Sunday, October 31, 2010

Haunted Places I've Been


My former mother-in-law was from Blackpool (England England) and had many family members in that part of the world. When my ex-husband and I went to Britain for a three-week visit (this was, of course, before I killed him), one of the places we stopped was Chingle Hall, on the grounds of which a really delightful dog show was going on.

Mind you, I don't have a psychic bone in my body. I've been in plenty of cemeteries, even on Halloween, and have lived in old houses. But as I toured this 13th-century cruciform structure, I distinctly sensed . . . something. Unsettled presences, I guess. The feeling was strong and tenacious, although not particularly distressing. We'd already, by this point, spent a couple of weeks doing touristy things in London and Bath, the Cotswolds and Lake District and Yorkshire, but no place, not even the Tower, had affected me the way Chingle Hall affected me.

Eerie building, that. Click on the post title to read more about its history.

Some years later, when I was on Husband #2, I lived just north of Sturgeon Bay on Wisconsin's Door peninsula. Behind our home, down a dirt access road, lay an abandoned 40-acre cherry and apple orchard, all its structures somewhat decrepit but still standing. I had no problem poking around the outbuildings. But as soon as I entered the house, I wanted very much to leave.

I knew nothing about the orchard's history, and there was nothing foreboding about the look of the residence. It was just a weathered clapboard farmhouse. Still, its atmosphere, even on a sunny summer day, was heavily oppressive -- so much so that I had to get out of there. Whenever I mentioned my reaction to other locals familiar with the property, they knew immediately what I meant. A chill between the shoulder blades, hair standing up at the back of the neck, an urgent desire to flee. It was worse than a reaction to a run-of-the-mill creepy place; it was more like a reaction to an evil place.

I haven't had any experiences like these in a while. What about you?

Friday, October 29, 2010

I'm Halloweened!






Here's me in my Halloween costume:
Here's me out of my Halloween costume.

I look better in green, don't ya think?

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Must get in my thanks!

Between my WIP, Visible Friend, and upcoming edits for Mongrel, I have to shift focus away from Electric Melty Tingles. I've said before how much that book meant to me, so I'm very grateful these kind people took the time to comment on it:

* Tam at Tam's Reads

* Aunt Lynn at Reviews by Jessewave

* Ami at Goodreads

* Val at Obsidian Bookshelf

* Lily at I Love Books

* Lisa at MichelenJeff Reviews

* Carole at Rainbow Reviews


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Got PRINT?



Remember this novel?

Much to my surprise, the print edition is now available at Amazon. (I knew it was coming; I just didn't know it was coming so quickly!)

Clicking on the post title will take you to the book's page. Unfortunately, there's no cover pic -- why, I don't know -- and I can't download one because I haven't recently made a purchase at Amazon. (They're real buttholes that way. I can't even access my author page unless I buy something from them. Don't you love the way corporations operate? Profit uber alles!)

Would anybody be interested in winning a signed copy of this book? I'm thinking of running some kind of contest, but I'm not sure where/how to do it or even if there'd be enough entrants to make it worthwhile. So if any of you experienced print authors have some tips, please bring 'em on!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Preview

by
(you guessed it!)
the phenomenal
Anne Cain
Mongrel is coming in December from Dreamspinner Press.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Don't get around much anymore.


It's been a peculiar couple of weeks for me. Been very preoccupied with some RL stuff, struggling to keep my WIP on track, dicking with computer glitches. (Shortening days and the onset of cool weather certainly don't help -- ugh.) As a result, I haven't been crawling the Webz much at all.

I've been relying on Google Alerts to ring my cyber-doorbell should something come up that's worth my attention, but Google Alerts hasn't alerted me to anything -- not a single blessed thing, aside from my own posts to my own blog; way to go, Google -- and that makes me even less inclined to get on the 'Net. (WTF? Are all the pirates rotting away in some computerless dungeon? One can only hope!) So don't anybody take umbrage at my lack of sociability. I do slink out of my burrow now and then to comment at a post somewhere . . . but then I slink back in again.

Maybe it's the pre-winter doldrums. I don't know. Anyway, just thought I'd clue you in.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Shout . . .

OUT!

October 11 & 12





If there's anybody who doesn't think coming out of the closet is an act of courage, even in this day and age, below is an example of what non-heterosexual people are still facing in our society. It's a response to a Yahoo News article, 10-06-10, on the Supreme Court's deliberation of the "funeral protest" case involving Mr. Albert Snyder and the hateful Westboro Baptist Church. The vicious ignoramus who made this comment calls himself "gaybasher."

The church obviously is out of line,however if the perverted gays with their sleaze ,slime and putrid attacks on the church and moral decency in order to spread their justification for being the lowest order in the animal kingdom weren't attacking the church and moral standards,there wouldn't be a problem..The Church needs to fight this sickness and disease with an intensity, but using different methods and not blaming the military for the sickness of these deviate excuses for animal feces.as most military find the gay lifestyle as repulsive as the church does.Mr Snyder should have taught his son different instead of creating the sickness. .---Watch the F(maggots). attack this comment with their perverted remarks and thumbs down and you will know what I'm saying.. WATCH it you sick perverts every thumbs down is a vote that the gay sickness is a putrid vote against being a normal member of the human race.

As an antidote to this toxin, click on the post title to read some personal accounts of coming-out experiences. They're infinitely more compelling and inspiring than the rants of brain-dead religious fanatics.

Friday, October 08, 2010

Wherein I become a music critic.

This?



George: Good job. You're a hottie. But forget for a moment you're a white Brit. The word is not pronounced "secksual." Trust me on this. And while you're singing, feel the song. That means you must also forget for a moment you can have your pick of men. You must think of that one, special, OMFG guy who knows where all your "ahhhhh" buttons are and how to push them. Then imagine you haven't seen him in like...well, just pick a length of time that gives you the celibacy jits. Oh, and try to forget you're doing a Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert, 'cause that could be acting as a damper on your hormones. And please don't end this song like a gospel tune. Just chop that part right the eff out and let the music fade. Okay? We'll work on your moves at a later date.

Or this?



2pac: Gah...sorry, man. I know you didn't ask for this. There's a much better vid done by Chico Caldeira -- solid rhythm and harmonics. But this is one of the things that happens when you die and end up in the hands of remixers. The next time around, keep that in mind. (P.S. If it's any consolation, there are some REAL horrors featuring Marvin with Michael Jackson.)

Or this?



Marvin: I adore you. ADORE! YOU! No contest, baby.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Fugly cover is still a contender!

FIRST get on over to Katiebabs' blog -- http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2010/10/it-gets-better-my-500-pledge.html -- and leave a comment NOW! The incredibly caring and generous KB is donating up to $500 to the Trevor Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation for every comment her post receives. If you're a fan of any form of queer fiction, you must do this. These organizations and others like them provide hope for all GLBT young people struggling to take pride in themselves and gain acceptance within their communities. So go comment!

Now back to the original topic. Check out Elisa Rolle's Rainbow Awards cover competition -- http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1127553.html. Elisa put the Fugly cover front-and-center in her announcement for round six. I'm so, so happy Christine Griffin is getting this exposure! Her work is phenomenal. (Click on the post title to see her online gallery if you don't believe me -- even though you should believe me, since I have an infallible aesthetic sense. *g*)

I'm hoping the cover goes far, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I have a feeling people prefer "pritty" covers over gritty ones. Still, it's gratifying to see Christine get some recognition.