Eleven p.m. epiphany

It’s 11 p.m. do you know where your epiphany is?

I get A LOT of my good ideas in shower, but I also get a lot when I’m washing up before bed. It’s as though the moment I tell my brain it’s time to relax and get ready to sleep, it’s like a little kid who desperately wants to stay up. It doesn’t ask for a glass of water, it comes up with ideas…usually damn good ideas, which require me to stop what I’m doing so that I can write them down.

Helpful hint — you can use dry erase markers to write on your bathroom mirror (just to be sure to erase your murder plans before company comes over).

Purple and yellow all over

My hands are purple and yellow and it looks like I’ve been bludgeoning something or someone with my bare fists. Why? Because I’m working on a revision.

I rec’d a request for revisions on my book that’s out on submission, so I’ve been poring over the manuscript, marking every spot that needs to be fixed. My chosen implements of destruction are my trusty purple pen (I despise red ink!) and a highlighter.

So now I’m covered with ink (because I’m a slob, and because even though I’m a righty, I write like a lefty, resulting in a lifetime of smudged ink).

 

“No One Heard Her Scream” by Jordan Dane

I read a good book! (This is cause for celebration since I don’t enjoy most of the books I read.)

Jordan Dane’s debut NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM is great romantic suspense, not only because her good guys are likeable, but because the bad guys are well-drawn. (Yeah, I’m a sucker for great bad guys.)

Even more exciting is the fact that Avon will be releasing her next two books in May and June.  Woo hoo!

Check out the talented Ms. Dane www.jordandane.com 

 

Jews get their own rock-n-roll day!

I was listening to the local Oldies station (I always listen to Oldies when I clean…weird, right?) and they announced “In honor of Passover” they’re playing songs by Jewish musicians. Rock on Dylan and Mannilow!

(seriously, I could never make this stuff up)

Serial Killer Actress

I’ve been emailing back and forth with writer/composer Joel Derfner www.joelderfner.com

Joel and I met a few years ago during one of the…most…um….uh… interesting (yeah, that’s politically correct) experiences of my creative life. Although we didn’t work together directly, I was impressed both with his talent and sense of humor.

Back then he’d just published his first book “Gay Haiku” (funny, funny book!).  Now he’s getting ready for the release of his next book on May 13th — “SWISH: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever”.

So yesterday I sent him a shorthand email which said, “I think of “Temporary” every time I see an ad featuring that actress with the serial killer name.”  (“Temporary” is one of the songs he co-wrote.)

Yes, I DO have serial killers on the brain. An hour later I sent him a much longer email explaining who the “actress with the serial killer name” is.  She’s actually Laura Bell Bundy (southern — three names — Bundy — in my head that makes perfect sense) who is currently starring in Legally Blonde on Broadway. (And for the record, she seemed like a very nice person when I met her…I don’t really think she’s a serial killer.)

My internal editor was taking a coffee break when I wrote the poor man that email.  She takes a lot of coffee breaks, so my apologies to everyone else who has to put up with me.

And best of luck to Joel on the release of SWISH!

Have you seen the Drop O’ Blood guy?

I have a thing about people in costumes standing on street corners or outside of stores — I wave to them.

(I wish I could say this was a habit I developed as a kid, but it’s not. I just started doing it a few years ago.)

So a few months ago, I waved at the Best Costume Ever. A blood drive was being conducted, and standing outside (probably freezing) waving people in, was someone dressed up as a Drop O’ Blood.  I was so excited about this particular costume (and I fantasized that someday I was going to travel with an entourage of my own Blood Drops who will splatter onto the scene every time I have a book signing) that I called my friend Laura in St. Louis and told her about it.

Then I sent Laura (who once ran over the cross during Holy Week and had Apostles shaking their fists at her…but that’s a whole other story) a black-and-white photograph from the local paper of the said Drop O’ Blood guy in costume. I tried to tell her that he looked even more awesome in color.

Today she left me a message letting me know that SHE has seen Drop O’ Blood on the streets of St. Louis.

Have you ever seen him?

Sarah Jane

When I was a kid I wanted to BE Sarah Jane.

And I wanted my very own K-9.

Now I just want the Sonic Lipstick.

Translation please?

An agent sent me a rejection on a partial late last night. I know he must have been exhausted, because it contains a sentence that is missing words and didn’t make any sense. I had to ask a couple of people to tell me what they thought he meant. Who knew you could need a rejection letter translated?

As one friend pointed out, I’m probably better off without him.

Curiosity killed the cat

why do I always forget that?

Read this week’s post over on Kate Perry’s blog  www.kateperry.com/blog

I just had to look up a song title she mentioned, which led me down a path I should have never taken.

Conferences and Series

Jessica Faust of BookEnds has put up a couple of enlightening posts this week. Worth checking out:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/