Date:	2008-09-27 10:20
Subject:	Upcoming visit to Youngstown and Cleveland!
Security:	Public
Mood:	bouncy
Music:	"What About Now" - Daughtry

HEADS UP, OHIO-AREA PEOPLE!

So, guys, there's this thing coming up, and I need your help!

I'm flying to Youngstown, Ohio for two cool library events about vampires on October 14 ... (scroll down to October) (and by the way, PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for both events, so please get your name in the hat early if you want to be there!).

And what I need to know is this:

(1) What's a good place to stay in Cleveland that's not too far from the airport (but still, y'know, not charging by the hour or has the nickname of "Murder Central")

(2) I'm setting up a book signing in Youngstown, and I'd like to set one up for Cleveland as well -- recommendations on stores?

(3) I have a free night at the hotel on the evening of the 15th before I fly back on the 16th ... I'd love to meet some folks for dinner, if you're up for it. If you are, HOLLA!

I'm also (maybe) doing a radio interview with a local station, so stay tuned (literally!) for more info on that.

Recommendations for restaurants in Cleveland also much appreciated. :) I know nothing.

-- Rachel

P.S. -- SO EXCITED!!! I'm going to be giving a multimedia presentation on the history of vampires in folklore, film and literature (about 1 hour) followed by a 30 minute Q&A. Same presentation at both libraries. This is in association with TEENS READ week! And check out two local Dallas-area library events I have just listed on my website calendar for late October/early November ...

P.P.S. -- And I almost forgot to mention FENCON!!!! October 3-5!!!! You guys, this Dallas-area convention is freakin' awesome, and if you're in the Dallas area (or heck, anywhere else) you should definitely check it out. DORIS EGAN is going to be there! I am so geekily excited ... Doris is now an Executive Producer on HOUSE, and has been associated with so many cool fan-friendly shows it would make me tired to type them all. She also writes fantasy and science fiction as Jane Emerson. I'm a total fangirl. Please note that I will only be there on Saturday and Sunday, due to scheduling conflicts ...

Date:	2008-09-20 10:44
Subject:	So, I promised you guys some book recs ... this one's on Vampires!
Security:	Public
Mood:	exanimate
Music:	Nothing right now.

.... I promised them yesterday, I know, but I had a nasty bout of something yesterday that wasn't conducive to actually accomplishing anything, other than moaning and sleeping, which I mastered at the post-graduate level.

With no further ado: WRITERS AND BOOKS I ADORE, part the first:

VAMPIRE BOOKS -- the caveat is that all of the work featured in this first list is decidedly NOT young adult ... vampire fiction for the YA market is a fairly recent phenomenon, so a lot of what I will recommend isn't YA, but more appropriate for the adult market. I'm also being a strict constructionist here, and only including books *about* vampires, not with vampire characters who aren't the main focus.


P.N. Elrod. The Vampire Files is truly a tour-de-force of blending noir detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and the best of vampire lore into something new and very cool. Set in Gangland Chicago, this series is one of my first loves in the genre. You will not be sorry. (And check out her fantastic Jonathan Barrett series while you're at it -- set around the period of the Revolutionary War, it's unique and fascinating in its own right.)

George R.R. Martin. Better known these days for his epic fantasy series that's taken the bestseller lists by storm, back in 1982 Mr. Martin wrote a fantastic vampire novel called Fevre Dream. This tale of a Mississippi steamboat, co-captained by a surly human and an all-too-optimistic vampire, is truly a classic -- and truly unexpected in its twists and turns. This is still in print and available in paperback, and I strongly recommend it.

Barbara Hambly. If you haven't read Those Who Hunt The Night and its sequel Traveling With The Dead, you should. Hambly's vampire books have created some of the most memorable and emotional characters in the genre -- I defy you not to love Don Simon Ysidro, despite your better instincts.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Her Saint-Germain books are richly detailed historical tales, with the vampiric Count by turns onlooker, prime mover and victim of his changing lifetimes. My favorite of these is Blood Games, possibly because it appeals to my general fascination with Roman life and times, but you can find a wealth of time periods to choose from within this series. I don't think many other vampire series have driven home the point of how lonely that life is, better than CQY.

John Steakley. John put the action/adventure back in vampire fiction with this book, which revolves not around the vampires, but around a bad-ass bunch of vampire killers hired by the Vatican to hunt them. The fact that John put my husband in the book (he's 1/2 of the character "Cherry Cat") has nothing whatsoever to do with it, except that I met my husband because of the book.

Charlaine Harris. The Sookie Stackhouse books simply delight me, every time. I love Sookie, I love her world -- complex, original, and very very dangerous. I love the real-time rural focus to these books, as opposed to be more urban setting of most others, and of course I love her characters. Especially Bubba. Who doesn't love Bubba?


So, those are my all-time favorites, but here are some that will probably be on this list in a few years, after I have a chance to let them "season" a bit:

The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead -- Richelle is truly a great author, and I find everything she does is rich and involving. This is a great YA series you can really sink your teeth into -- I always love to see another one of these in my reminder list!

The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast -- again, a YA series, and one that's getting a lot of very justifiable buzz. Kristin and P.C. keep the problems of the main characters real and interesting -- and I find these to be "facehugger" books that I can't put down once I start them.

The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer -- I know, some people will disagree with me on this one, but I still like the series and find it really interesting and well done.

ETA: The Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight -- a saga that genre-blends classic SF, apocalypse, and vampires into something very scary and gritty. See? I knew I'd forget something really cool. And here it is, added!

Also ETA: 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Because it really is that scary.

EVEN MORE ETA: Tantalize by the awesome Cynthia Leitich Smith. Vampires, shapeshifters, and a very real grounding in Austin, Texas ... I love Cynthia's world, and can't wait for ETERNAL, which is out in February. Highly recommended, and I can't believe I forgot to include it earlier!


Vampire things I haven't read yet, but really want to:

The Vampire Diaries, L.J. Smith
The Anna Strong series, Jeanne C. Stein
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, J.R. Ward

I just know I'm seriously shorting some very fine writers by not including them in this list, and I'm going to remember them as soon as I hit POST.

So I will rely on you, my fine flist, to post your OWN recommendations and commentary, please.

If I think of anything, I'll amend the post to include it.


... next time, recs for GENERAL URBAN FANTASY/PARANORMAL! But first, a nap.

-- R.

Date:	2008-09-18 21:12
Subject:	WOW, you guys -- thanks for coming to the chat!
Security:	Public
Mood:	ecstatic
Music:	"Peter Gunn" - Max Sedgeley Remix

Tonight was an AWESOME chat, and I want to thank everybody who was kind enough to sit in on it ... if we didn't get to your question, or you think of something else, toss it in the comments and I'll try to answer.

I might make more sense if I sleep first, though. :)

-- Rachel

P.S. -- as promised, tomorrow I will post some detailed recs about other authors and books you should check out, if you haven't already fallen in love with them!

Date:	2008-09-16 20:10
Subject:	Chatting on Thursday at the Knight Agency site!
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm
Music:	"Caramel" - Suzanne Vega

Hey everybody! I'm still trying to keep my head above water, sorry for the radio silence ... BUT, I will be chatting over at my literary agency The Knight Agency on Thursday night!

So please check out the Knight Agency Blog for details, and the login information for the chat!

You can ask me anything. Okay, don't ask me math questions, because I will just make crap up if you do, and it'll be your own fault.

Cheers for the evening ...

Rachel

Date:	2008-09-11 07:01
Subject:	Blogging at Witchy Chicks today!
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful
Music:	"Daft Punk is Playing At My House" - LCD Soundsystem

Some of you may know the lovely (and incredibly talented) yasminegalenorn, she of the marvelous and successful series, which if you're not reading, you really ought to be.

Well, Yasmine kindly invited me to blog over at the Witchy Chicks site, so go check it out! (Check out all the posts, it's a great site!).

So, that was part of my morning. The other part was a 5:30 a.m. international conference call. Now I am writing, until 8:30, when I will go BACK to the office again and become corporate again.

Completed: a short story, "The Boy in the Box," which may have a title change.

In progress: CARPE CORPUS, the sixth Morganville book!

Also in progress: page proofs for LORD OF MISRULE, the fifth Morganville book, because you can never do just one thing.

Cheers,

R.

Date:	2008-09-10 14:37
Subject:	The next time you get one of those crazy political emails ... don't hit delete.
Security:	Public
Mood:	busy
Music:	"Caravan" - Re-Bop Remixes/Dizzy Gillespie

I was over at the awesome Factcheck.org website today, and happened on a positively wonderful article about why it's important not just to IGNORE spin, but to COUNTER spin.

Iowa State’s Gary Wells has shown that social interaction with those who have correct information is often sufficient to counter false views. Indeed, a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by the University of Southern California’s Peter Kim shows that meeting a charge (regardless of its truth or falsity) with silence increases the chances that others will believe the claim. Giving false claims a free pass, in other words, is more likely to result in false beliefs (a notion with which 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry, who didn’t immediately respond to accusations by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth about his Vietnam record, is all too familiar).

So, yes, a big ad budget often trumps the truth, but that doesn’t mean we should go slumping off in existential despair. You see, the Spinozan model shows that we will believe whatever we hear only if the process of evaluating those beliefs is somehow short-circuited. Humans are not helpless automatons in the face of massive propaganda. We may initially believe whatever we hear, but we are fully capable of evaluating and rejecting beliefs that turn out not to be accurate. Our brains don’t do this naturally; maintaining a healthy skeptical attitude requires some conscious effort on our part. It also requires a basic understanding of logic – and it requires accurate information.

Full text of the article here, and well worth the read.

Debunkers, unite!

-- Rachel

Date:	2008-09-10 06:32
Subject:	It's here ... the Gale Force music video!
Security:	Public
Mood:	excited
Music:	"Years of Tears" - Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat

With much gratitude to Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat, I'm very pleased to present the new GALE FORCE music video, featuring their single "Shake"!

Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat are an amazing group based out of Dallas who tour extensively as well. You can find out more about them at their website and Myspace. The band is on tour in Europe right now, so wish them well!

And now ... the SLIGHTLY NSFW video:



Happy Wednesday, everybody!

-- Rachel

Date:	2008-09-09 10:58
Subject:	Best book trailer EVER.
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused
Music:	"Caravan" - Re-Bop - Dizzy Gillespie

Seriously.

Brad Meltzer: YOU ROCK.



:hee:

I'm posting my new GALE FORCE music video tonight. :) But it won't be as clever and amusing as this, unfortunately, 'cause DAMN.

Thanks for the link, p_n_elrod!

Date:	2008-09-07 09:04
Subject:	Also kind of political, but not ... for the ladies.
Security:	Public
Mood:	thankful
Music:	"Feeling Good" - Nina Simone

I just think it's good to remind ourselves WHY women in the U.S. should value our right to vote -- aside from the fact that there are plenty of places in the world where we wouldn't be granted the chance.

If you want a great dramatization of the struggles of women seeking the right to vote, check out the HBO original film Iron Jawed Angels.

-----------------------------------

NOVEMBER 15, 1917:

33 women demonstrating for the right to vote were arrested for picketing and "obstructing sidewalk traffic" outside Woodrow Wilson's White House. They were sentenced to the Occoquan Work House.

Newly arrested and convicted suffragists had arrived at Occoquan and were in a holding room awaiting further processing. Without warning, Superintendent Whittaker burst into the room, followed by anywhere from fifteen to forty guards. Pandemonium broke out.

Whittaker shouted orders to guards to take this prisoner or that prisoner -- often identified by name -- to the cells. The scene was one of bedlam, intentionally disorienting. Suffragists feared for their lives and the lives of their compatriots.

May Nolan, a seventy-three-year-old Floridian with a lame leg that she had to take pains to treat gingerly, was literally dragged off between burly guards, each of whom held an arm, despite her assertions that she would go willingly and despite the pleas of other suffragists to refrain from injuring her leg.

Dorothy Day had her arm twisted behind her back and was purposefully slammed down twice over the back of an iron bench.

Dora Lewis was thrown into a cell with such force that she was knocked unconscious. For several frantic minutes her companions believed that she was dead.

Alice M. Cosu of New Orleans was also thrown forcefully into her cell. Cosu suffered a heart attack and repeated and persistent requests for medical attention for the obviously stricken woman went unanswered by the authorities throughout the long night.

Lucy Burns, who had been arrested once again on November 10, shortly after completing her previous sixty-day sentence, was identified by Whittaker as the ringleader for the group. She was manacled to her cell bars, hands above her head, and remained that way until morning. Later, her clothing was removed and she was left with only a blanket.

Eleanor Brannon later testified:
"I firmly believe that ... Whittaker had determined to attack us as part of the government's plan to suppress picketing ... [The attack's] perfectly unexpected ferocity stunned us ... Whittaker, in the center of the room, directed the whole attack, inciting the guards to every brutality."


Tactics and Techniques of the National Woman's Party Suffrage Campaign (Library of Congress)

------------------------

They fought for you, no matter how or where you cast your vote.

Don't let them down.

Date:	2008-09-06 10:37
Subject:	WARNING ... politics ahoy. Kind of.
Security:	Public
Mood:	aggravated
Music:	"At Your Side" - Lionel Neykov

Okay, I'm not going to make a political speech on my blog. Most of my friends know I'm a lefty left liberal bleeding-heart pinko commie Democrat, so there's that said, but this isn't about that at all.

It's about FRUSTRATION.

Guys. Seriously. Why do we allow politics to be conducted this way in our country? Why do we accept omission, distortion, and outright to-our-face LYING? Why do we allow the most powerful positions in our country, which will influence the way millions (maybe billions) of people live their lives, become a circus like this?

You can stop it, just by refusing to play the games. By the games, I mean buying the bullcrap in a brown paper bag that people try to hand you as truth without FACT CHECKING.

Every time you get a feverish email claiming that Barack Obama keeps Osama's picture under his pillow, or Sarah Palin poses with guns in bikinis, take a step back before you (a) believe it, or (b) forward it on. WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE for our current dilemma, and part of it is simply not bothering to know the facts.

Demand more.

Implement your own voter education program. It's easy. There are two main -- and relatively unimpeachable -- sources for this: FactCheck.Org, and the venerable debunking site Snopes.Com. They are struggling to keep up with the flood of rumors, innuendo, and insanity, but they're doing a pretty darn good job. The St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly have a great site with visual "Truth-O-Meters" for each quote (from "True" to "False" to "Pants on Fire"). There's also a new "Flip-Flop Meter."

ETA: Great recommendation from nuclearwoman: OnTheIssues.Org. They have a great "matchup quiz" which lets you choose your stance on the issues, then scores you against the available candidates here. Kinda cool, and a bit surprising to me when I took it -- but only a bit. /ETA

The candidates' sites also have debunking features you can use, but warning -- seek impartial third opinions where you can. Don't rely on your party's spin doctors, because right now, politics is in a blender, and we're all getting drunk.

If we end up with a terrible leader, and a continued slide from the greatness this country used to embrace, we have no one but ourselves to blame. If we decide to make our decisions based not on facts and records, but "narratives" and "image," we deserve what we get.

Vote for the person you think is most qualified to lead us as a nation. That's it. That's all there is to it. Don't base it on their TV presence, their speechmaking ability, their looks, their "cute family," their personal history unless it's directly relevant to how that person will unify and lead this country.

There'll be a test later. And if we're not very alert, we're all going to fail.

Date:	2008-09-05 11:05
Subject:	So much to catch up on!
Security:	Public
Mood:	bouncy
Music:	"Sour Cherry" - The Kills

Okay, so ... I'm back!

Dragon*Con was AMAZING. I met (and re-met) so many awesome people there, it practically reduced me to tears (certainly to mindless babbling). To those I failed to recognize (looking at YOU Laurie!) immediately, please forgive me -- I was on major facial recognition overload. Thanks to everyone who made me feel so welcomed and honored.

ETA IN BOLD ...
I have to say a SPECIAL thank you to two people, and naturally, in my frenzy, I forgot to write down their names! So hopefully someone (perhaps even them!) will recognize who I'm talking about so I can edit this entry and say it properly ... two lovely ladies came up to me andgetaway_machine and barbed_whispers, who gave me a custom Weather Warden t-shirt (photos later) that said "I believe Lewis can save the world!" on the back ... it is just beautiful, and I am so touched. They also gave me some road music, which really came in handy on the way back! Also, and I only forgot this because I was already USING it, mlevins gave me a beautiful hand-tatted bookmark. Thank you so much!

Speaking of the road ... we drove to Atlanta in the Smart Car. And then there was Hurricane Gustav cutting right across our planned route home, so we headed out on Monday from Atlanta to Memphis, then across to Little Rock, where we stayed at the Peabody Hotel (squeee, with the duck that march down every day!). All well and good until Tuesday morning, when we woke up to find that Gustav had already swept in, at least the outer edges. So we battled 40 mph winds in the Smart Car, as well as torrential rains, all the way back to Dallas. But you know what? SMART CAR WINS! It did great!

And last ... unexpectedly, I am back working full time again. It's a long story, but it was good timing all around, and although I'm sure this will be the start of a more stressful 2009 so far as scheduling and, well, stress, I'm kind of looking forward to it.

I will be live-chatting in the next couple of weeks at the Knight Agency site, and also, heads up, Ohio-area peoples! I will be posting details about my upcoming trip to Youngstown and Cleveland soon!

Okay, now I need to get to work or something. But as always: THANK YOU. I am so tremendously amazed at the kindness of my readers.

-- R.

Date:	2008-08-28 22:23
Subject:	DragonCon!
Security:	Public
Mood:	exanimate
Music:	Joe Bonamassa - "Bridge to Better Days"

Hey, y'all, I'm in Atlanta at Dragon*Con! I've got loads of panels and autographings and stuff, so please, if you're roaming the halls, look for me. (Or, of course, avoid me: whatever works for you!)

We drove the Smart Car. From Dallas. Heh. It was FUN! And highly affordable. :)

We're holding our breath over Hurricane Gustav's projected path ... eeek.

I'm making an early night of it ... :yawn:

-- Rachel

Date:	2008-08-16 08:50
Subject:	RIP, Shelley ...
Security:	Public
Mood:	sad
Music:	None

I'm very sorry to say that Shelley the Leopard Tortoise passed away last night. I loved Shelley -- she was the highlight of my day, going to feed her, because she would race over (yes, really) to me and eat out of my hand, just so excited to see me.

Like most reptiles and amphibians, she didn't give us much warning something was wrong. Two days ago she was nipping at my toes as I cleaned the room, trying to get me to feed her; yesterday, she didn't want to eat at all. We were going to take her to the vet this morning, but she was gone when I went to check on her this morning.

I loved that l'il gal.



Shelley as a baby

Very sad around here this morning.

-- R.

Date:	2008-08-13 06:53
Subject:	And then there was one. One very tired writer.
Security:	Public
Mood:	relieved
Music:	"Silence" - Delerium & Sarah McLachlan

Important life lesson:

Never, EVER declare a cage match until you're absolutely sure that you're within easy striking distance of the end. EVER, people. This is my object lesson to you, so learn it well.

Of course, I thought I *was* at the end, and then the ending seemed off, and so I had to do some reconfiguring.

I wrote more than 100 pages yesterday, and yet my forward motion was only about, oh, 20, by the time I figured out where I was going.

However, after a hot bath and about four hours of sleep, I sailed fearlessly back to the fray, and I am pleased to report that the book has flown the flag of surrender.

CAPE STORM IS COMPLETED.



Well, the first draft, anyway.

I am late, late, late in turning this in -- 12 days late! -- but I feel fairly okay with it. This is always a difficult thing to judge, because you get so road-blind when you do this much work. I wrote the approximate equivalent of TWO novels for this one, because I kept reworking and refining my concept and moving the targets. I had an outline, but ultimately, the outline hurt me more than it helped, and I had to just blow past it and come out the other side.

So, today I must do everything I have NOT done since, oh, last Wednesday. Like, for instance, buy groceries. Do laundry. Mail packages (I'm looking at YOU, contest winners!). Cook. Brush my hair. (Okay, that last one was untrue. I've brushed my hair at least three or four times.)

I wish I could say that I'm going to kick back and relax, but obviously, as you can see from this list, NOT HAPPENING. Life must move along, and one must move with it or get dragged kicking and screaming.

I hear there's sunlight outside. And OUTSIDE outside.

Must go investigate.

-- R.

Date:	2008-08-10 08:19
Subject:	Thunderdome!
Security:	Public
Mood:	determined
Music:	Pocketful Of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield

Yep, it's cage match day. Me and the word count enter, one of us leaves.

Wish me luck. It's going to be a hard fight, and I'm not entirely sure I can make it, but I'll give it my very best shot.

Hooray for coffee ... lots and lots of coffee ...

:yawn:

Rachel

Date:	2008-08-09 13:43
Subject:	Ooooh, LAND HO!
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused
Music:	"Count to Ten" - Tina Dico

I know, I said "ho." I meant it in the nautical sense, as in, I can see the far horizon!

Of the book, that is. And it doesn't (for a change) look like I'm going to run up on the rocks, although of course there's still plenty of words left to go, so I won't get cocky quite yet.

Current count for Weather Warden #8, CAPE STORM:




And just for grins, one more time with the Special Jack Sparrow STM flag:



Because yarrrrr, matey, I'm writing PIRATES! And no, I will not explain why. BECAUSE.

-- R.

P.S. -- I added a cool new feature to my website ... the lovely Jeri Smith-Ready (who shall always be my first Author Speed Dating partner!) recommended Playlist.com for creating jukeboxes, and I took it to heart. So on the entry page, there's now a jukebox where you can hear what I'm listening to as I'm writing -- I love new music, so it'll be an adventure.

Also, I'm going to work on creating jukeboxes for each of the book playlists on the music page, so you can stream the music real-time to listen to as you're reading, if you're into that sort of thing.

Also, I've purchased a BMI web license, so yay, it's even legal and such, and the artists get royalties.

Recommendations for new music always gratefully considered!

Date:	2008-08-08 07:51
Subject:	Superwasp 2: Return of the Superwasp!
Security:	Public
Mood:	blank
Music:	"Count to Ten" - Tina Dico

Well, not *the* Superwasp, but a bigger, deadlier cousin.

My Waspy Turret O' Paranoia is continuing to try to prevent me from surrendering the manuscript for Weather Warden #8 (CAPE STORM) by producing buzzy intruders on a daily basis. One a day, just about every day.

It's gotten so predictable that the first thing my husband asks when he wanders in (usually around noon) is "Did you get the wasp yet?" Mainly because he won't come in if I haven't. The second question is, "You didn't use that spray by the coffee maker, right?"

Ah, the sympathy. It burns.

So, yesterday, I'm cranking away (giving myself a Book Headache, in fact, I'm writing so hard) when I see the tell-tale black shadow out of the corner of my eye. Yep, that's a flying wasp-shaped thing. It obligingly flies to one of the turret's 10 windows (I KNOW OMG) and sits on the blinds, planning its attack run.

Not one of the non-aggressive mud dauber wasps this time, oh no. This one looks like an upgrade, something out of my nightmares, frankly, with spindly long legs and a huge-ass stinger that I swear you could see from the windows of the Space Shuttle.

I felt NO guilt spraying that one. It was coming for me, I tell you, I saw the look in its -- many-faceted eyes. And it was FAST, too.

And yes, I've put up filters on my vents now. No dice. I've tried the trap. Ditto.

It's just me, my trusty wasp spray, and the bug vacuum that I've ordered.

Wish me luck.


Oh, and yes, progress:



I think I'll break out the SPECIAL flag for this one:



Counting today, three more days to meet the goal. I feel strangely unpanicked. It'll come, though.

-- R.

Date:	2008-08-06 10:05
Subject:	CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
Security:	Public
Mood:	bouncy
Music:	"Salute Your Solution" - The Racounteurs

If you entered the GALE FORCE release day contest, winners have been chosen -- I was extra generous, and picked five runners-up instead of four. So five people have emails awaiting them announcing their runner-up status, and one more has a Grand Prize winner alert!

I'll get their permission before posting names, though.

If you're a winner, don't forget to send me your snail mail address! Unfortunately, attaching *actual* things to email doesn't work so well. Yet. And my Djinn are, as usual, on strike.

Here's a preview picture for you from the upcoming GALE FORCE music video, by the way:



It's gonna be fun.

-- R.

Date:	2008-08-05 13:57
Subject:	HAPPY RELEASE DAY!
Security:	Public
Mood:	bouncy
Music:	"Don't Trust Me" - 3OH!3

Happy official GALE FORCE release day, everybody!

And thanks, poutyshorty, for the reminder. :)


Don't forget the giveaway contest closes at midnight CT tonight!

Rachel

Date:	2008-08-05 06:52
Subject:	And here's one Ter would have appreciated.
Security:	Public
Mood:	nervous
Music:	"My Mistakes Were Made For You" - The Age of Understatement

It was tough sledding yesterday, because I kept thinking about Ter, but I made significant progress on CAPE STORM. I felt tempted to just blow everything off and spend the day remembering my lovely friend, possibly with crying, but I could just feel her impatience with that self-indulgence. She loved writing and reading more than just about anything, and I could just hear her telling me not to use her as my excuse to malinger.

So, after about 8 hours of writing, I decided to lay down for a while in the heat of the day (10 day forecast shows only one day where we won't break 100) and all seemed quiet.

And then I looked over at my writing turret, and by jingo, there was a wasp. It was buzzing right around my computer, which was sitting open on my chair.

Thus began the Battle for The Laptop. It involved screaming, jumping up and down, wasp spray, and my husband Cat mocking me. Not that HE'S not afraid of wasps, oh no. He was just using me as a human shield and retreating to his field command position any time an air raid came close.

After dousing most of my room in spray, I finally landed a solid hit on the wasp. No problem, I thought. The can says KILLS INSTANTLY ON CONTACT.

Apparently their definition of "instantly" is "eventually, possibly hours later, maybe, and good luck with not getting stung to death in the meantime." Either that, or this wasp was the Superwoman of wasps, with a little red cape and an S on her chest. She buzzed menacingly around the room for at least two more hours. I checked in periodically, only to find her banging aggressively into walls, furniture, ceilings and light fixtures.

This morning, finally, I have declared victory. Superwasp is dead. I come not to bury Superwasp, but to dispose of her in the nearest available trash receptacle, and

OMG SHE WAS STILL ALIVE.

She was playing possum, trying to fool me into letting my guard down before she lunged for me. I grabbed my HANDY WEATHER ANSWER BOOK (it's a tome, believe me) and ended the conflict.

It was self defense, I swear.

So. A new day dawns.

And there will be wasps. Oh yes, my friends, there will be wasps.

I will NOT let them stop me, Ter. I swear.

Grrrrrr.

-- R.