Let the dancing commence

Okay, before I get into dancing, I just wanted to note the third book in the Bewitching the Dark series, which I had originally titled Stalking Butterflies is now officially titled HIS FORGOTTEN FOREVER. Which, I like quite a bit.

Now! Dancing With The Stars! I became addicted to this show last year, and I love it already again this year. So I'm going to do early picks and then see how that carries through the show.

Mel B. - I just felt she was sort of flat, and the reception for her was the same. She won't last.

Jenny Garth - Cute, fun and probably will hold in for a while, but not to the end.

Josie Moran - she's going to be cut first

Sabrina Bryan - a Cheetah girl. What a fiesty chick! She's excellent and has great energy. She'll be in it for the long haul.

Marie Osmond - I was surprised the judges scored her so well because her dancing wasn't anything fabulous. But they'll keep her around for her star power.

Jane Seymour - elegant and gorgeous. She might have a chance, but I wonder how she'll do on the faster more erratic dances.

Wayne Newton - Uggh. I can't get past that awful facelift. He dances not at all. But they'll keep him around like they kept John Ratzenberg around, for the old man factor, and the star power.

Helio Castroneves - Wow! He's excellent, and has a lot of energy. Pairing him with Julianne Hough (last year's champion) was an excellent choice. They'll be a couple to watch.

Floyd Mayweather - I'd never heard of this guy, but wow he had some great energy and moves too. I couldn't understand why the judges scored him so low. Sure he had the hip-hop thing going on, but he was leaps better than Wayne Newton.

Mark Cuban - did this guy pay to be on the show? I don't understand how he rates as a 'star'. And I think he's obnoxious. Hope he gets cut quickly

Cameron Mathison - lack luster. He'll be an early cut

Albert Reed - the dude with the smallest fan base, because who the heck is he? Oh, a model. And yet, what a personality on this guy! I hope he does well because he's fun to watch and a bit of a goof.

There you have it! I can't even guess who would have a chance at the win, but maybe Helio or Sabrina. It'll be a fun season. Who are your picks?

3:10 To Yuma

Okay, so I'm surprising myself with this movie recommendation. I do not enjoy Westerns. Have watched a few, but they never capture my interest. Dirty cowboys and shotguns, saloon girls, and herds of cows? Not so much. But last weekend I went to Yuma with the hubby. I was doing it because he always goes along with me to movies I enjoy (and I know sometimes romances and fantasy are not his cup of tea), so I thought I owed him one. And yeah, to have to stare at Christian Bale for two hours wasn't going to be a hardship.

Well, the movie rocked. It was just amazing. The acting was top-notch (not a bad part in there) and the pacing just blew me away. Russell Crowe, whom I've never enjoyed as an actor, was subtle, and perfect for his role. Bale of course is an amazing, under-rated actor. The kid who played Bale's son really hit the nail on the head. And through the whole movie the guy who played Charlie Prince disturbed me. Because he played the part so well, and because I recognized him from a TV show, but couldn't quite place which one. It was Ben Foster, who I now know played in Six Feet Under.

Anyway, I forgot it was a genre of movie I didn't care for, and just fell into the story and the dialogue and really was pleased I decided to go. If you're looking for a good movie this weekend, go see it.

Be Happy

Take a moment today to recognize one thing that makes you smile.

Headed Down Under

I just found out that Harlequin will be issuing this 3-in-1, featuring Lindsay McKenna, Maureen Child, and moi in Australia in October. It's the complete version of the first three Nocturnes issued last year. Cool, eh? It's going out under the Mira label, and I think it'll be mass market size, but who knows? I may have to try to order a copy for myself.

M

New slideshow

So what do you think of the slideshow I added to the right? Interesting? Cool? Does it take too long to load? Can you start reading the page without having to wait for it to load?

If it takes an extremely long time to load, will you comment, to let me know. Tell me what browser you're using, and if you're on dial-up or something faster.

Thanks!
M

Interesting link

A commentor at the Lipstick Chronicles today listed a link to a politcal calculator that is supposed to come up with who you are most likely to vote for in the presidential election. It is very interesting. I'm undecided at the moment, but do have my leanings. It gave me a candidate who was sort of on my list, and now I'm going to look at that person with renewed interest. Hmm...

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

Drive on over to RIDERS today

I posted my Top 5 Favorite French Flicks list at the Riding With The Top Down blog today. Plus, a bonus movie! I love French movies, and it was hard picking only a few. Go check it out!

The long and the short of it

How do you adjust from writing a full-length novel to a short novella?

This was a question asked a weekend ago when I spoke at my local RWA chapter. I've only done two novellas thus far, but have an idea for another brewing. And when I count, I have 15 full-length novels published to date. Cool.

So is one length easier to write than the other?

I used to think so. Long has also been the way for me. I write long. I am very wordy. I enjoy my words.. The first book I ever sold was DARK RAPTURE. When sold, it clocked in at 206,000 words. Yeah, I had to cut a bit. I think I got it down to 145,000 for publication. All my historicals were at least 100K.

So when I started writing for Bombshell, which was 85K at the time, I had to restrain my desire to be so wordy. I've learned a lot writing in the series lines. Like you don't necessarily need to say something twice, yet in a different way. You can use one word to describe something as opposed to a list of two or three. And yes, I can go through with a red pen and slash out sentences that just don't move the story ahead. I believe my writing is becoming more efficient, tighter, and much more to the point. I'm still not completely there, but it would be a little strange if suddenly I was 'there' and had nothing more to learn about writing.

So my first novella was a short for eHarlequin which was only 10K words. Yikes. When offered the deal, I wanted to do it, because it was going to be sold at Audible.com (IN THE EVENT OF MY DEATH). What a neat opportunity! But write a whole story in what would be about a tenth of what I normally write? That was a great learning experience. And here are just a few things I learned about writing short:

--pick one main plot and don't stray

--there's no time for sub plots

--focus on hero and heroine; secondary characters, if any, should be seen and not heard

--it's all in the dialogue. Tell the story through conversation and action

--save the description for the novels. So keep your settings basic, easy to move about, and quickly described

--keep the time frame short. An evening. A day. An hour, even. Any more than that and you're going to need more pages.

Now that's for the short, short stuff. For a 25k novella, which is average word length for a novella that is in an anthology with four authors, you've got a little more space to relax, beef up the description (just a bit; don't get carried away) and stretch it over more days. You can even have secondary characters, but do try to avoid that secondary plot unless it enhances the bigger plot.

So when I was writing the huge books I used to think NEVER will I write short. Leave that for all the other authors who do a great job at it, right? I couldn't possibly fit a story into so few pages. But you know? Now that I've done it a couple times, I really enjoy it. It's a challenge to keep the story confined to such a small amount of pages, and I'm forced to get right to the point and really present the essence of my characters and plot immediately. I love writing short!

And so far, the weird thing has been that between the long and the short, I haven't had any problems making word count on either one. If I'm doing long, it comes pretty darn close to the word count I need. And short? I find I don't go over word count. I feel this is pure luck, though. I don't want to overlook a gift horse. So I'm just going to keep doing as I'm doing, and not mess with the program.

I have a personal goal to start doing more shorts, getting involved in more anthologies, if possible. I think it's a great opportunity for an author to get her name out there and to be read more widely, and by fans who might never pick up that author in the first place. Anthologies are very hot right now. They're everywhere on the shelves. I'm picking them up more frequently, too. It is a neat way to read your favorite author, and to discover someone new to you.

So what about you? Do you read anthologies? Would you buy an anthology if you only knew one of the four authors? Or do you have to read and/or know more than one for it to be worth purchasing? Do you like novellas that are tied to bigger books? Or do you like them stand-alone stories?

M

How not to get distracted

Yes, I see what I've written as today's title. But I don't foresee any helpful hints. Maybe it's me that needs the hints.

I've cleaned my desk this weekend, and have it whittled down to folders and a few key bills and notes and assorted decorative ephemera. I always keep a file folder on a current project handy. I stuff it with notes, the synopsis, scribbled ideas, terms, pictures, whatever strikes my fancy. At the moment, I have four folders before me.

Folder #1: Labeled THE DEVIL TO PAY. Current project! And this puppy is due in a month and a half. So why am I writing a blog entry? Shouldn't I be working on this story right now? I haven't touched it since last Wednesday. Bad, girl.

Folder #2: Labeled GLAMOURSEIGE. Ah, this is why I haven't been paying attention to folder #1. Glamourseige is the working title for an idea I have. I know that title will never work for a Nocturne, but it works for me right now. I want to work up this idea for my next proposal. I have the heroine, who she is, what she wants, and all her cohorts figured out. I know who the hero is, and what he does. But I have no earthly idea what the hero wants. He needs a goal and motivation. I already have one chapter written, but I can't write a synopsis until I figure him out. This project doesn't even need to be addressed until after Folder #1 is finished, but it keeps on me. I think it is my monkey on my back.

Folder #3: Labeled FROST. This is for a proposal I just sent in for Nocturne. I have my fingers crossed my editor will read it, love it, and buy it. I don't need to do anything with this one until I get word. Could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

Folder #3: Labeled DUSTED. This one actually contains two projects: a novella and a full-length story both set in the same Faery world. The novella, "Dust Me Baby, One More Time" is due November 1st. I hope to give complete information on this one soon. I'm waiting to sign a contract before I announce the details. And the full-length I've just sent in a proposal, and am waiting to hear on it. So the novella needs attention as well as Folder #1.

And yet, here I sit, wondering what I can do with myself today. The correct answer is: write. But my mind is actually considering things like doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom and going for that walk I've been meaning to take for days. And look at my office floor, it really needs a good clean-up!

I have learned that a person really does need to pay attention to their body. If you are sick that means you need to slow down, rest. If you are distracted, that may mean you need to work on something else at the moment. But I can't be distracted right now. So maybe a walk will clear my head?

What do you do to focus?

M

ps - one hour later update: Okay, I went for the walk. I think it helped. Though if it doesn't rain, and soon, I'll be surprised. The air today is as I like to describe often in my stories. It's so heavy and thick you could take a bite out of it and swallow it down. Humid, but cool, if you can imagine that.
Anyway, I played the fast tunes for the walk, but for the final stretch I listened to a track from the Farinelli soundtrack, which is my current hero's favorite kind of music: opera. So I'm going to play that over the stereo and try to get back into the story. And no, I will not go online to look up the libretto for the songs, even though it's important I choose songs that would apply to the story. I'll save it for another day. Maybe. :-)

List maker

I've been slacking the past few days. On the writing. Sure, I've got the outline sitting right before me, and a picture of the hero looking appropriately concerned and/or troubled (Christian Bale). I'm currently reading through the thing. Tweaking it a bit before I print it up to do some down and dirty editing. But I've been drawn to updating the VampList the past days. That thing has become a huge, demanding, interesting bit of slavery. :-)

I think I started the VampList in 1995. It is, I believe, the oldest and largest listing of vampire books on the internet. I started it while I was writing Dark Rapture because I was fascinated to read through the bibliographies in some of those vampire encyclopedias. There were so many vampire books! But not nearly as many then as there are now. The Romance section has literally grew a thousandfold. It's amazing. So I've redone all the genre headers. (Found a new font: Bleeding Cowboys, that I love.) and am moving some of the more adventurous (and not quite romantic) stuff over to Mystery, which is now Mystery/Action-Adventure/P.I.

I'm intrigued by the idea of starting a FaeryList. But I try to tell myself I don't have time for that silliness. I'd love to have the list. Is there such a thing somewhere out there? Someone tell me there is, or I'll feel compelled to make one.

I'm not much of a list maker in daily life. I don't have lists of chores that need to be done. (Please. That would imply I am concerned about chores getting done.) I don't make grocery lists. (Though I do keep a running price total as I'm shopping Makes me stay on budget.) Oh, I guess I do keep a "movies seen' list. (I'm seeing Shoot Em Up this weekend. It's going to be ultra-violent, black comedy goodness!)

I think it's that Virgo part of me that compells me to take on an immense project such as the VampList. I think a lot of Virgos have the 'If I don't do it, then it just won't get done right by anyone else' attitude. The hubby has that, too.

What about you? Are you a list maker? Small things or big things?

M

ps - after I posted this, I thought "Wow, you always forget about the Coloring Book list you have online, too." That gets more traffic, even, than the VampList, and I never really call attention to it. Interesting. The current top-clicked coloring book is Animalia, which is just about the coolest coloring book ever. It's over-sized, and adults would have an awesome time coloring in it alongside their kids. Or just by themselves. :-) I mostly list the Dover and Bellerophon books that I enjoy coloring in. And if you haven't picked up one of these, people, you really should. Just to look over the detail and at least 'think' about coloring a page. They are quite awesome.

Get it while you can

There's about a week shelf life left for KISS ME DEADLY. I love writing for Harlequin/Silhouette, but the sad truth of writing for series is that your book gets a measly month to attract a reader's attention, and then....strrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiip! Off the cover comes, and it's sent back for credit. DId you get that? Any books not sold at the end of the month are stripped of their covers. The bookstore sends those covers back to the publisher to get credit for future orders. It's the only way series can work, allowing shelf space for next month's arrivals.

So here's some fast facts about KISS ME DEADLY before it's gone:

--Ravin Crosse first appeared in FROM THE DARK

--I cut out a scene where Nikolaus takes Ravin to meet his mother, and the mother serves them lefse (Yeah, it's as boring as it sounds).

--Ravin rides a street chopper that is actually my brother's bike he had specially made at Big Bear Choppers in California. See here for pictures. I sent a pic to Harlequin for possible use on the cover, but I didn't really expect they'd put a heroine on a chopper on the cover. (Though, I had hopes.)

--I've mentioned before, Nikolaus should be bald throughout the story. Tribal tattoos blazing. But it was deemed he would be sexier with hair, so...I added hair. Sigh...

--I did not base the witches' magic/craft upon Wiccan or any other mythological witchcraft. I don't know enough about the various styles of witchcraft, and really wanted to come at it with my own ideas, and impart what I think a witch should be. But I'm awful at creating a spell or chant, so don't look for any rhyming in these stories. :-)

--In my mind, Ravin looks like Michelle Rodriguez (Formerly on LOST) and NIkolaus is Michael Wincott (buffed up quite a bit).

--Research on neurosurgery was fascinating! And neurosurgeons are arrogant. But you'd have to be. You get to open up a person's brain and poke about with pointy objects.

--There are gel-tipped bullets, but my husband (the gun expert) scoffed at my idea to inject the gel with witch's blood. Too bad. It works for me. :-)

--The apartment where Nikolaus lives exists. It's in newly remodeled 'flats' that overlook the Mississippi River and the Guthrie theatre in the Warehouse District. Sadly, the bridge that collapsed recently in Minneapolis would have been within view of Nikolaus'a apartment.

--I loved Truvin Stone before I wrote a single word about him, and knew I had to write his story. He is the villain of KISS ME DEADLY, but I promise he has his reasons, which he will re-discover in the next book, tentatively titled Stalking Butterflies. (Though, I've been told 'Butterflies' is too 'soft' a word for the title, so it may be retitled as Stalking Midnight.) Another sigh...

--Whatever you believe about the bargain that was struck between Ravin, Nikolaus and Himself at the end...the truth will be revealed in THE DEVIL TO PAY, which is book #4 in the series.

M

Spanish vamps, and don't get fooled

I discovered the Spanish version for FROM THE DARK online at eHarlequin. Cool! It lists Argentina as the country where these are being sold. Same cover, but looks like they brought out more blue in the background. I like that. The Spanish title: Confesiones en la Oscuridad translates to Confessions in the Darkness. I can live with that. I'm guessing most of the Nocturnes will be released in Spanish, as I saw two others there as well.

And just a note to readers who are looking to find a paperback copy of WICKED ANGELS. It doesn't exist. It never has, and it never will. There have been sellers at Amazon listing the book for sale in paperback form. I got to the bottom of the puzzle last night. Some Amazon third-party sellers list books that they do not have in a physical inventory. They drop ship from warehouses and other distributors. So if their distributor says they have a copy of the book, then the Amazon seller goes ahead and lists it. But the distributors were wrong as well. So you end up with sellers selling...nothing. I got two listings for the book cleared from Amazon, and continue to keep an eye out. It's not fair to readers to get their hopes up. Nor is it fair to me, the author, to make me believe that a paper copy may exist. 'Cause that could open up a nasty can of worms. Oy.

So if you see a paperback copy of WICKED ANGELS listed at any online site, check with me first. Or just know that it isn't available in paper form.

Now, there is an electronic version available at Amazon for $198. This is from long ago when Dreams Unlimited published it electronically. I don't know if someone actually believes an idiot out there will pay that much for a digital book, but heck, more power to them if they think it'll happen.

As soon as the whole bankruptcy thing gets cleared up with Triskelion and my rights are returned to me, I'm going to see about giving the book away on my web site. Promise. And while I've kept my mouth shut about anything and everything regarding this whole Trisk mess, I just want to state that my contract stated all rights to the book revert back to me should the publisher file for bankruptcy. But, I'm learning there are higher laws that supercede contract law, and supposedly now, my book is being held as an asset by the publisher. I was promised an advance in the contract. I received one third of that. The publisher owes me the remaining two thirds. So how is any of this right?

M

I'll take seconds

I don't often post about how-tos of writing, but today I woke up thinking about my spare use of secondary characters. I've been known to say I kill off the parents because there's two less people to deal with in the story. But that was with some of my earlier romances. I'll let the parents live now; they just don't get a lot of page time. But I do use secondary characters only when necessary. When I know that character can reflect something or say something about the hero or heroine.

Unless I've got a sub plot that involves another character, I find it difficult to populate my stories with too many extras. Like right now, in my current story, I've got a scene where the hero goes before the Gray Council (made up of a dozen witches and vampires). They are all seated around a conference table. Ideas are spoken, exchanged. I've got the conversation in there, but the dialogue tags remain blank. [] said. Because when I'm drafting out a story I don't want to look too far away from my two main characters. Or maybe it's just that I can't be bothered to think up a whole 'nother person if he or she is only going to have a short speaking part. (It'll happen. Before the story is done I'll have inserted names and short descriptions in the brackets.)

But that doesn't mean the secondary character is not important. As I said above, they need to be in the story to tell us something about the hero or heroine that they probably can't say or do themselves. It's a second opinion actually. The first time the heroine sees the hero she views him as the enemy, a hideous agent who works for the devil, and all she wants to do is use some wicked magic against him. The first time a secondary character (little old lady in her seventies with blue hair) sees the hero she stutters and goes all soft at sight of the tall, dark handsome stranger. She sees what the heroine cannot initially see. That he is quiet, and reserved and very sexy. It is this little old lady who makes the heroine pause and wonder "Well maybe he does have a redeeming sliver in him somewhere." But only maybe.

I use the little old lady again later, after she's been tempted by Himself (that would be the devil) with youth. The hero is forced to bite the lady (you know he's a vamp) but in doing so, he has a chance to persuade her away from Himself's temptation, and ultimately saves her soul. And he does this after battling legions from Hell and is literally near death. Nice thing for a guy to do on his death bed, eh? I thought so. And I thought it was a great way to use the secondary character to show the readers that even after we think the hero is vanquished, he's still got it. He is good. He will not be defeated.

The little old lady is the only secondary character in this book. (Save the conference room scene, but none of those pepole leave that conference table.) Oh sure, there are demons, imps and dark denizens the hero battles. There are townspeople that may say 'hey' or look on as one of the main characters pass by. I did people my story. But I only gave speaking parts to the ones that mattered.

So as a writer do you have trouble juggling a lot of characters? Or do you enjoy putting lots of characters into your stories?

M

Are you prepared?

On this day of memory for a very tragic event, I'm drawn to wonder if I am prepared for dire circumstances. Or can a person every really be fully prepared?

You can stock your basement with canned food and bottled water. Stock your safety kits and ensure you have backup generators. You can have emergency phone numbers to hand. Work out an emergency plan with your family. Talk to your children about the importance of following your directions should an emergency be to hand. You can sooth your soul with physical actions designed to alleviate some of the fear. But we can never know the unknown.

I don't want this post to be a downer. I just want everyone to take a moment today to remember those we lost six years ago. And to look to your future, and decide that you will be as prepared as you can possibly be should disaster strike. And to know that we cannot control the future.

M

Drawing a name out of the hat: minna is the winner of the mismatched couples contest! Minna, please send me your snailmail address to: toastfaery @ gmail.com

At what price your soul?

I'm working on THE DEVIL TO PAY right now, and it's all about a guy who's parents sold his soul to the Devil Himself. I know the reasons his parents did it (and let me tell you, the REAL truth will come out in this story). But I wonder if there was anything, something out there, tangible or not, that you would consider selling your soul for?

You don't have to answer. I think it would be a very personal thing, private, most likely selfish (but I'm not judging). Could there possibly be something worth the price of your very soul?

I personally don't think so. But then I've never been in such a low place that I believe I would find myself ever musing over such a thing. On the other hand, it's fun to fantasize, as a writer, what certain individuals might trade for. Fame? Fortune? Incredible intelligence? Resistance to disease of all sorts? Super-human powers? The ability to see into the future? The ability to always locate that one missing sock? The power to bring the dead back to life?

I read about a new TV series this fall called REAPER. It's about a guy whose parents sold his soul to the devil. Aggh! First thought was, that's my idea, they can't do that. Then I just had to smirk. There are never any new ideas, just different ways of bringing them to the page or screen. I read an article in ET that said the shows' producers were mulling over this idea a few years. I've been mulling mine a little over a year. Ah well. They will be so very different. And heck, maybe the show, if it sticks around, will spark interest in the 'my parents sold my soul' genre of paranormal romance? :-)

M

ps - Scent O' the Day - Vice - chocolate covered cherries, baby! Oh yeah!

Current favorite song - Rockers To Swallow by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. (I don't even understand the lyrics but it so rocks.)

Reminder - I'll draw a winner for the mismatched couples tonight and name will be posted by morning. More people can still play!

I did an interview with fellow author Kelly Kirch for KISS ME DEADLY. Check out her blog.

If anyone lives in the Minneapolis area I'll be doing a book signing at the Mall of America on October 6th with bunches of other local authors. I believe it's 5:30 pm, and in one of the 'courts', though the actual spot hasn't been assigned yet.

I'll be signing at Northtown Waldenbooks October 28th, probably early afternoon.

And there's a possibility that I'll be signing at an Anoka costume shop near Halloween. Sounds interesting, eh?

M

Mismatched lovers? - Try this contest!

So I did an interview for a blog yesterday, and one of the questions was to pair up a hero and heroine from two of my backlist and for what reason. I answered it quickly, as I was requested to do. But this morning I'm thinking, yeah, that would be fun to play around with. So here are the hero/heroine pairs I've done so far (I'm including my next Nocturne at the top, but that won't be out until next year).

Hero: Truvin Stone - vampire with amnesia (created in 18th C)
Heroine: Lucy Morgan - reporter for paranormal 'mythbusting' show

Hero: Nikolaus Drake - vampire/leader of tribe Kila (created in 1970s, when he was a brain surgeon)
Heroine: Ravin Crosse - witch, who slays vampires (over 300 years old)

Hero: Jack Harris - demon hunter for P-Cell
Heroine: Mersey Bane - demon hunter/familiar for Cadre

Hero: Michael Lynsay - vampire/rock star
Heroine: Jane Renan - witch/glass smith (200 years old)

Hero: Sacha Vital - thief/kidnapper/goofy guy
Heroine: Jamie MacAlister - getaway car driver

Hero: Aston Dane - MI-5 agent
Heroine: Becca Whitmore - Gotham Roses undercover billionairess/crime fighter

Hero: Jason - master thief (Forgot his last name!)
Heroine: Rachel Anderson - former thief/security consultant

Hero: Macarius Fleche - dragon slayer (the Greatest) 15th C
Heroine: Rhiana - dragon slayer (better than the greatest)

Hero: John Cesar Ulrich VIllion III - psychopomp/soul shepherd (15th C)
Heroine: Gossamyr - faery changeling/warrior

Hero: Dominique San Juste - mercenary/faery changeling (15th C)
Heroine: Seraphim D'Ange - vigilante fallen angel

Hero: Alexandre Saint-Sylvestre - king's gardener (17th C Versailles)
Heroine: Margot de Verona - nanny

Hero: Armand Saint-Sylvestre - musketeer (17th C)
Heroine: Madeline de Pelisson - undercover agent

Hero: Chancery Blaise Lambert - musketeer (17th C)
Heroine: Mignon Saint-Sylvestre - wants to be a musketeer

Hero: Matthew (?) - soldier/painter - (17th C)
Heroine: Josephine Lalique - pines for husband while writing love letters (no apparant job)

Hero: Louis de Lavarac - soldier/vintner/suicidal (18th C)
Heroine: Sabine Bassange - mentally 'touched'

Hero: Sebastian DelaCourte - vampire/rock guitarist (250 years old)
Heroine: Scarlet Rose - accountant

Okay! Now, which hero would you like to see paired with which heroine?

I think I'll make a contest of this. Run it through Sunday. Post a hero/heroine pairing. And yes, mix and match; take one from one set, and the other from another set. (And tell me why the pairing, if you want, but not necessary.) I'll draw a name from entrants on Sunday night, and the prize will be...a surprise. :-)

M

Summer's over

It's become a Hauf family tradition to end the summer with a Def Leppard concert. We're very fortunate to live in a city that attracts the band year after year. As Joe Elliot says at the end of every concert "If you don't forget us, we won't forget you." And I don't think anyone ever will.

Last night's concert was a triple play, with Def Lep, Foreigner and Styx. They all rocked. I couldn't recall any of Foreigner's hits, so wasn't too worried that we arrived a little late for that opening act, but I recognized every song, and remembered all the words. Styx was awesome. And Tommy Shaw, the lead singer, is still with them, so his voice really makes the show. All three bands sounded amazing. There are not a lot of current bands that can take the stage and sound as good as they do on their albums. Everything is digitally-enhanced nowadays, so they can't possibly sound as good live. In the 80s, sure the big hair was a requirement, but they were also incredible musicians, who played all their own stuff, and sang like they were screaming at the angels. And they sound as good live as they do on a recording.

Anyway, Def Lep gave no sign that they would ever slow down, and thank God for that. The guys must all be in their mid-forties, and man, do they look good. Vivian and Phil are ripped! Course, a demanding job like rock n' roll probably requires they stay in shape. Probably not so much for a lead singer. (My daughter and I noticed Joe put on some pounds since we'd seen him last year.) But after Vivian Campbell took off his shirt, I wasn't looking at Joe anymore, anyway. :-) (Er, he removed it after the first song. Good boy, Viv.)

So it's obvious I'm a Vivian fan. For fellow Def Lep fans, are you aware the Irish Wonder has a solo album? It's bluesy! And it's quite good, and his voice is very surprising. Interesting to listen to this album, then try to pick out his voice on a Def Lep song. I'm trying to remember the album title, but if you search iTunes for it, you'll find it.

So next weekend it's the Renaissance once more, and then I crawl into my hole for another year. Seems like events all happen in a bunch for me. A few weekends of excitment, and then nothing. Probably that's why I spend most days inside my head. It's exciting in there. :-)

M

Images to be saved for later use

Images have a huge impact on me and my writing. I can see a snippet of something on TV, or hear something while standing in line, or watch it happen in real time, and think "I need to put that in a story".

This past Saturday I took a mini-trip to the Renaissance Festival. Friends were in town, and we got to the RF around 4 pm, so that only gave us 3 hours, which basically means you walk through once without stopping to view shows. (I'm going again this Saturday with another group of friends; we will be leisurely.)

Anyway, at the end of the day a group of drummers had gathered a large group. of dancers. I don't know drums, but there were drums of all sorts, including the large timpany-like drums I've seen wheeled in for orchestras, to the smaller, rat-ta-tat-tat kind that drummers wear at their waists. They had drums being pounded by fists and palms and drum sticks. Well, just every sort. And this incredible tribal beat filled the air. It was a freestyle percussion jam. I was drawn toward the crowd of dancing, undulating bodies, and stuck my head in to get a look-see. Gypsies were shifting their hips and arms. Half-clad men were jumping and bobbing their heads. Patrons in jeans and dresses and kids of all sizes were just releasing their bodies to follow the drummers directions.

And I spied one man. He was younger, shoulder-length hair all stuck around his face with sweat. The drums had mastered him and he bounced and swayed and just fell into the mood. It was cool. He was handsome, and had a hero's face, along with a nice bod. :-) Anyway, I couldn't stop thinking about the whole thing all the way home. What an interesting scene to have in a book. Could that be the hero dancing to the drums, mindless to the world around him? Or maybe he is a villain preparing his spirit for the quest ahead?

Fun stuff, either way. I can't work it into my current WIP, but am thinking I can use it in the next proposal.

So has anyone gone to the Renaissance Festival in your area yet this year? Do you go for food, shows, shopping, mood, or everything? Do you dress in costume?

M