Why is that always the case? I’ve been sitting in front of my computer, typing away, with clear skin for months. But now that I actually have to leave my apartment I get a growth on my right cheek the size of a Hummer. I hear the trick is to stick some toothpaste on it. Hopefully, it will shrink by the end of the week…

Which leads me to my television spot… if you are up on Sunday morning and you are in the New York City area, tune in to Channel 7 WABC-TV at 9:00 am. I’ll be talking about how to keep kids reading through the dog days of summer, along with Jane O’Connor, author of the wonderful Fancy Nancy picture books, and Scott Westerfeld, author of the phenomenal teen series, Uglies. I’m a big fan of Scott’s stuff. His Ugly trilogy is an engrossing commentary on society set in a cool science fiction setting full of hoverboards, bungee jackets, and mandatory plastic surgery. I love Jane’s books as well. My mom’s name is Franci, and we often call her Fancy Franci!

See ya on the tube!

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A long time ago I vowed to be a nonjudgmental person when it comes to other people’s eating habits. After all, I used to wait tables at a New York diner and I’ve seen some pretty untraditional food combos…like ketchup on a Caesar salad and cream cheese in an omelette. So, when I witnessed my editor, Rena, putting banana peppers (cold, yellow, pickled peppers) on her pizza it got me thinking about pizza toppings. Pizza is just one of those foods that has no bounds when it comes to what people stick on top of it. Personally, I like eggplant on my pizza, but that’s about as funky as I get. What are some of your pizza topping preferences? Drop me a comment below and let me know what you put on your pie.

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