Thank you

Oh, you excellent friends, family, colleagues...

for the donations to PAWS, to the Humane Society, to music programs, for trees and noodle bowls and food from Zabar's and pet sitting, and for offering to let me step down from teaching at the wonderful conference that I'd committed to and wouldn't have missed even for this, and all the stuff that helps so much.
 

New very good books from very good friends

It's summer, nearly, and I have a stack of books to read FOR FUN!

Now I'm going to add to yours...

Two of my fine writer friends (wait, does 'fine' modify ' writer' or 'friend'? Both, in this case) have new books out.

Susan Rebecca White's  A Place at the Table launches in two weeks. Yes, two weeks! And Sheri Joseph's Where You Can Find Me is just out this month.

You will want Susan to cook a meal for you. You will want Sheri to rescue a hawk for you. And you will want both of them to weave beautiful, compelling, disappear-into-the-story novels for you.

Are you going to this? You oughta!

Damn that space-time continuum problem of mine! If I were able to be two places at once, I'd be at Charis Books and More tomorrow night for this talk by Beth Lilly, the Oracle at Wi-Fi!

The bears

Because the sorrow from violent acts hasn't stopped.

Because the teddy bears seem so well-intentioned, and so futile.

Alan Kemp takes on the Meme!

You remember that "whatcha workin' on meme that was going around a few weeks back? I've got an inside track to urban fantasy hero Alan Kemp, and he's agreed to tell us what he's been doing. You know you'll want to read The Black Phoenix after you read this. Here's

how.

1. What is the working title of your book(s)? The Black Phoenix.  

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? I thought it would be fun to write an urban fantasy. I noticed that in most urban fantasy novels that the paranormal are an arrogant bunch, as arrogant as the Bush Administration during the reconstruction of Iraq after the war. I wanted to show how the paranormals’ arrogance would lead them to invade the world with no idea how to make things run smoothly afterwards.

3: What genre does your book come under? This book is an adult urban fantasy. Normally, you would just classify this book as just urban fantasy, but I added “adult” because it’s jam-packed with explicit sex and violence. No one under 18 allowed.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’m not sure about many of the main characters, but I would love to see RuPaul play Queen Mayella Ya’ll and Holly Hunter play Mutt’s mother, Diane.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Mutt, a half-wizard, half-werepanther hybrid, must solve the mystery of why ghosts haunt downtown Atlanta and stop a war between vampires and humans without losing any of his DJ gigs.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? The book is self-published through Lulu.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About a year.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris. “The Undead Kama Sutra” by Mario Acevedo. “Fool Moon” by Jim Butcher.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? As much as I enjoyed “The Undead Kama Sutra” I felt there wasn’t enough sex for a book with a title that includes the words “kama sutra.” In fact, most of the urban fantasies I read seemed more interested in paranormal romance than hardcore action. While I respect that preference, I wanted something edgier. “The Black Phoenix” is the urban fantasy I wanted to read.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The story includes a talking cat named Ed. I mean, who can resist a talking cat?

So proud

I'm so proud to be a World Book Night giver this year!

In the interim...

I'm flat-out slammed. Grading papers? Check. Finishing a book review? Check. Trying to write a novel? Check. Got page proofs for new book? Almost here! And there's some other, deeper stuff too. Call it a breaking gyroscope, and you'd be right. 

So in the meantime, here's some freaky reading, thanks to my friends at Tin House.

Temporarily away

BRB, 'kay thx bye.

Sorry, no pizza

My husband is on a short trip. He sent me this picture. He got out of the car to take it.

No pizza, since 1972! 

In the strangest of places if you look at it right

I guess this is part deux of the "never avert your eyes" post.  In Columbus Georgia, Saturday morning, on my way to hear the wonderful and lovely  Natasha Trethewey read, and visit briefly with my friend, poet and all around smart person  Madge McKeithen. A bright spot in some otherwise dark waters lately. And there, on my way down Front Street, was this horse in full costume ready to pull a carriage for a Hindu wedding. (The horse's name is Lilly. I asked. I didn't ask her, I asked her person.)

And all I can give you is a photo, a Grateful Dead lyric (from Scarlet Begonias. You knew that) and some Akira Kurosawa. Now go read Natasha and Madge.