you can create your own communities around any interest you have, or you can join established communities and participate in the conversations. my current “interests” include books & literature, music discovery and of course, blog to book. i find it a nice alternative to twitter, mostly because i’m able to more easily find the topics/communities that interest me.

oh. i suppose i should mention the giveaway. i’m making myself available to answer any questions you may have about turning your blog into a book, so leave a comment below or join the conversation over at Chime.in for a chance to win a kindle fire.

the giveaway is now over, and comments are closed. the winner will be notified soon.

the giveaway ends at 11:59 pm pst on november 21, 2011. here’s the rest of the fine print.

last week it was an essay i was finishing up for a future issue of mamalode magazine, and this week, i’ve been working on revisions to additional chapter for the paperback version of two kisses for maddy.

wait, what?

yeah, on april 3rd, 2012 grand central will be publishing a paperback version of my book.

what’s gonna be different about the paperback, you ask?

well, it will be lighter in weight and price, but heavier on content. that means you’ll get some extra words in the form of a new chapter, a reading guide for book groups (or anyone else who wants to answer some questions), additional photos and a new cover.

this is what it’s gonna look like:

(once again, the the cover photo was taking by the wonderful gina lee, back in 2008)

i hope you like it.

(an update about our trip to alaska coming very soon, as well as a couple of music posts. i swear).

17171 bothell way north east
lake forest park, washington 98155

if you plan to be there, let me know which chapter you think i should read…

i’ll be landing in seattle in about an hour. what shall i do/see while i’m there?

…

also, the random number generator chose #313, so the winner of a signed copy of my book and a couple of surprises is renee p. i just sent her an email letting her know she was the lucky commenter.

…

finally, thanks to many of you, the liz logelin foundation set a fundraising record for our gala, 5k and online auction.

between the three events, we raised $46,763.42, which is an 18% increase over last year (pretty awesome).

we wanted to share this video with you in case you weren’t able to attend the gala…please pass it along and help us build our network of support:

october 7th is this friday! if you are not already a part of $7 on the 7th campaign, please consider joining and pledging your support year round.

thanks, as always, for your commitment to the liz logelin foundation. can’t wait to see what the future brings.

this sunday october 2nd, 2011, i’ll be speaking on a panel at the west hollywood book fair. the fair is going to be beyond awesome and you should definitely try to stop by and say hello if you’re in the area.

here’s some information about the panel i’m on:

WHO I AM: MEMORIES THAT BECOME MEMOIRS
(11:45am-12:45pm)
Dan Fante
Emma Forrest
Matt Logelin
Amy Ephron
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett (Mod.)
Signing Afterwards at the Mysterious Galaxy booth

(ed. note…dan fante is the son of one of my all-time favorite writers, john fante, and a pretty great writer himself. the rest of the authors on the panel are also amazing, so a “holy shit i can’t believe i’m on this panel” note is definitely appropriate here).

please come out and say hello.

click here for all the information you’ll need to plan your day, including the full schedule of events, maps & more.

admission and parking are free!

finally, here’s an awesome trailer for the event:

…

next thursday october 6th, 2011 at 7:00pm, i’ll be reading at third place books at 17171 bothell way north east, lake forest park, washington 98155

people tell me that’s near seattle, so if you’re in the area, come out and see me (just an fyi, i’ve been known to take people out for drinks afterwards so even if you didn’t like my book, you really should come if you like booze).

oh. i haven’t given anything away in awhile, so leave a comment, any comment, i’ll choose someone at random and send them a signed copy of my book, along with a couple of surprises.

thanks, as always, for your support.

madeline shrunk.

yeah.

she went from 36.5 inches tall to 36.375.

i mean, it had been 6 months since her last appointment and i figured that her growth may slow down, but shrinking? that never crossed my mind.

so i spent months researching conditions that would make a kid shrink.

i came up with nothing.

i worried…

what have i done to make her shrink?

did she eat too many cupcakes?

what do i need to get her growing again?

is she eating the wrong kind of carrots?

what does the mean about me as a parent?

it took me awhile to realize that it wasn’t that madeline shrank, or that i didn’t do anything wrong…

after months, i realized, it was that the nurse changed the method by which they measured her. up until her 3-year appointment, they laid her down on top of a measuring board to figure out her height. at her 3-year appointment, the nurse had maddy standing with her back against the wall to measure her height.

i hope that’s it.

but i can say i was pretty damn relieved that i remembered that little detail.

anyway, since no one guessed that madeline shrunk, i’ve randomly chosen someone to whom i’ll send a copy of my book and will be in touch with winner soon.

here’s where she ended up

she weighed in at 29 pounds and was measured at 36.375 inches, knocking her down to roughly 61% of her mother’s adult height.

below are updated weight/height charts.

okay, on to the next thing.

can someone please help me figure out what the hell a mimissmormis is?

i thought she **may** be trying to say “metamorphosis” but i think i was leading the witness a bit. i really can’t figure out what she’s talking about. that usually means it’s something she read at school or saw on tv. i asked her to draw it.

that didn’t help either.

please help.

finally, if you’re in the nyc area this thursday, july 21st, at 6:30pm, i’ll be reading from my book, and (if you don’t mind me scribbling in yours) signing copies at the the rum house (located at 228 west 47th street nyc 10036). yes, i’m reading in a bar.

show up and i may just buy you a drink.

or two.

also, thanks for all of the comments on the last post. i used a random number generator to choose the winner of a signed copy of my book…the winning comment was #494 and was left by sarah. she has already responded to my email and i’ll be sending her book out later today.

in case you’re wondering how things are going, well, they’re going pretty well. except for the fact that maddy got really sick last week. i picked her up for school and asked her if she wanted to go get some ice cream (which we do about once a week these days). she’s usually way into such things, but she said, “no daddy, my head hurts.” i looked in my rearview mirror and before i could even spit out the words, “i’m sorry” she threw up all over herself. she was covered. and she immediately started screaming at the top of her lungs, apparently terrified of the vomit.

i stayed calm, telling her that everything was okay, and pulled over as quickly as i could. i got her out of her carseat stripped her out of her clothes in the grass on the side of the road. she was totally calm until she saw the amount of vomit on her pants, then she immediately lost it again. “daddy! i puked on my pants! i puked on my pants!” she screamed through her sobs. “it’s okay, maddy!” i said, as she stood there screaming.

there i was was, pulled over on the side of a busy street in burbank, with a half naked child screaming at the top of her lungs.

i was convinced i was going to jail.

but mostly i just felt so bad for her.

so bad, in fact, that i didn’t realize i that i had vomit all over my arm and shirt, something that would have made me vomit immediately in the days before madeline came into my life.

i got us both cleaned up and headed home.

later that night she threw up again, this time it was pretty well contained to the indent in her pillow. she was terrified again by the vomit, but once she was cleaned up, everything was good and she went to sleep.

the next day she was pretty good natured about the events.

here’s some proof:

(oh, and i attribute her fear of vomit to the earlier trauma described here).

i’m on the second (or is it the third?) leg of my book tour. i’m currently in milwaukee and will be on the morning blend on thursday, june 9th at around 9:00am before heading to green bay for a signing that evening. then i’ll be back in milwaukee for a signing on friday the 10th, before heading to chicago for a signing on saturday the 11th (yes, i finally finalized the venue…thanks for your patience). then on monday i’ll be back in minneapolis for a couple of days for some liz logelin foundation business (more info on that next week). below are the dates/times/locations for my next three signings. hope to see you there…

thursday, june 9th, 2011 – 7:00pm
kavarna
143 north broadway
green bay, wisconsin 54303
tel: 920.430.3200

friday june 10th, 2011 – 7:00pm
boswell book company
2559 north downer avenue
milwaukee, wisconsin 53211

saturday june 11th, 2011 – 6:00pm
charleston in bucktown
2076 north hoyne avenue
chicago, illinois 60647
tel: 773.489.4757

oh, and remember that time i was on oprah? i got a call from one of her producers the other day telling me that the episode will be re-airing on june 17th. check your local listings for more information.

they’ve asked me to be the keynote speaker (which is an incredibly huge honor for me, and likely a mistake on their part). i’ll be speaking at 4:00pm and signing books afterwards.

also, the liz logelin foundation will have a table at the event, and i’ll be there most of the day signing books and sharing info about what the foundation does to help families in need (and of course, accepting donations if you want to make one).

as an extra incentive to stop by the foundation table, i’ll be giving away 5 copies of my book, autographed by me, and scribbled on by maddy. the giveaways will take place before 1:00pm so stop by early. if you don’t win a copy and you still want one, barnes & noble will be on site selling a limited number of books.

and be on the lookout for brooke and maddy. they’ll be roaming the event, likely spending most of the day in the children’s village.

you can read more about the gaithersburg book festival by clicking on the link to the washington post or by reading my interview with gazette.net

hope to see you there!

oh, and monday i’ll be back in southern california and appearing at the cerritos public library. info below:

monday, may 23rd – 7:00pm
cerritos public library
18125 bloomfield avenue
cerritos, california 90703
tel. 562.916.1350

hope to see you there, too!