8 May 2016: Hello all, Apologies for the long silence, but perhaps you will forgive me when I explain I am no longer the mother of one. I am now the mother of FOUR, including 18 month old identical twins, and as a result free time (for responding to messages, writing, or even showering) is at a premium. That said, I have managed to post some novel-length work (completed before the kids, I assure you) on Inkitt dot com, so if anyone is interested in seeing more of my stuff, please take a look. Be warned in advance, it is not HP fandom, but hopefully it may still appeal. Please search under the writer name Bacal to find the stories. Thank you all for helping me believe in myself and my work! Happy reading!

29 October 2009: Proudly announcing the arrival of Harper Rose whose Hebrew name is Haviva Rachel. She is named after her maternal great-grandparents Harvey & Rosalyn, and her late Auntie Rachel. Harper arrived on 19 October 2009 and weighed 6 lb 12 oz, despite being nearly 4 weeks early. Mother and baby are doing well, having arrived home from the hospital on 27 October 2009, following a few days of treatment for neonatal jaundice

18 October 2009: less than 24 hours after posting the epilogue, my waters broke. How's that for timing? I'm off to hospital - send good thoughts and prayers that all goes well despite her being early. She is just over 36 weeks so hopefully all will be well, but I could really use some of that fanfic support that's been so great over these past months. Keep us both in your heart please. I will post again as soon as I can...

14 September 2009: Dear all, Sometimes I feel like all I do with this profile is to apologize to you, but I am truly sorry for the long delay in updating. I realize my RL news is beginning to sound more unreal than my stories about a magical castle or dilithium crystal-powered spaceships, but frankly these last few months, my life has been stranger than fiction. And this latest installment has really thrown me for a loop. Late last week I finally finished my shifts in the local ER (as mentioned in my last update), and I was thrilled with the notion that my life would no longer revolve around working, driving home, eating, falling into bed, waking up, working, driving home... you get the idea. No sooner had I begun my plans to reclaim my life and FINALLY finishing off HNH than once again life intervened. In the ER, we call those unfortunate souls who seem to attract bad luck "black clouds". They are the staff who, through no apparent fault of their own, are guaranteed to have a major bus crash happen on their watch or have the ER get flooded by a burst overhead pipe or... You get the picture. My life has recently taken on those "black cloud" attributes. Thank heaven the baby is fine, no issues have (yet) come up with her, so your prayers and good wishes are obviously exerting a protective effect, but you may recall that I had written about how Argus, my Giant Schnauzer, had recently been very ill. Well, while he was getting all the attention, very quietly Apollo, the other dog in the picture, began having some minor symptoms. Those came to a head yesterday and we discovered he had a massive tumor in his abdomen that finally grew to the point where it became symptomatic. Unfortunately, that first symptom was a complete obstruction of his large intestine, and so, less than 24 hours after he first was seen, I had to have him euthanized. He died this morning in my arms. As those of you who are pet lovers know, this is a pretty awful thing. For those of you who aren't into pets, trust me; this is terrible. And of course, it brings up all the issues re my sister's death that I haven't really had time to deal with. I guess what I'm saying is that I am once again one step removed from being a total basket case and I must therefore again beg for your understanding. (I'm not even mentioning finding out last week that my ex-fiance is dead, or coming home today to find my neighbor planning to level the lovely little lot beside my home that is full of trees and birds and has given me a lovely sense of privacy and nature for the last 3 years.) So at the moment, life kinda sucks. The baby is keeping me from crawling into bed and never getting out again, but you will hopefully understand if I am not my usual self.

25 August 2009: Hello, everyone, and my apologies for the delay! Please know that it had nothing to do with either the baby or the dog, both of whom are just fine. (Whew!) Rather the delay was caused by my abruptly having to begin a heavy schedule in the local ER, which coupled with my other job responsibilities led to some 60 hour work-weeks. I won't go into the details but suffice it to say that in order to retain my licensure, I have to put in a month of overtime and it had to occur ASAP, before the pregnancy advanced much further. So I've been working looooooong hours and have another 3 weeks to go. On top of that, I caught the Stomach Bug From Hell and was literally incapacitated for several days... All told, it's been rather frantic here. As there are only a few (fast paced) chapters left in the story, I didn't want to start the final segment until I was confident that I would not leave you hanging with a truly nail-biting cliffie for an extended period of time, so I felt it better to stand pat until life settled down to a dull roar and I could keep up the necessary pace. Hopefully that is now happening. Thank you for your patience, and again, I am very VERY sorry for the delay. I hate such things when I am the reader, so I really do understand the frustration such things engender.

14 August 2009: Again, all your good wishes and prayers have worked! Argus (the giant schnauzer in the picture) is home and back to his usual self - he is lying next to me as I write this and keeps resting his chin on the laptop's keyboard! Iit was a good reminder that we never know how long we have with anyone or anything and to enjoy what you have while you have it. My due date is exactly 3 months away now (eek) and all is going well. I just need things to keep going on as they have and hopefully all will be well. I'm about to start posting the final chapters of Harry's New Home, and even without being awash with pregnancy hormones, I'd find it an emotional time. I've been through quite a bit since starting this story, and part of the reason I've made it through is because of this story bringing all of you into my life. I don't know what I would have done without your reviews and encouragement to brighten some of the very dark and anxious times. So thank you from the bottom of my heart because whatever joy I may have brought you with my story, you have more than reciprocated with your reviews and PMs.

10 August 09: Thank you all for your good wishes and inquiries into my health and the baby's. So far - yay! - so good. All seems to be proceeding normally, and we are - awk! - getting into the last 3 months. Almost as hard to believe as the fact that (Gd willing) I will soon be a mum, is the fact that "Harry's New Home" is quickly coming to a close. It's been a year since the first chapter was posted, and yet in so many ways it seems like I just started it. Thank you to all who have stuck with the long path from then to now. :) Unfortunately, FF net has been cranky of late, and I have been unable to update this profile, upload new chapters, or even reply to reviews. Looks like that is (finally) fixed though, so hopefully I'll be able to update per the usual schedule (or even more frequently). I will warn everyone that there are cliffies ahead and beg for your indulgence. If you are truly panicking, just contact me and I will let you know what is coming, but remember, I am a sucker for happy endings, so try not to freak out too much, okay? Now, before I remove all drama from the last 5 chapters or so, let me move on. I've been a bit distracted this past week by my 10 1/2 year old Giant Schnauzer becoming quite seriously ill - he's still not out of the woods, and at his age, any serious illness could be his last. That said, I will be updating soon, and will try to keep to my usual of at least once a week, but in the event of a major setback, there might be a short delay. Thanks again to everyone for your support and encouragement!

30 June 09: Had the scan yesterday and - hooray! - all is well with the baby. All the various bits and pieces look properly formed, though she was quite the little minx and hid her face behind her hands when the poor ultrasonographer was trying to get facial measurements. :) And yes, I used the pronoun deliberately. IT'S A GIRL!! (Not that a boy wouldn't have been just as welcome, but they assure me it's a little girl, and needless to say I'm thrilled.) So thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and encouragement. It looks like she's a real fighter (gulp - deliberately pushing away thoughts of the terrible two's and adolescence!) and while there's no such thing as a guarantee, things are looking as promising as we could hope. So with luck (and your continued good wishes) there will be a new little girl welcomed into the world in November! Re Harry's New Home, I am delighted that it remains so popular. :) I should warn you that for the month of July, I will be working full time in a local emergency department, so updates may be a bit delayed, as my writing time will take a hit. That said, we are moving towards the climax and finale, so I promise to do my very best not to make you wait. Thank you again for your patience and understanding and - most of all - your support!

25 May 09: Thank you again for all the support and encouragement in your reviews and PMs! The news continues to be good. Both scans and blood tests have lowered the risk of birth defects, and the baby's heartbeat continues to sound strong. :) Another sign of progress: for the first time I was recognized as pregnant, not fat, by someone who had been previously unaware of my status! :) All continues to go well, and every day without a problem is a day closer to a healthy delivery! Now the only issue is my impatience. Come on, November!! ;)

11 May 09: Your thoughts and prayers are working! The latest scans are good. Baby is healthy, no signs of earlier bleeding, and no evidence of any birth defects! WHEW! I'm now formally out of the first trimester and permitted a bit more by way of activity, though I'm still taking it very easy. I'm feeling fine and keep having to remind myself I'm not getting FAT, I'm pregnant. :) Thank you all again for the notes of encouragement and support. It means a great deal, as normally my sister would be here, supporting me. In her absence, it's lovely to have all of you sending hugs and PMs and emails... So thank you again! :)

3 May 09: Thank you again for all the good thoughts and prayers. By this time next week, I am hoping that the latest scan will show that all is okay with the baby. I am in the final week of my first trimester, so if this last scan is encouraging, we'll all breathe a little easier in having made it past week 12! :) Please keep thinking of me!! Your messages and artwork and stories have - I am absolutely convinced - gotten me to where I am today. You have kept my spirits up and my hopes alive, and I really could not have done it without you. In terms of the story, I apologize for the delay in updating, but I hope that the long length of the new chapter (42) will make up for it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts! :)

17 April 09: It's working! All the good thoughts and prayers that so many of you have been sending are working. I had another scan and the hemorrhage is smaller, and the baby is continuing to grow. For the first time, the baby's limbs were moving - as if to say "Hi, Mom! I'm OK!". I have learned not to take anything for granted and so am still being super-careful, but again, the results could not have been better. It's not a guarantee, but even the most cautious of the doctors is now beginning to sound like things might turn out well. :) I am continuing to limit my activities and get plenty of rest, and I will continue to do so in order to be deserving of all your good wishes! I know my sister, wherever she now is, is doing whatever she can to help - just as all of you are doing - and I am incredibly grateful. I just hope that in mid-November (or thereabouts) I have some extremely happy news to share with you all (and I'm not talking about the final chapter of HNH!). Thanks again and please continue to remember me (us?) in your thoughts and prayers. :)

10 April 09: Thank you all so much for the messages of support, the prayers, and the good wishes. I had a repeat scan two days ago that was cause for cautious optimism - the baby has grown, there's still a heart beat, and no further signs of bleeding. I'm telling myself that at this point, every day without a problem is one day closer to a healthy delivery. :) I genuinely believe that all the good wishes have truly helped, not only my own emotional state, but also the baby. If the pregnancy does not come to term, it won't be because there wasn't an enormous amount of love and welcome directed at this child. :) Thank you all.

I still miss my sister - and I don't know if that gaping hole will ever be less raw - but thanks to all your PMs and messages, I no longer feel so alone. Just as importantly, all of your assurances that I need not fret about updating frequently released a huge amount of stress I hadn't even realized I was holding onto, and made writing once again a thing of pleasure and escape, rather than an obligation I wasn't sure I could fulfill. So thank you also for helping me to recapture the joy of writing. I will keep you updated as new developments occur. My love to you all!

3 April 09: Hi all - Apologies for the delay in updating HNH. It has been a really rotten week. Six days ago, my sister's body was found in her apartment. Three days after that, I suffered a threatened miscarriage and was ordered to bed. Like I say, it's been a really rotten week.

I am now stuck at home, trying to adjust to being off work, unable to walk the dogs or do the shopping, and mourning my sister without being able to attend the funeral. We won't know for several more days if the bedrest has worked and the pregnancy can continue, and of course normally I'd be calling my sister for support and advice in this awful, scary time. In fact, I keep catching myself trying to do so before I realize that she's not there anymore. And won't be, ever again.

So I've not really been in the mood to write anything.

That said, I do have the rest of HNH outlined (yes, in its entirety) so I don't require much inspiration, more just the motivation and discipline to sit down and write the damned thing. So far, though, I've been wrapped in a cloak of apathy and managing to find the energy to take a shower has been about the extent of my abilities. I will do my best, but please understand the situation and be patient.

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WOO HOO!! You guys are THE BEST! I have won in all three categories of the Quibbler awards for which I was nominated, and obviously that is all down to you, my readers. Thank you so SO much!! I am incredibly grateful and honored and realize I am beginning to babble like Sally Field.

As some of you know, I have been toying with the idea of ending Harry's New Home in another few chapters, after Harry deals with Quirrell, as I was worried that interest might soon flag. But these awards show that you guys are still enjoying the story and my take on the characters, so... it will be continued until Voldemort's final defeat! (I have the story entirely plotted out already since I had to know in my own head what would happen to poor Harry, so now I "just" have to write it down.)

Anyway, I hope that this news will make it clear how appreciative I am of your votes. :) Thank you again! (For those who are interested - the website is http:///)

By the way, Mystkyten has done some incredible illustrations for Harry's New Home - if you're not familiar with her spectacular artwork, I'd suggest you visit her homepage (http:///index.html). The Harry's New Home illustrations are at http:///newhome.html

Thanks also for all the great reviews! I'm really blown away by them. It means a lot when you let me know you've read and enjoyed, so many thanks and major smoochies to all of you who have been kind enough to review. You're motivating me to write more!!

It has been lovely to hear from all of you who enjoyed Harry's First Detention and have are now enjoying Harry's New Home. It's due to your requests that the sequel came to be, so you guys should feel a bit of ownership in the story! :) I'll try to do you proud...

Thanks again to all who are reading and reviewing my stories. I never in a million years imagined I'd have a story with over 200,000 hits and 2000 reviews! Wow. Thank you so much.

Hope you continue to enjoy --