Just a few things I’m feeling extra-specially thankful for these days (aside from YOU ALL, who make me feel special and thankful every day):
1. This (above) is the jacket of my new book, Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story! It’s about loneliness, and outsiders, and platonic love. And porcupines.
A-freakin-dorable, right? Many thanks again to my pal Scott Magoon, who continues to bring the awesomeness. (Notice the skunk on the lower left is wearing a car air freshener as a necklace. Genius.) As of December 20, you can get your prickly paws on the book at your local indie, and at chains such as Barnes & Noble, where I’m told it will be featured prominently on something called a “love octagon” (a fancy Valentine’s display, in layman’s terms) starting December 27.
2. Of Mr. Prickles, Kirkus just said, “Misfits, bullies, educators, parents and kids of all kinds just may learn a thing or two from this nocturnal love story.”
3. School Library Journal just said:
Puns and droll humor pepper this story of lonely Mr. Prickles, a porcupine who becomes justifiably unfriendly after struggling unsuccessfully to befriend the other woodland creatures. (“He tried to join in their midnight picnicking, but it was pointless.”) Bold cartoon illustrations full of clever details and dark, shadowy colors draw out the humor but also make the pain of loneliness and rejection resonate. When Mr. Prickles meets another porcupine, Miss Pointypants, she convinces him that spending so much time glaring at the other animals is boring. Pretty soon they’re having too much fun together to care about the unkind remarks made about them. Kids who know something of social cruelties will find familiar scenes and a happy ending here.
4. OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars is being reprinted. Take THAT, picture book nay-sayers!
5. On a more personal note, I had my quarterly CT scan two weeks ago (complete with post-scan pancakes), and just got the results last week: I’m a clean, mean, cancer-free machine! It’s been just over a year since I finished my chemo, so the results of this scan are extra-significant.
That’s it from here! So, what are you thankful for these days?
Kara LaReau 
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