First the Good News, well maybe not first...

I'M IN SAPPORO!!!

Sapporo is the capital of the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido. It's my fave city in Japan and maybe the world. (How else can I explain having taken an 8-10 hour trip 4 times in 3 years?) I love the ride up here too. Even though it's long, I sleep most of the way. And I'm always psyched to travel through the Seikan Tunnel, the deepest and longest railway tunnel in the world.

I'm taking a few days to chill out, spend some time with my new MS (not started yet), go to Write On Con, and just relax. This is supposed to be a nice, relaxing, FRUGAL break. Of course, that was before I got to my hotel and saw an announcement that one of my favourite J-groups is having a concert while I'm here. Sigh. I'm fighting the good fight.

But none of that is the good news.

The good news is that Kate Scott has signed with an agent! She's now repped by Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. Kate was one of the lucky ones who didn't do the whole query bit. She actually met Miriam at a writers' conference. She did a pitch event and Miriam loved it, and read the book in conference breaks, badda-bing, badda-bang, contract.

But don't go printing off Kate's photo and stiching it on a voodoo doll just yet. She may not have had to query, but she's still had to work really hard. I met Kate on Natalie Whipple's blog through her critique partner match-up event. One of the things Kate was looking for in a critique partner was good spelling. That's because she's dyslexic. I can't tell you how amazed I am by that. If I were dyslexic, I doubt I'd have ever picked up a book, far less try to write one.

So head on over to Kate's and tell her 'Congrats!' God knows she deserves it.