I never thought at age 51 I’d be announcing this but here ya go. There’s going to be an addition to the Best household in the not so distant future and I’m SO excited!!

I know, I know, you probably all think I’m nuts, but what can I say? I’ve been hoping for this for quite some time now, but doesn’t it always seem as though the stars have to align just so?

Many years ago I probably wouldn’t have expected this to happen so late in my life. You  know how it is. You start out young and full of ambition, with certain expectations and hopes, thinking that it’ll all unfold according to your plan. Most always you expect these things to happen when you’re much younger and better equipped to cope with all the stress involved. I guess this goes to show we never know what the Universe has in store for us, and surprises are good much of the time, even blessings in disguise.

 Not a whole lot of people know about this yet as it’s taking me awhile to get used to the idea myself, but I’m expecting the news to spread quickly. In a small community secrets are not so easy to keep. I’ve discussed it with my husband and my kids, and Miss Charlotte, she’s a bit too young to even know what’s going on. A few close friends are also in the loop. I mean what’s the sense in good news if you can’t share it with someone. And my mum, it only seemed fair that she be let in on the news first thing.

My mind has already begun to think of names for this new bundle of joy. We all know that names can be changed at the last moment when we suddenly decide that the name we thought would be perfect simply doesn’t fit, but I’m hoping this name will feel so right that the thoughts of making a change will be next to impossible.

It’s been awhile, and I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve forgotten since the last time around. But I will have a much better handle on what to expect during the entire process. Experience is a great teacher. We learn through our mistakes.

My head is a bit in the clouds these days. I keep thinking of the euphoric feeling that came over me when my first bundle of joy arrived, how precious a feeling it was to hold in my hands that first time.

But here I am, my 51-year-old, self writing about this stupendous news at the same time experiencing some self-doubt if I’m being truly honest here. Am I ready for the excitement and those sleepless nights? Am I ready to meet and greet all the visitors who’ll show up to help me celebrate when the big day comes?

Now if I add a Happy April Fool’s Day to you here, you’re going to think I made all this up aren’t you? But what can I say, it being April Fool’s Day and all? But here’s the real scoop.

My editor from Nimbus called and said she’d like to publish my next novel!!! That’s right my baby is going to be published. There have been times when I doubted this would ever happen again, but as I said earlier we never know when and how things will unfold in life. I haven’t been given an exact publication date but the possibility of 2013 has come up.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed. You can bet when I know more I’ll pass it along.

So there you have it. I’m proud and happy and even a tad bit giddy, just like any expecting mama would be. Now it’s back to the real world. There are many novel ideas floating about my head, now to settle down and start writing.