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Friday, September 30, 2005
found it!
It took a second internet search & will require me to travel about six towns away, but I finally found a theatre semi-locally that's playing SERENITY this weekend--at 1:30pm, 4:10pm, 7pm, & 9:40pm. I will be there tomorrow for one, or maybe all, of those showings. :-D
Can't wait. SERENITY, here I come!
Serenity now!
Okay, so right after I finished blogging, I called a friend to whine about the lack of SERENITY in my area so far. Witty chick that she is, she reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where George's father adopts the mantra "Serenity now!" as a way to combat stress. Not that it works; he just keeps shouting it louder & louder as his face turns red & his blood pressure skyrockets.
Which is what I'm going to start doing. Altho mine won't be so much a stress-reliever as a demand: SERENITY NOW, dammit!
My friend also pointed out how ironic it is that I'm running around in a very un-serene manner, ranting about a movie called SERENITY. Yeah, you're too funny. Ha ha. We'll see who's laughing when I'm sitting in a theatre tonight--or maybe tomorrow, at the latest--wearing her brown coat & watching the Firefly gang on the big screen for two hours.
SERENITY now!
%$#@!
Do I live in the freaking boonies?!? I mean, I know this is a rural area, but still... Can our local theatres not get one single movie that I want to see on time?!?
I woke up this morning knowing today was the day. September 30, 2005--the day SERENITY is released nationwide. Not like I've been keeping track or anything. But the paper doesn't come until late afternoon & I want to know now where & when it's playing. So I spent the morning doing an internet search for all our local theatres. Not a single one of them has a website or online listing of what's showing, but I found phone numbers & proceeded to call them all. For most, I was met with a recording of what's playing & when. Fine. I don't really care as long as they tell me what I want to know.
But not a single one is playing SERENITY! What is with that?!? I am not happy. But I also haven't given up. I have a feeling--good feeling, bad feeling; I don't know yet--that the listings will change tonight, as they usually do on Fridays. Yes, you'd think the telephone recordings would be updated with this weekend's shows, but maybe they haven't gotten around to it yet.
So I will bide my time. I will stay busy. And I will watch the front yard for that newspaper like I'm waiting for the FedEx man to deliver new cover art. :-) Then we'll see where SERENITY is playing. And it had better be playing somewhere within driving distance or heads will roll.
On the up side, each theatre I called is playing RED EYE, which I thought looked good & a friend told me I'd like. So I could go to that. Maybe I could sit in the theatre watching RED EYE until they switch films & start playing SERENITY.
But I won't, because this weekend is all about SERENITY. Now if only my local theatres would get with the program.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
a new review
Just got a really nice review for WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN . Really, really nice. :-)
The reviewer said, among other things, "The attraction between Gwen and Ethan sizzles from the first moment they meet and keeps WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN smoking hot." (Did you hear that? Smoking hot! :-D) "The pages flew as I read WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, and I hated to see it end." And "What a fabulously well-told story! Heidi Betts has scored a hit with WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN. The story of Gwen and Ethan's romance is sure to entertain readers while kicking up the heat factor. Don't miss the red-hot fun of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN." Weee! The actual review won't be available on Romance Reviews Today ( http://www.romrevtoday.com/) until October 10th, but still... How cool is that? The next time I update my website, those are definitely going up!
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Firefly marathon
Hello, you have reached the blog of romance author Heidi Betts. I'm sorry, but I will be unavailable between the hours of 12pm & 10pm today, due to a Firefly marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel.
If you need anything, please leave a message & I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Also, please mark your calendars for the nationwide release of Serenity, coming this Friday, September 30, 2005. Race to your local theatres to see the continuing Firefly saga on the big screen, & go as many times as you can. We've got to get those box office receipts up for the first week of release so there's a better chance of a sequel being made, or maybe even of the series being brought back. (Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?)
Tuesday Trivia
Today's bit of Tuesday Trivia has to do with titles.
Did you know that WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN is actually my title...the same title that was on the manuscript when I turned it in? But this is somewhat uncommon, as publishers tend to change an author's working title before publication. They do this for any number of reasons--a title may be just plain bad...it may not suit the story...it may be too similar to another title coming out that same month or in surrounding months...the marketing department may think one title will sell better over another...etc. But for some reason, I lucked out, and my October book remained WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN.
That wasn't the case for the preqeul to LIGHTS, however. That one was originally called The Night the Lights Went Down in Georgetown. Get it? A play on the song "The Night the Lights Went Down in Georgia"? In fact, at one point, I thought it might be neat to have a series of books that all took place "the night the lights went out in Georgetown." I thought it would be fun to set up several stories where the city-wide blackout played a large part in the romance. But instead, I ended up doing only the two connected books. And, as you can imagine, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgetown was a bit long to stick on a book cover, so it ended up being shortened for a while to The Night the Lights Went Down. Thankfully, my brilliant editor came up with an even better title than that, and the book eventually became BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT.
This--among other things--is the reason I never get emotionally attached to working titles. I slap something on that I like & think suits the story, but I'm never upset or offended if my editor asks me to come up with something else or tells me they're changing the title. Heck, they come up with better ones than I do, anyway. :-)
Next week: a costume change.
Current reading: CEREMONY IN DEATH by J.D. Robb
Current viewing: GALAXY QUEST on TBS
Monday, September 26, 2005
butt paste, anyone?
What, exactly, is butt paste? I was flipping thru a drugstore flyer today & saw that it--whatever it is--is on sale. But I mean, really. Butt paste? Even with a magnifying glass, I can't figure out what this stuff is. All I can make out is that it "goes on & cleans off easily" & has a "pleasant scent."
Good to know. But is it for baby rash? Hemorrhoids? What? They should really say. Otherwise, I'm left wondering why someone would want to put paste on their butt. Is it like craft paste...a glue to keep your cheeks together? (Why someone would want to do this, I don't know, but to each his own.) Is it like a toothpaste, to clean, um...whatever--& do you need a brush to apply it?
They should also probably come up with a better name for whatever this magical ointment is than butt cream. For God's sake, it sounds like something you'd pick up at an adult toy store.
If I get the chance to stop by this particular drugstore, I'm going to check it out. I might even buy a tube. I mean, until I know what it is, how do I know I don't need it? :-P
Sunday, September 25, 2005
gripe of the day continued...
All right, now I've also had the chance to watch the season premiere of Nip/Tuck, & have the same complaint as with CSI & NCIS.
When last we left the show, Christian had been drugged & was about to be sliced up by "The Carver". But when the new season began, all that edge-of-your-seat stuff was done & over with, & we saw Christian trying to get back to his life. We saw bloody sheets & parts of the attack in flashback form, but why didn't we get to see him right after The Carver left? As the police & ambulance were arriving, in the hospital, as he was getting thru the initial trauma of the moment?
Am I spoiled by other shows' handling of similar situations, or had I simply gotten my hopes up for these particular shows? I honestly don't know, but I have to say that so far this television season, I'm sorely disappointed. :-(
Current reading: DERIK'S BANE by MaryJanice Davidson
Current viewing: THE WATERBOY on TBS
Saturday, September 24, 2005
thought for the day
I believe I'm becoming skeptical of cynicism.
Friday, September 23, 2005
gripe of the day
I've got a bone to pick with the writers, producers, whatever of some of my favorite TV shows. What is with these intense, high-impact, high-emotion season enders that suck us in...& then the so-so, blase season premieres that let us down?
This week, I watched the season openers of CSI & NCIS, & both left me thinking, Huh? Not that they weren't good, but they simply didn't give me what I'd been expecting & hoping for based on the previous episodes.
On CSI, last season ended with Nick Stokes being abducted & buried alive, rescued just before a bomb went off & fire ants ate him alive. On NCIS, Kate was shot & killed by a terrorist. So what did I expect from the season openers? Well, a little bit of emotion might have been nice. Not to mention some follow-up to a series of very traumatic incidents. I'd have liked to see the other agents reacting to Kate's death more than they did. Abby's was the only reaction I really believed. And on CSI, it wouldn't have hurt for Nick to still have a few welts from those ant bites, for him to maybe still be on medical leave, for us to see that spending twelve hours buried alive & thinking he was going to die had an impact on him. (Yes, I realize the shows will probably sprinkle these reactions & reminders throughout the season, but I wanted more from the very first episode after the fact.)
Am I being too picky? Is the writer in me rearing its head to point out all the things I'd have done differently? Probably. But, still, viewers get emotionally involved in these programs, we get attached to the characters. I was on pins & needles, begging the other CSIs to get to Nick in time. I knew someone on NCIS was going to die & was completely riveted, waiting to see who it would be. And when Kate took that bullet, I wept.
So all I'm asking for is a little bit of payoff for the time & energy I invested in these shows.
Will I stop watching because the season premieres were disappointing? Of course not. But I will say I'm not entirely happy with these first shows of the season that I waited all summer to see.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
damn you, ragweed!
This is apparently ragweed season, & the worst time of year for allergies to act up. But I sure didn't need last night's news segment to tell me that. I already knew by my froggy throat, stuffed-up nose, & draining sinuses.
You know that commercial where they show cartoon characters in the different stages of a cold? One has a vice clamped to his head, another has a faucet for a nose... I so totally get that commercial now. Earlier today, I actually think I heard my nose decompressing. :-p So I've been popping allergy pills every few hours & walking around with a box of tissues under my arm, sounding like a fog horn whenever I try to blow my nose or clear my throat. (Lovely image, huh? Yeah, that's me, demure & ladylike down to the core.)
But a monster case of post-nasal drip hasn't kept me from catching up on the new season of television. So far, I've watched the premieres of NCIS & House...& cried during each. And last night was last season's ender for CSI, which I was happy to see a second time. (I love the episodes that focus on Nick; he's my favorite. :-)) And tonight is the first new episode of the season. Yay!
Still, I wonder where these allergies may have come from. As I sit here, sniffing & snorting, I can look out my window & see a beautiful field filled with yellow flowers.
Wait, those aren't flowers. That's ragweed!
Damn you, ragweed! Damn you to hell!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
a chapter ends
My local RWA Chapter officially disbanded today. I'd like to say I'm sorry to see it happen, but I so am not. CARA is nearly 10yrs old, & in all that time, I kept it running pretty much singlehandedly. Yes, occasionally other members stepped up & offered to hold office, but many times it was in name only. I was still responsible for the bulk of the work.
And, you know, as willing as I was to do it for the first 9 1/2yrs, after a while it gets old. I'm tired of it. I no longer want to be solely responsible for putting a newsletter together every month, sending out meeting reminders, filing papers, keeping records, writing articles, coming up with meeting topics, & making sure those meetings run smoothly. I loved the people & the support & the writing conversations we had over lunch, but I think I'm ready to experience those things on a simpler level--just getting together with friends for a meal & drinks & chit-chat--without the business end of keeping a Chapter going making life that much more draining.
This will certainly free up my weekends from now on & give me more time to write, or make it easier for me to attend other functions I often had to miss because of meetings. I love RWA & think RWA Chapters & meetings are great...please, don't anyone get me wrong on that...but I think I'm going to stick to being a guest from now on, instead of president, newsletter editor, secretary, & treasurer--not to mention chief cook & bottle washer, as my dad would say--all rolled into one. :-P
Yes, it's the end of an era in many ways, the end of something I'd gotten used to over time. But it's also a beginning, hopefully of bigger & better things. Like they say, When God closes a door, He opens a window. Feel the breeze. Smell the fresh air. Picture me as what's-her-name in the movie Titanic, standing at the bow of the ship with her arms out & her head tilted back. (Not when she was contemplating suicide, btw...the other time, when she was feeling happy & carefree.) That's pretty much how I feel.
Ah, the freedom.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Tuesday Trivia
As promised, I'm ready to reveal the song that inspired the title of my October Silhouette Desire, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN. That song would be... drum roll, please...Faith Hill's "When the Lights Go Down". All right, so how many of you guessed correctly? I have to admit, I expected everyone to figure out which song I was thinking of long before I posted. But, surprisingly, a lot of people mentioned other songs that have the words "when the lights go down" in them. Like "when the lights go down in the city..." & "when the lights go down in the california town..." I didn't even realize there were so many! But Faith Hill's is the one I listened to while writing Ethan's & Gwen's story, & it's the one I think of whenever I see the title. Next week: The Name Game. Some little-known facts about the title of this book, & its prequel, BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT. :-) Current reading: CLUB DEAD by Charlaine HarrisCurrent music: "Superman (It Ain't Easy)" by Five For Fighting
books. cats. life is good.
  Around here, everyone reads romance! :-D
Sunday, September 18, 2005
sittin' pretty
Such excitement. Went shopping yesterday & bought a new toilet. There's nothing wrong with the old one, exactly, except that it's...well, old, & uses entirely too much water each time it flushes. So I've been wanting to get a new one for a while now.
Of course, intense tree-hugger that I am, I'm just as concerned about tossing a non-biodegradeable toilet in a landfill as I am about wasting so much water by keeping it hooked up. So I've concocted a plan.
(Insert evil laughter here.) I'm going to turn it into a flower potty.
Oh, the fun! Oh, the opportunity for bathroom humor & puns! I'm going to stick it right out in front of the garage, where everyone--& I do mean everyone--will see it. The new directions to my house will include, "the one with the toilet out front." He he. I'm going to plant flowers in the tank & bowl. And I'm even thinking of decorating it with either paint or decals...maybe little sayings like "tinkle, tinkle little star" & "a good place to sit & tink". Maybe I'll change the decorations depending on the season.
Boy, oh, boy, am I going to have fun with this. I'm already taking notes & making plans. The neighbors will hate me & think I'm just that much stranger than they did before. But who cares? I will be saving the earth & beautifying my yard at the same time.
Altho, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :-D
quote of the day
"My doctor recently told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already." --Milton Berle
Friday, September 16, 2005
new bookmarks
My new bookmarks arrived today. These are for early 2006, advertising SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION in February & MR. AND MISTRESS in May. They're really nice, too! A different design than I had before...they're darker & sexier, I think. I like them. :-) If you'd like one, just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to the address on my bio page & I'll stick one in the mail to you. In fact, I'll send one of each of the three or four bookmarks I have going at the moment, plus whatever else I can find that will fit in an envelope. I'm thinking a coaster, some bookplates, maybe a pencil... Stayed up late writing last night, then today have been ripping a bunch of music from my CDs to my computer & iTunes program. (That's a new word to me: ripping. My brother says it's the opposite of burning a CD...instead of sending information from the computer to a CD, you're taking it from a disc & sending it to the computer. See, 20th century lingo; only 95 more years before I'm completely caught up. :-p) For some reason, it ended up being all music to sob to... Sarah McLachlan's "Full of Grace," which always makes me think of the end of that episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where she has to kill Angel, then leaves town. Oh... sob! And "I Will Remember You." Do I even have to mention why that one is so sad? Loreena McKennitt's "The Highwayman"...she puts the already tearful Alfred Noyes poem to music & makes it even more heart-wrenching. Aaron Neville's "Louisiana 1927," the same one they use for all those current Red Cross commercials. Oy. I think I'd better switch to Aerosmith or Matchbox Twenty soon...something upbeat before I'm tempted to slit my wrists with a Trisket.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
third time's a charm
Nothing is happening today, so I have absolutely nothing to blog about. How pathetic is that? I did go thru the new TV Guide & make note of all the season premieres that are scheduled to start soon. I'm not sure there are any brand new shows I'm excited about, but I am looking forward to the returns of NCIS, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI, Will & Grace, House, Nip/Tuck, Arrested Development... The list goes on & on. Of course, the new television season also marks the portion of the year where it becomes imperative that I set the VCR before I go anywhere. God forbid I miss any first-run episodes of my favorite shows...it's not like they'll repeat or anything. :-P
And then I finally succeeded in getting the latest version of iTunes downloaded. For a while, I honestly thought this would be what sent me over the edge. First, I couldn't even get the page to come up; I'd forgotten that I often have to disable my McAfee Privacy Service & Firewalls to get certain websites to function properly. Then, I got it to work, but at the end of a nearly four hour download, my internet connection failed & everything was lost. (I'm still on dial-up over here in the boonies, so--unfortunately--that's a somewhat common occurrence. :-p)
That happened twice. But like the header says, third time's a charm. The third time, I got it started, set my watch, & walked away, not returning until the thing had been running for well over the required four hours. When I got back, it had actually finished downloading properly & without incident. Yay! And it only took me two days to upgrade to a slightly improved version of iTunes. Ha!
So that was my day, give or take. Now I'm curious to know what shows you're eagerly awaiting this season. Are you dying to know what happened to Christian once The Carver got hold of him? (Nip/Tuck) Or to find out where that hatch leads? (Lost) Or to see whether Faith ends up with The Gooch or that other guy? (Hope & Faith...sorry, Dean Cain's character's name escapes me at the moment.)
Let me know. I want to know who's as caught up in certain shows as I am...or what I might be missing. Oh, no, I may need another VCR!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
it's here!
My author copies for WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN finally arrived today. Yippee! I heard the UPS truck pull up & raced to the door, hoping I was right about what he was delivering. And I was!
I realize I'd already seen the cover art, even got a stack of cover flats to oooh & aaah over. But--oh, my goodness--it's so exciting to get the final product. The cover is--if possible--even more beautiful than it was on the cover flats. I'm suddenly seeing the artist's brushstrokes & the floor-to-ceiling windows in the background that I hadn't noticed before.
Not to mention how neat it is to reacquaint myself with the story & characters as I skim thru looking for typos or last-minute editing changes. At that point, I always hope I don't find anything that sends me screaming into the night. Because, really, what can be done about mistakes at this point? Nada. Luckily, Silhouette tends to do a really good job with that sort of thing, so I don't worry too much. And I always have my ex-librarian mother read over the last set of page proofs for me. She's like the grammar & punctuation police...if she doesn't catch a mistake or typo, then it simply isn't there. :-p
Oh, & I also discovered last night that my February 2006 Desire, SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION is listed on Amazon already. No cover art yet, but just seeing the title up there is a thrill. And BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT is apparently going to be released in Spanish (thru Harlequin Deseo) also in February. It's new title is Echale La Culpa A La Oscuridad--Blame it on the Darkness. How cute is that? :-)
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
the countdown begins/Tuesday Trivia
Only one more month until my October Desire, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, starts showing up in stores. Wha-hoo, I can't wait!
To help count down the remaining weeks before LIGHTS is released, I thought I'd start something new--& hopefully fun. Every Tuesday, I'm going to post a bit of trivia (i.e. useless, but interesting information :-)) about LIGHTS that no one knows & you won't find in the actual book.
For instance, today's fun fact has to do with Ethan's & Gwen's names...
Did you know that Gwen Thomas's name is a combination of "Gwen Harrison" & "Eddie Thomas", the two leading characters from one of my favorite movies, AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS? And while Ethan is simply a name I've always liked, his last name--Banks--is a tip of my hat to friend & fellow Desire author Leanne Banks. (I don't even think she knows that yet! :-))
And in BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT, the prequel to WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, Peter Reynolds's name came from "Peter Riggs" on STRONG MEDICINE (okay, so I have a small crush) & "Mal Reynolds" on FIREFLY (we already know how I feel about that show). Lucy is another name I've always liked, but her last name--Grainger--came from "Hermione Grainger" in the Harry Potter books.
See...useless, but kind of interesting & fun. :-D
Here's a hint about next week's Tuesday Trivia: Can you guess the song that the title WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN was inspired by? Can you name the artist?
Sunday, September 11, 2005
home again, home again jiggity-jig
I'm home from the STAR conference in Ithaca, NY. The weekend started out rough...we decided to take the back way to avoid construction on the major highways, but didn't realize it was going to be the really back way. We're talking gravel roads & no signs of life for miles, which turned a 4hr trip into something more along the lines of 6 1/2. Yikes. And at times, I swear I heard banjos playing. Dueling banjos, if you know what I mean.
The up side of traveling off the beaten path, tho, is that we saw at least half a dozen hawks...honestly, I've never seen so many in such a short period of time...a flock of turkeys, a heron, deer, & plenty of squirrels & chipmunks. One poor squirrel ran right out in front of us. We slammed on the brakes, thought for sure we'd hit it (I had images of getting out of the car, looking under the tire, & finding nothing but a bushy squirrel tail sticking out), then saw it racing up a hill & back into the woods. But I'm pretty sure we scared it enough that as soon as it got clear of the road, it had a heart attack & died anyway. :-p
Once we arrived in Ithaca, tho, everything went fine. The hotel & conference were very nice. Smaller than I'd expected, even after being told attendance would be around 55; then again, I have no concept of numbers. Show me a jar of jelly beans & I'd be as likely to guess there were 15 as 1000 inside. So it was casual & very quaint. I haven't been to a conference that small in years, & I really liked it.
Got to meet MaryJanice Davidson & shared a chuckle with her over stories of our respective grandmothers. "United in grandmothers!" she says...tho that's not necessarily a good thing. Also got the chance to chat a bit with Sherri Kenyon, Jean Brashear, & Stevi Mittman. My own workshop went well, I think. The time sped by really quickly, so there wasn't as much time to chat or do Q&A at the end as I'd been hoping. I did receive an invitation to speak at the Pocono-Lehigh RWA Chapter, tho, which I thought was neat. Not sure how far away they are or when that will be, but I said sure!
The conference ended with a small Book Fair. I guess there'd been a mix-up with the store that was supposed to supply books, leaving most authors without or with only a few copies available to sign. Luckily, I'd thrown a box of my own titles in the trunk before I left, so I had plenty. :-) That was fun; I love meeting people at signings...for some reason, the conversations can be so interesting.
Even tho we probably could have gotten home Saturday night, we'd booked the hotel room thru Sunday just to be safe. So after the Book Fair, we went to Max's Bar & Grill right there in the hotel. Let me tell you, if you ever get the chance, stop in at a Max's just for the dessert. Oh. My. God. I forget the exact names, but we tried the Mud Pie & Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream desserts & wished we hadn't bothered with dinner. Sooooooooo good. Betray-your-best-friend, give-up-your-children-to-gypsies good. I also had a mixed drink--a Hawaiian Punch--that was out of this world. Yep, that's me. Give me booze & ice cream, & I'm a happy gal.
The trip home went much better than the trip there, since we stuck to main roads. Only took the before mentioned 4hrs this time. Stopped at a little out of the way place for brunch...I forget which town we were in, but it was called the Antler Inn. (And, yes, as I feared even before I got out of the car, there were animal heads & carcasses on the walls. Ugh. Why is it that any time a new country restaurant opens, they immediately decorate with dead animal parts? Do they think taxidermy equals "home cookin'"?) But the food was delicious, despite the decor. Made-to-order omelets, a salad bar, & fresh strawberries. I hadn't had a piece of fruit all weekend, so I was pretty jazzed about the berries. :-)
Now I'm home, supposedly unpacking, & (also supposedly) ready to get back to work. The kitty cats did fine while I was away, tho two of them are extra needy & the other two refuse to speak to me as punishment for leaving them at all. And even tho it's still failry early, I know I'm going to end up falling into bed soon & sleeping like the undead. (Hey, after spending the weekend with Sherrilyn Kenyon & MaryJanice Davidson, what did you expect me to say? :-D)
Friday, September 09, 2005
taking off
I'll be leaving for the STAR conference in the morning & probably won't be back at the computer until Sunday night or Monday, so I leave you with this quick joke to get you thru the weekend:
A man wearing a suit made out of mirrors was arrested downtown today.
He apologized for his crimes once he had a chance to sit down & reflect.
Wha-ha-ha-ha. All right, so it's corny & stupid, but it made me laugh.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
my hero
Matthew McConaughey is my new hero. For days, I've been upset & distraced by the knowledge that while people were being rescued after the hurricane, animals were being abandoned. Even those who had survived with their owners were being left behind because they weren't allowed on the buses taking everyone else to safety. Can you say &^%$@!? Oh, my God, that made me so angry. I would never leave my pets behind. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't. Couldn't. If I couldn't take them with me or send them off knowing they'd be safe, I swear I would stay right where I was & die with them. My life would be empty without them, so what's the point? Did you see the news coverage of the woman who wouldn't let them evacuate her without her 4yo dog? I stood up & cheered when I heard her story. They (she & her sweet pet) had even been walking up & down the highway, carrying supplies & helping others who were stranded, but the authorities still wouldn't take them both. She was bawling & begging for help, but she would not leave without her dog. Good for her. I'd drive down there & pick her up myself, if I could. But then yesterday, finally, I saw a snippet of Oprah where Matthew McConaughey was helping to rescue all the animals left behind. Now, I know he wasn't alone...in fact, I think a vet was spearheading the operation...but at least someone, anyone, finally got in there & saved those poor, defenseless creatures. They had helicopters & buses loaded with pets--it was a beautiful sight, let me tell you. :-D So that's why Matthew McConaughey, that veterinarian, the woman on the bridge, & everyone else involved in the animal rescue are my new heroes. God bless them all.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
red means danger...or beef, if it's a bullion cube
In this case, it's my hair.
I'm getting ready for the STAR (Southern Tier Authors of Romance) Conference in Ithaca, NY, this weekend, & one of the things that needed done was my hair. I thought it was red last time--ha! We went even heavier & redder this time. You know how Meredith describes her hair in Laurell K. Hamilton's "Meredith Gentry" novels as "a red not found in nature or on human beings"? Yep, I think it's about that red. He he. I love it. I just hope no one attending my workshop thinks I'm too odd to know what I'm talking about. (I may not know what I'm talking about, but that's all me; it has nothing to do with my hair. :-P)
Next I need to figure out what I'm going to wear, start packing, & go over my workshop notes one more time before printing. Stayed up late last night to finish A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT--so good! I think this was my favorite "Meredith Gentry" book so far. I was reading it mainly to catch up on the series before I fell too far behind (as I've done with so many other series), but now I'm wishing there were another one out already so I could just keep going.
And I'm still waiting for my author copies of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN to arrive, darn it! Where the heck are they? I've already gotten two or three letters from readers who have received their Book Club copies, so you'd think mine would be in transit. Wouldn't you? Not that I need them for anything, I just want them. Especially now that I know they're printed & in circulation. :-)
Next up: CLUB DEAD by Charlaine Harris. (Yes, another attempt to catch up with series I've let slide. :-))
Monday, September 05, 2005
farewell, lizzybee
I just got word this morning that a reader I've known since my first book was released died this week. Elizabeth Benway (also known as "lizzybee") and her daughter were killed in an automobile accident. It's believed that the road conditions caused by Hurricane Katrina may have played a part in their van going off the road.
This is terrible, horrible, heartbreaking news. Just when I was beginning to think the worst was over, too, & my mind had started to wrap itself around the devestation in Louisiana and surrounding states. I've been keeping an eye on the survivor lists, watching for the names of friends & acquaintances to pop up, praying they're all safe. I'd been worried about friends like Delores Fossen & Jan Zimlich, & breathed a sigh of relief when I found out they were okay. And now this.
It's times like these that remind us--after we've said our prayers, made our donations, & watched uncountable hours of news coverage--of how lucky we really are. The rest of us, that is.
I keep a gratitude journal, anyway...I try to write in it on a regular basis, but especially during the times when things are rough or I'm feeling especially put-upon. I keep it to remind myself that even when nothing seems to be going right, I am still damn lucky. Even in a pit of depression, I can usually list 30 to 50 things that I'm grateful for--not the least of which is my health, my family's health, my pets' health, etc.
Today, the list is closer to 100. And one of those items is Elizabeth Benway. I am grateful that she existed in this life at the same time I did, & that I was able to get to know her just a little before she passed away. I'm grateful that she was such an huge lover of the romance genre, & that she was passionate enough about the books she read to share that enthusiasm with the world.
Rest in peace, Lizzy. And if Heaven is any kind of Heaven at all, may they have a limitless supply of romance novels to keep you entertained.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Quote of the Day
"I only have one eye. What do you want me to watch--the speedometer or the road?" --Moshe Dayan
Friday, September 02, 2005
going down?
I forgot until late yesterday that I was supposed to draw a name for my August "Love in an Elevator" website contest, so first thing this morning, I contacted the winner. Congratulations, Sherry D. of Hydes, MD! Sherry will be receiving a sexy black bustier tote & an autographed copy of BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT...just as soon as I can find a box the right size to mail them. :-)
Officially, a new contest begins today at my website & runs until October 1st. "Going Down?" offers another bustier purse--this one black with light blue lace--& an autographed copy of BLACKOUT.
But my web designer broke her foot last week & has been out of commission, so I may not get any new updates done for a while. :-(((( Even so, consider this your invitation to enter. Winners are chosen from my Mailing List, so all you have to do to throw your name into the ring is sign up. Only those who have confirmed their subscriptions will be eligible, tho, so be sure to reply to that e-mail when you get it.
Not being able to have updates done on the website also means I can't get a new letter up on my homepage or the artwork & information about WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, which I try to post well before a book's release. :-( But if you want to read more about LIGHTS, you can click on "Current Books," then "click here to read more about this book" next to the LIGHTS cover. I even have an excerpt up there, if you want to get a sneak peek of Ethan's & Gwen's story.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
hurricane katrina
It's been a couple of days since Hurricane Katrina swept in & destroyed so very much of our southern states. I think I'm still in shock. The devestation is simply indescribable, & so heart-wrenching, it makes me want to weep. It is especially hard to watch the news coverage of the damage done to New Orleans. It's one of my favorite cities, and I was even planning a trip there in the spring for a conference. Now... Who knows?
One thing is certain, my heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. Two-legged and four-legged alike. As worried as I am about the people in these areas, I'm equally concerned about the animals who might have been tied up or locked inside when the hurricane hit.
I encourage everyone to do what you can to aid in the rescue efforts and recovery. If you can't give money, give of your time; if you can't give of your time, give items that I'm sure will be needed; if you can't give goods, give blood. So many organizations are poised to help, & will be more than willing to accept your donations--in whatever form they may take. I'm thinking Red Cross, Salvation Army, Humane Society of the United States, Pet Smart Charities... Just make sure that whatever group you plan to donate to, it's legitimate & the money, goods, etc. will actually be going to those who need them most.
Aside from that, about all I can say is God Bless.
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