I’ll give you the short version: I’m spending every spare second I can find on finishing a young adult novel that’s been rattling around in my brain for three years. I’ve recently launched a web site to talk about the craft of writing, and to continue conversations on social justice and climate change.

I’m hoping to preach to more than the choir, and I hope that many of you will join me there.

Richard Levangie • Writer & Activist Blog

So I put together two good years, but that all came crashing down in May after the drug that was my salvation was discontinued, and the migraines came back with a vengeance. I’ve had about 70 migraines in the last 80 days, and that frantic pace that has left me discouraged and exhausted.

The good news is that I started a new treatment plan about 10 days ago, and I’m feeling a slight shift in body chemistry that I deem encouraging. I’ve been two whole days without a migraine, and if I can get back on an even keel, I’ll be back with a vengeance to write about climate change.

Thanks to all the new readers, and the lively recent debates.

We have a Facebook group. And every once in awhile, I remember to tweet. You can also follow OBM if you’ve activated NetworkedBlogs at Facebook.

I’ll start posting on One Blue Marble again next week. Salut!

A friend of mine, author Erica Kirov, is launching The Magickeepers — The Eternal Hourglass today, so we’re taking a brief moment out of saving the planet to tell people about it. Of course, Canadian readers can also get it at Chapters or their favorite independent.

The plot:

What would you do for an hourglass that stopped time?

Nick Rostov’s father is the worst stage magician in Las Vegas. He can barely pull a rabbit out of a hat. So it is a strange morning indeed when Nick wakes up to find himself on the top floor of the Winter Palace Casino with a promise from the greatest magician in the world to teach him magic.

And not just stage magic. Real magic. Nick sets out to learn about his mother’s family, the strange Russian clan of magicians that secretly run the Winter Palace. But there is a catch: Nick has the sight, the ability to see into the past. And so it must fall to him, with only his cousin Isabella to help, to pick up the long-buried clues and unravel the mystery of The Eternal Hourglass, the only magic artifact ever created that can actually stop time.

The early word from Kirkus:

Though grounded in Russian history and stocked with the customary swords, magical artifacts, a prophecy and shadowy foes, this fantasy earns style points for being set in modern Las Vegas-in a hotel whose residents include polar bears, giant Siberian tigers and Princess Anastasia herself. To this hotel comes 13-year-old Nick Rostov, discovering to his amazement that his dad may be just a second-rate stage magician, but the horde of cousins on his dead mother’s side are real ones, hiding in plain sight as performers in a world-renowned show that uses actual magic. Nick turns out to be a powerful spellcaster-good thing too, as the Magickeepers are locked in a struggle for power with a clan of Shadowkeepers lead by none other than the cruel, scary Rasputin.

Female characters seem bland next to the colorful, distinctive males, but everyone has active roles to play, and Kirov gets Nick through the climactic confrontation on quick wits as much as magical talent. A pleaser for fans of Michael Scott’s Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Erica is one of our favorite people. The Magickeepers is a terrific book for young readers. She’s already hard at work on the next title in the series!

We have a Facebook group. And every once in awhile, I remember to tweet. You can also follow OBM if you’ve activated NetworkedBlogs at Facebook.

Some other cool, progressive Facebook Groups or Facebook Pages:

Stop Stephen Harper’s CBC Agenda
One Million Acts of Green
David Suzuki Nature Challenge
350.org
Media Matters for America
Project ABC — Anything But Conservative
Stop the Tar Sands
I Speak for Canadian Rivers
Ecojustice
Kiva: Loans that Change Lives
Americans for Alternative Energy
Mahone Grown Local Food Project

Kristina and I have been publishing a few stories on Triple Pundit — a web site with the tag line: People. Planet. Profit.

We have the chance to reach many more people there. Be sure to have a look, add it to your blog roll if you’re so inclined, and leave comments frequently!

A number of real world problems made it just about impossible for us to update One Blue Marble over the last 10 days. And they’ve been busy days for the planet and global warming.

But we’ll be back on form this week, and we’re eager to publish several stories to get back in the swing.

Salut!

We’ve updated the One Blue Marble store with groovy t-shirts and hoodies so you can be the envy of all your environmental friends on the clean-tech block.

OK… Forgive me… I’m not much of a natural salesman. In a nutshell, we’re offering clothing for sale to boost our profile and expand our reach. We’re not looking to become wealthy. We do want to keep fighting hard to slow climate change, and that’s why we need your support.

Now truth to tell, the Cafe Press store templates look like sh•t, so I’m not thrilled by the look of our store and the limited ability to customize said store’s template. But these are teething pains that we will overcome as we grow.

But I have no reservations about recommending the incredible designs created by Tara Keleher — they’re gorgeous and poignant.

We have six designs to choose from, so the permutations and combinations are endless!

We’re in this for the long haul, so we had our designer — the brilliant Tara Keleher*, a NY City art director — design posters and T-shirts to promote One Blue Marble. The sample designs have been approved, and final designs should be in our Cafe Press store when the week ends.

We’ll be officially launching One Blue Marble soon, and we have some cool plans going forward.

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* Tara is my niece, and she’s donated her services to One Blue Marble so that our shoestring operation doesn’t look like one. We think Tara’s wonderful!

Our main web site at One Blue Marble has been in a beta stage for the last six weeks. Our first design was one of expediency, but now we’re getting ready for prime time.

Please have a look and make sure that everything works. All comments and critiques are gratefully accepted.

In particular, I would call your attention to our new side banners, six in all. They were designed by my niece, the lovely and talented Tara Keleher.

Tara is hard at work, so we should have One Blue Marble posters and T-shirts available for order soon (based on the side banner designs).

Stay tuned!