Judge a Book by it's Cover...

The wait is over!---for cover art.:) Yeah...I peed a little. It's not a burning car...but I think I can live with that.

Right on schedule for October 15th. I'm a VERY happy camper this morning. Thank you Grady at Damon Za for the beautiful design!

BC

On the Subject of Frogs

I’m getting angry at myself for picking up my laptop and typing right now— I should be asleep with Ez, getting ready for tomorrow, finally taking a break..but instead I need to announce my dissatisfaction with Twitter.

What a horrible method of communication! How is one supposed to truly say what’s on their mind with such limitations…not enough words, not enough time on someone’s feed for anyone to read it and respond before they’ve moved on to the next frame of mental dribble from someone else. You end up with a collection of one-liners about tv shows or what some celebrity wore on the red carpet— and who really cares?

What started this all was a stream of consciousness at bedtime…it’s raining here right now— the soothing sound of raindrops pelting our roof and window— perfect for falling asleep to. I thought of how it’s almost always wet here— to the point that we’ve completely adapted to this high level of humidity— used to our carpets and pillowcases being slightly damp at all times…how things rot so easily— even currently living things like trees and grass…biomass….

I wondered if I would start to rot like a tree if I were left out in the rain all day. Maybe it would take longer...as I think human skin handles water better than tree bark. I asked Ez if he thought people were more amphibious than trees…this beautiful word caught in my head like a fly trapped in a spider’s web…a gorgeous crowd of vowels with a few consonants thrown in for fun…Ez answered- of course, people are more amphibious than trees- we’re biologically designed to go back and forth between land and water— more so than a tree, which, while hardy, is fixed on land and is merely subject to the elements— not going out and choosing for themselves where they should be. He then said that “amphibious”— lovely a word as it is- does not really apply to humans as we are not designed to fully LIVE in both water and land. The word of course applies to frogs and salamanders— true amphibians. 

We then turned out the light and I started to feel sad— thinking about how the world’s actual amphibians are dying…extinction at an alarming rate- and no one has really figured out what’s going on or how to stop it…brightly-colored mucous bodies...all gone. I told Ez about it— this was the first he’s heard of it— even though it’s been going on for at least two decades now….I don’t blame him for it…or anyone else who doesn’t know it’s an issue. People have lives, jobs, kids…who has time to sit around thinking about the state of the world’s frogs? Unless of course they are some sort of frog specialist? I can’t even feel righteous because I have a little extra time to stare out windows and ponder these things— because really, my sadness over dead amphibians is just an emotion…a fleeting thought that goes right out the window…similar to a Twitter feed…just something that happens….not really helpful. Certainly not saving anything or any frogs. And in the grand scheme, it all qualifies as 'mental dribble'...none of it more important or less than the next. Hm.

But I would have never been able to say this all on Twitter. And for that, Twitter can go eat a bowl of...something. Hopefully the rain will calm me down... I'll be angry tonight and back on it first thing in the morning.

Picture This...

Exciting things going down at our little cottage somewhere in Seattle...most notably the weather has switched over to delightfully Fall-like, I've been enjoying my respite as mother-of-1 every morning during the work week, (a very big deal if you're used to wrangling 3 young kids on the daily), and...Lost Souls was sent off for cover art creation!!!! I am trembling with equal parts anticipation and trepidation...the thought of seeing my work portrayed in some sort of artistic abstract...I'm having a hard time putting words to it. Other than it is so cool and holy fuck!-- what's going to come back???

Steve and I have been pondering this very question the last few days...here are a couple of the top winners...

- A photo involving a really cheesy halo atop a hot male underwear model

- Same shot as above, but this time with a pitchfork shoved through said model, wincing seductively

- The Rolling Stone's Let It Bleed album cover with Christa and Daniel cake toppers

- Catholic school girls lined up at a bus stop with highly reflective patent leather shoes

- A super built dude with Devil horns and a full back Lady of Guadalupe prison tattoo

-Angel wings painted onto the hood of a burning car

-Christa, Daniel, and Alden perched in the 'O' of the Hollywood sign, looking sexy and conflicted

-Mary Carmen dressed as a nun biting a rosary

I look forward to revealing the actual cover art here in a few weeks...but really, I don't know if it can get any better than the ones listed above.  

Bonne Chance!

PMA!!

Oh my gosh...today is the best day for so many reasons...

First, I got a good laugh reading the last post I wrote here...when I gave up social media a few weeks ago. While I applaud the sentiment, it was very short lived--I think I was back on Facebook about a week later? I'm also now on Twitter...which is it's own can of worms. I've decided social media is one of those things you can't spend too much time thinking about or you'll go completely insane...just appreciate it for what it is, get the headlines, talk to your friends, and don't beat yourself up too bad for being just like everyone else...no one wants to live under a rock. So yeah...laughing, learning, having fun with that...

It was also the first day of school for our family- which, if you have children, you know it should pretty much be renamed "Second Christmas". I have 3 kids--two of which went back to school today...and while we've had a very nice summer all together-- the quiet in the car with just the baby after drop off was bliss. And so was the morning...and now nap time. I've gotten so much done already and it's only 2pm here on the west coast.  And we get to do the same thing tomorrow-- LA!!! (That's the sound of my heart singing:)

What's really had me excited the last few weeks though has been making final proofing corrections on  Lost Souls....I really think I'm going to be ready for a Fall release...and continuing the first draft of Hellbound. I'm having so much fun writing that book...it's awesome. I am so psyched to be able to share this story with the world VERY SOON...time to have that baby...if you will.

"PMA"-- the title of this post....is something my friend Kevin Gill came up with. He's a successful pro wrestling announcer/radio host and also one of the most fun people in the world. You can check him out HERE! "PMA" translates to "positive mental attitude"... a major factor in winning at this game called Life...and is something that sounds easy in theory, but much tougher in practice. Days like today-- it's easy to have a sunny outlook on life-- chores all done, kids are happy/occupied, have a project about to makes it's way out into the Universe and another one hot on it's tail, dinner's ready...on top of my game. But there are other times where it's definitely more of a struggle and remembering that PMA can be a challenge. I can't tell you how to keep it going for those rough days...maybe some of you out there have some ideas...but in the meantime, I'm going to try to hold onto to what I'm feeling right now and see if I can stretch it...as long as I can. Kind of a metaphor for September in a way...stretching that beautiful golden hour/weather/moment into the dark, cold winter. Magic.

Bonne Chance!