Writers, Authors and Cookies

So, I think I’m an “author” this week rather than a “writer.” Writers write, and I haven’t been doing much of that. I have three days of author visits tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, so I spent yesterday getting organized.

Today I did “authorly” things like take a bike ride, which is a very “authorly” thing to do because authors spend a lot of time sitting on their butts, so they NEED to get out and do something active now and then. I’ve put 1,909.95 miles on my bike so far this season…which translates to 20 pounds lost since the beginning of biking season. Let’s hope I don’t put more than five of those pounds back on over the winter.

Then I did the “authorly” thing of making cookies because…well, we didn’t have any cookies and I’ve lost 20 pounds! I made peanut butter cookies because after 21 years of marriage I just found out this summer (during that period of time when I wasn’t making cookies) that my husband’s favorite cookie is not the peanut butter-like cookie with the Hershey’s kiss that I make at Christmas time (though he says those are good, too!). Instead it’s the basic peanut butter cookie. (And this is a good choice for me to make right now because it’s HIS favorite cookie rather than mine…so I am not as likely to eat as many of them as he and the kids are.)

I don’t know why I just make that other peanut butter kiss cookie at Christmastime. It’s not REALLY a Christmas cookie. It wouldn’t make it into my neighbor’s “Christmas cookie exchange.” Not that I have actually participated in said neighbor’s Christmas cookie exchange. For one thing, you have to make TEN DOZEN cookies (ye gads!). Which means, you also GET ten dozen cookies. I do not want ten dozen cookies in my house. My neighbor says this way we don’t have to make any other Christmas cookies. Not true…there are certain cookies that must be made every year or my family stages a revolt. And none of those are cookies I could take to the cookie exchange because they’re not “special Christmas cookies.” Yes, cookies for the cookie exchange have to be cookies you wouldn’t normally make any other time except Christmastime (i.e. they must be really fancy and require a ton of WORK! They don’t necessarily have to taste good). And the invitation to participate actually says that M & M cookies etc. are not allowed. And no, I haven’t received an invitation to participate YET…I may not receive one at all this year since I have yet to participate. I’d participate if my M & M cookies with the red and green M & Ms would count. They’re really GOOD M & M cookies. And I’ve tried to explain that I only make M & M cookies with the green and red M & Ms at Christmastime…these are among the cookies that must be made every Christmas…but no go with my neighbor. So I COULD have made M & M cookies or the peanut butter kiss cookies today, but in light of the 20 pounds, I think basic peanut butter was a better choice.

I have also done the “authorly” things of reading/writing e-mail and blogging. I even started researching a new picture book idea (i.e. I have a list of books I plan to pick up at the library later today)…hey, that maybe qualifies as “writerly” rather than “authorly?”