Write or clean the oven? Hmm...

Help! I'm stuck in a mad cleaning phase now that northern Virginia has leapt into an early spring. I have the insane need to scrub under sinks with more vigor than usual and am flirting with the idea of a garden and making a beegum. I'm becoming disgustingly Martha-like with plans of hand-painting poetry-laden scarves and developing my line of handmade dowsing rods (coming soon!) for the Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide's website. It's a sickness.

Book-wise:

Today I chatted with my too too fabulous publicist at Quirk Books about ideas for the upcoming Zombie Tarot. I'll be doing blog tours and readings, let me know if you'd like to be on the list for me to visit your site and I'll load up the zombies. The deck comes out June 5th, just in time for the summer bar-b-ques; nothing like the smell of fresh zombie on the grill. Trust me. There isn't.

My lovely and talented publicist at Sourcebooks is working hard toward the May 1st release of the Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide. My activity workbooks and party planning guide should be available soon to download so get ready to put the boo in your boogie this summer, my friends.

I've been kicking around ideas for my newest book and have some excellent options. Today, I added two more that I think will do quite well for kids and adults. Now to wrap up edits on No Rest for the Wicked anthology and it's into the cave for proposal writing!

What's your favorite cleaning tip?

I'm Daft for Taft

While you can't exactly call William Howard Taft a zombie, his crawling out of the muck and staggering toward a press conference on the White House lawn 100 years after his disappearance is one hell of a way to make an entrance. Jason Heller's new book Taft 2012: A Novel explores the possibility of awakening a man whose presidency was known more for girth than political Goliath. Plunging the former president into the technological abyss and the new way to play politics, Heller exposes Taft to cable news television, Twitter and Twinkies. When a grass roots campaign begins in his name for himself and his great granddaughter, Congresswoman Rachel Taft, he again wants to connect to the country yet can he stomach the thought of another presidency?

Heller's book presents a nation down on its luck and looking for a hero, namely the steadfast and practical moderate found in Taft as a man of the people who is respected in the current day far more than when he held the presidency in the 20th century. Rachel Taft's nemesis is the food industry, her fight for better regulations keeps Taft involved with the very real problems facing the United States. Heller weaves this information throughout the book, so while it's not slapping you in the face -- you're getting the message.

I enjoyed the book, becoming a fan of Big Bill as I had hoped from the outset. There were a few bits I thought unnecessary and some loose ends (like how did they overlook him for 100 years) though they didn't detract much from the overall feel. A good book for this election year, give it a twirl!

::GIVEAWAY::

You may have noticed my magnificent mustache. It's okay. Gaze upon its beauty.

I am giving away a copy of Taft 2012: A Novel to a lucky winner! The rules are easy:

Download your own magnificent mustache below and send me [at stacey.i.grahamATgmail.com] a photo of you wearing it. (Photoshop is fine though I would love to see a baby wearing a paper one)

Photos will be displayed on Late Bloomer unless asked not to do so in the email.

Deadline: February 29, 2012. Winner announced March 1, 2012.

Giveaway available to USA residents only.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!
Thank you, Angie!

Yes, I have too much time on my hands.

You rang, Bloggess?

Juanita couldn't resist the lure of bright lights, snappy musical numbers
and free dog chow when the mutt wasn't looking.

You may have noticed I can't resist a challenge so when The Bloggess threw down the Juanita meme, I had to get my rendition of her taxidermied weasel into the mix.