I’m sorry I haven’t posted much in the last few days but all my writing energy is going into trying to get these first 50 or so pages of my novel in shape to give to my agent. Right now I’ve changed the working title to “The Sensual Music of Neglect.” It’s taken from the first stanza of one of my favorite poems, William Butler Yeats’ “Sailing to Byzantium.”

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, command all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, or dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unaging intellect.

On another note, I found out this morning that I”ve been nominated for a Quill Award. The Quills are considered the Oscars of the publishing business. I’ve been nominated in the Audio Book category for my recording of Mississippi Sissy. I’m up against Sissy Spacek for her recording of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Amy Sedaris for writing and recording I Like You. Fannie Flagg for writing and recording Can’t Wait to Get Out of Here. And Will Patton for recording Charles Frasier’s 13 Moons. The ceremony is in October at Lincoln Center and is broadcast over NBC. Sissy and Amy and Fannie - now that’s a category I always I knew I’d be in one day.

Also, I was get my political fix yesterday by browsing through my favorite political blogs and clicked on to dailykos.com and was surprised to read a long rave review of Mississippi Sissy there. Dailykos.com is one of the most heavily trafficed political sites so I was thrilled to see the book written about there. You’ll probably have to search for it on there now but it’s worth the read.