Annivesary

Yesterday was our anniversary, and I took the day off, even from blogging. Last year, Jon and went to New York and saw Spamalot on Broadway. We had a romantic walk through night time New York. The only downside being the fabulous, but cruel shoes I was wearing. When Jon realized the pain I had endured for our stroll, he made it up to me. Well worth it.

We thought about doing something big this year. Everything from a return to New York and Broadway, to a long weekend vacation somewhere we enjoyed. But, when the time got closer we both realized we wanted most of all to simply be home, alone. We get precious little alone time. Especially, if it needs to be uninterrupted by phone, e-mail, or any other business. That just doesn't happen. Almost never. So, we took most of the day off. We did, I must admit answer some e-mails. We've made plans to see friends and catch a movie tomorrow. But today, we did very little and it was nice.

We caught up on all the things we all say we'll catch up on 'when we have time'. We watched DVDs that we'd bought but not gotten a chance to open. THE LAST DETECTIVE with Peter Davidson. We both give it two thumbs up. We also caught the first episode or so of TORCHWOOD, by damn near accident. Enjoyed that, too. Fun, likable characters, if rather improbable in places. We finished off the Forth disc of ROME the television series. Horrible history. I mean really fast and loose with it, but again strong characters. If not all likable then compelling. You just have to not pick at the history. If you can't not pick, then don't watch. It would simply make you unhappy. But, if the characters catch you, as they did us, then I think you'll enjoy it. Though, warning, it's not always upbeat. They may play loose with history, but it is Roman history. It's not a happy-ever-after kind of thing.

We had lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant. We went to rock store and bought some pretties. I've loved mineral specimens since I was a child.

We puttered, basically. Jon got a chance to play some of the new Halo while I did an errand on my own. And strangely, Jon enjoyed the game, and I enjoyed being alone. Alone, anywhere, is actually so rare that I can't remember the last time I got to do it. Weird. Alone, when there's no one about to hit the intercom, or a phone call. Of course, since I had my cell phone, it could have rung off and then, presto, no more being alone. Not really. It's getting harder and harder to be truly alone these days, don't you find?

I thought, at first, we'd made a mistake not doing the big dinner, which we've done in the past, or the big trip, ditto, or the small trip, again done that, or at least cards and flowers. But, frankly, the drawer full of cards is getting a might full. I mean what do you do with them after you've gone, wow, cool? We got to stay home and spend time as a couple, which is what the whole married thing is about.

Driving home from the errand at night, I got caught in traffic, and far from being bored or impatient, I people watched. It's a habit most writers fall into. Like actors we collect bits of people, mannerisms. But we do something that not all actors do. We tell stories about what we see. I saw a lot of people out on dates, holding hands, doggie bags in tow. I saw families out. People waiting in the autumn evening for their table to open up. Window shopping going on. I envied none of them. I was utterly content to be going home, and spend time with my husband. The only person that almost never makes me want breathing room. I seem to breath easier when he's with me, actually. There was nowhere I wanted to be, nothing I wanted to do, more than go home and be a couple with Jonathon. It's a very nice way to feel seven years into a relationship, six of them legal.

I'll leave you on an even cuter note. Trinity, our daughter, bought us flowers a day ahead of schedule as she's with her dad this weekend. She used her own money to buy us two red roses in a vase. She filled out the card herself. I mean, how sweet is that. Once the kiddo bought us flowers there was no way for her to come home on Monday and see bigger flowers from either of us. We've had our flowers, and that she thought of it, is special enough for a dozen bouquets.

Comic News

News from Marvel.

We've found an artist and we're happy with his stuff. Here's some of his art and the official word from Marvel

-Jonathon

Ron Lim Joins Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake

Marvel is pleased to announce that fan favorite artist Ron Lim will be joining Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures as the series’ new artist with issue #8. The critically-acclaimed, top-selling series returns with Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures #7 (of 12), continuing the stunning adaptation of New York Times Best-Selling author Laurell K Hamilton’s popular novel. Lim will also provide a special, unannounced Zombie variant cover to Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake: First Death #2 (of 2), featuring Anita versus…well, you’ll just have to find out!

“We’re excited for fans to see the nuances of Laurell’s exciting world brought to life by Ron Lim,” said Marvel President & Publisher Dan Buckley. “We’ve enjoyed working with Brett Booth and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Just as Brett brought his own unique energy to this series, Ron will leave his own indelible mark on the series that continues to bring lots of new fans into comic stores. We’re just as excited as all the readers to experience more exciting stories of everyone’s favorite Vampire Hunter!”

And don’t miss the new printings of the sold-out Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Vol.1, now with two gorgeous variant covers and only available at your local comic shop! Plus, the conclusion of Laurell K Hamilton’s all new Anita Blake story arrives this November in Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake: First Death #2 (of 2), concluding this special look into Anita’s past!

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: GUILTY PLEASURES #7 (of 12) (JUL072208)
Written by LAURELL K. HAMILTON
Adapted by Jess Ruffner
Pencils & Cover by Brett Booth
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—12/13/07, On-Sale—1/2/08

LAURELL K. HAMILTON'S ANITA BLAKE - VAMPIRE HUNTER: THE FIRST DEATH #2 (of 2) (JUN072203)
Written by LAURELL K. HAMILTON & JONATHON GREEN
Penciled by WELLINTON ALVES
Cover by BRETT BOOTH
Parental Advisory …$3.99
FOC—10/11/07, On-Sale—10/31/07

LAURELL K. HAMILTON'S ANITA BLAKE - VAMPIRE HUNTER: THE FIRST DEATH #2 (of 2) ZOMBIE VARIANT (AUG078126)
Written by LAURELL K. HAMILTON & JONATHON GREEN
Penciled by WELLINTON ALVES
Cover by RON LIM
Parental Advisory …$3.99
FOC—10/11/07, On-Sale—10/31/07

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: GUILTY PLEASURES VOL. 1 HC NEW PRINTING ANITA VARIANT (JUL078185)
Written by LAURELL. K. HAMILTON
Adapted by STACIE RITCHIE AND JESS RUFFNER-BOOTH
Penciled by BRETT BOOTH
Cover by BRETT BOOTH
Parental Advisory …$19.99
On-Sale—NOW!

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: GUILTY PLEASURES VOL. 1 HC NEW PRINTING JEAN CLAUDE VARIANT (JUL078186)
Written by LAURELL. K. HAMILTON
Adapted by STACIE RITCHIE AND JESS RUFFNER-BOOTH
Penciled by BRETT BOOTH
Cover by BRETT BOOTH
Parental Advisory …$19.99
On-Sale—NOW!

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Marvel Comics is a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., a leading global character-based entertainment company that has developed and owns a library of more than 5,000 characters, which have entertained generations around the world for over 60 years. Marvel's operations are focused in entertainment and consumer product licensing and comic book publishing. Marvel Studios supports the development of feature films, DVD/video products and TV series. Marvel's creative team also supports the development of video games and toy lines based on its characters as well as for a broad and growing range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, foods and promotions. Marvel's comic book division is a leading publisher in the global marketplace while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. Marvel's Toy Biz division is a recognized creative force and leader in toy design, sales and marketing, developing and overseeing both licensee and in-house toy lines. For additional information visit http://www.marvel.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR ARTWORK PLEASE CONTACT:
Arune Singh
MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
212-576-4000 Ext. 8630
asingh@marvel.com

Real

Eleven pages today. I've listened to Christmas music, and musicals all day. Same as yesterday. My anxiety is off the charts. It was a very emotional scene. I tried to take myself back from my book. I tried to not care as much about my characters and my plot. I tried to be more like some of the writers I know. They don't seem to suffer with their characters the way I do. I tried to find some emotional distance. I've been struggling for days with that artificial distance. Because for me, it is artificial. For me, I love my characters. And if you love someone, you feel for their pain. You care, truly care, about them.

I tried to write and not care. I tried to take some of myself back from my writing, and found that for me, at least, it's all about the caring. If I don't care, I don't want to write. Emotionally, I felt better, personally. But the writing was agony. Not the agony of emotional turmoil, but the agony of emptiness. It just didn't matter. If I don't care at all, why write?

Some writers are intrigued by ideas. Some by the fact that it's a hot topic and they think they can make money. Some, are all about plot, and the mystery. I can write a short piece where it's idea driven. I find that any book with a mystery as it's skeleton is easier for me to write. I've never set down to write something simply because I thought it would sell well. In fact, I've spent most of my career writing things that everyone told me would not sell. Boy, am I glad I didn't listen to all the nay-sayers. But, first and foremost, I am a character writer. It is the voice and lives of my characters that make me want to set down at the computer, or pick up a pen.

It looks sort of peaceful, those writers that get that emotional distance between themselves and their work. But it's not where I work. I work in a place that is messy, because real people are messy. I write from a place where things hurt, and surprise, and you get thrown completely around, because real life does that.

I'm back to writing all nerve endings and emotion. I've left the land of peacefulness behind me. For it is not my land, not truly. In my real life, I strive for it, but in my writing, I can let that part of me that would wreck my real life, go. I can chase it, catch it, and have it chase me. Raw and horrible, exciting and amazing, the depths and heights of it all.

The writing had been crawling. Today it ran. The difference? I stopped trying to be above it all. I crawled down off that distant over-seeing pedestal, and got down to work. I may work in an office, but in my heart, I'm a roll-your-sleeves-up-and-put-your-shoulder-to-the-grind-stone-kind-of-girl. Let's put some muscle into it. Let's see some sweat and tears. If you don't bleed a little for your writing, then it's not art, it's just a paycheck.

Anxious, but better

Made the page count again, yesterday. But today my head has gone ugly again. It's not the book's fault really, but outside influences are just playing hell with me. I can't even share what's got me in a tizzy. It's too personal and the topic isn't my personal to share but someone I know. No telling other people's secrets, or intimate details on the world wide web. That is just not cool.

So, I sit here befuddled, anxious. The air is thick with the rain that keeps trying to come, then stopping. It feels like the world is stopped, waiting for the weather to break. St. Louis is caught between two weather fronts. This is the third day of the air feeling like it's being squeezed between two giants. The storm that promises but does not come, pushes at my skin, weighs down my shoulders. Of course, if it rains then we will not be going to the shooting range this afternoon, because it's an out door range. My only goal, if we get to go, is to shoot enough ammo through the new Kahr, that it isn't so damn stiff. If, after I shoot a few dozen rounds through it, it's still fighting me, I may just be trading in the gun for something different.

I'm going back to work, and see if I can get some pages done. I hope that the rest of you are having a much more productive, and low stress day, than I am.

Back from the range. Charles went with Jon and me. The Kahr is smoothing out a little, though Charles discovered the reason that neither of us could hit consistently with it is that the sight is loose. As in, it's loose enough to move from shot to shot. Terribly hard to shoot consistently when the sight you're using to aim isn't solid. Good to know what's wrong. We're going to have to send at least the slide back to the manufacturer so the sight can get fixed.

I have to say that I was pretty discouraged when I started this blog a few hours ago, but now I feel refreshed. Yes, my bad arm shook and is letting me know I haven't been doing my weight lifting like I should, but I'm back at the computer ready to work again. I already did nine pages today, so I've got my page count, but I feel strangely eager to work. Maybe that old saying, "A change is as good as a rest," has more meaning for me than I think. Years ago before I had Trinity I would exercise for a couple of hours in the middle of the day then go back to work. But once you have a kiddo in school, you really can't work through the bus time. So I adjusted to the new schedule, but I'm beginning to remember that it's not a natural schedule for me. We all have our rhythms, and when you fight against what works naturally for you, you make your job harder. I won't be able to go do something new in the middle of the day all the time, but maybe I should move the exercise from the end of the day to the middle. It's worth a try.

A title, at last

Made my page count today, yea! Finished early so was able to work on other things that needed doing. Still have one interview pending. Now, if we can just find time to schedule in exercise and a life, I'll be all set.

I'm running out of time to do the research for the Jason book, oh, we have a title now. I keep forgetting. Blood Noir is officially the title for Anita Blake # 16.

Guilt

I feel guilty for missing yesterday, because if I've made a commitment to do something I always feel guilty about not doing it. My goal is a blog a day. The guilt thing is my grandmother's doing. She was the Queen of guilt. My friends that are Jewish after listening to tales of my childhood agree that the southern hill folk of America just might be the lost tribe of Israel. How else to explain the level of guilt?

Guilt is a fairly negative emotion. But I have to say as a motivator, if you were raised with it, it has it's uses. Such as, I feel guilty if I miss a deadline for a book, or anything else. I've finally realized that major guilt must be reserved for major deadlines, not the lesser, everyday goals. If I felt major guilt about everything I'd be paralyzed with it. Those of us raised where guilt was meat, drink, and our bed time snack have learned the balancing act. Unless, of course, we broke under the strain of the guilt; stayed home, never left our rooms and did everything our parent told us to do. Probably, did ourselves in at an early age, and the neighbors would shake their head going, "Such a nice girl. Such a good daughter. What could have happened?"

Now, a little note to those individuals that actually enjoy staying home with the parent. If that's your gig, and it works for you, I'm happy for you. But I will never understand it. For me growing up was about escaping, and freedom. To me the place where I grew up was not a refuge but a prison. If your home life was blissful, and your personalities messed rather than clashed with your family, hurrah for you, and I mean that. I always looked at people that seemed to fit in with their parents in a sort of envy when I was younger. But for me, viva la revolution.

In search of a home run

You always know when the book is going badly. One, I listen to nonstandard music. Today, I tried THE SECRET GARDEN. But no music helped me be able to settle down to work. I knew it was bad when I made three separate trips over to the main part of the house for various things. The last trip I changed shirts. Why? Because I find sometimes if my anxiety is too high, or my muse too hard to find, that doing something ordinary can help break up the nonproductive thought processes. Brush your teeth, change clothes, something simple and automatic. There are days when I end up with more make-up because I'm doing something, anything to stop the cycle of negative thoughts. Agatha Christie liked to do the dishes. I know another writer that claims cleaning the kitchen floor is restful. Something to distract and be very un-writer-like for a few minutes seems to refresh the mind better than just forcing yourself to keep banging your head against the computer.

Though, do bear in mind, that if you start finding excuses to refresh yourself every day instead of pounding out pages, that's called procrastination, and you must nip that in bud. But a little break can be just what the doctor ordered.

I had to drop back and loose more pages, but I finally think we've got the right direction. Here's hoping that my internal compass doesn't go all whack-job on me again this book. We're in the home stretch, but I'm beginning to feel like a baseball player that has been stuck on third for most of an inning. You can see home plate, but no one is hitting the ball far enough for you to be able to make that last run. I need one good hit, then I think we can bring our runners in, and be home free. Of course, it's never a good sign when I start resorting to sport's metaphors. No, never a good sign that.

Feeling sorry for myself

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be different? I wonder what it would like to be an optimist. What would it be like to believe in the best, rather than anticipating the worst? I think, maybe, I would have been an optimist. Maybe not. But, my father's abandonment of us before I remember, followed by my mother's death when I was six, sort of convinced me that the world wasn't that safe or secure a place. While most children still believed the world was a good place, I knew better.

I had Anita loose her mother at age eight. Two more years than I had. They say that the earlier the trauma the greater the impact; potentially. There are always exceptions to the rule. But I'm having one of those days when I wonder. Wonder how different I would have been if I'd grown up believing the world was safe. Is that a melancholy thought, or just a thought?

I'm feeling a little melancholy tonight. The book isn't going well. Oh, it's going well. It reads just fine, but it's slow. Slow, this close to the end of a book, when usually I'm racing to the end, makes me doubt. Was the book going faster before Jimmy died? Am I fooling myself that loosing my dog has made it harder to escape into my fictional world? Is it just an excuse? I can't tell.

I know one thing for certain, I miss him curled up in the sunlight on his favorite dog bed in my office. He was the most devoted of the dogs to my work schedule. Towards the end, I carried him up stairs, or Jon did. We carried him up and we carried him down. His last day home he got to be in his favorite spot. He got to sleep in the sun, and only woke when I petted him awake. He was old, which meant he slept hard. So hard, that there were a few times when I couldn't wake him that I thought he'd died in the sun, in his favorite bed, while I worked. But he waited to do it in the hospital, and he didn't make us have to "help" him along. He went on his own. Am I allowed to say, I miss my dog, and the office seems empty without him, and this book isn't nearly as much fun without him near by?

Will I win?

The book has, yet again, foiled me. Instead of making more pages I spent the morning giving up a scene and an entire plot line. I have trouble giving up on something, especially if it's cool. But, I want to save this cool idea for another book where it can be on stage for longer than a hundred pages. One of my regrets is that in Narcissus in Chains the main bad guy and his being a panwere was only on stage in full explanation for such a short time. Such a nifty, original, idea really deserves more on stage time, but, the book was where it was in the plot by the time we got the big revelation. No help for it. Originally, I had Anita finding out about Chimera fifty to a hundred pages sooner. Which would have given us longer to play with the whole panwere idea. But, Anita and the gang were too tough for my bad guys. They got away instead of being captured, so, the big reveal had to wait until later.

I don't want to look back with regret on another nifty idea that didn't get to be trotted out for more than a few pages. But, now that I've vetoed one entire plot line, and taken a completely different tact for the end of this book, I'm a little puzzled about how to precede. The nifty idea was a late addition to this book, unlike the whole Chimera and panwere thing which had been planned for Narcissus in Chains from the beginning of the book. Whenever something comes in that is a major plot point when you are a hundred pages out from the end of a book, well, letting major plots out of the bag that late in the game is how I ended up with some thousand page novels. (Please, bear in mind that the page count of a draft of a novel has little to do with the printed page count, so don't go searching through the books for the thousand page opus. A printed thousand pager would have to actually exceed a thousand pages in draft.)

This book was originally supposed to be about two hundred pages, remember? It was supposed to be JASON, like MICAH. Instead it's been about five hundred pages, cut by eighty, and now we're back up to 430 or so. But if I stay with my original plot, with some additions, obviously, it's still going to come in at about five hundred. But, it will still be Jason's book. It will still tell his story. Which was what interested me in the plot in the first place. Damned vampire metaphysics making my plot more tangled. Damned shapeshifter culture making my book longer. Damned new characters expanding the process. Damned character development adding pages. Damned major plot revelations for the over arching series story arc.

It's all good, but damn, the book is trying to become about two different books. I'm trying to put my foot down, and keep to just one book. Will I win? I'll let you know if I figure a way out of the scene I just finished yesterday. If I have another day where I get no forward progress then I may have to bow to the secondary plot. But, may I say, that I do not have time in my schedule for this book to double in size. My stress level cannot deal. So pray for a happy ending to this scene and a way to tame this plot.

New comic art

Nine pages today. I would be optimistic but this book has lulled me into a false sense of security several times. So, I'll just be happy with my page count finally being reached and not think too much about it.

Done with the Anita and Richard fight for this book. I think. Always glad to have that behind me.

I was drinking out of my mug that says, "Creature of the Night", on it, but it has sprung a leak. A small, but persistent crack, that means it is now a container for pens and pencils. I recycle favorite mugs to pencil holders. I know just where to put this one.

We have new art for the main comic book. New artists showing us their take on Jean-Claude, Anita, and Phillip. I'll say no more until we pick an artist. Once we've picked someone we'll let you know who it is.

Trying not to give away too much

I'm beginning to work my way out of the maze. Six pages of progress. That's about all I can talk about without giving away major plot points. I've written this blog twice and each time I have to erase stuff, because I'm over sharing. God, I just can't do this tonight. I keep having to erase stuff. That's it, I'm out. Good night folks. I'll try to find something none secretive to write about tomorrow.

Balancing acts

Yesterday we had dinner with our friend, Richard. We invited Andrew, as well, but he had to work. It's more of that whole trying to socialize more. We went out to Blue Water Grill. It's one of our favorite sea food restaurants in town. Dinner and conversation with good friends, what could be better?

Today, Sunday, we met our friends Sarah and Mark for lunch. We went to the Blue Owl in Kimmswick, Missouri. It's a small tourist town where you have bed and breakfasts, antique shops, and just collectible shops. It's a good place to get lunch, then stroll around and browse the shops and visit with friends. Again, trying to get out more. I find that when I visit with friends I tend to be more refreshed for work next day.

Once upon a time, I didn't see much of my friends when I was working on a book. I'd immerse myself in my fictional world, then come up for air and my friends. But that only worked when the books were about half the size they are now, and I was only doing one series. I've finally realized if I wait until I am not writing a book to see my friends, I will never see them. I'm always working. I'm not sure that's good for me, actually. Probably isn't.

So, the compromise so far, is to try and take weekends, or at least a day a week off, to do other things besides work, while still trying to keep to the schedule. We'll see how it goes. I know that when I finish this Anita book that I am going to have to take a trip. A few days away, because if I stay home I get sucked back into work. The next book; the next thing. Away, it's harder to work. Sometimes I think I'm addicted to work. The only way to stop is to take temptation away. But, of course, my work only requires a way to write and a surface to do it on. So hard to avoid temptation completely. But we'll see how it goes. I know one thing, I need a better balance between work and play. I'm working on it.

Eighty pages down

Still trying to figure how to write my way through the maze of the eighty pages I've lost. We saw colors for the second half of THE FIRST DEATH, comic. So progress was made on something. But, when no progress is made on whatever book is currently on the desk, well, no other progress in any other area really means anything to me.

Jon and I are off to bed. I'm hoping I'll either have some brilliant idea for the book over night, or that when I wake up tomorrow with a fresh eye, I'll realize that really there's nothing wrong with the fix I came up with today.

Taking a break, and the follow up

Wasn't getting anywhere on the book yesterday. Yeah, it was just a read through, but my head felt like cotton wool, and worse yet, my attitude towards the book was going ugly. I've gotten to where I can spot a bad mood that's going to effect how I see the book. If I can simply step away for awhile, then it'll be fine, but when your head goes too ugly you need to stop doing anything to the book. If you don't step away, you may end up cutting things you'll need later, or doing more damage than good. So, I called my friend, Robin. Sometime during the conversation I realized that my head wasn't going to get any better without an hour or two break.

So, I talked to Jon, and we went out to see a movie in the middle of the day. We saw SHOOT 'EM UP. We both enjoyed it. It's a fun movie, but with a few warnings. If graphic violence bothers you, don't go see it. You, also, must not pick at the story. You must suspend disbelief almost from the opening frame and keep your belief in limbo until the closing credits. If you think too hard, you will not be able to stop yourself from catching the impossible. Things that could never happen, well, as long a Newtonian physics is still the rule. But the previews do not lie. It is action, it is outrageous. It is fun. It is mindless violence. With some good performances scattered throughout. Paul Giamatti is delightful as the main bad guy. Deliciously evil. You will come out of this movie believing that carrots are one of the most dangerous foods around. The best bits are not in the previews. There are plenty of over the top and down the back action still to see.

But a movie where I didn't have to think very hard was perfect. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

Ironically, Darla was taking the day off, too. She and her husband, Jack, were actually at the same show for the same movie. Great minds and all that. Vacation days in the middle of the week, seem to work for all of us. Maybe we'll make it a tradition.

I came back to the desk this morning refreshed. I finished the read through, and found where the rabbit hole opened up and tried to swallow my plot. I've lost nearly a hundred pages, but I'll save the ideas in them for another Anita book. The concept is very cool, but for another book. One of the best things about writing a series is that if something has to be cut from one book, you always have a chance to use it later. A little rewriting and the book, though not exactly going where I'd originally envisioned, is much closer to the original idea. I'm happier. My characters are happier. I think the book will be a little shorter and definitely more linear, tighter. Stay on target, stay on target. Maybe I should just post that over the desk for the next hundred pages.

Of Mice and Men

We have a mouse in the work room. Jon spotted it, and we found evidence of it behind the bins of dog food. Little presents. (Yes, I mean mouse droppings.) I want to use a humane trap, and transport the mouse far away. It's not the majority view, but every once in a great while I do use that presidential veto. Of course, if we do manage to trap it, I need to have some place picked out for it to go. No place springs to mind. Maybe I'm just delaying the mouse's death. Or deciding whether it will be quick and sharp, or longer and less quick. If we put him, or her, out in unfamiliar territory will the mouse survive? Or will it fall to a predator, or even lack of food, if I choose the wrong place to release it? Funny, how a choice that seems kind can so often turn into a complicated mess for both the doer of the good deed and the person, or animal, the good deed doer is trying to help.

But, one way or the other, the mouse has to go. One mouse never remains alone for long, if the problem isn't dealt with you end up with your own little colony and I am quite allergic to the wee things. It was one of the things that made me sick in the old house. Not to mention they got into boxes of books and feasted on the paper, and made it into nests. Most unpleasant. They also nested in my first husband's computer. Shorted it out, eventually, but they'd been in there long enough to try to start a family. One of those stories that you have to see to believe. They electrocuted themselves though. No traps needed. Dead mice, and a mother board that melted. Again, what a mess.

Funny, I'm remembering all that went wrong when I didn't want to use overly harsh methods last time. It was unpleasant, to say the least. Tomorrow we need a trap. I may still try for humane, but it's got to be transported many miles away. The mistake I made years ago was releasing too close to the house. More worrisome, in some ways, then one mouse, is we can't find where the mouse got into the house. If we don't find the way in, this mouse will not be the last, even if the first mouse is gone. It's nearing winter and the critters are looking for a nice, warm place to hole up for the cold to come. I can't blame them, but I also can't let them use our work room.

What is this? First, brown recluse spiders, now a mouse. I'd rather have the mouse, but still, I'd rather not have anything unwelcome in the house.

A nearly perfect day for work

It was a nearly perfect day. My favorite time of year is autumn, always has been. I have to agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne that there is some magic with that first chill in the air, and the turning of the leaves that sparks the imagination. For me, it just seems to refresh the spirit. I've been feeling in need of a little refreshing.

I opened the windows wide in my office. Which my allergist says not to do. Autumn is my most allergy prone season; of course. But when the air is soft, and has that hint of coolness, and the crickets are singing their most heartfelt serenade; I have to open the windows. I need to feel that air against my skin. Even if it means that I have to use every paperweight I own to keep my papers from fluttering about in the breeze. It also meant I could hear the stream down below my window, flowing into the pools. It's a man made stream, but the sound is made to order. Really. The workmen and I played with rocks in the flowing water until I had the sound of the water exactly the way I wanted it. Move a rock here, one there, listen, then move it back, until the sound was what I'd been dreaming of. It is a lovely sound to that we can hear from the patio, and from any of the new offices if we're willing to open the windows. Jon isn't much for open windows, but I am. Once a biology major, well, you get the idea.

I'm still happy with the book, but I have no idea for a title. If it had turned out to be the novel-lite that I'd thought it was going to be, then it would have been JASON. But now, we need a longer title and I am stumped. There's no vampire, or lycanthrope owned business on stage. I wasn't planning on there being any, but without it, what to call the book? I've actually enlisted my editor to see if she can come up with anything. Maybe when I've had a few more days of rest and feeling better, I'll come up with something. But frankly, I've used up all the titles that were in my file. Well, except for two that just don't match this book.

LKH Bit 09/11/07

Joining the fan club, Contests Update, A Lick Of Frost Tour, Interviews with Laurell


Joining the Fan Club
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi! Sorry, I didn't give out more details for those who are unfamiliar with everything. My bad, which I hope to rectify with this.

The main website is www.laurellkhamilton.org That’s Laurell's home page on the net.

You can find info on joining the fan club or any of the other things we offer at www.laurellkhamilton.org/Goodies.html

The next newsletter will be Fall, which I am getting ready to send to the printers here shortly. Just finishing it up now. Membership includes: 4 newsletters, the current round of membership goodies (sorry gonna suprise you all with this years stuff), and a discount at the fan club store.


Contest Update
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, sorry for making both the black and white banner and website banner being a BW. I will sort those, so if you entered don't worry about being wrong. Yes, you can enter each of the different drawings. Just not enter one drawing more than once. So you can do a flyer and a website banner and be a fan club member and enter the email drawing.

Lastly, the flyers are a .zip and the banners are just a line of code on the website. You must have a zip program to open the flyers. Winzip is what it was made with.

If you cannot open it, you can find them at http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x222/ddecember/

A Lick Of Frost Auctions – Ends September 13th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There will be two auctions for A Lick Of Frost run on eBay.

The first benefits Granite City APA
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140155417253

Or search for item # 140155417253


The second is for Midwest Pug Rescue
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140155419863

Or search for item # 140155419863



A Lick Of Frost Giveaways
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may enter each contest once. Sorry I wasn’t clearer about that part.

The message that followed originally, did not let folks enter the contest. So you will have to send an email to the address below. Contest winner will be drawn on: Sep-13-07. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

You can send an email to accounts@laurellkhamilton.org

Subject Line: A Lick Of Frost Giveaway
Please include your name and address in the body of the message.

We will not share your info! If you don’t win, I won’t even open your email.
I will tell you that should I send a winner their package, and it is returned as undeliverable, an alternate winner will be chosen. Yes, it has happened. Once the books have been received by the winners, all the emails will be deleted.


Fan club members will also be automatically entered into a drawing for a copy. They may enter the online drawings also.



Fan Promotions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have a special fan promotion also. Starting on October 1st, if you put up a banner or flyer and follow the directions below, you could win a signed hardback copy of A Lick Of Frost.

You can find the banners or zip version of the flyers here:
http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Merry/ALickOfFrost.html

Download one of the 2 flyers (address below) and put it up! Put it up at your dorm bulletin board, your work bulletin board or heck, even the bulletin board at your local grocery or coffee shop. Take a picture of yourself next to the flyer (please downsize the picture to a 5”X7”) and email it to:

Printed the flyer in color:
Take a picture of yourself next to the flyer and email it to accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - Color
Body: Your name and address.

Printed the flyer in B&W:
accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - BW
Body: Your name and address.

Also we have banners for websites.

Banner:
accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - Banner
Body: Your name and address.
Website or MySpace name where it appears.

If you entered with a BW as originally asked, don’t worry. I will sort them.



All entries must be received by October 31, 2007. We will chose two at random (from each grouping) to receive a hardback, signed edition of A Lick Of Frost.


A Lick Of Frost Tour
Short tour this time. We do not set the tour schedule, the publisher does. However, we do maintain a wish list. So if you have a city in mind, feel free to post it on the message board or send us an email. Hopefully, at some future date it will get on a tour stop.

Tuesday, October 23 ST. LOUIS, MO
7:00 pm Talk & Signing
Borders Books & Music
Brentwood, MO 63144
Store Phone: 314/918-8189

Monday, October 29—SALT LAKE CITY, UT
7:00 pm Talk & Signing
Barnes & Noble
1104 East 2100 South Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Store Phone: 801/463-2610


Thursday, November 1 SEATTLE, WA
7:00 pm Talk & Signing
University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Store Phone: 206/634-3400


Saturday, November 3 PORTLAND, OR
1:00 pm Talk & Signing
Powell’s Books
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005

Interviews with Laurell
This Week In Geek has a new audio interview up:
http://thisweekingeek.net/node/84

We have lots of different interviews available in text, audio and video form. To see or hear more go here:
http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell/LKHBiography.htm#interviews

That’s it for this bit!

Darla

A read through, and a little R and R

I printed off a clean copy of the Jason book, and am reading it over. The news with the dogs and other things have sort of thrown me out of the book. Too many interruptions. So, I'm reading, and making notes. So far, so good.

I'm hoping to be done with the read through by tomorrow evening, but we'll see. I've got over five hundred pages to read, though I think at least fifty of it is going away. Though, I'm probably going to add another twenty-five to fifty by the time I've put in two new scenes that I think we need early on. But, it's interesting to watch Jason and Anita interact. It's always interesting to throw Anita into a situation with just one of the other characters, rather than a crowd. Harder to hide.

Jon, Trinity, Jon's parents, and I, are Christening the new grill tonight. We're doing a 'Cooking Light' hamburger recipe. So, I'm going to go be sociable. I found myself feeling more refreshed after the weekend, even though I'd been sick, as if sitting around and watching television and reading and visiting with my family and dogs was exactly what I needed. Since I'd rather give myself permission to have fun, then be forced to do it by being sick, today I did some fun stuff, too.

I sat out on my patio twice. It may be a record on a work day. I got to see the first Giant Swallowtail butterfly that I'd seen since I was a teenager. They are the size of a small bird, and bigger by far than a hummingbird. Giant, indeed. All deep chocolate brown and pale, lemon yellow, with spots of color like eyes on the wing, and those lovely sweeping tails that give the swallowtails their name. Swallowtails were my very favorite butterflies when I was growing up. Though my most favorite was the Black Swallowtail. All that velvety darkness with those iridescent colors. So amazing. The Giant Swallowtail loved the potted jasmine plant, and hovered over it flapping those huge wings. I was so glad I was out there to see it, in the late summer sun. Pippin was in my lap, yes my sixty pound lap dog. Darla was sitting in the other chair, so she got to see it, too. Sasquatch was just wondering about our feet. The butterfly was big enough that Pip noticed it. He doesn't usually pay attention to butterflies. Though, he does have an unhealthy attraction to bees. That's going to go badly some day.

The butterflies of all kinds have found our garden, just as the toads did this spring. We're planting more food plants for the caterpillars, as well as nectar sources. It's paying off now in a wonderful show of fluttering butterflies and buzzing hummingbirds. We also have chipmunks, raccoons, and a fox. How cool is that?

Under the weather, again

I've been under the weather for about three days now, or today is the third day. I have a tendency to get sick if I'm under enough stress for awhile. So, no big surprise. Still irritating, though.

So, not much progress on the book. I've seen a lot of the couch and watched more television than normal. Way more. Trinity is finally old enough that some episodes of CSI are okay for her. I'm having to preview them, because some I haven't seen in awhile, but once approved, then it's on. So, I've gotten to have a marathon of CSI, which was cool. But we've also watched Dirty Jobs, while Jon Tivo-ed the shows to DVD, and Human Weapon. Human Weapon is a new show on the History Channel. Our two hosts, Jason Chambers and Bill Duff, go around the world to explore different martial arts. They show the history of the fighting styles, then they train in the fighting styles. The climax of the show each week is that one of them fights a champion of that particular martial art. Always fun to watch someone get their butt kicked. Though, both Bill and Jason have been doing pretty, darn well. Frankly, there have been a few times when we've all been worried for their safety. So far, one broken finger and one split open toe and too many bruises to count. It's a very fun show.

It's hit Karate and Judo, but it's also done Muay Thai, Eskrima, Savate, Pankration, and Krav Maga, so far. Don't know the last five styles? Watch the show. But a hint, Muy-thai is best known from the movie KICKBOXER. Eskrima is from the Philippines, nice stick work. Savate proves that the French are known for a lot more than just gourmet food and fashion. Pankration is the original mixed martial art, as in the ancient Greeks and Spartans did this one. Very cool. Krav Maga reminds us once again why the Israeli special forces are so intimidating. It's going back through it's run now, so catch them while you can. If enough of us watch it, maybe we'll get to see more. So tell your friends, tell your relatives, the show is safe for the whole family and cool enough for every age group I know. Okay, if your kid is under three it may be too violent. Maybe under five, depending on your kid. And we're trusting that you are all good enough parents to explain to the kiddies that none of this should be done without lessons and trainers. Let's all play safe out there.

Feeling a little better

Better yesterday. Still one page shy of minimum, but I felt better doing it.

I also don't want to give you guys the idea that Phouka is like on her death bed or anything. In fact, if the vet hadn't said they'd found cancer cells in the growth we wouldn't know much was wrong. I mean she's not a young dog so she's blind, and she's got some arthritis setting in, and an ear infection (pugs are prone to them), and a urinary tract infection (Phouka seems prone to them), but other than that she's a very healthy dog. She doesn't seem to be in pain. She's still wagging tail, or wagging her whole butt, at any attention. It was interesting, after she went completely blind she started wagging her tail more when we talked to her. I think it was her way of letting us know she heard us, and appreciated the attention. She also started patting, or scratching gently, at our feet or legs when she wanted pet. I thought it was pretty smart. She could no longer see if we were looking at her, but she knew we were standing there, so she started to pat us and make sure we knew what she wanted. She also started patting ahead of her on stairs, or in any unfamiliar place, so her paw would find the problem first. I thought that was excellent reasoning on her part. For the first few weeks she also would set on our feet, actually put her little butt right on us. I think it was to make certain we were there. She's stopped doing that as much. I guess she's getting used to her new way of moving about the world.

She's still our happy little fuzzy princess. Who just happens to have some mysteries illness that the doctors can't quite figure out, and a cancerous growth on her leg, that they can't operate on until her blood work comes back better. Why? Or rather why not? Because they're afraid that until they track down the cause of the blood work she might not make it through the anesthesia. We're not going to argue that we need to make sure, but the thought of them waiting when they've found bad cells in the growth makes us all very nervous. But, Phouka seems unfazed by all of it, and just keeps trucking along.

I brought out the heavy guns for music yesterday. The H.P.Lovecraft Christmas album, A VERY SCARY SOLSTICE. I love this album. All the songs are almost too fun to be allowed, but some particular favorites are "Have Yourself a Scary Little Solstice", "It's the Most Horrible Time of the Year", "Away in a Madhouse", "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fish-Men", "I Saw Mommy Kissing Yog-Sothoth", "Little Rare Book Room", "Demon Sultan Azathoth", "Tentacles", and there's more.

Though, a caution. I find that you need to listen to this album on head phones. Why? It's fine for a time, or even two, (though I recommend against even two) but don't play it over and over in a room out loud. The atmosphere starts getting a little thick. On headsets you can listen to it all day long, but out loud . . . Well, it is H. P. Lovecraft, after all.

LKH Bit 09/06/07

LKH Bit

Midwest Pug Rescue Comic auction results, A Lick Of Frost auctions, A Lick Of Frost giveaways, Fan promotion with prizes, Chapter Two of A Lick Of Frost, Fall Wolf Howl, Superheroes Exhibit, Comic News



Midwest Pug Rescue Comic Auction Results
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winner of the Midwest Pug Rescue Auction was John M of California. John gets all the goodies for $467.58.

Laurell matched it with a bit more and we sent Midwest Pug Rescue $1,000.00.

Thanks to all who bid!


A Lick Of Frost Auctions – Ends September 13th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There will be two auctions for A Lick Of Frost run on eBay.

The first benefits Granite City APA
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140155417253

Or search for item # 140155417253


The second is for Midwest Pug Rescue
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140155419863

Or search for item # 140155419863



A Lick Of Frost Giveaways
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are on the free announce list, you can wait for the separate email to enter. Contest winner will be drawn on: Sep-13-07 It should be right behind this message. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

If you are not on the list, then you can send an email to accounts@laurellkhamilton.org

Subject Line: A Lick Of Frost Giveaway
Please include your name and address in the body of the message.

We will not share your info! If you don’t win, I won’t even open your email.
I will tell you that should I send a winner their package, and it is returned as undeliverable, an alternate winner will be chosen. Yes, it has happened. Once the books have been received by the winners, all the emails will be deleted.


Fan club members will also be automatically entered into a drawing for a copy. They may enter the online drawing also.



Fan Promotions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have a special fan promotion also. Starting on October 1st, if you put up a banner or flyer and follow the directions below, you could win a signed hardback copy of A Lick Of Frost.

You can find the banners or zip version of the flyers here:
http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Merry/ALickOfFrost.html

Download one of the 2 flyers (address below) and put it up! Put it up at your dorm bulletin board, your work bulletin board or heck, even the bulletin board at your local grocery or coffee shop. Take a picture of yourself next to the flyer (please downsize the picture to a 5”X7”) and email it to:

Printed the flyer in color:
Take a picture of yourself next to the flyer and email it to accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - Color
Body: Your name and address.

Printed the flyer in B&W:
accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - BW
Body: Your name and address.

Also we have banners for websites.

Banner:
accounts@laurellkhamilton.org
Subject: A Lick Of Frost - BW
Body: Your name and address.
Website or MySpace name where it appears.



All entries must be received by October 31, 2007. We will chose two at random (from each grouping) to receive a hardback, signed edition of A Lick Of Frost.


Chapter Two of A Lick Of Frost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have the second chapter of A Lick Of Frost up for reading!

http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Merry/ALickOfFrostChapterTwo.html


Fall Wolf Howl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We will be doing a Wolf Howl in conjunction with the Wild Canid Research Center here in St. Louis on Wednesday October 17th. Tickets go on sale:
Monday September 10th at 12 Noon CST. Please do not call before then, there will be no one in the office to answer.

Tickets are $20 per person. Please contact Pam Meyer for tickets at:

Phone: (636)-938-5900
Fax: (636) 938-6490

Tickets are limited to the first 100 people. Laurell will be reading from the next, untitled as yet, Anita book. Followed by howling with the wolves, and then a signing and Q&A in the classroom/gift shop area. All funds raised go to the Wild Canid Center.


Superheroes Exhibit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have some pictures up from the Saint Louis Science Center Superheroes Exhibit at www.laurellkhamilton.org in the Photos, Laurell section. Shortly we will also have a video taken of the special part of the exhibit that featured the comics at:
www.youtube.com/user/jondgreen


Fall Fan Club Newsletter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right now it looks like I will be sending out the newsletter without the goodies packages. It is taking a bit for some of the manufacturers to get them done. So I may hold those till December and ship them out then.

Also, our guest author for the Fall Newsletter will be MJ Rose. Mark Kearney’s book has been pushed back to December (it happens a lot in publishing).


Comic News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As most of you know, Anita Blake First Death #2 was pushed back to October 3rd.

We just found out today that Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures #7 was pushed back to October 3rd as well.

Guilty Pleasures the #1 Graphic Novel for July 2007! Whoo hoo!

http://www.newsarama.com/marketreport/july07sales.html

That’s it for this bit!

Darla

Missed a few days

Sorry, I haven't blogged in awhile. I think several things have just taken the heart out of me lately. I can't seem to get out of the deep blues for any length of time. Gotta do something to pull out of this mood, I know, but the usual stuff isn't working.

I managed to keep trucking along with the book for a few days, but the last couple I just can't seem to get even the four that I've been doing. Admittedly, I was under the weather earlier this week, which didn't help. I guess, I'm allowed time to mourn. Trouble is my deadline doesn't get further away. Time, tide, and deadlines wait for no man, or woman. Well, yeah, at this point my publisher would wait if I needed it, but you miss one deadline and the next one is impossible. Right now, it all feels impossible. But it's been a bad few days. Hard to be cheerful, and all. My stiff upper lip is become decidedly pouty of late.

Phouka is scheduled to see a specialist next week. The tests are too funky for an operation right now.

I'll stop whining now. I just wanted to let you know why there hasn't been a blog for a couple of days.

Yes, Virginia, you can buy love

I was e-mailing to a friend, and realized something.(Yes, I am actual using evil mail to talk to a few friends. I think doing the blog has helped me alot about my tech phobia. Thanks guys.) I realized a reason for my anxiety about Phouka going in for the operation this week being even more than it might be. Pugsley my first pug went in for a fairly routine operation when she was eight, and died. She had an undiscovered heart defect that she'd probably had since puppy hood. That is the reason that all our dogs get EKGs as puppies. The vet thought I was crazy until he found a type two heart murmur in Sasquatch as a puppy. It healed itself as they sometimes do, but still, I've learned my lesson. So, we know Phouka's heart is fine, but she is ten, and even the vet says that she's aging quicker than she should for a pug. This is a breed that is supposed to make Jimmy's age routinely. You could not prove that by any of the pure bred pugs that I have owned. Jimmy was a mutt, oh, he's a puggle now, but at seventeen, maybe eighteen, when he popped out, he was just a mutt. Somebody, my bet is on the beagle, got into someone's fenced yard and found a pug. (Beagles climb; pugs don't as a rule.) But my purebred pugs just don't seem to hold up as well as the mixes.

Don't run out and buy a puggle, please. Especially, not just because I said Jimmy lived a long time. We are seeing more and more puggle puppies in rescue because people are breeding them as a designer dog and trying to make a lot of money, when they don't, they dump them. Not everyone, but I am seeing a surprising number in the local rescues. Puppies, too, which is unusual. Breeders usually hold onto puppies trying to make their money back unless there are health problems. A good breeder will take care of their dogs, health care and all, but a lot of bad breeders dump their sicks dogs in rescue. Some kill them rather than bother, so the rescue ones are the lucky ones.

I am also hearing from people with puggle's that the activity rate is way above pug, and pugs are pretty rambunctious as a puppy, not like Boxer or Labrador Retriever, but they have their moments.(Frankly, I've never had a problem with a pug puppy being too energetic for me, but others who have their first pug have complained to me about it. These are also the ones that think pugs are stubborn. Again, haven't noticed it. But then pug is my breed, and when you find your breed, it just fits.) Apparently the beagle part ramps the pug part up, so research the breeds and visit some adult puggles. Don't just look at the puppies, okay? Dogs are only puppies for a short time then you have an adult for hopefully a decade or more. So don't just let the cute puppies steal your heart, let the adults steal your mind. Is this a dog that you could spend the next ten years with? If not, don't get the dog.

Remember, for many people in America today that dog is going to be with you when your spouse is not, your kids will grow up and go off to college, but the dog won't. Pick your dog with that in mind, that this is your companion for life. If not your life, you are his, or hers, for her life. They say you can't buy love, but anyone who says that has never looked into the eyes of a dog, or felt that tail wag as you talk to them about your day. You can buy love, and it's warm, and furry, and it loves you when you are silly, and it never, ever, sees you as a failure. To your dog, you are always wonderful. Now, how many people can you say that about?

Glad it's Friday

Wrote this post yesterday, but it just never got posted, so you get it today with some additions.

Only four pages today, but I'm exhausted. I just don't seem to have the energy I normally have this week. I guess it's no surprise, really. It's been a hell of a week. But I've reached my minimum page count, and I'm tired. So, I'm calling it for the day.

Jon and I have the very rare experience of a day alone, just us. You'd think in a house this big that it wouldn't matter so much if we had people in it with us, but it does. You can somehow feel them, even rooms away. But, also, they interrupt. They need questions answered. They want to know if you want to have lunch now, or later. Those hundred little interactions that you do when you work together. Today, there was none of that. No matter how much I enjoy my staff, or how good they are at their jobs, it's still our house they work out of, and sometimes it's nice to have just us and the dogs and the house and no one else.

We got to go out and have lunch just the two of us. We did a quick stop at our favorite metaphysical store. It really was quick, because Jon helped me pick out what I said I needed, candles (Wiccans use a lot of candles), and then he sent me out to the car. Why? Because I tend to get distracted by the stones, the jewelery, the books, etc . . . We all have the things we geek over. For me, it's my religion, and all the stuff that goes with it. Okay, I geeked over rocks long before I was Wiccan, and I've always been a sucker for shiny stuff you wear. And books, well, Jon and I both have a weakness for books. But I was really good today, with Jon's help. It got me back to the house in time to finish up my pages, and be done with a clear conscience.

Jon is playing a new Xbox 360 game (Bioshock) in another part of the house. It's a totally inappropriate game for Trinity to see, so he hasn't been able to use it until today. It's too creepy. She's with her father this weekend.

Jon and I are getting a rare chance to do what we want to do, instead of what we have to do. He's playing and I'm working. Normally, I find work very refreshing, but this week has taken it's toil. Truthfully, a little time on the tread mill sounds good. Get those endorphins pumping and see if it helps clear my head. This has been one of those writing sessions where I feel more muzzy headed now then when I started. Again, writing usually helps clear my head, but not today. My mood was good earlier, but now I'm sad again. I guess until the whole issue with Phouka is cleared up next week I'll be doing that. It's only been seven days, to the day, since we lost Jimmy. Like I said, a hell of a week. (I did forty-five minutes on the treadmill and it did help.)

We also went out and saw a movie that early evening: STARDUST. We both liked it a great deal. Some of the adds are making it seem more epic movie, and there is a slice of LORD OF THE RINGS in there, but there is a bigger slice, if I had ot pick a movie it felt like of THE PRINCESS BRIDE. But, of course, it's based on a Niel Gaiman book so it is most certainly it's own unique creation. Niel's having a heck of a year with this movie and BEOWULF, which he co-wrote the screen play to, and either later this year or early next is CORALINE based on the book of the same name. He was a very busy boy at comcicon in San Diego with all the promotional stuff. We finally got to sit down and talk for a few minutes over food at comicon. Seems like we've spent years being at the same conventions, or events, and always saying, wouldn't it be nice if we could talk, or have dinner, but we always seem to be scheduled opposite each other. It was nice to finally carve some time out.