Some recent, nice bits of news to start my summer off:

The Celestials is shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for writing.  http://library.stanford.edu/news/2014/05/press-release-william-saroyan-international-prize-writing-2014-shortlist

The Celestials is chosen to be part of the Common Reader Project at Berkshire Community College in the fall of 2014.

My essay, “Now What Do We Do,” about my 11-year-old daughter’s first break-up will be published by Good Housekeeping in fall of 2014.  The editor who bought it was the editor of my first novel.

Jim’s new novel, The Book of Aron (coming in May 2015) has sold in ten countries and counting.  Brazil was first, Israel is the most recent.

Lucy Shepard, aforementioned 11-year-old, was chosen as one of three sixth grade graduation speakers.  Her speech revisits the eight years of elementary school through the lens of Finding Nemo.  Of course it does.