trembling_aspen

So I've been getting ready for San Diego comic convention for the past two weeks.
It doesn't matter how long you have, you're never ready for this show.
And I'm smashing my head against the wall because the second graphic novel will not be there.
But I've got shot glasses and stuff so...

I'm going to be at Booth 2003
This is not in artist alley. Last year Aeire got a bunch of webcomic artist together for a booth. I think we're in the small press area. Right down the way from marvel, dc, vertigo, and dark horse...yeah, this should be interesting.
Booth 2003 will have Something Positive, Two Lumps, Punch an Pie, and Striptease.
In a ten foot space.
We're going to eat each other alive, I just know it.
So come by Booth 2003 and see the sardine can full of webcomic goodness.

I almost forgot to write tonight. I'm in the middle of a creative boon. My brain is working over time. So many ideas, so little time. :-) Anyhoo... It was a full day with CBS and Showtime. Nina Tassler, the president of CBS, began the day. She talked about all the shows and "Moonlight" came up several times. She say she's still getting mail but she thinks it has to do more with the actors on that show rather than the actual show. I'm fairly certain she's wrong. People loved that show.

Katie Couric and the gang talked about the upcoming democratic and republican conventions. Some of the reporters gave her hard time about ratings, but I give her credit. She held her own and never faltered. Then came the gang from Worst Week. Parts of that show are so funny I laughed out loud, but it needs work. Kurtwood Smith is the father in law in that one, and it's worth it just to watch him. Simon Baker was here for the Mentalist. It's an interesting show and he's such a cutie. He used to cop an attitude, but he seems a bit more even keel these days. Maturity will do that for a person. Talk about good looking, Rufus Sewell (love that accent) was here for The Eleventh Hour. Haven't seen a full pilot yet, but it looks interesting. You know me and anything to do with science. They say they are different because they deal in science fact not fiction. Could be worth checking out. Elizabeth (she played crazy girl Ava on Greys Anatomy) is the star of the new show The Ex List. It's clever and cute, and they get a way with a lot. It's a very unCBS show. I don't know if it'll last.

Showtime had a big panel with David Duchovny, Mary Louise Parker and Michael C. Hall, along with other producers. Those guys are always good for a laugh.

Tomorrow is the CW and tomorrow night the TCA awards. If you haven't heard the CW is doing a new version of Beverly Hills 90210, and several old cast members are returning. (Was the first one so good that we needed another version?) Ooops. Sorry. I didn't hate the old show, just never could get into it.

What are you guys doing this weekend? I just told my husband to get rid of all of the furniture in my office. I want to start fresh. I'm such a crazy girl.

Good Evening,

The Author's Guild has released an advisory to its members that I wanted to share in part here.

"Simon & Schuster has recently sent a one-page letter to many, perhaps thousands, of authors with unspecified e-book royalty rates in an attempt to set those rates at 15% of the "catalog retail price" of the e-book. (This is the typical e-book royalty rate for S&S.)"

The amendment may impact reversion of rights, as well as other areas, and is obviously something to review carefully with your agent or attorney.

Please visit http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/articles/simon--schuster-e-book.html for more information.

Thank you,

Russell Davis

Despite the drought and heat, dragonflies are still flying...today I saw the gold-yellow gliders zipping around over my head (not holding still to be photographed!!), a big green Giant Pondhawk in the dry woods, and a Neon Skimmer male and a Roseate Skimmer male skirmishing over who got the highest perch near Owl Water.  The pondhawks perch low, on the ground or within 18 inches of it; the two skimmers prefer to be up several feet, on vertical or inclined perches.

                                                        

                                          

In addition, I had two unknowns to submit to BugGuide.net, a fly (now tentatively IDed as being in the genus Hermetia--it looks a lot like a picture under that genus in BugGuide called a Black Soldier Fly) that landed on a water lily pad to drink, and a raft of tiny aquatic insects that I think could be bug nymphs, apparently feeding on something in the water.

                                   

Aside from that, it was hot, dry, and windy, and I collected the game-cam memory cards to check back at the house (raccoons, roadrunner, doves, small songbirds, and possible ringtail.)

     I believe this is the young raccoon, and its mother is off to the right--only the tail is visible.  I need to reposition the game-cam at Owl just a little--but not until it gets back down below 100F.

If you don't know how FDIC works (and I bet most of us don't, not really) then you may not be aware that FDIC does not automatically mean "all your money is protected." It's not, or it may be, but it depends. If you're not sure -- and in this economy, especially after such a massive bank got shut down for insolvency, it can't hurt to at least be up on the details. Suze Orman has the info. Go read.

It seems fitting after all the talk of art and theatre this week to have an interview with T. Lynn Ocean, who, coincidentally, also did time scaring people at a haunted house.  Now, though, she spends her time writing fabulous fiction, including FOOL ME ONCE, SWEET HOME CAROLINA, SOUTHERN FATALITY and SOUTHERN POISON (the latter two part of her Jersey Barnes mystery series).

Q. You've had an eclectic career history, from commercial tread rubber sales to television producer.  How do you think this has played into your fiction? 

I'm not sure about the other jobs, but working in television definitely teaches you to choose your words carefully and make each one count, especially when you're writing scripts for 30-second spots.

Q. Where did you come up with the idea of the fantastic Ox from SOUTHERN FATALITY and SOUTHERN POISON?  Do you ever find your quirky characters getting away from you?  Trying to steal the show? 

I wanted to create a multi-dimensional character who would nicely compliment Jersey.  Oh, yeah, and he had to be HOT, but not in a traditional pretty-boy way.  The Lumbee tribe has been in the news for many years because they were trying to gain Federal recognition.  Lumbees live all over the country but their tribe is centered around the Lumber River in NC, just up the road from Wilmington where the series is set.  Once I met some Lumbee men and learned more about them, I knew I'd found Ox.

And about stealing the show...I got so many great comments about the Granny character in FOOL ME ONCE that it was bizarre.  People liked the main character, Carly, but they loved Granny.  I guess the characters are just going to do their thing and it would be difficult to try to tame them down.  But as long as the end result works, and the agent and editor are happy, then all is well!

Q. Where does it start for you — voice, plot, kernel of an idea?   How do your stories develop?

I have no idea.  But I'm a huge believer in using your subconscious mind to plan, plot and write.  Everyone has this amazing power at their disposal, but the key is to effectively put your SM to work for you.  For example, you must fuel, or feed your subconscious mind with creative input and ideas for it to toss around while you sleep.  And you must avoid stress and negative thoughts. 

Q. Will Jersey Barnes ever really retire? 

I just checked my vintage 8-ball (you know, the black liquid-filled ball you ask questions) and it said, Outlook Good.  But then, Jersey's still working, despite her resolve to quit.

Q. What's the most fun about writing?  Is it the research road trips?  How many do you take in a given year? 

Personally, I'll jump at any chance to go on a trip in the name of research.  One of my favorite things about writing is that it gives me a reason to meet interesting people, learn a new skill, and make new friends.   I might need to talk to a boat captain, or a hostage negotiator, or a divorce attorney.  Most people are more than willing to talk to me.  And those who aren't probably wouldn't be any fun to meet anyway!  On a separate note, to get more into the mind of Jersey Barnes, I've taken advanced firearms training and have become an instructor.  This fall, I'll be attending a week-long course called the Lethal Force Institute.  Should be a blast. 

Q. Are you doing any special promotions for your late summer/early fall releases?  Where can folks go to learn more about your books?

This year, I'm staying pretty close to home.  But I am doing a moveable feast, a conference, and some book signings in Wilmington, NC, and several cities in South Carolina.  To see a schedule of events or learn more about my books, folks can check out www.tlynnocean.com .

credit to the diabolical nnnuts for his Arkham'esque vandalism!

In case you missed them, the photos of me and Adrian at the Masquerade are in the post below this one, with the same tag.

This isn't all of them. If you encourage me by commenting, I will post more!

( Cut for photos )

As you may have heard in the news, Starbucks is closing 600 stores nationwide, including MY Starbucks, where I've been going since I moved here. I wrote large portions of Prom Dates there, and I do most of my proofreading on that couch.

I'm bummed. I'm not terribly surprised, since (a) there are 9 stores within 5 miles of my house, (which actually includes three in-store kiosks at Target and B&N plus the one in the mall), and (b) I figured the ones that would go would be the ones without drive-thrus.

It's a stupid thing to be upset about, except that I like those people, and the manager. The next nearest store is very... social. Not like quirky-cozy-social, but like yuppy-and-singles-social.  Not a good place to work, not to mention, the street that it's on, it's only easy to get in and out of if you're going in one direction--the main direction of morning rush hour. All wonderful things for business, but terribly inconvenient things for ME! Do my needs count for nothing?

Yes, I know. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. But it's very grumpy-making when you're the one, and it involves the delivery of your drug of choice.

And to the anti-big-corporate-coffee-mogul people... I feel you, but I live in the chain-restaurant capital of the world. Or at least of North Texas. I would love to patronize a little corner coffee cafe if such a thing existed among all the Taco Hells and Olive Gardens around here.

I did a lot of theatre growing up: acting, lights, make-up, assistant stage managing; I pretty much ran the gamut.  Some of you know I met my husband when we worked as actors at a haunted house.  And here's another interesting thing about art: most artists put themselves into the work, through their characters and points of view, as we've been discussing with photography and fiction.  Your characters aren't you, of course, but generally there's a kernel there.  However, actors, really good ones, have to be able to empty themselves completely and be filled with whatever persona they're taking on.  Most people aren't aware of how much charisma and recognition are based on non-aesthetic cues, like carriage, body-language, expression.  To me the best actors are often those it takes you a while to recognize from part to part because they've changed so much of themselves. 

I once saw a play in college performed in part by two of my best friends at the time.  It was avant-garde—no logical dialogue or plot—and absolutely fascinating, mostly because I couldn't see either of them in their roles.  If I hadn't known it was them, I might never have guessed, even though neither was exactly forgettable. 

That might have been the moment that I knew acting wasn't truly for me.  It takes an immense amount of talent and a certain mind-set to be able to do that.  I was never able to completely loose myself, empty myself of the insecurities, the focus, the concentration, let the character take me over and basically just use my body as its puppet. 

It's very interesting to me with writing, though, that when I'm on the right track I really do feel as though I'm just channeling my characters.  Possibly this is because I can pour them onto the page and don't have to hold them inside me.  I don't know, but it's intriguing.  I'd love to hear all your thoughts.

Five things make a post, right?

1) There's new Shadow Unit content, as is traditional for Friday mornings.

2) I'm at Readercon, and have kind of a packed schedule today. Hope to see some of you here. I'll be doing a talk about Dust today, and a reading, and so on.

3) I went climbing at the Boston Rock Gym with truepenny, cristalia, stillsostrange, and kayselkiemoon last night. (Well, Amanda and I didn't get to climb all that much, as we are the ones who can belay, but still.) Fun was had, a new gym was checked out, nobody got dropped on their head. Success all around, I'd say! There are some wonderful tricky walls there, and the ratings aren't as hard as at my home gym. There's a 5.7+ that I would love to keep working on, and a 5.7 that I'm really sad I did not get to try.

4) It's looking more and more like Roc will not be picking up any more Promethean Age books, as apparently sales of the MMPB of Blood & Iron are not what they would like (though I've seen the Bookscan numbers and they looked reasonably healthy to me; but I'm not the guy with the checkbook), and Ink & Steel is also not looking to crack any best-seller lists. So if you want copies of the Stratford Man books, now would be a good time to buy/order/pre-order them, because I cannot guarantee there will ever be a mass market paperback edition, and they may get hard to find. (Book two, as you know, will be out August 5th, and may be appearing in brick and mortar stores a little in advance of that date.)

Well, it's not like I don't have enough other work to keep me busy.... and you never know, a miracle may occur (Oprah picks up Kit and Will for the book club? Nah....) or another publisher may take over the series, though that has the potential to create mad backlist confusion.

5) I am still reading Brasyl, which is a brilliant book. And which also teaches me why we put exposition and transitions and white space in books, because this thing is dense and totally written to the "run and try to keep up" standard. ianmcdonald's "You must be as tall as this sign to ride this ride" is somewhere up there, but I am stretching to reach it, because the book is totally worth the climb. (I read some of it in the hot tub this morning.)

5.5) Yay, hot tub!

Most important---I'm late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOUSE!!!!! AM DOING HAPPY SPOON DANCE WITH PURPLE POMPOMS AND LIT CANDLES ON MY HEAD FOR YOU!!!

Sorry I didn't list it yesterday, but spent most of day face down with headache while waiting for glasses.

Update #2 looks like headaches may actually be attached to old glasses. Now have 3 count em 3 new pairs. 1 for driving, 1 for computer, 1 for reading. Daughter Angela (from Taiwan) informs me reading glasses are super ugly, but others are fine). I told her they weren't for pretty, they were reading. Daughter thinks I am silly not to have pretty glasses.

So, since headaches are not pounding, I'm going to make it to Lazy DragonCon after all. Huzzah. I'll be interviewing Lee Martindale. Any super questions I need to ask?

Also, Happy Birthday this weekend to HUTSON as well. Will try to make it to her party. Yo, chica HAPPY SPOON DANCE FOR YOU AS WELL.


New Glasses = Happy camper who can actually see. No more headaches means you folks in the DFW area are safe when I drive there today. All good.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080718/ap_on_fe_st/odd_sticky_shutdown;_ylt=AgHdetM3rH.W.3XRzEr6pywuQE4F

(note the location!)

"SUGAR LAND, Texas - A sticky mess has been cleaned up after an overturned tanker truck poured 5,000 gallons of molasses onto a major Texas highway.

Drivers heading to Sugar Land were rerouted Thursday after the afternoon accident shut down Texas 6 at Southwest Freeway for eight hours.

City of Sugar Land spokeswoman Pat Pollicoff told The Houston Chronicle the road was closed until midnight Thursday because of the coating of "healthy, all natural molasses." The spilled molasses was supposed to be used in cattle food."

You see, my sci-fi book, the book which I absolutely adore, starts off with my MC in a ship's brig. A brig is a very boring setting. My MC's quite tired of the gray walls. Sure, there is the sleep slab that pulls out of the wall, a couple of chairs for when the interrogators come in, and a data-table which she can't use because she doesn't have a log in, but other than that, the room is empty. Nothing to really interact with.

This is something I worried about when I began this project, but now I'm worrying a bit more because this girl is in the brig for at least 2/3 of the book. She's not just sitting - there's always some interesting character coming in to try to make her talk - but maybe the interactions with the other characters won't be enough to keep the reader interested?

I do switch POVs to the male MC who is on the ship. He gets to at least see other places, but it's an old warship. Nothing really pretty there.

I am trying to get girl MC out of her cell as fast as I can, but security is tight and it's really not that easy.

I guess I won't know if I'm pulling it off until I finish the thing and have some betas read it.

Off to write some more. I think my MC is going to try to carve her initials into the wall. (I told you she was bored.)

Tags: sci-fi, writing

LOL. OMG. It was one early morning. Got up to check on the Emmys. Woot Mad Men, and my buddy Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad. I was happy with just that.

Today's panels began with the Cheetah Girls. You know how they are in those movies? It's for real. Funny, but really loud and crazy. Samauri Girl from ABC Family looks pretty good. Great cast and kick butt Samauri chick. :-) The after noon was all about returning series and producers. We had producers from Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Greys Anatomy, oh, and Lost. :-) UB has moved to NYC for real. It was filmed in L.A. until now. Desperate is going to continue with the five year jump, and as usual the guys from Lost didn't tell us a darn thing. Well, except that Daniel Dae Kim would be back. Nothing new there. Then it was the entire cast from Dirty Sexy Money. Don't watch that show, but might start. The cast from Private Practice was here. Other than they are going to mix it up more with the medical stuff, not much new there.

All the women from Desperate Housewives showed up for a panel. Everyone looked amazing as usual. All but two wore Christian Loubatain shoes. I was slightly envious. Some day. Eva Longoria has a short new do, very flattering. She talked about having to ugly up. Marc Cherry said when they took off all of Eva's makeup she looked like a 12 year old, which wasn't working. So they actually had to work at making her frumpy. LOL. Only Eva. I adore her by the way. Out of all those women, believe it or not she's the most real and the easiest to talk to.

Tonight was the all-star party. I had certain stories I was working on so I talked with Nick Lachey, some of the boys from Greek, Rebecca (the red head from Lost), Rib Hillis (Extreme Makeover Home), Kristen Chenowith (Pushing Daises, nominated for an Emmy) and Michael Urie (Mark on UB). There were tons of ABC stars. Said hello to many, but just interviewed a few. Tomorrow begins CBS, and after this 18 hour day, I'm ready to snooze.

The big CBS party is tomorrow night so if you have questions don't forget to post.

Adrian and I went to the Masquerade of Jareth, a public party based on the movie Labyrinth. It was a bit like a con and a bit like Ren Faire and a bit like the Faerie party in Emma Bull's War For The Oaks.

Adrian's outfit, except for the riding boots which he owns, was from a costume rental shop. Mine was borrowed from Sherwood, except for the shirt which was borrowed from Halle.

ETA: Huh, I don't seem to have any full-body ones. I'll look again when I post more.

A friend of mine did our face makeup. I thought she did a beautiful job. Although several days and showers later, we were both still covered in glitter. I told Adrian about Stephanie Meyer's sparkly vampires. A while later, we were walking in the sun when he peered at me and said, "Your ears are still vampiric."

Behold! Pirate Adrian and Phoenix Rachel!

( Cut for photos )

In just 2 hours I will be sitting in the dark watching what promises to be the best movie of the summer. And after Iron Man and Hellboy II, thats a big promise to make. I will be watching with a professional's eye, because as some of you know I used to do a bit of crimefighting myself...

New episode 5:00 PM Pacific Time!

I rather like the fortune I received in my cookie tonight: "Ideas you may believe as absurd ultimately lead to success!" 

And now, off to read.

Multiply this by two.