~~ "She has so many aliases, you'd think she was a spy!" ~~

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Paranormal sale to a very cool market!


I know, I know, I’m always delighted and chuffed and thrilled by sales. But honestly, some have more squee value than others. This is one of those.

I wrote “Matchmaker” back in 1999. I thought it was a short, cute little fantasy. Now, 11 years and 38 submissions later, I’ve sold it—to an anthology looking for paranormal romance. Yes, I’m stubborn!

“Matchmaker” will appear in More Scary Kisses (although the story’s not scary at all  ;-)  ), edited by Liz Grzyb, from Ticonderoga Press in Australia.

Here’s the TOC and info:

Heather Albano - "The Dark Season"
Annette Backshall - "Hunting Rabbits"
Liz Coley - "Marriage of Convenience"
Dayle A. Dermatis - "Matchmaker"
Roxanne Dent - "Miss Luella's Magic Shop"
Felicity Dowker - "Berries & Incense"
Donna Maree Hanson - "Phantom Love"
Martin Livings & Talie Helene - "The Last Gig of Jimmy Rucker"
Kirstyn McDermott - "Frostbitten"
Nicole R. Murphy - "The Protector's Last Mission"
Jason Nahrung - "Resurrection in Red"
Amanda Pillar - "Philomena and the Blond God"
Carol Ryles - "Snake Charmer"
Fraser Sherman - "Sword of Darcy"
Eric Steele - "3am"
Frank Summers - "Dances with Werewolves"
DC White - "The Dark Night of Anton Weiss"

Seventeen stories from some of Australia's brightest talents, complemented by fantastic tales from the US and UK.

More Scary Kisses promises vampires, aliens, fairytale princesses, parallel universes, voodoo, werewolves, wizards, phantoms, dryads and cherubim.

More Scary Kisses will be launched in April 2011.

Squee!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

20% off all Cleis Press titles!

Still catching up…. I'm sorry for all these writing-related/promo posts, but honestly, life is stressful right now and it's not stuff I'm comfortable sharing with the world. I hope you all put up with me for a bit longer!  :-)

Anyway. Some of you are still buying holiday gifts, right? And everyone loves a sale, right? Well, have I got a sale for you!

Cleis Press, purveyor of many fine anthologies of the sexy variety (as well as other books) is having a 20% off sale this whole month! Here's your chance to pick up all those anthologies I have stories in that you haven't gotten around to buying! Just enter special offer code GG on your web order to receive your discount.

In fact, here's a list of Cleis Press anthologies that contain stories written by me as Andrea Dale or Sophie Mouette (with Teresa) or Kendra Wayne. Or some combination thereof.

Orgasmic: Erotica for Women
Lesbian Lust: Erotic Stories
Best Lesbian Romance 2011
Fast Girls: Erotica for Women
Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women
Best Bondage Erotica 2011
Sweet Love: Erotic Fantasies for Couples
The Sweetest Kiss: Ravishing Vampire Erotica
Lesbian Cowboys: Erotic Adventures
Best Lesbian Romance 2010
Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories
Peep Show: Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists
Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists
Where the Girls Are: Urban Lesbian Erotica
Playing With Fire: Taboo Erotica
Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories
Afternoon Delight: Erotica for Couples
Frenzy
Rubber Sex
Dirty Girls
Naughty or Nice
Best Lesbian Love Stories: Summer Flings
Best Lesbian Romance 2009
Hide and Seek
Crossdressing: Erotic Stories
Got a Minute? 60 Second Erotica
C is for Co-Eds
She's on Top
He's on Top
H is for Hardcore
Best Women's Erotica 2007

Remember, if you already have these, you can always buy a copy for a beloved friend! Who doesn't love to find their stockings stuffed with...books!

Friday, December 17, 2010

I gotta have it! Don't you?

Here's the final TOC and introduction to the exciting and (I confidently predict!) steamy Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, containing my show tunes story "Wasn't It Good?" and (I confidently predict!) scintillating short tales from a slew of stellar writers.

There's a brief blog about the book, too, with everyone's bios. (I always try to say something in my bio that relates to my story, and then I promptly forget what I wrote, so it was fun to look at my bio and giggle because it was a good one!)

Introduction: Short, Sweet and Totally Sexy 
Seven-Letter Word Heather Lin
No Blame, No Shame Jeremy Edwards Wasn’t It Good? Andrea Dale <-- hey, that's me!
The Things a Woman Will Make a Man Do for Her Isabelle Gray
Special Collections Fiona Curtis
Wonderland Madeline Elayne
Red Light Angela Caperton
My Femme Evan Mora
Genesis Shanna Germain
Serious Moonlight Michael A. Gonzales
Too Wondrous to Measure Salome Wilde
Hors d’Oeuvre Stan Kent
Missed Connection Tigress Healy
Ties That Bind Daniel Burnell
Eat Me Marina Saint
Jarret Shane Allison
Lucky Number Fifty-One Jennifer PetersLaissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Tara Young
Spunk Sylvia Lowry
Time Cecilia Tan
Dining in the Dark Elizabeth Daniels
Downpour Elle
Need-Leash Mike Kimera
Crushed Satin Organza Carmel Lockyer
Not on the Mouth Cole Riley
Hot Buns on a Sunday Afternoon Erica Rivera
Feel the Burn Thomas S. Roche
Trixie Jen Cross
Police Dogging Elizabeth Coldwell
Tip Me Kiki deLovely
Marxist Theory Elizabeth Hyder
The Dirty Things She Says Sinclair Sexsmith
Laughter in Hades Teresa Noelle Roberts
The Quick Stop Shashauna P. Thomas
Pain Surfer Cate Ellink
After Ten Years Christen Clifford
Over His Shoulder Maximillian Lagos
Manners Rachel Kramer Bussel
Veronica’s Ass Matt Conklin
Punishment Befitting the Crime D. L. King
Lies Kristina Wright
A Forced Witness Vampirique Dezire
Consensus Denise Hoffner
Don’t Struggle Valerie Alexander
Plotter Monocle
Intercept Burton Lawrence
Not a Bang, but a Whimper Jacqueline Applebee
Suggestion Emerald
Hands Free Effie Merryl
Remembering the Wrinkles Penelope Friday
Leaves Elise Hepner
The Copilot Mike Bruno
Pierced Kirsty Logan
Last-Time Lesbian Geneva King
Anal-yzed Donna George Storey
Independence Day Kate Pearce
Going Bald Craig J. Sorensen
Continuing Education Anya Levin
Meet Me in the Kitchen Giselle Renarde
Over the Line Helia Brookes
Not Just a Myth Heidi Champa
Hunger Maria See
The Tipping Point Lolita Lopez
The Advantage of Working from Home Kay Jaybee
For Dessert Jordana Winters
Good Neighbors Mercy Loomis
Laugh Sommer Marsden
A Good Stiff One Kathleen Bradean
Vacation Pictures Robert Peregrine  

Introduction: Short, Sweet and Totally Sexy
Everyone needs a break from his or her everyday life sometimes, and what better way to escape than with a short story that gets right to the point? The authors of the sixty-nine stories you hold in your hand understand exactly how to pique your interest and get you off , and they do it all in 1,200 words or less. You don’t need long to get drawn into the drama, tension and lust.  
I received close to three hundred submissions for this collection, more than I ever have before, and I think that’s because no one, writer or reader alike, can resist a short story that seduces instantaneously. These stories aren’t all about quickie sex, though there’s plenty of that. There are strangers who meet and know right away they must have each other, neighbors, travel mates, coworkers and long-term couples such as those in “After Ten Years” and “Remembering the Wrinkles” who are looking for ways to hold on to that spark. There are stories of sex in libraries, vacation sex and lots of outdoor sex—in the rain, in the street, all over. There are lovers with pecan rolls dripping in caramel, and meals where lovers feast on nothing but each other. There are even a few stories with no actual sex in them at allæyou’ll have to hunt those down and see why anticipation can be the sexiest act of all. 
There’s humor, kink, flirtation, Godzilla, missed connections, sex toys, and one very bold census taker. But I don’t want to take up too much of your time that could be better spent getting intimately acquainted with these short but incredibly sexy stories. I hope you will savor them, read them aloud and return to your favorites again and again. Because all of us have a few minutes set aside for a quickie, don’t we?
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Part of the best

I’m terribly behind on everything due to the fact that I’ve been away from home on a family emergency, but I have a few minutes to deal with peripheral work things and wanted to point ya’ll towards this.

The Violet Blue, who once included me in a list of “legendary erotica heavy-hitters” recently posted her annual Hot Sex Book Gift Guide 2010, and I’m thrilled to be included in two of the anthologies she recommends:

Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women (edited by Kristina Wright). “Think “Wicked” comes of age. Skilled authors craft eerie, hot, romantic and pivotal erotic encounters within classic fairy tales. Very fun.” This contains my story "How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back" (written as Andrea Dale) and many other really great stories!

Best Bondage Erotica 2011 (edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel). “Superb writers with a range of stories on tying and getting tied up, restraint, and power exchange.” Interestingly, this contains a reprint of "How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back"! The book's sitting on my desk at home, awaiting my return…

(Violet’s site is NSFW. Delicious, so don’t go there if your boss is looking over your shoulder. Anthology links are to the books at Amazon.com. Editor links are reasonably safe.)

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Lots of my stories now available online!

I’m delighted to announce a new, exciting phase of my writing career: I’ve partnered with a small publisher to sell my previously print-published stories (and a few new stories, and maybe even a novel or two) as e-books!

The smashing folks at Soul’s Road Press have been hard at work getting some of my Yule/Solstice/winter-themed erotica available in time for the season. In fact, they even got a Halloween-themed story up in time for that holiday, but I was too busy to promo it!

The stories are available in a variety of formats for a variety of e-readers (or just for reading on your computer): Kindle, Nook, .pdf, you name it.

I’m especially chuffed about having my short novel (novella-length, for those of you who get that term) In Her Hands up and available for sale. Erotic romance In Her Hands was a top-10 finalist in the Brava Novella Contest a few years back, and in fact two different publishers were interested in buying it (in the end we couldn’t agree on a contract). But the thing is, I love this story, and everyone who’s read it (first readers, contest judges, editors) have also loved it. I hope my readers love it, too!

Sarabeth Delany’s fantasies come to life when she meets male model Michael Steele—the inspiration for her erotic sculptures. They bond over a discussion of art and passion…which leads to steamy nights with blindfolds and erotic photo sessions.

Michael appreciates the advantages modeling has given him, but he’d really rather be behind the camera. He longs for a woman who’ll love him for who he is, not his fame. When he finds out about Sarabeth’s sculptures, will it mean the end of their affair…and her career?


Secondary characters Brad (Michael’s best friend) and Anya (Sarabeth’s best friend) are crying out for their own love stories to be told. They’re not going to end up together, though: Brad’s going to be smitten by a torch singer named Genny, and Anya, a voice actress, is destined to fall for a voice actor just from talking to him…before she ever meets him face-to-face.

"In Her Hands" at Smashwords (variety of formats)

If In Her Hands sells well as an e-book, I’m definitely going to write Brad and Anya’s tales, and then package all three together as a print book. Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, you can also buy the following erotica stories, all also written as Andrea Dale:

“Redemption”
“Peppermint Stick”
“The Witch of Venice”
“The Queen of Christmas”
“Frozen”

And one (so far) sweet romance, “The Best Catch,” written as Andrea Loewen.

Moving forward, I’ll try to be better about announcing when new stories are available. But if I’m busy writing, you can also check out Soul’s Road Press and see what new stories they’re offering!

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Free fiction! One day only!


Want to read some free fiction by Teresa and me (writing as Sophie Mouette)? Well, here’s your chance! Our story “Pow! Bash! Yes, Yes!” is part of Circlet Press’s Erotic Advent this year!

But hurry, because our story is up for one day only! If you miss it, the only place you can read the story is in the e-anthology Like a Mask Removed: Erotic Tales of Supervillains!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Cover poll redux

Thank you to everyone who commented in my cover poll! Cover A won out, and in fact the more I thought about it, the more I preferred it. Emerald really nailed it when she said "it seems to represent the abundant decorations in the story more." Excess is what the story is all about...thank you, Emerald, for reminding me of that!


But many of you also said my name was difficult to read on Cover A, so we've tweaked that. Does the New Cover A work better? I think the different color makes the name pop a lot more, as does the shading (looks like snow-capped letters!), especially at a thumbnail size.


New Cover A



Old Cover A

Wednesday, November 24, 2010


Yesterday, in the airport waiting for Ken, I…
  • did an hour and half of copy editing
  • wrote 700 words on Out of the Frying Pan
  • drafted my Kingdom Chronicler article

That was after getting some work done on the living/dining room curtains and helping Morgana clean her dining room.

Today I…
  • had an acupuncture appointment (Despite my best efforts, acupuncture does not have a double C in it.)
  • did the Trader Joe’s food shopping
  • picked up a spiral-cut ham at the Honey-Baked Ham place (Irony: We asked Ken’s mom to bring a ham to the family Thanksgiving. But then my sister changed her plans again and now isn’t arriving until Friday—moving family Thanksgiving to Saturday—so Morgana and Brian invited us to their Thanksgiving tomorrow…and asked us to bring a ham.)
  • did a bunch more sewing on the curtains
  • copy edited for an hour and a half
  • answered a bunch of e-mail
  • snuggled with Ken and watched some TV (more of that to come!)

Tomorrow, I need to…
  • sew the linings to the eight curtain panels. Has to be done tomorrow, so that Morgana can help me finish them on Friday.
  • decorate the house for Thanksgiving (predicated on Ken getting the boxes out of the attic)
  • make sure my Friday food shopping list is complete
  • sort the silver
  • wash the extra china
  • copy edit, ideally for two hours
  • clean the hot tub
  • write
  • go to Thanksgiving dinner at Morgana and Brian’s

Friday, I’ll be…
  • picking up Thanksgiving dinner and bunch of groceries
  • putting the makings for spagetti sauce in the crock pot
  • tidying the house, putting out sheets and towels, etc.
  • finishing the curtains and putting them up
  • writing
  • copy editing
  • hanging out with my sister and her family when they arrive!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Cover poll

Okay, I just cannot decide between these two incredibly gorgeous covers, so I need your help!

Please vote in the comments below. (Facebook readers: Please leave comments here at my blog, so I have them all in once place for review. Thank you!)

Here's the story blurb:

Shelly is the Queen of Christmas—her decorations, cookies, and Nativity scene (complete with life-sized camels) would make Martha Stewart weep with envy. But then Brad moves in across the street and sets up his house with a display that puts the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter” video to shame. Shelly won’t stand for the competition. But she might find herself draped over his lap…

Which cover do you like better?

Cover A


Cover B


Monday, November 22, 2010

Hey, look! An actual blog post!


Lately my life has been copyediting, sewing/purchasing things to finish the curtains with, other work-related stuff (but not enough writing. Argh!), Thanksgiving prep, and, for several nights, watching all the Harry Potter movies with Morgana and Brian and Thomasina in preparation for seeing the new one. Except I want to wait to see it with Ken, so they all went without me. Which is fine; my choice.

Except, ARGH! so many other things not getting done! I just realized, at 9:38 p.m., that I haven’t looked at my personal e-mail since this morning, other than glancing at the new messages via my phone. I haven’t worked out since Thursday, and today my trainer canceled tomorrow’s session, except I promptly filled that slot with more curtain-sewing with Morgana (after I help her clean her dining room).

Then I’m leaving by 3 p.m. to get to the airport to pick up Ken…who doesn’t arrive until 10 p.m., but I want to get there before it’s dark because even though my night vision seems to have improved somewhat, I’d still rather not take any chances. (I’m much more comfortable driving at night with a passenger now, but still not so much on my own, just in case.) But, I’m taking the laptop and I suspect that in 5 hours I can get a good chunk of stuff done.

Wednesday I have an acupuncture appointment and hopefully we’ll finish the curtains (eep) and there’s a huge list of stuff both Ken and I need to do. Thursday we’re having Thanksgiving at Morgana and Brian’s. Friday evening my sister and her family arrive, so I need to have the spaghetti sauce in the crock pot that morning. Saturday will be our family Thanksgiving (Ken’s mom is also coming) and then Sunday my sister et al leave.

At which point I have to finish the book I’m copy editing and get all of my work on one novel done so I can pass it on to my coauthor and then get Chapter 3 of another novel done so I can start submitting it, because then I’ll have a new novel to copy edit on December 1 and I have two things due December 15, but I leave for NY on December 13 to help my mom drive to NC. (I fly back to CA on December 20).

Somewhere in there, I need to catch up on my personal e-mail and work out on a regular basis. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Right, it’s 10 p.m. and I’m off to the sewing room for a bit. I think I’ll blast Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway” and sing loudly.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Testing mobile blogging... If this were a real blog, it would have more content!

Kickstart this art!

I donated to this, and mentioned it on Facebook (and maybe Twitter, too) but I also wanted to post it here because I think it's totally awesome.

Basically, you can donate some money to fund this guy's video project—he's making a movie from a Neil Gaiman story, and Neil totally supports this, and what the guy has done so far is so beautiful and perfect it makes me shiver.

As someone who works in a creative industry, I also think Kickstarter is a fantastic idea in general!

Please give if you can! (Ooh, maybe give in someone's name as a holiday present?!)

Friday, November 12, 2010

Now available!

Wooh! Just got word that Best Bondage Erotica 2011, which contains a reprint of my story "How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back," is now available for purchase! Go forth, ya'll, and buy!

I mean, look at this lineup of amazing authors!

The Long Way Home, Elizabeth Coldwell
His Little Apprentice, Jacqueline Applebee
Foreign Exchange, Evan Mora
The Ingénue,
Janine Ashbless
Reasoning, Tenille Brown
Subdue, Dusty Horn
Relative Anonymity,
Emerald
Closeted, Emily Bingham
Vegas Treat,
Rachel Kramer Bussel
The Cartographer, Angela Caperton
The Apiary, Megan Butcher
Wired,
Lisabet Sarai
How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back,
Andrea Dale
The Lady or the Tiger, Bill Kte’pi
Sealed for Freshness, Jennifer Peters
Stocks and Bonds, Rita Winchester
Helen Lay Bound, Suzanne V. Slate
The Rainmaker, Elizabeth Daniels
Do You See What I Feel?
Teresa Noelle Roberts
Truss Issues, Lux Zakari



And this cover!


Smokin'!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Sale! to Lesbian Cops

I’m delighted to announce a new sale: “Charity and Splendor” will appear in Lesbian Cops: Erotic Investigations, edited by the lovely Sacchi Green, to appear from Cleis Press in April 2011!


You can even pre-order it now, if you're so inclined.  :-)



Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Kitlings


You know how they say when you make a life change, you shouldn’t try to make too many at once, because you’ll be overwhelmed and you’re setting yourself up for failure, and all that? Kind of like New Year’s Resolutions: If you say you’re going to eat healthy and work out every day and take up the piano and learn Russian, and you try to do all that on the first day, and by the end of the week you’ve abandoned all of it, because it was just too much all at once.

Yeah. Life doesn’t always allow you to stagger things out.

Remember back in late August when I went on my nutritional cleanse and suddenly felt like I was spending all my time prepping food and eating food and washing the same few dishes over and over again? As timing would have it, something else had come into my life that demanded a chunk of my attention. Two somethings, actually.

Short version: a friend’s mom was moving from her house to a small apartment, and for various reasons her two cats had become mostly outdoor cats and were shy and not quite semi-feral, but not exactly come-when-you-call cuddlers, either. As hard as they tried, my friend et al couldn’t find them a home. The no-kill shelters were full, and the regular shelters didn’t want 6-year-old cats that hid when strangers were around.

And Ken finally said, “We should take them.” I want to make it clear that he was the one with the big honkin’ S for Sucker! on his forehead. (My S was small and dainty, because all I had to do was agree with him.)

We already had a side yard that was walled off. When the previous owner made a deal with the neighbor on that side to build a wall between our houses, they built it so that there was a back wall cutting off our back yard from the side yard. Then homeless people started sleeping in the nice sheltered side yard, so she put a gate to cut off the side yard from the front yard. Had I been around to weigh in on all of this, I would’ve said “wall off the front yard from the side yard, ya boneheads, and leave it open to the backyard” but I was not around and my wisdom could not be shared.

Thus the side yard had become something of an unused jungle:



We hired someone to remove all the foliage, and then Ken (because he is the engineer of awesome) put lattice up all along the wall between the houses, and across the gate as well, and filled in all the little gaps where a skinnier cat with delusions of escape could get through.



And he built a multi-story cat condo out of a wooden crate once used to ship our belongings back from Wales:


And thus Teddy (aka Teddy Boy) and Zip (she of the ability to zip past you at warp speeds) came into our lives, to live in the cat run on the side of the house.



They’ve lived with us for just over two months, and if I could bring these cuddle-bunnies inside, I would in a heartbeat. (I can’t, because Grimoire would make their lives a living hell and Eostre would look at me with her enormous eyes as if it say “You’ve replaced me. Farewell, cruel world.” and never sleep on the bed with me again. I know this because we tried bringing in another cat years ago.) ‘Cause, yeah, they’re so shy and unfriendly.

Here is a representative picture from today:


When I went out there, Teddy was by the gate, yelling at me to get my ass in there. Zip was, for perhaps the first time, outside of the condo waiting for me. (She can still be skittish at first—or, if I’ve been sitting there for an hour and make a move to get up, she often freaks out and bolts. Because somehow me sitting there is fine but me moving my leg is ohmygodstheworldisouttogetmerunawayrunaway. But then she comes right back. Silly kitling.)

So if you call and I don’t answer, it’s likely that I’m out in the side yard, with purring kneading cats on my lap. At least I’m getting a lot of reading done!

Monday, November 01, 2010

I Mooed today


I keep running into people who are interested in A Little Night Music—like, when somebody ran up to me during a concert last year and yelled (because Night Ranger was playing and it was loud) “You’re the one who wrote that novel about Styx*! I lost your information!”; or, like, while standing in line to get Rick Springfield’s autograph, I started chatting with one woman about Styx, and two other women perked up, and the next thing I knew… The problem with my generic business cards is that I’d have to scribble the title and pseudonym on the back.

I’ve been toying with making some Moo cards anyway (they smaller than business cards, and just too cute for words), and my webgoddess had designed ones for my website, so I designed one for the novel, and just ordered 50 of each. Too fun!


The photo was taken by Ken, of Tommy Shaw. I couldn't find a good one of Lawrence on guitar in my files, and I love this shot of Tommy in the smoke.


And the back of both of them looks like this:

So anyway, that was fun!  :-)

---
*Not really. It’s dedicated to the band, and Nate was only inspired by Lawrence, and I wrote it with Sarah…

Friday, October 29, 2010

Wasn't It Good (for you)?


My story “Wasn’t It Good?” inspired by the musical Chess, will appear in Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex (Cleis Press)!

The best part of all? There’s a cat on the cover!


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Tips for supporting your favorite authors

I've been meaning to write a post about this, but it's still in pieces and notes, and now Jacqueline Carey has come up with a lovely list, thus I'm linking to it.  :-)

Great Western War recap


Things Bought
  • another Forever Twelve Taking Forever CD, since I gave my last one away
  • three small drop spindle ornaments for gifts
  • one hand-blown glass muller decorated with Caidan crosses, to use as a kumihimo weight
  • two iced mochas (couldn’t finish the second one—so yummy, but so much sugar!)
  • one custom dinner plate bearing a Welsh dragon (on order), to go with the cup I bought last year and the matching custom pitcher Ken surprised me with for Yule. Next year I’ll commission the bowl. And then maybe the cute littler bowl. And then…
  • half of a Gothic chandelier (Morgana and Brian bought the other half. It’s to use in the Shire pavilion, where we hang out at wars)

Things Lost
  • one small pennanular brooch. And the merchant selling them closed up before I got there to buy a replacement. Dammit.
  • phone & earbud (although not really – the little bag they were in had fallen into my bag of handworking projects – it’s just that I didn’t discover they were gone until we were back at the hotel, and then I fretted all night)
  • one handmade amber and pearl earring. Dammit.
  • hand-crocheted purple capelet with silver heart-shaped pin (I dropped it one night whilst wandering around – and thankfully I retraced my steps and found it)

Things Found
  • one bone button – turned in to Lost & Found
  • wonderful friends I hadn’t seen in far too long!


Monday, October 11, 2010

::happy dance::


Ken’s coming home! Squee! He’s been working in Dallas (in case I haven’t mentioned that before), but when he went into the fab today, there was nothing he could do until other people did other stuff, and that won’t be done ‘til next week, so he booked some flights… Even better, he’s coming to Oregon with me!

The only downside is that his flight is currently delayed. And I just realized I have to clean off his side of the desk (I tend to pile projects there while he’s gone…)

Squee!

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Things to Do Today


  • Go to the gym.
  • Read through at least 100 pages of Out of the Frying Pan.
  • Answer various work-related e-mails.
  • Do dishes/make big salad for lunch/cut up watermelon/do dishes/make dinner (Trader Joe’s curry chicken over brown rice with Thai soup, the latter already meade)/do dishes again.
  • Scoop cat boxes.
  • Update GWW packing list/meet with Morgana, Brian, and Robin to make GWW plans.
  • Cheer for Ken as he runs the LOE Rally.
  • Answer various personal- and SCA-related e-mails.
  • Try not to be sad that nobody wanted to see James Marsters and Ghost of a Robot tonight. Curse my evil bad eyesight. Sigh.
  • Snuggle with kitties, and write a blog about them.

Prepping for the fun


October already. The season of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Except I think I shan’t be decortating for Hallowe’en this year, because I’ll be gone for most of the month. It’s going to be a fun and busy 31 days!

Here’s what I’ve got on the schedule:

Great Western War, October 8–10. I’m only going for the three days, because Ken’s out of town. Luckily we have a cat sitter! Also, I’ll be carpooling/sharing a hotel room with a friend who’s never been to War before, and she’s thrilled about that arrangement. Makes me feel good I can help her out!

New Technology Workshop & Two Book Signings, October 14–17. I’m sooo excited about this Oregon Writers Network workshop: all about how publishing is changing at a mind-bogglingly fast rate, and how to jump on that speeding bullet train of publishing via Kindle, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and more. I’ll also be doing book signings in Lincoln City and Portland with Shanna Germain and Kristina Wright, promoting Fairy Tale Lust and Alison’s Wonderland. Join us if you can! At the Portland signing/reading, there will be a contest for best fairy outfit!

Styx shows in Florida, October 20–25. I barely get home from the Oregon trip before I turn around and fly out to Florida for not one, not two, but three Styx shows! They’re doing a series of special concerts, the entire albums of The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight back-to-back, and I for one cannot wait to experience such a smorgasbord of incredible classic rock! Plus I get to hang out with the most fabulous Helen, and hopefully get the chance to see Zan, Rik, Rowdy, Dean, and even a friend from high school!

Rick Springfield book signing, October 29. He’s written an autobiography, and is doing a talk/signing in LA. This is why I love love love living in southern California!

Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog charity event, October 30. Another reason why I love living here! Dr. Horrible on the big screen, to raise money for Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which “keeps music alive in our schools and communities by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving youngsters the many benefits of music education.” Even if I didn’t care about the event (which I do, I do!), I’d want to support a fantastic charity like this.

Hallowe’en (you know the date). Oddly, I have no specific plans for the evening. Morgana and Brian will be out of town… What I want to do is borrow a child or two and go trick-or-treating slightly south of here because I’ve heard a certain celebrity dresses up to hand out candy near where a friend of mine lives, but…I’m so not a stalker. Really. Honest.  ;-)

So, yeah, October’s kinda packed. November is looking pretty mild by comparison; the only hard-scheduled things of note are Coronation/Queen’s Champion and Thanksgiving, the latter which we shall be hosting for my sister, brother-in-law, two kids plus one friend-of-kid, and possibly Ken’s mom. I’m pondering NaNoWriMo, but if I do it, it will be unofficially, because I’ve already written the first 2.5 chapters of the novel I’d like to do.

What are your plans as the days turn colder (well, everywhere except southern California, where we’ve been having record-breaking temperatures, and the southern hemisphere, that is)?

Friday, October 01, 2010

Book signing in Lincoln City, OR!


And another one!

Along with the Portland book signing/reading on Saturday evening, October 16, I will also be doing a signing in Lincoln City that afternoon, again with Shanna and Kristina!

Where? North by Northwest Books, Streetcar Village, 6334 S. Hwy 101 #9, Lincoln City, OR 97367, 541-994-3087

When? Saturday, October 16, 1–3 p.m.

Why? To promote Fairy Tale Lust and Alison’s Wonderland, two fairy tale erotica anthologies

With Whom? Author Shanna Germain and Fairy Tale Lust editor/author Kristina Wright

Hope to see you there!

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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Portland, OR, reading/signing!

Portland-area friends! I’m doing a book signing and reading in your neck of the woods next month! (Actually, probably two signings, but I’m still hammering out the details of one, so stay tuned for that.)

Where? She Bop, a female-friendly sex toy boutique, 909 N. Beech St., Portland, 503-473-8018

When? Saturday, October 16, 8:30 p.m.

Why? To promote Fairy Tale Lust and Alison’s Wonderland, two fairy tale erotica anthologies

With Whom? Author Shanna Germain and Fairy Tale Lust editor/author Kristina Wright

What Should I Wear? I’m so glad you asked! If you’re so inclined, wear fairy tale or fairy-themed clothing/accoutrements, for there will be a contest! (Not required, of course, but how can that not be fun?!)

More Deets? Check out She Bop’s website and events page.

Hope to see you there!

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