One of my New Year's resolutions for 2014 was to write another book. Obviously that didn't happen or else you would have heard ALL about it, I'm sure. But I did manage to write two book proposals over the course of the year, and one of them just went under contract in December. I'm not sure if that still counts, technically, since the book isn't done, but I did write the first sentence before the ball dropped on 2015. I didn't say I'd "finish" a book in 2014, I just said I'd "write" one. What percentage was to be written, I wisely never specified. (My case is still under review by the International Resolutions Board.)
Consequently, my resolution for 2015 is to finish what I started, bookwise. Well, that and keeping on top of the laundry situation better so we don't end up with entire mountain ranges composed of clean-but-still-unfolded laundry. I'm optimistic about my first resolution, less so about the second if history is any indication. (Though now that I'm rationing out episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee to be watched only when folding laundry, there might be hope. That is, until the episode ends and I look down to see my progress and find just one lone sock neatly folded without its match.)
Anyway, this new book is a dramatic departure from my last project. It's not about food at all, or at least not much. Sometimes a girl needs to step away from the food for a few minutes so she can crumple into a weepy heap and then come crawling back with a renewed sense of purpose. I've always enjoyed puzzles. Long-time readers may remember a cute little sparrow that was hanging around these parts some years ago with his pithy word games. Well, codeSparrow is finally going to have his own puzzle book featuring the funniest folks on Twitter. His cryptograms are projected to be the next puzzle craze to sweep the nation. They're the word nerd's answer to sudoku. At least that's what all the sparrows are saying. Blue jays scoff at that assertion, but what do blue jays know? They're the trolls of the bird world. Nobody listens to them.
The book will contain hundreds of secret codes to be cracked. Your job: to prove that the internet hasn't turned your gray matter into mush by solving the puzzles. Hack the comedic stylings of social media sensations Tim Siedell (@badbanana), Jason Sweeney (@sween), Alice Bradley (@finslippy), and many others, including stand-up comedians, authors, behind-the-scenes TV writers, as well as my favorite everyday funny people. Maybe you! These are not your typical newspaper cryptograms. These solutions will actually make you laugh out loud. And by that I mean audible sounds of unbridled mirth. None of this silent LOL crap.
codeSparrow can't wait to get started. He's been pooping on everybody's car all week in anticipation. The book is expected to be released in Spring 2016. In the meantime, codeSparrow has asked that all bird feeders remain fully stocked.
Happy New Year!
To stay abreast of codeSparrow happenings, follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
CodeSparrow sounds fun - though I might have expected a romance novel where a woman (and her baked goods)are repeatedly rescued by a handsome fireman.......and then feeds him cake. :)
Posted by: Sheila | January 05, 2015 at 05:12 PM
So cool! I love cryptograms and to figure them out for something more then a common saying would be so much fun!
Posted by: Fredda | January 06, 2015 at 08:21 AM
I found you via Alana's blog (yet another thing I can thank her for). Picked up your book at my local library, and now I MUST OWN IT IMMEDIATELY! (Too bad the December holidays are over. Maybe I can invent a new one. Something about "shouldn't Mom have everything her heart desires?" in January Day)
I'll be going through your archives, so don't be alarmed by the spiking stats. Oh, and when the new puzzle book is done, I'll get one for my husband. Mostly likely for a traditionally celebrated calender event.
Posted by: Julie | January 08, 2015 at 05:12 AM
Julie: Well, Valentine's Day is coming up, but I personally think you deserve to have it right now! Thanks for your lovely comment. Any friend of Alana's is a friend of mine.
Fredda: I love cryptograms, too, and these are incredibly funny. It's nice to have a bonus reward for solving them.
Sheila: That's my third book! How'd you guess?
Posted by: Tammy | January 12, 2015 at 12:06 PM