New Year/New Changes

As many of you know, I'm making changes. My last post on this blog will be January 6, 2013. I hope you'll plan to come and visit here on that date as I'll be giving away copies of books.

From then on, I'll be posting regularly on my personal blog http://joannaslan.blogspot.com

Why should you join me on my personal blog? Well, that's where I'll share news about the contract I'm signing for a brand new series! Here's what I can share: It's a three-book contract for a mystery series featuring a spunky female protagonist and there'll be a whole lot of crafting involved in this cozy.

As time goes on, I'll also tell you what's next for Kiki Lowenstein. And I'll continue to share my love of crafting, which isn't confined to scrapbooking. More and more, I'm interested in drawing, painting, and other papercrafts.

Over the past few days, I've taken a bit of a vacation. I've been exercising my creativity in a new way by following some of the suggestions in Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed-Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim. I believe the brain is a muscle. By exercising it, by stretching it in different directions, it grows. So above is my first attempt at an imaginary beast. To Sonheim's instructions, I added several Zentangle designs. 

My idea of a vacation is a time when I can read a lot. I've finished Manhunt by Peter Bergen (about the search for bin Laden), Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (about the slums of Mumbai), and now I'm reading Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (about Thomas Cromwell and his relationship to Henry VIII).

I'm looking forward to 2013. It's going to be a good year. I hope you'll continue my journey with me!

PS The clicker tells me that this is our 1952 blog post! Wow!