True friendship

So I’m on the phone with my friend Helen, who’s waiting in line for a Styx show. It’s a corporate gig and they don’t know she’s going to be there.

Me: If you see anyone, you have my permission to hang up on me.

Helen: Hell no! I’ll tell them I’m talking to you and ask if they want to say hello!

And that right there is true friendship, my peeps.  :-)

Hello again, Phoenix airport...

Hello, Phoenix airport, once again. This is the fourth time I’ve been here in, um, two weeks. Yeah, I’m kinda crazy. See, Styx was playing here, where my fantastic friend Sara lives, last weekend, so of course I had to come to visit her. But then Florence + the Machine announced a concert here this weekend…

Yes, yes, I know they played Santa Barbara, too. But while the Santa Barbara Bowl is a stunningly beautiful venue, not to mention only an hour away from home, they have a subscription series for tickets, which means the rest of us don’t get great seats. I’m spoiled when it comes to concert seating. I also have abysmal eyesight and if I’m not close to the stage, I can’t see squat. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Also, I didn’t know anybody who’d go with me to see Florence + the Machine locally, and Sara didn’t have anybody in her area to go, so…

The Styx show was, as usual, stellar. We had sixth-row seats but security had no problem with us standing at the barrier. (Shout-out to John, our fabby security guard!) That way, we didn’t block the people behind our seats because, as you know, sitting down at a Styx concert is like having sex with the lights off.

At one point, Ricky (Styx’s bassist, if you’re new here) tossed a pick in our general direction. Because it was windy, it fell in the grass between the barrier and the stage. John the fabby security guard picked it up and tried to toss it in our direction, but again, wind. This time it went sideways to someone standing sort of to the right of the stage (behind the barrier—they had a pass). That person didn’t want the pick and moved towards us, but I pointed him at a woman in a wheelchair next to me. She was thrilled and thanked me profusely.

Well, Ricky saw all that and gave me a thumbs-up. Then, at the end of the show, he tossed a rolled-up Styx tote bag my way.

Imagine any scene in any movie where someone fumbles a catch, and you’ve got the mental picture of what went down. I fumbled that balled-up bag like I was juggling it, and finally it popped sideways and Sara caught it. I looked up and Ricky had busted out laughing. Honestly? I found it hilarious, too.

My reaction to Florence + the Machine was much like my reaction to seeing Loreena McKennitt live: “She can’t sound that incredible live…holy crap yes she does.” Stunningly incredible. And yes, we got there several hours early so we could be up against the barrier for that show (we had GA pit tickets), too.

Photos for both shows are on my Facebook page; I’ll try to get them up at Flickr, too, when I get the chance.

One thing I’ve discovered during these travels (as well as the trip to Canada earlier this month—have I talked about that? Can’t remember.) is that I get a metric ton of work done in airports and on planes. Clearly I need to travel more.

Except for the fact that I’ve been (and will be) away every weekend this month, and will be every weekend except two next month (and one of those includes Darach Anniversary on Saturday). Next weekend Ken and I are running our first-ever motorcycle rally together! (an 8-hour rally) and the next day he’s taking an advanced rider’s course, during which I will be ensconced in a coffee shop or bookstore working. The weekend after that, we’re doing a 3-state (AZ,* NV, and then CA), 3-day Styx concert trip that will also include an SCA event (Baron’s Feast in Gyldenholt, for those of you who’re going). Then, at the end of May, we’re going back to Phoenix yet again for Phoenix Comicon.

Well, my flight’s boarding soon and I have a few other things to finish up, so time for me to post this….

___

*Yes, I’m coming back to Phoenix. Except we’ll be driving this time. And, er, next time.

All over and up and down and around

Whee! I had a great week with Ken and my friend Sara, running to and fro—literally. We picked up Sara last Wednesday at the airport, grabbed Thai food—because of my cold, I was really grateful for the spicy soup—and headed to Anaheim for the first of several Styx shows. Before the show we hung out in a coffee shop for a bit, catching up on our various electronic devices, before our friends Fran and Thom and Tani met up with us. At the venue, it was a glorious reunion; the first show after a break is a wonderful homecoming with friends: Sheri and Nanci and Lisa and Naoko and the twins and their mom and Maria. Ack, I’m sure I’m forgetting someone! Hugs all ‘round, and then into the show, which was of course awesome. We had dinner afterwards with Tani and then drove home and fell over, exhausted.

The next morning we slept in for a little bit, and then Sara and I fluffed and buffed and headed up to Solvang. After purchasing a yummy cheese at the wine and cheese shop, we went over to the casino to see if we could get tickets for the show that night (we hadn't been able to get any decent tickets when they first went on sale). We weren't lucky, but we had an amusing time wandering around the casino and briefly hanging out with the assistant tour manager. We spent that evening eating cheese and crackers and watching videos.

Friday saw the three of us battling traffic to get to Temecula for the show there. The band again kicked ass (Dragon Dictate insists that last word should be “pass.” I can't wait until I start dictating an erotica story!) and a friend was kind enough to offer me a backstage pass for a brief meeting with Tommy Shaw. Of course, then we all headed out to the buses and got to see Tommy again, along with Todd and Lawrence.  :-)

We stayed in Orange County that night because Geoff Tate of Queensryche was doing a signing at the wine shop; he's partnered with the winery and created a red and the white. Then we hopped back in the car and headed north to San Luis Obispo because Geoff was playing a show there that night. Yes, that's a lot of driving! You should have seen Geoff’s tour schedule! It was all over the map.

On Sunday we rejoiced at not having to put on makeup and being able to stay in our pajamas most of the day. The only time we went out was to pick up groceries—Sara and I made a vat of vegetable soup for dinner.

Sadly, I had to take her back to the airport on Monday afternoon and wave a mournful farewell. Then I came home and mostly collapsed. Actually, that's not entirely true: I paid bills and cleaned off my desk and answered a ton of e-mails. That said, I'm still fighting off this cold and goodness knows bouncing up and down at concerts doesn't exactly constitute “taking it easy.” I spent most of yesterday working, and today Ken and I ran some errands.

I was supposed to have had my root canal this morning, but my dentist was sick. I'm rescheduled for tomorrow morning—keep your fingers crossed. I really want to get this over with while Ken's home and it doesn't interfere with travel!

February should be a relatively quiet month until the end, when I head up to Oregon for two workshops. I'm looking forward to getting my health back, to working out, and to getting lots of work done. I'm still focusing on the publishing arm of my business along with copyediting, but Dragon Dictate is helping immensely with e-mails, blog posts, and an upcoming nonfiction assignment I've just been offered.

Happy Imbolc to you all! We’re halfway to spring and the light is returning.

Speak and ye shall be…read!

OMG you guys! One of my editors bought me a copy of DragonDictate! How sweet is that?! So far it's been super-helpful with e-mails, and I'm using it for this blog post. I'm not sure how it will work with fiction; I suspect it'll be easier for me to write longhand and then transcribe. (Although really, transcribe is the opposite of what I mean, isn't it? I'm so confused….)

The program really is amazing. I'm stunned by how many words it knows. It'll be interesting to see how it handles erotica terminology, though! I also have to really enunciate “exclamation point…”

We spent the end of last week at NAMM, a music industry convention. We got to chat with several members of Styx, and Ken got to meet one of the members of Iron Maiden, among other artists we ran into. More importantly, we got to hang out with great friends, and we had a wonderful time. Pictures forthcoming on Facebook and Flickr.

Despite the fact that I seem to be coming down with a second cold on the heels of my previous cold, I'm in much better spirits. The vacation really helped. Tomorrow, we pick up our friend Sara from the airport and head to Anaheim for the first of two Styx concerts. Or maybe three; we're going to head up to the Chumash Casino and see if they release any good tickets last minute. If not, we’ll just go to Solvang and drown our sorrows in æbelskivers. We also plan to go to a Geoff Tate wine signing and then see him in SLO for a solo concert. We’re also going to shoehorn in a visit to the Hollyhock House in LA and maybe a whale-watching tour.

Meanwhile, I've been working hard at the publishing side of my job, and have a few new stories already available, plus a new collection almost ready to be published.

Never a dull moment! See you on the flipside!

Happy. Really, just happy.

I’m feeling very blessed right now, very grateful for all I have in my life.

Oh, it’s not perfect, of course. I just deleted a paragraph about what’s not good, what’s weighing on me, things I need to improve and things that are out of my control. That’s not what this post is about.

Here’s what the past few weeks have brought me:

• A hugely beneficial workshop on the beautiful Oregon Coast, giving me more tools I need to succeed in the business I truly love. It’s never been a better time to be a writer!
• A car trip to AZ and NM and back with an utterly wonderful man who inspires me and challenges me and makes me laugh. It’s easy to take people for granted, especially when you’re close to them. The trip, and watching Ken with other people, reminded me just how amazing he is.
• For that matter, travel. I love seeing new places, experiencing new things. One day we went to a ghost town and by the end of it, I had so many bits and pieces and shiny gems and copper pennies that will someday gel into a story. Or maybe a series of stories. Possibly with Mopsy Rothschild as the protagonist.
• Front row at a Styx concert (pictures to come). Sure, it involved being the only three people in line for hours, but it was worth it. (Hanging out with Sara any time is worth it!) I’m grateful to have the money and time to be able to hit my 110^th show, and also to know that the band appreciates my presence. Plus there’s nothing like walking out of one’s hotel room, looking over the railing, and seeing the crew and a few band members in the parking lot below tossing a football back and forth…. Styx’s music has brought me through the bad times, and still does.
• Friends. Oh, the friends! Sara, who seems to be my twin in so many ways—okay, I’m going to complain here only to whine why can’t she live closer, dammit?! Vicki-Marie (crap, she lives in Paris, so my whining just got a lot louder), with her whip-sharp mind that makes me feel smarter just talking with her, and her delightful laugh that makes my heart sing.
• Tea at St. James Tearoom with Ken and Vicki-Marie and V-M’s Tony and Pati and her husband Chris. (Pati also goes in that friends category, and the writer category I haven’t even gotten to yet!) They put us, appropriately enough, in the room inspired by the Bird and Baby pub where the Inklings (Tolkien, Lewis, etc.) met—how appropriate for Pati and I! And then today, tea at Fresh & Fabulous with an amazing group of local writers—Christine, Kim, Sheila, Tanya, and I were there for two and half hours, talking and laughing about writing and everything else, for that matter.
• An incredible access to incredible story: books, TV, music, friends’ tales and anecdotes, and more. Story fills my life, illuminates and illustrates all life. 

I think some of my joy comes from the diversity in my life and in myself. For example, at concerts, sure, I’m wearing a low-cut top and flirting with Lawrence (much to Ken’s amusement), but it’s a persona, and we all know it. I’m a fan, and I’m also a writer, a reader,  a traveler, a scholar, a friend, a wife, a lover, a seeker, a dreamer. And right now, I’m blessed and grateful that I have access to the things that allow me to be all that.

This is long and rambly and not as focused as I would like, and I wish I had more time to talk about every one of these things at length. But all that traveling means I really have to focus on work right now! In the past few days I’ve finished a CES story, started a copyediting job, designed a book cover, and prepped a story to go online. In the next few days, I have a novel to finish editing (and then another one to finish editing), short stories to write, copyediting to do, stories to prep for online, and, um…. ::checks To Do list::  Ooh, and a lot more! So I’m diving in! Whee!

One of those to-do list thingies again

Things to Do Today

• pack for trip
• pick up supplements
• mail package
• drive to AZ while answering email and generally getting caught up via my new iPad. Shiny! (Note: If I’m working, Ken will be driving. Really, people. Logic is your friend.)

Things to Do Tomorrow

• celebrate the Rapture at a Styx concert with Ken and Sara and her Helen

Things to Do After That

• drive to NM
• have joyous reunion with Vicki-Marie (funnels will be involved)
• have high tea with Ken and Vicki-Marie and her beau and Pati and maybe her husband
• work
• drive home while answering email and generally getting caught up
• sleep
• get up and start working again

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)?