The above is a photo of the peonies out in my yard, which seem just about ready to bloom. This pretty much sums up my life right now — everything seems to be on the verge, with nothing fully realized. It’s a bit maddening, to know that some good news (or at least, you know, any news) might be just around the corner. I’ve been distracting myself by doing all manner of things around the house, including, but not limited to, hours of backbreaking yard work, multiple loads of laundry, emptying and filling the dishwasher, whipping up huge batches of egg salad, baking cookies, and brewing homemade limoncello. And I’ve done a ton of reading, of course.

As for the writing, it’s been slow-going lately. I have a couple of projects in development, including a picture book coming out in 2013 (which is done at my end) and some final revision work I need to do on a novel. But as far as new ideas, I have several, and I’m not exactly sure which one I want to tackle next. So I thought I might leave it in your hands. I’m going to describe (very, very generally) the three stories in my summer queue, and I invite you to comment and let me know which one you think I should work on first. Here we go…

Project #1: Contemporary middle grade. The story of a friendship between two girls and how it fades and flourishes over the course of several years. The story is told in vignettes, or parts; each vignette represents a different year in their lives.

Project #2: Contemporary middle grade. While a girl and her family visit her estranged grandfather, she uncovers a mystery.

Project #3: Contemporary middle grade, though could be YA. A boy with amnesia and some unusual scars struggles to discover who he is and what has happened to his parents.

So? What do you think?