Winter?

I griped like crazy earlier in the week because it was so cold here - the high reached the low 50's but when I left for work early both days - it was only 27. Today, it's about 72 - we have roses blooming out front & giant red flowers on the hibiscus plants 'sticking their chests out' toward the sun on the westerly side of the front porch. I picked kumquats this morning, & wore shorts & flip flops while running various errands. My kids tell me it's been mostly wet & cold up north & that 50 degrees would be welcomed compared to the 20's & 30's they've been getting. I guess that makes the score here move up a notch to an 8 (see previous post). The cat (Nubber) is relieved. He spends every day in his designated chair on the back porch (which is screened & perfectly safe) where he can watch the critters in the nature preserve (deer, armadillos, racoons, wild hogs, & the usual common little furry creatures) behind the house. Good thing it wasn't cold last night - I forgot about him & left him out there all night & he let me know about it as soon as I walked past the door. Nothing like starting the day getting nagged by a cat.

Second Guessing

I convinced my wife that moving to Florida from Pennsylvania (almost 3 years ago) was a great idea. On a scale of 1 to 10 - it's been a 7, but I still 2nd guess the decision at least every couple of weeks - especially when we're missing the kids & grandkids. On the plus side, living in St Augustine has opened the story floodgates for me ( a few drafts underway) & another round of 2nd guessing - this time on my writing. I finally feel like my 1st YA book (65,000 words) is ready to pitch & now I'm struggling with...... is it YA or is it MG??? I've had 6 objective readers (not my mom) that have reviewed all or at least substantial portions of the work. 3 say YA - 3 say MG. (Maybe I should look for a tie breaker?) Those that say middle grade point out, that even though it's an adventure story centering on 4 teenagers (almost 16) running around the ancient city encountering ghosts & bad guys, the fact that there are no 'adult situations' & no profanity makes it MG. In their opinion, YA must include some degree of 'struggling into adulthood conflicts' (I think that's how they put it) to make it 'edgy' enough to be considered YA. So, now I'm ready (or thought I was) to start working on my pitch, a synopsis (underway for a specific submission), & now..... I'm 2nd guessing AGAIN - not the content but the target. The YA stuff that I've read? Some of it includes - some excludes the 'stuff' I don't intend to add. Maybe I'll flip a coin.........