Cooking Flip Out, Writing Surprises and Updates

Flipping Out in the Kitchen

I flipped a crepe on Wednesday. I was so excited that that little chef's maneuver didn't result in said crepe falling into the burner, catching fire and perhaps even exploding. I am not a food flipper. I've been avoiding it for years even as my cooking skills advanced. I am still a klutz in most parts of the house. That has been particularly true in the kitchen. As mentioned in a previous blog, my father was very wary of letting me come at him carrying hot food. (When he read that blog, he concurred and said this was still the case). But lately, Jon has been doing a lot of food flipping with his breakfast. He says no, but I think he was mocking me. He probably isn't, but it seemed that way. But I digress. I haven't told how I came to make the crepes, and what unfolded before the flip. I decided to make some short videos of my cooking for the family. I'd also decided that it was time for me to take on the crepe as my first step toward more complex doughs like puff pastry, croissants or baguettes. Naturally, I forget the liquid in the recipe. That resulted in a cloud of flour dust coming from the blender. Still, the batter came out looking right. I was really thrilled when the second crepe came out perfectly. The first one didn't, but everyone says the first one never does. When the fourth one was pulling away from the edges of the pan, I decided to risk a flip. One flick of the wrist later, I was applauding myself. I was so very tickled. Oh, and they tasted good, too. I made a raspberry and an apricot crepe for breakfast. So yummy!

Today is ground meat day. I have four kinds. Crazy, huh? Well, there is a logical explanation. I bought lamb to make a specific pasta dish a la Giada DiLaurentiis, Lamb Ragout. I also plan to stuff a couple of bell peppers with the lamb using bulgur instead of rice a la Melissa D'Arabian.I started using bulgur a while ago when I started making my own tabouleh. That reminds me that I have all the ingredients for tabouleh, so I may make that as well. The beef, pork and lamb are going to be whipped into meatballs and meatloaf for the freezer pantry. The freezer had gotten to be a bit bare. I like melanges of meat. They are great platforms for hiding all sorts of vegetation. I've taken to adding chopped spinach to meatballs along with the basil. I even add that to the marinara sauce. I also add finely diced zucchini or pureed butternut squash can go into a bolongnese sauce without a noticeable change in flavor. It's quite yummy actually. I think I might make that, too. Okay, enough with the food talk or I'll be cooking until midnight.

Writing Surprises

They weren't the bad surprise of 'Oh my hero is actually a big jerk' or 'okay, there is no way to make this plot make sense after all.' These surprises happen when a character suddenly speaks or acts in a way that was unexpected in a good way. This time it was Vincent Greven, protector of all he holds dear, in the Solders books. His irreverent moniker for Simon Molinar (Gramps) is just the beginning of how he expresses his antipathy for the Vampire. I was writing a benign scene of Rik and Vincent giving Molinar a tour of the Foundation when, out of nowhere, came this very calm observation by Vincent that the Vampire was going to test how much he could misbehave with the staff an the Benefactors in exchange for the information he carried about Delphi data and the fate of Joe McKay. When that observation proves to be correct, what follows is a quiet, calm and really deadly conversation between the Altereds and Molinar in which he finally realizes that he isn't the only killer in that building who is very much at ease with killing or permanently maiming. Vincent is very interested in seeing whether or not Simon can grow back an arm or a leg. The very calmness of how this conversation unfolds is enough to make Simon reconsider his actions and not s#%&t where he eats, or more aptly eat where he sleeps. I wasn't planning on such a conversation until much later and in an entirely different set of circumstances, but it made sense to establish the antagonism amidst the three characters immediately and it made sense that it would be Vincent taking the lead. He is very much the protector of his loved ones in this book. He's less vocal and more observant. All three men have been acting in ways I haven't expected. Simon is in a totally new element for me, writing wise, yet he is finding his own way and still being his smooth, wry self though there is a bit more sadness about him than there is in Demon Under Glass fiction. Perhaps I should be worrying that fictional characters have taken a life of their own in my head, but I find that far less terrifying than a blank page.

Updates

There are some great new videos up on DraggonTV.com. From our company, there is The Gunslinger. From The Privateers alum, Robert Lento, there are parts one and two of his very entertaining comic-adventure series Have Sword Will Travel (I'll Never Drink Again and The Vertruvian Forrest) and from Just a Spark Films, there is Without Hope. All are worth a look and a vote, if you please.

The cast interviews for Demon Under Glass should be up at some point tonight or tomorrow. Jon had to take over editing as the older program on my PC has gone crazy on me once again. The segments just need to be stitched together and rendered, so I'm optimistic that they will go up tonight rather than tomorrow.

I now have a SAG rep for the Web Series. Hopefully, I really am only a few pieces of paper away from signatory status on all projects (Demon Under Glass, 15%, Blood Oath and The Privateers). I've had over 150 applications for a production designer for the Privateers. Many of them have impressive resumes. A whole lot of people seem to be into Steam Punk.

More is happening this week.

Stay tuned.

Food and Football and Updates Galore

Personal Update

Thanks to everyone who has sent well wishes and gentle inquiries about my health. I'm doing very well coming out of round three of chemo. This round was actually fun as I had the company of dear friend and writing comrade, Marie Lecrivain was along to keep me company. She even brought along snacks (I always approve of snacks). It was great to not only catch up with her but to laugh during chemo was a surprise and delight. I have been relatively side effect free. There is some pain now and then, and the fatigue can be astonishing in how quickly it can take a body down. Overall, though, I've been doing well. I'm keeping up with my walking and I'm still cooking. More on that later. I'm very excited about the upcoming week. It's the first one since coming home from my last surgery in April that I have absolutely no medical appointments. None!!! In recent weeks, I've had so many appointments that I toyed with getting a hotel room across from the hospital to save time on the commute. But not this week. My week is my own to do what deviltry I may. I am now laughing manically.

A quick note to my peeps out there. Feel free to call or set up a visit. Since healing from the surgery, I motor about really easily. Thus, most days when I don't have an appointment, I'm almost bored out of my mind. I welcome most interruptions. And don't worry, if I'm too tired, I'll let you know. So, give me a try. I'd really appreciate it. New peeps can e-mail me for further contact info.

Yes, I'm Ready

It's time for football. Today, I will figure out if a) I can watch the Eagles without half a vat of wine in my gullet, b) if that trade of Donovan McNabb to the Redskins was a really stupid idea and c) if chemo will make my language during games better or worse. Still, I am very pleased and excited to have football back. I tried the international version during the World Cup. I still don't get it. Currently, I'm watching a delightfully exciting series of plays that involved a mid-air enzone interception. I hate the team involved, but I have to admit that it was an awesome play. You just don't see that in soccer. Sorry, my international peeps. So, I'm looking forward to a season where the Eagles won't have me gnashing my teeth and rending my clothing while cursing my mindless loyalty. GO EAGLES!!!!

Dough is Me

As I mentioned in a blog a few weeks ago, I've decided to try some complex dough recipes. I'd love to dive right into puff pastry or croissants, but I am going to begin with the crepe. This is a deceptively simple dough that takes a bit of practice to get right. There is a demand for attention to detail and timing with making a proper crepe that will serve me well in taking on doughs with more steps. Now, this doesn't mean that every time I need puff pastry that I will just whip it up. After all, I still buy pre-made pie crusts (though not very often). Who knows, I may end up liking mine better than the pre-made stuff. I just know that I've reached a point in my cooking that I want to know who to make these doughs myself. I will be documenting the trauma, I mean, fun! Meanwhile, I'm trying some new veggie dishes with eggplant or aubergines, something I've hardly ever eaten let alone cooked (one of my parents didn't like the veg, so it wasn't a staple in our house). I've seen some very tasty recipes with it recently, so I'm going to have a go at it. A am finally going to start using my camcorder to capture some of these experiments. The films are mainly for my family to see that I am doing as well as I claim, but I'll put links up to them on this blog. I love sharing my cooking adventures and even my misadventures, but watching those competition shows like The Next Food Network Star have convinced me that I don't want to go for a cooking show. I think that kind of pressure would take away the fun of cooking for me. I will happily remain an amateur

Web Series Updates

My freedom from appointments gives me the opportunity to get the paperwork for the various projects processed by the various Guilds. Actually, I plan to email the forms today and deal with the fallout tomorrow. There is always something left unclear that has to be straightened out immediately under pain of never getting the signatory status. Though I'm not shooting all of the projects at once, we need to cast early for FX and other development issues. Smaller budgeted productions have to take longer time developing to have acceptable quality. The adage is time, money quality – pick two. If we can't have a lot of money, we'd rather take more time and get things done the way we'd like. Thus, we're filing for our signatories and casting long before we plan on shooting. The cool thing is that there will be a lot of behind the scenes stuff because of that early development. The first shoot planned exclusively for DraggonTV.com is the second episode of 15% in October. Our fist shoot date for Demon on the Run, the current title for the Demon Under Glass web Series (that may change) on November 12, 2010 (that may change as well). New shoots for Blood Oath and the long anticipated The Privateers will be in December and January respectively. Those are the plans right now.

Stay tuned!

Slow Roasted Goodies, Updates and an Excerpt

It is the last weekend of summer, so we're told. In general, that doesn't mean much to Angelenos. Grilln' season is year round. It's especially true this year, because LA didn't really have a summer this year. May gray gave way to June gloom. July and August had no nicknames but the weather remained stubbornly cool and overcast. There was even rain at times of the year that were thought to be impossible. But traditions must be observed. As surely as the chruch band next store must have a drum solo (and it is having a mighty one right now), I must do some cooking to acknowledge the end of summer holiday. And then, there is Jon's birthday to consider. He is a man of simple yet refined tastes. For his birthday, Jon enjoys a well made All-American meal. Usually, that means a tuna noodle casserole or something involving bread an potatoes. That seemed a bit heavy to me with all of this wonderful produce for so very cheap at the market. I did make cookies to appeal to Jon's dough cravings. That is, I made the dough yesterday and he ate some of it. Fortunately, he left enough for a good sized batch. These include Toll House cookie and a new butter cookie recipe. But I'm also roasted a pork shoulder for pulled pork (or what my family refers to as chopped barbecue), home made potato salad and creamed corn a la Iron Chef Michael Symon. Because of him, I now have another stock in my repertoire. Very exciting as I can use corn stock to make corn chowder. And to have alongside the cookies, sweet tea and real lemonade. Jon seems happy about the menu, and I believe I've properly represented the holiday. And watching some random episodes of the Star Wars Saga made the birthday complete for Jon. We also have leftovers that will see me nicely to the next round of chemo.

Updates

Labor Day isn't quite a holiday for us. Dragoncor/Earthdarggon is meeting today to discus some upcoming meetings and to set a schedule for the web series (plural) we'll be shooting through the fall. While Jon and I have been busy at home doing post production editing and writing respectively, Ralph has been maneuvering the amazing connections he's found to some very interesting and potentially productive meetings. This meeting and the discussion with SAG on the guidelines for actor contracts I plan for this week should give us a firmer schedule for when things like Demon Under Glass, 15%, Blood Oath and even the Privateers will commence. I'm hoping to announce dates next week.

Stay tuned.

Soldier's Destiny Excerpt

Warning! This is Adult Content! Yao! And Spoilers! Also Rough Draft!

Dinner was my favorite pot roast and potatoes. Then, my plan was to have Vincent for dessert. The adrenaline from the fight still coursed through our veins. The energy crackled between us, demanding release. That night, I planned to show my Love who was in charge. I pinned him easily on the sofa, because he wasn't quite expecting it. As I slanted my mouth across his, my hands were in his hair, freeing it from its ties. We were making out on the sofa when the alarm sounded once again. I groaned against Vincent's mouth. I had kissed him to the point where I felt him yielding. I really didn't want to stop.

“Tell me this is a false alarm,” I said into the intercom. It didn't matter how I sounded. Vincent was still clinging to me.

“I wish the hell it was,” Heisler muttered. “Go to Camera 2.”

Vincent punched up the feed to our TV. There, sitting in the waiting area reading a newspaper was Simon Molinar. My lover huffed impatiently as I rolled off him.

“He said that he believes he has an appointment with you two,” Heisler continued. “What do we do? The guards were moved to safety without incident.”

“We'll bring him to Auerbach,” I said. “I don't think he'll be a problem. But send Maximilian down as well.”

“Will do.”

“At least he waited until after dinner,” I sighed.

“Let's put the fucker in a box, so I can fuck you,” Vincent muttered.

“Yes, dear,” I smirked.

Molinar was still reading the paper when we ambled up to him. It was incredible to realize how old he must be. For all appearances, he looked younger than me. Only his eyes belied his nearly angelic face. There was so much going on in those deeply calm, gray-green eyes, I could never begin to read them.

“Simon Molinar?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied smoothly. “Thank you for seeing me. Are you remodeling?”

I looked at the bullet damage and other wreckage wryly.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, I suppose,” He replied. He was amused. “How do we proceed?”

“Follow us,” I said as Maximilian fell in alongside us.

“I remember you from that terrible incident at the border,” Molinar said to Maximilian. “You are an impressive specimen. Are you unique in your family?”

Maximilian looked at me quizzically.

“You can answer him, “ I said.

“I come from a long line of magnificently built Altereds,” he said with his usual pride.

“Fascinating,” Molinar murmured. I sensed pride in the Vampire. That hadn't occurred to me. “Where are we off to? Will I meet everyone now?”

“Not tonight,” I said. “The Benefactors aren't here and the medical team has its hands full just now. We are going to show you to your quarters. Tomorrow, you'll meet everyone.”

“What sort of quarters?”

“Quite comfortable, I promise,” I replied.

“I don't suppose there is a choice now,” Molinar murmured. “I'm seeing some very nasty Delphi night suns deployed about.”

“For the protection of the staff and installed under duress,” I admitted with surprising ease. “We knew that you are not a threat to us. We can't wait to find out what you want us to know.”

That admission placated and relaxed the Vampire. We walked in a comfortable silence to the Medical Wing for a brief moment.

“There is an energy about that near crackles along my skin,” Molinar remarked. “Is that something you keep going in the building for your powers?”

“We have ways of boosting our energy for defense that is part of the building,” I replied. “But they are not active right now.”

“That's just us,” Vincent said. “In the aftermath of expending great energy, we sometimes have residual output. No one else has ever felt it from us.”

“Not even I have,” Maximilian said with wonder.

“It's strong enough that I feel as though I've topped off,” the Vampire said thoughtfully.

Thankfully, we had arrived. I had been through too much to think about the implications of Molinar's observations. I knew that Vincent couldn't handle it just then. Besides, there were ways we had to dissipate that energy that I knew my lover was very anxious to resume. We showed Molinar to an Altered suite. There was a living area with a kitchenette and a huge entertainment center. The bedroom had a large bed, a lounge chair and another TV. Auerbach arrived on our heels. He seemed stunned to be meeting the Vampire in this manner.

“Remind me never to bet against you,” he said to me before extending a hand to Molinar. “Hello, Mr. Molinar. Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for the welcome. And call me Simon.”

“Simon, we are terribly busy tonight. An emergency that must be attended to,” Auerbach said. “We would like to have you meet us tomorrow with the rest of the Benefactors when we can give you our full attention.”

“I appreciate your taking me in like this,” he said. “You are quite insightful to my situation.”

“That would be your progeny,” Auerbach said. “They seemed to know that you needed them.”

“Yeah, gramps,” Vincent said. “Make yourself at home. We'll catch you in the morning.”

Molinar was taken aback by my cheeky lover. Still, he smiled appreciatively.

“And don't worry, actual sunlight is only in one place in the facility, so you won't necessarily be restricted here,” I said. “But that will depend on you.”

“I shall be quite fine, gentlemen. Don't let me keep you further,” he said.

“There is an overnight kit with clothing and toiletries,” Auerbach said. “Give a shout if you need anything.”

“Thank you. Goodnight.”

Auerbach was silent for a while as we walked him back to his nerve center, so I spoke up.

“Doc, he'll keep until tomorrow. You have a full plate,” I said emphatically. “In fact, if Wolverine squad is stable, you should be eating then hitting the rack.”

“Yes, Doctor,” he quipped.

“We're serious, Doc,” Vincent said. “We count on you to hold us together. You can't burn out in one night with all this shit happening.”

That was far from eloquent, but it made the point.

“That's why I didn't stay to chat with him,” Auerbach assured us. “I plan to give the staff their marching orders, have a stiff belt and get some sleep. I promise.”

“Okay then. Goodnight, Doc. Goodnight, Maximilian,” I said. “We'll convene over breakfast tomorrow.”

I waited until we got back to the apartment before contacting Heisler again.

“Mark, no one is to go near Molinar tonight. That includes Auerbach unless there is an actual emergency,” I said. “And notify us first in that event.”

“Will do.”

Vincent looked concerned. “Do you think he'll try t o talk to Molinar on his own?”

“Unlikely while he's dealing with Wolverine squad. I'm just being cautious,” I replied. “Our Doc is as earnest and curious as that Doctor Bassett. But I don't want to lose ours. This time, we'll look after him....Now, where were we? Oh, yes...”

Delay of Blog

I'm busy cooking and planning and writing. Then, I was reminded that tomorrow is a holiday. Thus, the blog will be delayed until tomorrow. Worry not, it will be worth the wait. An excerpt is coming!

Tasty Bits, A Memorial and Wah Battle

A Tasty Saturday

I was feeling pretty good once free of the Borg chemo machine, but I wasn't certain that I was up to the really fancy cooking. And yet, I was hungry for something new. Enter Cooking Channel's Laura Calder and her addictive French Food at Home. This episode, Lazy Daze featured her super simple Basil Beef was just the ticket as I had a small tenderloin roast in my freezer and what is becoming a basil tree on my window sill. I hear you now. You have a tenderloin roast in the freezer? Well, la di da, ms megabucks. Au contraire! I learned from one of my very favorites Food Network gurus, Alton Brown, that tenderloin is an very affordable luxury. Follow the edicts in Tender is the Loin pt 1 Video clip One and Video Clip Two and you'll see. I bought a PISMO of tenderloin at my local Costco for about $50. I cut it down myself. After making my Well-zones and cutting the rest into steaks or roasts, the price per serving came to $2.00. I've acquired seafood at similar savings (lobster tails and king crab legs can go on incredible sales), but you have to be able to use them the day your buy them or within a couple days at most. Tenderloin even as a roast cooks super fast and it is very, very lean. It's a great protein for me especially when I'm not up to heavy cooking. The Basil beef recipe was just lovely seared then marinated slices over a lovely green salad. All that was missing was a hunk of French bread. Just awesome! So, when you get a little flush, buy a PISMO and follow Alton's advice. You will have much freezer goodness at your finger tips.

In Memorial - Satoshi Kon

The anime journey that began for me when Wee Willy Webber introduced me to Astro Boy and Speed Racer, reached it's maturity when I discovered Paranoia Agent and the work of Satoshi Kon . He had a way of looking at the underside of society, families or even pop culture that was as enlightening as it was humorous and compelling. Kon died on august 24^th from Pancreatic Cancer at age 47. It is a horrific loss to anime. I strongly recommend taking a long look at his body of work and pass along that recommendation to others. Paranoia Agent -- See the trailer HERE ran on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network but is also available on DVD. It is a tale of pop culture horror in which one episode, Mellow Maromi (the first one I happened to see) posits that working in the entertainment industry can result in death. The most frightening aspect of that episode was how reasonable that supposition is. Though I love Paranoia Agent, my favorite of Kon's works is Tokyo Godfathers . See the trailer HERE . It is a joyfully crazy, scary and touching film that has taken a place beside the Alistair Sim Chistmas Carol, Scrooge as part of our Christmas tradition. It is tragic that we will not have anything more from this tremendously talented man, but we can spread the word about this incredible body of work.

Kon's family posted his final thoughts on his blog which was translated HERE .

Demon Under Glass Update

The reaction to the trailers has been interesting. I've lost count of how many TV shows, books and films the web series is being compared to. Though some comparisons perplex me – as I understand the premise of the CW series, Supernatural, I don't get where we fit. Most of them are favorable, so we can't complain. I'm very pleased about the reaction to Owen Szabo as Simon Molinar. It's not just because he is a very good looking young man – though I have fielded a number of inquiries at how often we will have him in states of undress – it's also been a positive reaction to his innocent face. Even his co-star, Garett Maggart has noted that this Simon will be harder to read for Joe because he isn't obviously dangerous. He said that Joe would have to be on egg shells to figure out when Simon is reacting badly to something. And that when Simon does something horrible, it will be all the creepier with that innocent, young face. And that's what we are looking for from Owen, thus we're pleased with the reactions so far.

The Battle with Wah

I'm still in the midst of a writing frenzy, and while it has been really satisfying, I'm struggling to find a balance between getting the superstructure of the book down versus capturing the finer details. Jon has defined the details as wah, a Japanese term for the moment just before a pitcher releases the ball – the moment a fan is most present in the game. In a romance, which the Soldiers books are despite all the high tech mayhem, there should be a lot of wah moments. This is especially true for the love scenes. While I was very happy with the one I posted last week [warning – it's still yaoi and it has spoilers], I consider it very much a draft as there is much in the way of fine detail and hanging in the moment that is missing. It looks like this battle will wage while the jag rages. I'm really pleased with how much I'm getting down and that there is actually a good bit of detail to the plot and the underpinnings. I've been really pleased at the ease I've had in writing the fight scenes. I've almost always struggled with those. This time, I've been able to write them without battle music. The last one was written while listening to Petula Clark's Downtown and the Bangle's Manic Monday though I'm writing the current one to Yoko Kanno's Get 9 from Ghost in the Shell. I love this video from this not only because a character throws Catcher in the Rye off a balcony(the strange smiley faces relate to that accursed book) but also because it captures the show's funky, hip violence. But I digress. It's not that I'm having trouble spinning wah moments from the action, it's that I'm being more strongly compelled to write action at present. And given that on chemo days and just after, I barely have the presence of mind to read, I think I should get as much of the book down while I have the energy. So, what I'm doing is making one word notes on the finer detail that I'd like to add later. Yes, one word is enough of a trigger. The word hair next to Vincent's name brings fourth all sorts of descriptive phrases about how cool his hair feels on naked skin; what torture it is to not be able to touch his hair or his skin. Before you know it, there's the wah. I think the main thing is to not let the superstructure of the book get too far ahead of the wah. Hopefully, it's a balance I'll be able to strike.

Stay tuned!

Simple Treats, Character Creation and Book Excerpt

Considering Simple Treats on a Sunday

I wonder why it is that bagels smell so amazing when passing through a train station? I've found this to be true in any train station I've visited that has a bagel stand. Maybe it's because the scent is intensified in a closed space. Maybe it's because the bagel shop owners have a fan that sends pure bagel essence into the station causing travelers to drift in demanding smears butter or cream cheese on the somehow crunchy and soft circles of loveliness while they are still warm. I enjoy this scent so much that if I have to make a connection anywhere near Union Station in LA en route to my many appointments, I always choose to walk through the complex rather than ride the next two stops to connect just to smell those bagels. I also love old train stations and this one is really gorgeous. I shall have to make time to actually have a bagel and enjoy the comings and goings of the station sometime soon.

Simple Cooking on a Sunday

I'm giving my freezer a break and even restocking it a little today while making some deceptively simple fare. I'm revisiting the roast chicken and the meatloaf. For this dinner, we'll have the chicken with fluffy mashed potatoes and just to be extra decadent, some bread stuffing and gravy! There was an insane sale on whole chickens and hamburger, so I couldn't resist. And it's always good to occasionally work on the basics. According to every major cookbook I've read and TV chef I've watched, the roast chicken is how a cook is judged. Oh, I forgot to mention that veg will be the insanely inexpensive fresh corn (6 ears for $1). Crazy cheap and so very sweet right now. The roast chicken will also yield roasted chicken bones which means more lovely stock for soup. I'll need more as I've been making soup a lot lately. Of course, it's finally decided to get really hot here, but what can you do?

Book Updates

There have been some changes at Sybaritic Press. The big one is that all of the titles are going to be available on Kindle including a big upcoming, long awaited opus. I also took the opportunity to have Jon change the covers of The Gift of Surrender and The Price of Surrender. They are, as you can see, very sexy. I had him do this in anticipation of third book. Sybpress is about to get fairly busy. We're working on another Demonspawn book for those who crave more adventures the Vampire and the Doctor. We're not completely back in business yet. But it is nice to have some new titles coming out.

Writing Update

I've been very excited about my writing this week. It's reached that point where spending time with my guys is my big treat for the day. I thus have to finish my chores and errands, and writing some pages that involve being with them is my treat for the day. I love that even more than when the frenzy descends that forces me to churn out pages until the thing is done. When I'm in this sort of place with my writing, the experience is productive and there is time to savor the ride. And this wonderful turn happened because of something I chanced to catch online this week.

I was fortunate enough to follow Jane Espenson during an online discussion about writing. She always gives the best most succinct advice on spinning plots and crafting characters. My favorite type of that night for quickly figuring out a character was 'what does the character want and how is that being frustrated.' Brilliant. That creates a plethora of material in a very short span. The advice was particularly timely as I work on A Soldier's Destiny. I have a whole new novel full of characters that all want something and every one of them is being frustrated in some manner. For my main guys, Rik and Vincent, they were looking for lives that were dedicated to training and research. What they are getting is situation after situation that involves the potential for extreme violence. Some of that violence is visiting them in the heart of their Foundation. For Rik, the situation is particularly daunting, because he had hoped to distance himself and Vincent from the perception that they are primarily killers. However, it is the fact that they were crafted and conditioned to be such innately ruthless killers that makes them the only beings capable of dealing with the Vampire, Simon Molinar when he appears. They are the only beings that can unnerve him, because they will kill him without hesitation if they are pressed to, Meanwhile, Vincent is growing more and more worried about Rik's well being as his humanity is being taxed further and further. It is revealed that Rik nearly killed himself before Vincent reappeared in their world. He remains fragile in some way. In this book and likely for those to come, Vincent has assumed the role of Rik's protector. For the first time, readers will see the calculating soldier in Vincent. And readers will begin to learn about his experiences in the other world.

Excerpt from A Soldier's Destiny

Warning Adult Content Yaoi or Homoerotic Themes If you read it, I don't want to hear complaints.

It was only 2200 hours when we finally finished prepping for Molinar's inevitable appearance and reached the apartment, but all of the restfulness I'd felt at the end of the vacation evaporated. Fortunately, we were to be alone at the apartment. Bobby was going to spend as much time with Ellie as he could before reporting to his next post. Though he would be just across town at Central Command, he wouldn't be visiting very often at first. Vincent didn't begrudge him that time. He and I could managed to find ourselves at the base whenever we wanted. This was not the case for Ellie. I was grateful that we were on our own. I was feeling far from social. Percival was his usual, indispensable self. He hadn't scheduled any meetings for us until 0900, giving us time to work out then have a leisurely breakfast before getting back into the Foundation's routine.

Still, I was out of sorts. My thoughts were racing with all the things that were undone in my office. My mind was somewhere else completely though I was responding to things Vincent said. That is, until I finished the locking the door. Then, I was pressed against it. Vincent had me by the hair. My cheek was pressed firmly against the smooth cool wood.

“Do I have your attention?” He asked softly very close to my ear.

My eyes slid closed. I sighed. “Yes.”

“I don't believe you,” he murmured, licking my ear. “You'll have to convince me.”

I was dragged into the bedroom and tossed onto the bed. Before I could recover, Vincent was on me, stripping me naked. Then, he was straddling me. My wrists were crossed over my head and pressed against the mattress, pinning me. His glare had more anger than desire in it. I was confused.

“Why?” I asked with a hard swallow.

“You need this,” Vincent murmured. “You're too much in your head sometimes.”

I almost chuckled at that, but my Lover's face was far too serious. I was too much in my head most of the time. That's how I never saw how he'd felt about me before he disappeared for all of that time. I was crazy enough to sometimes worry about all I continued to miss. His hold tightened on my wrists.

“Stop it,” Vincent ordered. His voice was soft, but there was an edge of steel in it. Then, he tilted his head to one side to kiss me. His mouth was hot and sweet as always. His kiss was intense, stealing my breath with my moan.

Vincent's free hand was caressing my torso lazily and slowly. Oh God, he was going to slowly drive me insane. I groaned against his lips, arching my body in a silent plea to be released.

“Not a chance, Rik,” he whispered pressing my wrists firmly with one hand while the other played with a very sensitive nipple. “Not yet.”

While he toyed with my nipple, Vincent slid his tongue slowly down my neck to the curve of my shoulder where he bit then sucked at the skin.

I cried out, arching against him again as I instantly hardened. Though I felt him smile against my skin, it was clear that this assault on my body, mind and senses had just begun. Later, much later, I would wonder where all of that patience and control during our love making came from. But right then, my mind was gone. All I could do was feel him and what he was doing to my body.

Vincent's free hand moved down my torso as his lips took over torturing my nipple. I felt him grasp my erection with a sure hand. He stroked me to just before I found release, but then, he denied me. The bastard did that over and over while muffling my frustrated cries with that diabolical mouth. He took me up and down like that I'm not sure how many times before I was mindless and nearly exhausted.

“Look at me, Rik,” Vincent commanded softly.

Somehow, I dragged my eyelids open. The torture continued. Vincent's eyes were so dark with desire that the gold was nearly enveloped by the dark. I moaned loudly just as the climax coursed through my trembling body. He watched as I was wracked with intense pleasure. He watched as I rode through it all. Finally, he smiled his most angelic, frightening

smile.

“My turn now,” he murmured.

Vincent still held my wrists as he turned me on my side. Despite the lead in my limbs,

I pulled the outer knee up to receive him. He grunted in approval then quickly prepped me. It seems my torture had had a profound affect on him as well. Had I been more aware, I may have been smug about it. But I had no mind at that point. My body needed him in me to complete the circuit. That was all that was the only thought I had left in my brain.

With blessed speed, Vincent pushed inside me, canting his hips to unerringly caress my sweet spot with each thrust. I was hard again then barreling toward completion in what seemed like an instant. Vincent had barely touched me when I came again. This time, the intensity of the energy between us and my exhaustion sent me into the bliss of oblivion.

It was early morning when I woke. I was on my back with Vincent half covering me. His golden head rested on my chest. His hair fanned out everywhere. Upon my movement, his arms tightened around me.

“What time is it?” He mumbled against my chest.

“0530,” I replied. The alarm wouldn't sound for a half an hour.

Vincent raised his head to look at me. His expression was softer than the night before. He seemed very pleased at what he saw.

“You look much better,” Vincent murmured with a smile. “I'm glad further measures aren't necessary.”

I felt my brows raise. “Further measures?”

He smirked at me. “I wasn't letting you out of this bed until you looked relaxed.”

I was flummoxed, unsure whether to start my day or take him up on that challenge. Vincent gave him a lazy smile.

“You know you won't be able to stay away from that desk,” he murmured.

“Your insight is correct, as always,” I sighed before rolling him beneath my body. “Good morning, Love.”

He was smiling when I gently kissed him. He moaned into the kiss, making me wish for much more than a half an hour head start.

“We can take our time in the shower,” Vincent suggested as my lips moved to his elegant neck.

I sighed. My lover was right. It was easier to get out of that bed if we didn't start something. I rolled off Vincent then offered him my hand.

“Where did you find all of that patience and focus in bed, Love?” I asked mildly as I shampooed his hair. “It was only a couple of months ago where you were all but ripping my clothes off and having me almost without prep.”

Vincent hummed his pleasure at what my fingers were doing to his scalp.

“One of your most important lessons was to learn the objective well then learn what you need to get it done,” he replied almost languidly. “I take care of you, Rik. After what happened with Ms. Becker, I realized that I had to be aware of everything that could hurt you. Sometimes that will mean protecting you from the Foundation. Sometimes that means protecting you from you.”

I rinsed the great mass of hair carefully as I considered Vincent's simple, direct statement. It was impressive. He would have had to analyze me like any other target then decide on the best strategy to defeat me. It took not just skill but a patience in extreme situations I had not seen in him before. It had to have developed during his time away.

“You were always my best, most adaptive Altered,” I murmured as I dried his hair. “You put all of that study and strategy into me?”

Vincent looked up at me levelly though his cheeks flamed slightly. “You are mine, and you are my life. I can't think of anything more important.”

I gaped at him for a moment, profoundly moved. Then, I crushed him against me and kissed his temple.

“Lord, I love you,”I whispered.

His arms looped around to squeeze me close. “I love you so much, it frightens me some times.”

“I'm not afraid,” I assured him. “It's what we need. And your stomach is growling.”

Vincent swatted my butt before pulling away. He smiled sweetly at me. “Let's get to it.”

DraggonTV.com is Live!

Welcome to DraggonTV.com

Sometime last year, I discovered that there were filmmakers I knew with films and shorts that had not yet found distribution. Most had edited very short versions of the longer works to run on Youtube in parts to compete with thousands of disparate posts uploaded hourly. We thought about this situation and decided that we could offer something better. Thus, DraggonTV.com was born. We are offering independent filmmakers a site where they can run anything up to a full feature to attract an audience. What's more, we can offer access to the distributors we've established connections with over the years of attending world film markets to pitch our own films and concepts. Though it shouldn't matter, the fact that we have traveled several thousands of miles to meet with people who are across town leaves an impression. Our company has such longstanding connections with distributors that we have gotten letters of commitment based solely on a concept. Furthermore, we can offer filmmakers guidance on creating onesheets and press kits that will assist them in their efforts. Though DraggonTV.com is open to all kinds of content, we're particularly interested in genre (sci-fi in particular though we also want horror and paranormal). Sci-fi as it gets the shortest end of the stick, release wise in film and TV. So, check out the page. Then, if you have a short, serial or feature you'd like to have us run, consult the Submissions page and follow the instructions.

If you have a product or service you'd like to advertise, check out our Ad page. Our rates are really reasonable as we are a start-up. We'll be running ads of up to 90 seconds at the beginning of the films shortly for those with book trailers and the like.

A big thanks to Lucy Doty for use of the incredible Central City Studio for our photo shoot. FILMMAKERS, this place is a must for any sort of genre shoot or medical or cop drama. They give tours seven days a week!

And as always, to our partners, Ralph and Margeurite Lliteras for their hard work and unwavering support.

Shout out to the Buckeye State

For some reason, much of the support staff for Dragoncor Productions is located in Ohio. It all began innocently enough. It beings with Bruce Kline, a very close friend from the days when I worked in Advertising in New York City. He is a composer, guitarist and singer as well as a radio DJ. Bruce and I have kept in touch over the years, and I have tapped his talent on a number of occasions as a composer. For DraggonTV.com, in addition to being the smooth voice that welcomes the viewer to the site, he is also the composer of the theme for 15%. His compositions will also be heard on the upcoming film short, Blood Oath. So, a big shout out thanks to Bruce Kline!

The next shout out goes to Randy Payne. Aside from being crew-guy extraordinaire on many of our shoots both big and small. He is an original set elf (you'll have to ask him what the heck that means). Anyway, aside from listening endless complaints from thousands of miles away, he's been helpful in connecting me with all manner of talent. Most importantly for DraggonTV.com, was connecting me to his good buddy, Bryce Holland. He is a talented web designer, and we were in need. Why go so far for a web designer? Los Angeles doesn't seem to understand such terms as 'small start up' or 'modest budget.' The average bid I received in response to my ad was 10 grand for the site and the team it would requires. We've never had that big a team when we shot a feature. So, Randy eventually got tired of my grousing about the whole thing and put me in contact with Bryce. I must say that he, like the other Ohio brethren, is infinitely patient with us Hollywood types. And his work is first rate as well. So a big thank you shout out to both Randy and Bryce.

More Changes

There will be additions to the page often, so check back frequently. We are adding behind the scenes interviews for Demon Under Glass and adding more shorts.

Stay Tuned!!!

Snacks, Sliders and Deb of Borg

I did find an excellent use for the bounty of my unruly basil window hedge. I made a marinara sauce a la David Rocco with canned tomatoes and some tomatoes, garlic and onions that I roasted. I used the basil laced sauce on a pizza. This recipe was from America's Test Kitchen and is more like a Focaccia than a pizza. It was super easy, at any rate. I ate mine with caramelized onions in addition to fresh mozzarella cheese. Jon had his without. It was quite tasty, and there was enough for an afternoon snack the next day. I'd never planned to make my own pizza, but I find that I like very few that are available for delivery since having them in the south of France (I was told by Mario Batali himself that the region used to belong to Italy. And there seems to be an awful lot of Italians and their fabulous food there.). I've had a wide range of results making my own dough including the dough that tried to eat my fridge. This dough is the easiest though I still prefer the more troublesome recipes when I'm in the mood for battle. The pizza was all the more tasty having been made with my own basil infused oil and with that final sprinkling of shredded basil on top.
Special Snacks

I decided to give myself a pre-chemo treat and try a seafood recipe I saw on one of Paula Deen's shows. This was a scallop slider. It was made like a crab cake and eaten on a slider bun with a spicy mayo. Now, I do love a good crab cake (heavy on the crab and light on the cake) and I have made many kinds over the years. These shooters were very, very simple and the result was just amazing. They were delicately flavorful. They had a great texture and the mayo didn't overwhelm the taste of the shooter itself. Of course, the other part of the treat was a bit of was a little bit of bubbly. Alas, I will be vino free for the duration of the treatments. Don't be bummed for me. I'm enjoying a lot of healthy, tasty things during treatments. Among them, the Lassi. I'm gong very, very light on the spices and using mangoes or strawberries for flavor. This helps me with nutrients and keeping the old plumbing balanced. And I'm having the first of many batches of soup. This one – chicken noodle! Dull choice? No, it was quite tasty. One of the most intriguing prohibitions during treatment may result in some elaborate desserts. I am to avoid cold drinks and food. Frozen treats are thus out of the question. What to do when one has a jones for vanilla or chocolate ice cream (yes, my favorites are that mundane). Well, first there is cocoa (regular or white chocolate) or home made vanilla or chocolate pudding which are fine at room temperature. But then there is also homemade mousse!! Again in chocolate or white chocolate. And for a real jolt of vanilla yumminess, there is crème brûlée, baby! All I need is a blow torch!

Deb of Borg

Deb of Borg, that's what Jon's taken to calling me. He's also gotten good at dodging flying objects I throw toward his head. I have a number of tubes attached to my person at present. For about 48 hours, I had a little machine attached to me as well. There was much in the way of clicking and whirring in my wake during that time. The tubes ate the PICC line that runs from mu upper arm to just at my heart (by far the most gruesome thing that has happened to me in this entire ordeal was putting that PICC line in. Oh, all that long line in the photo on the link is what got threaded through my veins. Unpleasant. But, I must say, the nurse was excellent – as are all of those managing my care. The other tube has been in my abdomen since the surgery in April. That's gotten old, but there isn't anything to be done about it for a while.

Round One

The first round was okay. Jon and I watched Toy Story2 on my portable DVD player. That was a hoot and a half. I was surprised that we were served a nice boxed lunch – though I wouldn't have picked tuna salad for one with an iffy appetite and potential nausea issues. Still, it was a nice thought. I figure we can run through the vast list of films we've missed in the past year during the treatments. So far, I'm side effect free save for fatigue. That's astonishing when it hits. I'll be quite fine and typing something, then I'm waking up from a really deep and sudden nap. That will make timing my walks very interesting. The heavier side effects turn up later in the treatments – if I'm going to get them at all. Though I whine about the number of trips I'll be making to the hospital in the next months (and it is a whole lot of trips per week), I can't complain. I am really healthy compared to the other patients I see there. And even the weakest ones move with a determination that I admire. If they can buck up and get it done in that state, I've got nothing to complain about. The only bit of news that I found daunting is that the number of rounds is three times longer than I'd thought. The assumption was an error on my part. I think I read somewhere that the minimum number was four rounds and decided that was what would happen. Not so. I'll be going the full twelve rounds. Still, I should be quite fit by the time the Cannes Market rolls around. By then, I'll really need some proper pizza.

My thanks again for all of the cards, notes, calls and other well wishes. I really appreciate those and the prayers. And thanks for thinking of Jon as well. He's got an awful lot on his plate with me. Caregiving is never easy and he needs support as well.

Part two of the blog with the writing updates and details on the new website are coming in a few hours.

Stay tuned!

Blog Part Two -- Shooting Actors, New Vampire & Other Fun

Year of Fun -- On the Set
Warning! Link to a Hasselhoff Video below!

Actually, when thinking about my experiences on sets, fun does not immediately come to mind. I didn't have to plunge toilets this time. But then, Jon pointed out that was only because we had been part of the crew that made the bathrooms usable at the new studio. Ah yes, caustic chemicals in extreme heat. I'd never scrubbed a urinal before. Motion pictures, dahling. At any rate, I never seemed to have nearly as much fun on my sets as my crews had. Well, there are a few elements that made this photo shoot tons of fun. First, Craig was working on the same floor. I spent his lunch break with him patiently listening to his numerous and dubious reasons as to why I should read Neanderthal. It's like Michael Crichton but with psychic Neanderthals, he said. That wasn't a really good reason for me. I had read a couple of Crichton's books during my last hospital stay, Prey and State of Fear. I was keenly disappointed. I really didn't think that the addition of psychic, cannibal Neanderthals would help matters. What I suspect is that he had been extremely annoyed by the book and wanted to visit it upon me. His thirst for vengeance likely stems from my sending him a video of David Hasselhoff doing Hooked on a Feeling (I take no responsibility if you click on that link). Thus, I understood his urge for revenge, but I wasn't taking the bait.The next key to Deb's fun factor on the set is a loose crew. I've found some folks who are super fast, really professional, laid back and damned funny. Which is really good, because the last element to the fun is Garett Maggart. I've never met an actor that can be so really crazy in one second and then completely focused in the next. Luckily, Cat Elrond, make-up artiste extraoridnaire rolls easily with this. The rest of us (Ralph, Jon and I) know the drill. I was very impressed that our new vampire, Simon Molinar, is laid back and quite funny himself. More on him in a moment. We were shooting images to go with a promo for both the books tied in with Demon Under Glass and for the web series we'll be shooting later this year. The promo is designed like a book trailer in which brief images are blended with voice overs and music to quickly tell a story and set a mood. I picked images from the voice over script, and we got to work. Hopefully, there will be the paranoia and desperation that will be in the series, but the humor as well. The photos are mine. We're saving the official ones ones that Ralph took for the launch. Those are extraordinary. Mine were snapped from a slightly different angle with a far less powerful camera and just after Ralph took his, so my flash wouldn't interfere. We got some amazing stuff from Ralph as he sandwiched us into his typical day of doing 80,000 things at once while remaining relaxed. It was nuts, but I had a very good time.

Meet the Vampire

Though more than one person was involved in making this decision, I know that I will take the brunt of the heat for it. So be it. Let me say straight off that we were all quite happy with Jason Carter's choices in playing Simon Molinar, and he was great to work with on set. His choices created a cultured and charming vampire. When we decided to mount a series for Demon Under Glass, we decided to take advantage of the passage of time to go back to the original vision for the character Simon Molinar. He had been written for a very young actor who had the calm maturity of almost two thousand years. It was to be an unnerving juxtaposition of incredible patience and maturity in an very young package. The original Molinar was written to be much more overtly sexual. We want him to be the type that could succeed in seducing a room full of disparate people no matter their sexual orientation.

When we were presented with Owen Szabo, we found his training to be exceptional. He is certainly very good looking. My only real hesitation was his hair color. I strongly considered having him dye it, and he was quite willing. But then, I was online with Facebook friend, Geraint Wyn Davies, formerly of Forever Knight. He had directed me to one of his interviews that happened shortly before Forever Knight premiered. It seems that the Powers That Be at CBS didn't want him for the part primarily because he was blond. I realized that was not a good reason to pass on a casting choice or change his hair when he looks great as is. To digress, we kept Garett's silver hair for much the same reason – he looks good with it. Cat said he had a George Clooney thing happening. Garett likes Cat a lot. Back to Owen, He's got the acting chops – though from Boston, he did a very good British accent. Actually, until he told me, I didn't know he was from Boston. He has a wonderfully expressive face. And he naturally exudes the old soul in a young body that we wanted Simon Molinar to possess. He's got a deep, bed-roomy voice that can work a girl's nerves. The big question then was how would his chemistry be with Joe McKay. That Simon didn't run for the hills over Joe's frequent questions about when they were going to 'do it,' calls for lube and complaints about bottoming was encouraging. But when they managed to raise my scolding eyebrow as a pair, I was certain that they would work well together and that I'd be sighing a lot. Still, I was quite pleased. We look forward to working with Owen and hope that Demon Under Glass fans will embrace him as well.

A Soldier's Destiny

I had hoped to put up an excerpt today. I'll likely do it mid-week. It's been a little crazy. However, in developing the time line for Demon Under Glass, I have bridged the two works. I've also realized that there will have to be a fourth Soldier's novel to cover all of that and the plots I have going. I plan to write them straight through and have them released a few months apart. I have the time line between the Delphi Project and the Altered Soldier's Program in the updated writer's guide. It also contains the canon fate of Joe and Simon. I will put up the link, but strongly advise only those who want to write stories or script to read it. To say it has spoilers is a gigantic understatement. The Writer's Guide Link .

DraggonTV

The debut is Saturday. Information on the site will be on this blog, my lists and face book pages starting Wednesday. Please, spread the word everywhere you can think of. Many filmmakers, actors and crew will really appreciate it.

Finally

I start chemo on Thursday. I have no idea how it will affect me. As always, I appreciate any spare prayers or good thoughts.

Stay Tuned.

Blog Part One -- What's Cooking Sunday?

You name it! You see, this new cooking channel, Cooking Channel , is an insidious thing. It's causing me to wander into territories unknown cooking-wise. Like I need any more encouragement. First, there is Laura Calder with her French Food at Home that just torments me, because I'd rather have French food in France. Though I find I'm settling for making Consommé. Never considered making it before. I barely know what it is. I really need to know where she buys her clothes. And there is Rachel Allen of Rachel Allen: Bake! who seems to have convinced me that I can make puff pastry. That would have seemed crazy to me yesterday as I was more than content with the frozen variety. I don't even want to tell you what Iron Chef Michael Symon of Cook Like an Iron Chef has me thinking about. And why did I buy chick pea flour when I had no idea it existed a couple of weeks ago? That danged, adorable David Rocco and his Dolce Vita, that's why. Something to do with some kind of pizza. I don't know. It just looks tasty. Ah well, it's good therapy even if I'm finding myself getting more than a little obsessed lately. I suppose I need to make a pizza or some pasta sauce asap. My little basil plant is rapidly becoming and unruly basil bush. My freezer is full. I may have to start giving food away – again.

the rest of the blog will be up in a few hours.

Stay tuned!

Frenzies, Pirate Vampires and More Countdowns

What's Cooking

The cooking frenzy I had hoped to 

have happened pretty much all week long. I didn't think it would last that long, but I kept having to stop and rest between dishes. Strangely, the most exciting thing I cooked this week was completely unexpected. Whilst picking up some herbs and veggies for the soup stock, I found actual green tomatoes in my supermarket. I have never seen those on the west coast before. Frankly, I think I've only run across them when we were in Georgia visiting relatives. Dad liked to cut them up and put them into collard greens. I prefer them cooked. Thus, I pounced upon them to make myself a batch of fried green tomatoes. Actually, I pounced on them early in the week, but didn't make that dish until yesterday. My appetite was off most of the week. I didn't want to cook them until I knew I was going to eat them. They were well worth the wait. Meanwhile, the rest of the frenzy consisted of making dishes like chicken pot pies, Brian Boitano's calzone style beef Wellingtons., and a couple of pasta dishes. All of the recipes lend themselves to single serving portions and all were freezeable. After I make a couple of soups, I'll be well prepared for times during chemo when I don't feel up to cooking. It was a good week. I really needed the cooking therapy and I turned out some really good food.

Year of Fun – Adam and The LA Farmer's Market

This week was difficult physically. Most of my plans were thwarted by my uncooperative body. However, I did manage to keep an appointment that was very important to me. That was a meeting with a former Borders #93 peep and fellow writer, Adam. I was surprised and pleased when he found me on Linkedin  a couple of weeks ago. The last I'd seen him, he was bound for a return trip to Amsterdam with ambitions to enjoy all it had to offer. My fellow Borders peeps agreed with my assessment that he might never come back from the smokey haze. Imagine my surprise to find he has a serious gig at the Writer's Guild of America. Strangely, as we began to interact via e-mail, I realized that I knew his e-mail address from the event Jon and I attended to see Ron Moore's talk on Battlestar Galactica (highpoint of my Month of Fun from last year). I didn't recognize his last name. But then, we never used them at Borders. Adam had always been among my favorite co-workers. He has a surfer-dude mellow to the point of catatonic verve, but he was always the smartest person there when it came to fiction and lit. Oh, and he's gorgeous. None of that has changed over the years save for allowing his smarts to show more now. I was also delighted to discover that he is a wine connoisseur – he even has a webiste to advise the uncertain, and he's a foodie! We had one of those rare and wonderful conversations about writing and food and wine that make LA magical for me. And I now have a new connection with a much missed friend. We plan to cook together sometime this fall.

As if that weren't enough to make the trip to mid-town worthwhile, there was the Los Angeles Farmer's Market. I was in search of ingredients for premium chicken stock. I'm talking backs and feet, kiddos. The feet being weird on a roasting pan and in the pot, but this stock is all unctuous and jiggly without being reduced, so I've got a vat and a half of it. Ah, there will be some soups made for the frozen larder this week! And then there was the applewood smoked bacon from Huntington Meats. Maddeningly good. I also found a shop that I'd never seen before. Mr. Marcel's Pan et Fromage is a terribly dangerous place for me. It has too many imported French products that I would love to use in my cooking. The only reason I escaped the diabolical establishment with most of my money was that I couldn't carry all that I wanted to purchase. My bearer, aka Jon, wasn't on this trip. So my purse was safe – for now. I did buy some lovely country pate and a freshly baked batard. Pure happiness.

Countdown T Minus 13 Days

We've been tweaking the look of DraggonTV.com. It is a very handsome site. I will sing the praises of those involved when we launch. Suffice it to say, a great deal of the talent is in Ohio. We'll be uploading the initial videos this week to work out the bugs. The Demon Under Glass Interviews are being edited. A few more will be shot this week, I hope. Meanwhile, we prep for the photo shoot. Years ago, when everything was wrapped for Demon Under Glass, we auctioned most of the costumes and props. Foolishly, we thought that once a film was done, you move on. Since then, I've learned better. We hang onto everything we can store, because we never know when a re-shoot will come up or a publicity shoot. Thus, we need to re-outfit Doctor McKay down to his Caduceus. Most of that load is handled by Lucy Doty's medical wardrobe supply at her wondrous Central City Studio. That leaves clothing the Vampire. There are plenty of casual clothes that make what he already has look good, I wanted something additional to show that he was from another time. Thus, Jon and I found ourselves in a local costume house looking at the frock coats and cravats of a Victorian gentleman. I had considered an 18^th Century pirate look. Then, I had to discard the notion, and not just because Jon quipped that my first choice is usually pirate wear. I admit that the pirate look is always among my choices, it isn't always the first choice. The pirate image is a very strong one in pop culture. The term pirate would come before vampire. Simon is not a pirate vampire. It would be a very impractical thing for a vampire to be a pirate. To be a successful pirate, one would have to be able to raid at anytime of the day or night. And it would be hard for a pirate to work in the close confines of a pirate ship without anyone noticing the not coming out during the day. Being from a time of great superstition, most pirates would have dumped a vampire into the drink. Likewise, I didn't think a cowboy outfit would work either. There's the monicker of a cowboy vampire – not good at all. And, again, there is too much in the way of unsheltered open expanse. I think Vampires would have been city dwellers until the west had better transportation and more population and buildings. But I'm rambling At any rate, the Victorian gentleman looks the most like a Vampire to me, and the actor looks good in that type of clothing. We did find something that looked cool – though Jon wouldn't go for the cape – and will fit the actor. Everything is coming together. I just hope that the Caduceus I ordered from Ebay arrives on time. All I have to do now is a shot list to make sure I get the type of photos I need. I will post one or two pics next weekend, but the rest won't go up until DraggonTV.com goes live.

On the web series front, I've been slogging through the scheduling program. It's a new one for us and quite comprehensive once all of the data is entered. That is just a long and tedious process. I should be finished by the time of the photo shoot. Then I have to deal with getting a go ahead from the various guilds before we cast the rest of the parts. This is all very dull though necessary.

Book Update

I'm working my way through the first draft of A Solder's Destiny at an acceptable pace. I'll likely post another excerpt with the next blog.

Stay Tuned!