I wish I may, I wish I might...

The always-delightful Alison Tyler interviewed me for her Alison’s Wonderland blog, and you can read it here. I talk about my top three wishes and how I came up with the idea for “The Broken Fiddle,” among other things, and she makes me blush by saying nice things about me.

Also, if you comment on my interview there, you could win a prize. But I’m sure you really want to go there just to find out my answer to the question “Which fairy tale character would you most like to do and why?”

Research help needed!

A friend’s mom has been researching Anne Hughes’ diary for about 20 years, and wonders if there are any sources here in the US to help in identifying photos of two American servicemen.

Where does one go for info on old military photos from WWII? The VA? Does the military keep an historical archive, and if so, whom would be the contact?

This isn’t a time period I’m familiar researching (although I’m going to need to soon for a novel idea I want to pursue), so I’m throwing myself on your collective mercies! Power of the the Internet…activate!


Edited to add: My friend's mom is in the UK, so she'll need e-mail addresses, web links, or phone numbers for places to contact. Thanks!

Blink, blink

[I wrote this part last night, after watching Styx videos with Sara, who was visiting from Phoenix.]

Home from three Styx concerts, which included lifetime numbers 99 through 101. That’s right, I hit my 100^th show…and it was in Ventura, in my own backyard. At the last minute I pulled a completely unexpected front-row ticket to the Orange County Fair show the night before the Ventura County Fair show. I must’ve cashed in a hell of a lot of karma points for that one.

I feel very loved.

I am also rather drunk. Spelling is optional.*

[And this is today.]

It’s 8 p.m.; I got back about fifteen minutes ago from taking Sara to the airport. I’m tired, suffering from Post-Concert Depression (enhanced by the fact that I don’t know when my next concert will be), missing Ken (he’s running a rally and then going to an IBR meet-up), and blinking in confusion and despair at all the things that need doing… Where to start? Concert write-ups, laundry, e-mail, blogs, cat boxes, dishes, writing, general house tidying…

Maybe I’ll just have a glass of wine and go to bed, and pretend it’ll all be miraculously done tomorrow and I’m really about to go on the road for more shows!

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*Spelling was, in fact, optional, and it took me forever to type those paragraphs because I kept screwing things up and having to fix them.  ;-)

Tommy Shaw, Ventura County Fair, 8/7/10

Photo by Ken