Big day today. Bigger day tomorrow. Tomorrow is Berkley Prime Crime’s release date for all their August books. I - as you know - am a Berkley Babe. So is our own Diana Killian, with whom I share Mondays here on the Good Girls. And so is Laura Bradford, AKA Elizabeth Lynn Casey, who has her own book coming out tomorrow: Sew Deadly, first in the Southern Sewing Circle mysteries. I’m sure she’ll be telling you all about it on her own blog day, which just happens to be tomorrow, as well.

My new release is called Spackled and Spooked, and is the second in the Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries (although I have it on good authority that it’s been available in stores since July 14th). Have a look around for it, would you?

Because I’m really kind of busy, between the release of Spackled and Spooked, the revisions for Plaster and Poison, coming in March, and writing book 4 - tentatively titled Mortar and Murder - I’ve lined up a guest blogger for you today. Please give a big hand to Diana Orgain, my ITW debut author buddy and fellow Berkley Babe, whose first book in the Maternal Instincts mysteries, Bundle of Trouble, will be in stores everywhere tomorrow, also from Berkley Prime Crime. Diana is busy too, hence her need to streamline her brain.

Fair Day

Last week, I told my husband that I would like a “defrag” program for my mind. You know, like the kind for computer disks. Can’t someone invent that? Just figure out what’s an old file in my mind and get rid of it for me?

I’m in the middle of everything right now. This is my life – multi-tasking. My first book, Bundle of Trouble, is scheduled to be released in a few days. My second book, Motherhood is Murder, is awaiting feedback from my editor and the third book…oh yeah…that – it needs to be written still.

But it is summer and I need a break too – so, I took my kids to the Sonoma County Fair the other day. I have three little ones. My oldest is a girl, 5 and I have two boys ages 2 and 5 months.

We have been going to the fair every year since my oldest was born and every year I get excited. This year I was surprised that she was able to ride on the kiddie rides alone and my poor little two-year-old was only tall enough for a few rides. He didn’t seem to care, though, he is extremely happy by nature. Almost ridiculously happy – but we love him anyway. And the five-month-old just sat contently in his stroller and watched everything.

The absolute highlight was the virtual ride my five-year-old went on. She sat in a chair with straps and they put on some dark glass and headphone. Apparently, they play some kind of movie (I think it was an Amazon Jungle theme) and the chair begins to move and twist about. She laughed and laughed while she was on the ride.

When the ride was over she got off and told me it was great. I probed for information.

She said, “You see, mommy, I can’t really remember because they put these headphones on me and I think they brain-minded me, mommy. Yeah. That’s it. They brain-minded me.”

Of course, she meant “brainwashed” but then what in the world does a five-year-old know about brainwashing? Hey, maybe it will be this new generation that comes up with the brain-de-frag program I’m longing for. In the meantime, I think I’ll have to resort to my list.

Do you keep lists? How do you all remember what needs doing and when? I’d love to hear your thoughts and innovations on to-do lists.

You can find out more about Diana, and read an excerpt of Bundle of Trouble, on Diana’s website, http://www.dianaorgain.com