Birthdays, Baguettes, and Some Updates

I had thought that the strangest bit of conversation to pass between Jon and me this past week was 'yes, Michael was wearing the super hero cape and the duct tape when he went to the ER. I don't think he had on the tool belt though.' But then there was: Jon: Sweetie, are you into a new kink that I don't know about? Me: What ARE you talking about? Jon: There's a tray of raw chicken on the bed. Me: Ah, that's where that got to. How my Brother-in-Law ended up at the ER is a long and admittedly entertaining story, but that would be for him or his wife, Judy to share publicly. I'll have more on them later. I can, however, explain the chicken. I was clearing out the fridge to make room for the birthday cake. I had the big, heavy tray of chicken in hand when I realized that I needed to get something from the bedroom while I remembered (a big issue with me anymore). I put the tray down to retrieve the item and left the bedroom. I left the chicken there while I sorted out the fridge and counter situation. That's when Jon came back from the laundry room and got very confused. See? It all makes sense.

Birthday Boy

Speaking of my in-laws, they called yesterday to wish Jon a happy birthday. Actually, it was my brother-in-law that called to say that Judy was sending her every 30 years birthday wishes to Jon. The idea was for the siblings to talk to each other, but that didn't really work out. Judy got distracted searching for a photo similar to Jon's Jenga pile of dishes. She couldn't find it and that mad her sad, so she decided not to get on the phone. Jon had on headphones, so he wasn't even aware of the call until I jabbed him with my elbow. The upshot was that the siblings yelled into the phone from across the room at each other while Michael and I had a very entertaining conversation about our anti-social spouses. The Cunninghams are delightful people Judy is among the loveliest women I know. Their parents are wonderfully social people. They make you feel like you've known them for decades during the first meeting. Their kids are another matter. They are very odd in social situations until they know you well, yet they attract extremely social spouses. And we are always entertained by this phenomenon. I really enjoyed that call and am reminded that we should get home to see all those zany folks soon.

I can't do much in the way of shopping for Jon's birthday. And it's hard to get Jon something fun, because he acquires the things that really interest him on his own. He has become a search engine wizard in his efforts to secure the often obscure things that are parts of his hobby. And I don't want to always give him things like new socks or shirts. Though essential, they aren't fun gifts. So, I decided to cook something special. As my muse, Kim, often says about him 'all he ever wants are noodles and bread.' This is very true. In fact, I usually make him a tuna noodle casserole for his birthday. But I wanted to do something special from the days when we were dating. So, it was a simple linguine with a garlic and olive oil sauce along with French bread and birthday cake. Simple, huh? Well, the ingredients for any given dish and the process was very simple. It was just that everything was hugely labor intensive. Oy, what a long day of cooking. I've linked to The pages at the top of the Blog -- see the Tabs marked BAKING-- to show you some of the process or the results. I've wanted to tackle baguettes forever, so that was a fun form of kitchen therapy. The results were tasty though still a bit off from a bakery baguettes. They were denser than the professionally made ones, but they weren't something that I could knock someone over the head with. Still, Jon finished everything and seemed to enjoy it, so a good time was had by all.

Updates of Sorts

I'm still in the last throes of writing Ensnared, so I don't have much to talk about there this week. I will have a lot to say about the mechanics of writing this bugger, but I can't just now. Mulling on this ordeal may keep me from finishing. I can't wait to share the astonishing artwork for the cover and ads. All of the film stuff is still in flux. I have an update that will go on the blog for The Secret Cancer sometime this week. The rest of the film stuff is still in flux and I can't talk about most of it still anyway.

Sunsets, Marmosets, and Machinations

To my lovely readers on the East coast, I understand if you pooh pooh me when I say that I have had a wacky week. Wackiness is truly relative. While I have had experience with the Earth shaking and I have been in a hurricane that hit Manhattan (Gloria, 1985), I have not managed both feats within one week. It's been embarrassingly balmy and pleasant weather-wise in Southern California. The ground has been behaving itself and remaining still. Weather-wise, it was a delightful week. Where my life gets wacky is when it collides with the Industry.

Sunset Blvd at Sunset

Most of Los Angeles that isn't part of an actual studio complex goes about its business without talking about movies or TV beyond what any other American talks about around the water cooler. However, there are pockets of the city where the movers and shakers move and shake and where others come to see and be seen. Deals do happen in these places. Sunset Blvd is actually a very dangerous place to talk about any kind of project. There are many, many ears about, and they are always listening. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this on the blog, but the remake of Walking Tall with Dwayne Johnson is Craig's fault. He was blabbing on and on about how that would be a good role for Johnson while in Book Soup, a famous book store on Sunset Blvd. The next thing I know, there is the trailer for said remake. And there has been some thievery of TV projects from other folks I know.No, I can't name names.

Thus, the pretty restaurant on Sunset with the yellow and blue décor so reminiscent of Provence and the gorgeous and attentive staff was a minefield for creative folks. Many want to be seen and heard doing industry business. If one is perceived to be successful, they attract success. They certainly attract attention, especially when still wearing sunglasses after the sun went down. The tourists passing by riding in open air mini buses sure thought they were photo worthy. Jon and I weren't concerned. We were in that part of town to discuss a documentary on a rare cancer – not something anyone would likely steal. Still, we had to be really careful. Jon and I arrived for our meeting really early, so we would be chatting while people watching. So along with talking about stuff we were editing, not planning and never giving any coherent details about anything, we engaged in a game began during our last trip to the Cannes Film Market. You see, the American Pavilion is another dangerous place to talk about active film projects. Everyone with our party was strongly cautioned against this. Marie came up with a clever alternative. We talked about films involving marmosets. Action movies with marmosets, comedies with marmosets, dramas with marmosets – we talked about them all. It was our hope to instigate a string of such films and then laugh about it. There were ears listening last week. I noticed really reactive listeners. Who knows? Maybe something will come of it this time. Meanwhile, Jon and I had a great time eating dinner and discussing the documentary and a number of surprising things. As soon as I can go into more detail, I will. In fact, there has been a whole lot going on that I wish I could share, but it is verboten until there are signed documents. Fiddlesticks!

We had a blast overall, and I realized that I truly need to get out more.

Writing Update

There is a reason I can't get out as much as I'd like in the next few weeks. I'm still wrestling with this danged book. And then there is the conga line of titles Sybaritic Press will be releasing from now until the end of the year. We hadn't planned on a publishing a full slate of titles. Things just sort of happened. Since none of us are stressing about it, I suppose the time was right for the Press to re-launch.

I am closer to the end of the book, Ensnared, than I was last week. However, I am still struggling with the blocking of the ending. It involves some major action with fights and death, but there must be an appropriate amount of build up to make the action seem inevitable. There also must be the right amount of denouement after the last pivotal action scene to bring the narrative to a close without lingering too long. I strongly feel that once all the character issues are settled, the story has come to an end. However, I don't like loose threads hanging around. Also, romances demand a certain amount of afterglow, so to speak. The book is already a lot longer than I had planned, so there is a strong temptation to just stop already. These machinations have slowed my output to a little less than a page a day of late. It's frustrating, but I trudge onward...ever onward. The new book has an astonishing cover. I'll share that next week when I have a full on discussion about the controversial issues the book raises and the fight I plan to start over them.

This one is short, I know. More to come next week.

Stay tuned.

Blog Delay

I'm taking the week off, blog wise. I have a lot of writing and publishing related things on my plate. I'm having trouble juggling all this stuff. There should be a lot of updates next week.

Stay tuned.

Craig, High Tea, Yoga and Updates

Today, I visit a long neglected feature of this blog – Conversations with Craig. It's not that I haven't been having conversations with him. We talk a lot. I just haven't detailed them in the blog of late. I need plausible deniability. Of late, we have been talking about Craig being a librarian. To understand the excitement he has with his new gig, one must understand the wondrous experience that was working at Borders Books and Music, Store 93. Craig: So, I had checked in three sets of books when I was told that I needed a break. Me: Had you been shelving? Craig: Nope. Me: Cleaning the shelves? Craig: Nope. Me: So you weren't picking up half cups of ice cream, open cups of coffee or pizza crusts? Craig: We don't have to clean. Me: You don't have to clean the bathrooms? Craig: No. That would be stepping into someone else's job. Me: Wow. You are overworked. Craig: But wait, it gets better. The head Librarian asked me if I had something to read. Me: On your break. Craig: No, at the counter! Me: you were dancing, weren't you? Craig: As soon as I was alone. It was impressive after working at a store where the staff was endless cleaning the wet, drippy or sticky from the shelves. The men's magazines with sticky pages were particularly revolting. And I don't even want to talk about cleaning those bathrooms, and I didn't see nearly as many hairy naked rear ends as Craig has. And no, we weren't allowed to read at the bookstore where we were supposed to be well versed on what was on the shelves and displays. This was really vexing when I worked with new titles in the front end of the store. It was expected that after retreating from demanding and annoying customers that we were supposed to read up on our titles during our break. And that brings me to the biggest thing exciting Craig about his gig. No matter how entitled the library client, there is no deviating from library rules to placate them. The rules are the rules – HA! Thus, most of our conversations begin with 'Deb, you have got to get in on this action!' I am pleased. I'm just not up to being part of a nefarious scheme. Or even knowing about one.

High Tea on Culver Boulevard

One thing I will say for the bizarre hell of working for Borders is that I made friends with some extraordinary people. Aside from Craig, there is my favorite Pikachu, Phil. And then there is the incomparable, Marie. Last week, I got to host a little birthday celebration for her. I decided to let loose my inner five year old and have a tea party. That decision resulted in whiling away far too much time watching youtube videos on the subject. I was astonished that there was one channel on that site that had over sixty episodes on the subject of throwing a proper tea party. I had a blast learning about finger sandwiches and other treats. I also had another go at puff pastry and croissants for the occasion. I didn't have time to get some good Irish butter for the croissants, but I did go crazy and make black berry jam. Two of my Food Network chefs were making easy berry jams the weekend prior to the little party. I thought it was destiny. And I also tried another recipe from my TV chefs. I made a cold hibiscus tea along with a hot black tea. I found bulk dried hibiscus flowers on Amazon for cheap. It was really tasty as well as very healthy. I've become hooked which is good, because I have a big sack of tea. The prep was great fun and wonderful therapy, but it was spending time with Marie that was the real treat. She is witty and funny and very talented. That afternoon reminded me very much of the great times I've spent with my writing circle in grad school. It was a fabulous afternoon.

Deb versus Yoga

The nice lady with the very soothing voice on the yoga DVD keeps making me fall asleep. That must mean that it is very relaxing, but it isn't doing much for stretching my muscles or exercising my joints. Granted, I was viewing while reclining on the sofa. But that isn't because I'm lazy. I like to watch any sort of exercise video all the way through, so I'll know what I'm getting into. I have yet to get through watching the whole thing. So, I finally just went ahead and did the forty-five minute head to toe warm-up. That warm-up even covers the tips of the pinkies. It wasn't strenuous, but it did work a lot of muscles I haven't used in a really long time. Thus, I will be taking my time working my way through the second half of the DVD.I can see how it benefits those with joint pain. The movements are slow and precisely targeted. I'll keep you posted as I get further along.

Updates

We're about to publish a new title by Marie Lecrivain. It's the first of a whole spate of titles coming out between now and the end of the year. I suppose I will thoroughly startle those on the Sybaritic Press blog by actually posting an update. I expect to send out one of mine to the proofreaders next week. Meanwhile, I have meetings about some of our older film projects and the documentary this week.

Stay tuned.

Jenga Piles, Lobster Rolls and Killer Foods

One of the questions that came from the blog of a couple of weeks ago is what sort of art does Jon do? I think they were wondering if he did anything like an art installation. He does a lot of graphic arts like the covers for Sybaritic Press titles and for my web pages. He hasn't done any sculpting since art school save for the things he creates while doing the dishes. Most women I know would do a huge load of dishes in shifts or wash and dry and then do more. Oh no, not my Hubs. He likes to build intricate piles of dishes, pots and pans. As you can see in the photo, some of these masterpieces are so precarious that I worry about a vibration from closing the refrigerator door will bring the thing crashing to the floor. I never put the dishes away. I look at that Jenga pile with great trepidation. I figure I should leave that to the builder. This is Jon's main outlet for sculpting. I think he could sell the dish Jenga as an art installation.

Killer Foods

I really wanted to try the lobster roll at a very famous gourmet food truck here. And on Thursday, the truck was a ten minute bus ride from my house. We have a gathering of such trucks every day at a parking lot across from Sony Pictures. I was so excited. And then I looked up the price of said lobster roll. It was $12! When you factor in the bus fare and a drink, we're getting close to $20, US! A twenty dollar sandwich should come with a good looking nearly naked man. Unfortunately for the truck, lobster tails were on sale for $5 at my local market and I had a recipe. I made it on Saturday along with some tangy slices of fried green tomato. The new development of our local market selling green tomatoes in the summer has filled me with joy. I should whip up some collards and have them sliced up in a bowl as my Dad liked. Very tangy. At any rate, I completely get the appeal of a lobster roll. It was tender and sweet and a little tangy from the lemon and the onion. It had that wonderful, soul satisfying affect on me that only good shellfish has. I was dancing in my seat. There were no photos, alas. I was eating the thing before I could sit down. Next time. And there will be a next time.

For every cooking success, there is a food out there that I believe is trying to kill me. In July, I became convinced that mangoes meant me ill will. No matter how I tried to imitate the allegedly simple way of getting the mango flesh away from the skin and the big ol' seed, I always ended up coming close to slipping with the very sharp knife and injuring myself. I work with very sharp knives. This month, it's a Kabocha, a Japanese pumpkin. That thing was tougher to take apart than a butternut squash. I won't even try to do more than split one of those. I roast those things halved to get at the flesh. That was the first and last time I try to peel and cut a Kabocha. I'm also certain that I can't just fry pieces of that thing like I saw in the video. It's way too hard to be at all tender by the time the outside is golden brown. I'm going to have to par boil or pre-steam it if I'm going to try to fry it. That's on the agenda as part of Sunday dinner. I'm trying to broaden Jon's vegetable palette or actually have him develop a vegetable palette.

Alas, I must make this blog short and sweet. I have a lot to do today in advance of a very busy week. There are some film meetings on the horizon. I have a new doctor to meet. No worries though. This is some stuff and nonsense that my medical insurance requires – though I do plan to give him an earful about my ongoing symptoms from chemo. And, I'm actually entertaining. Yes, I know you all find me entertaining (silly, fake laughing). I mean, I have someone coming by to partake of food and other refreshments. No worries, I shall tell all next week. I'll also have an update on The Secret Cancer blog sometime during the week. I'll post a link on on this blog as well.

Stay tuned.

Hacks and Character Arcs and other Arguments

Warning, some spoilers ahead. Also, there are vehemently held opinions of an unrepentant fangirl that may be very different from your own. Do not read if thin skinned. I do not read hate mail or hostile tweets.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when I am sleepless, I have lively internet discussions (some may call them arguments) with people who share my interests. For example, I have been slapping around anyone with the notion that the next JJ Abrams abomination titled Star Trek won't stupidly suck as much as the first one. My evidence? They want to try to do Wrath of Khan. The problem with that? Well, to have a wrath of Khan, there has to an initial encounter with Khan. Then, there has to be a perceived betrayal of Khan and a couple decades for the bitterness and hatred to grow. I suppose Khan could go back in time to exact his vengeance on the young and unsuspecting Kirk. Wait, wasn't that the first re-boot film? And if he were going to go back in time, wouldn't he just go back far enough that he was never overthrown? If that hack is going to keep sucking the life from the original series, do The Doomsday Machine , for pity's sake. Arguments like that rage on in the wee small hours of the morning. And as much as I enjoy maligning the current Trek time line, that isn't the argument that interests me most.

It's an old argument amongst fans of any television series no matter the genre. Should the main characters change over the course of the series or should they remain the same? If they remain the same, the adventures of these characters can continue indefinitely. I was going to say that my show references are really old as I'm ancient, but Jon pointed out that they are running on Imdb.com, hulu.com or have aired recently on Syfy. One show is running in LA six nights a week on KDOC, home of obscure shows. Then, I remembered that I have a friend younger than my nephew that speaks fluent Dark Shadows. At any rate, the current series television that I'm attracted to has characters that change over time. I understand the preference for the other type. I really do. There is something comforting in knowing Starsky and Hutch would always have each other's backs and that fascinating unrequited tension. I often wish that Blair Sandburg never finished that dissertation in the Sentinel and that they acted on that unrequited tension. But they were only on three seasons. I love me some original Hawaii 5-O, but twelve seasons of the same McGarrett and Danno gets really tiresome. I think Blair's hair would have been really annoying by around season seven (don't send me hate mail, I won't read it). And I can't see a 40 something year old Starsky sliding over many car hoods. However, even in episodic television that has mostly stand alone episodes, I like the characters to have an arc. It makes sense that the highly dramatic events the characters endure week after week would have some impact on their personalities and their outlooks on life. Naturally, I loved the re-boot of Battlestar Galactica for that. However, there are shows like The Closer where the cast has definite arcs. Eureka is delightful in part because it has a steady arc for its characters aside from obvious things like changes to the time line. But, I watch the CSIs, you say. Well, all three shows have character arcs. They are all dopey, but they have them. CSI: Miami's team has evolved into a death squad. More on that show later. Really, there may be a zombie this year!

Whether the characters should or shouldn't have an arc is not actually the argument I'm having online in the middle of the night. The intense debate is about whether shows that have arcs should be allowed to end. I believe that when the arc is based on whether a relationship will survive or not, at some point, the couple has earned their happiness or at least peace of some sort. I found that unfairness maddening about soap operas. That's why I drifted away from them. No one could have a happily ever after or at least be left in peace. The torment was never ending. Fans of this short run (two seasons) anime series I enjoyed (the title is irrelevant. To see it takes a lot of effort online. And it's too odd for most of my readers. Write me privately, if you really need to know.) desperately wanted a third season or more. I vehemently disagreed. The series was essentially a light hearted romance about a miss matched pair whose families, friends and co-workers disapprove. Somehow, through great effort, they find a happily ever after. They go through a lot of self doubt and some angst and really have to fight for a relationship that shouldn't work but somehow does. In order to do another season, the writer would have to try to tear them apart as a couple. The stakes would have to be higher and the drama darker. Aside from the fact that the author never gets that dark in any of her series, it just wouldn't be fair to make this wonderful couple suffer further. And it's not that I don't appreciate intense drama or even very dark drama. I can really get behind darkness in a series where it's appropriate. In this case, it wasn't. If you love them, let them go! They will live on in your mind, and in some cases, fanfiction.

These arguments do influence how I write my couples driven fiction. A way to get around this problem of the arc that is built around the development of the relationship is to solve the relationship and make the developing stories center around characters or situations around the couple. While the couples do evolve and grow over time, the relationship remains solid – it even grows more so. Whether it's set in the far flung future or in a fantasy past, my issue isn't whether the couple will get together and stay together. I solve their issues as a couple fairly quickly. It's their world that's trying to kill them – literally, in some cases. Niku and Sarianna figure out their relationship quickly in The Gift of Surrender. It's the breaking of the family that's the jeopardy. In the sequel, they are solid as a couple but must face death at the hands of evil while saving the life and soul of Niku's estranged brother. Rik and Vincent are solved as a couple in A Soldier's Choice very early in the book. By the end of A Soldier's Fate they aren't still working through relationship problems, they are trying to survive being enveloped by a death ray. In the current book, they are battling their own kind on several fronts, but never do they battle each other. With Ensnared, the couple takes longer than my norm to solidify the relationship. They have to get their societies to accept an extreme bending of the rules for them to remain together. Beyond those obstacles, there are still forces beyond that that want to kill them. No matter the threats or turmoil around them, my couples always have a refuge of happiness and peace with each other.

Interventions, Food, Friends and Writing Updates

For some reason, this blog is turning into an epic affair. I think I'm going to split it into two parts. Some of it is going to be cross posted to a pop culture blog that I write for. That part got a bit carried away. Seems that I'm harboring a lot of seething resentment about entertainment trends I find subpar. And there are some things that avid fans want that I really think are bad ideas. Yeah, I think I'll split them.

Food and Friends

I had a few interventions of sorts this week. I was on quite a downswing because of my physical state or the lack of progress in the improvement of my physical state. Mon amis, Sylvette put some things into perspective for me via her own experiences. She also concurred with my contention that one need not climb a mountain to celebrate being cancer free. I admire those that do, mind. I'm also impressed by dragon boat racers. But I've never been that kind of physical. That isn't changing. And Craig's idea of mountain climbing usually ends with him fleeing from a mountain lion or a vulture. Oh, I didn't mention that Craig was trying to cheer me up by offering to help me train to climb a mountain. I told him that my ambitions were aimed toward strolling down Paris boulevards with occasional stops at cafes for a little nibble and some coffee and some people watching. Sylvette told me of how wonderfully peaceful it was to enjoy a freshly baked croissant early in the morning when Paris is barely stirring. That and her advice cheered me up considerably. Oh, and Craig is still a very entertaining librarian. As soon as his schedule stabilizes, I plan to visit his branch. The third intervention was from Ray who scolded me as much as he uplifted me during the trip to and from the hospital this week. He has a highly entertaining way of scolding that only a Brooklyn native has – on top of that, he's an actor. Very amusing even when it's at my expense.

The food front was interesting. After much thought and consideration, I have decided to leave cooking fresh artichokes to the professionals. It's just too much work, and I'm too paranoid about getting a thistle down my throat. I don't need the pressure! The cooking I did this week reminded me of people who introduced me to the food. Making gyoza (potstickers) always reminds me of Ohio peep, Bruce Kline. He introduced me to them when we lived in North Jersey and worked in New York City. My knowledge of Chinese food was very limited back then. I fell in love with the crispy dumpling with the meaty filling. Fond memories. Sauteing mushrooms always reminds me of my favorite foodie hedonist, Nick, in Atlantic City. He was the first to show me how to make them and he had the best technique – same with properly cooking a steak on the stove or grill. But I was just making mushroom soup. Sizzling mushrooms always make me think of Nick and those really crazy cookouts. I finally found a wonderfully huge and really cheap pork shoulder that made delicious pulled pork. That always makes me think of my Dad though he now uses my method of roasting the pork slowly in the oven.. He used to do his in a DIY 55 gallon drum turned smoker. That's a bit elaborate for him nowadays. Mine is done in a very low oven over a whole lot of time. Fond, fond memories and some really good food help with my blue mood this past week.

Activities Updates

Thank you all who ask about how my work outs and other interests are going. I am still shaking my bunda with eh Bollywood workout. I can only manage that one or twice a week. I just received my yoga DVD and will start that tomorrow. It's designed for people with joint pain and mobility issues, so it's what I need. I'm still walking about ten miles a week, but I may shift that from around the neighborhood to the nearby mall as the heat and blazing sunlight isn't a good mix with my meds. I think the reason I was frustrated this week is that I am working very hard on building my strength but the improvement is very slow. Ah, well. As for the Japanese, that's coming along as well. I have books on the basics and put some time into a few times a week. I'm also watching my anime without the subtitles and trying hard to hear the words. I'm not ready to attack anyone at Mitsuwa market yet though. But I am enjoying the process.

Writing Updates

The first draft of Ensnared will be finished sometime this week. I'll leave it alone for a week or two, make some additions and revisions then send it on to my proofreaders. I have another erotica project that will occupy my focus along with finishing the latest Soldier's book. And I have a script to finish. I have a detailed schedule of when I work on each project. The pages are getting done as planned for the most part. My schedule will slow down only when I'm having unusually difficult physical issues.

Meanwhile, Jon is finishing up the work on the Soldier's Choice based, live action short, Blood Oath. That will premier in October along with a publishing frenzy and updates to the websites with excerpts, artwork and more!

Stay tuned!

Craig and Moules, Ampersands and Updates

Craig became a librarian this week. While that is justifiably terrifying, it's better than the plans he was hatching for world domination. Not that I thought any of those plans had a chance of succeeding further than his getting arrested on some weird harassment charge. Craig has weird harassment plans honed to a very fine art. It just that because I would point out the potential problems in placing art installations made of rotting meat in front of the homes of his enemies – so many enemies – he had decided that I was his nemesis in his plans for world domination. I don't have the energy to be Craig's nemesis. He has far too wiley an imagination. I was very glad that the long layoff ended. The timing was interesting as he returned to dealing with books the same week Borders met its final demise. His first day was reminiscent of any given day at good old store #93 in that there were many arguments amongst angry, drunk homeless men. He amazed the staff by not really getting bothered by all the commotion. I understood his ennui. They had on pants and weren't carrying gasoline. That was counted as a mild disturbance at our store. It made Craig feel right at home.

Speaking of art installations, Jon and I noticed a solar powered ampersand in a vacant lot near one of our supermarkets. As I suspected, it was something that was really annoying. Jon has an art degree, so he understood it and was really annoyed. I just knew it would be something I'd consider silly. The stated explanation was HERE. All in all, I think I'd prefer the rotting meat. At least I understand Craig's motives, diabolical as they are.

Moules no Frites

Usually my kitchen therapy is a carefully planned exercise in trying something new that I've often wanted to attempt. I think a long time about the dish and the process. I thought about croissant baking for every bit of a year. Sometimes though, I find myself making something that is a little bit intricate to work through something very emotional – like blind rage. Let's just say that while doing one's utility paying online can be very convenient, when things go wrong, it is spectacular. And calling customer service is beyond frustrating when the business is vested in keeping things as automated as possible. Thus, all the while I'm navigating through the complicated phone system, it keeps telling me that I would find better and faster service on the web page that has royally screwed up everything in the first place. I finally have punched in my information and reach the correct level of the system when I'm told that customer service is down and to either call back later or go back to the accursed web page. Unfortunately for this utility, they have offices in nearby Santa Monica. It takes a lot to blast me out of the house when I haven't planned on leaving, but adrenaline is an amazing thing. I maintained my ire via a very annoying and ridiculously expensive commute.

Once the errand was completed with no bloodshed or other mayhem, I found I was in downtown Santa Monica on a beautiful summer day. Happiness! So, I first went to Penzey's Spice Shop. I had no plans for visiting that very dangerous place, but I soon realized that my pantry was lacking in some things I needed for upcoming recipes. They weren't very exotic spices either. For instance, I had no celery seeds or dried mustard powder. These items weren't expensive, and now I can make some new dishes. And make some other dishes correctly. It took a great deal of will power to not buy something from every aisle. I had to save some bucks for the even more dangerous establishment I would visit next – Santa Monica Seafood! Boy, did that take a lot of focus and determination. I was only there to buy mussels which are very inexpensive. But the mussels were next to the big, beautiful sea scallops and the bigger and even more beautiful crab legs. They were not anywhere near inexpensive.

When we were in Cannes, there was a restaurant in the middle of the route to our hotel whose specialty is Moules et Frites – Mussels and Fries. The place always smelled of a delicious garlic and wine sauce. I had had wonderful mussels cooked by a grad school chum years – decades ago – and hadn't had them since. That restaurant made my mouth water every time we passed by. It was also always packed. We were usually in a hurry to get to screenings going down to the Festival and too tired to stop for anything on the way back to the hotel. Somehow, in the ten days in Cannes, we just never got there. I was determined to try to duplicate that scent and the taste my friend, Philomena created. The recipe was really simple. Everything was in the prep and the careful execution. It took only a half hour of prep and most of that was waiting for the mussels to soak in salt water. They took less than ten minutes to cook. I had them with some hunks of baguettes smeared with St. Andres cheese and a cold beer. I forgot the entire ordeal with the website and the phone call and the commute. I forgot to take photos. I was transported in time and space. I found bliss. That reminds me, I have to start thinking about baking baguettes.

Updates

The books are coming along well. I have my calendar to silently keep me on track with page output. I've sent specs for new artwork for the revised versions of A Soldier's Choice and A Soldier's Fate and for Ensnared. I've got my marketing campaign for the books planned out. I've been making decent progress on a script that has been years in the making. It's a huge departure from what we normally write, thus the very long development. The writing is going well. The productions are in various states of flux. I've had an exciting development with The Secret Cancer. You can check that out HERE. Octodemon is still working through development issues with FX and currently scheduling. And my web series are all basically waiting for me to be recovered enough from treatment side effects to take on the daily rigors of running a shoot. Since Jon is working, it's fallen more on me to actually run things which I really can't yet. My unscheduled trip to Santa Monica was followed by two days of not doing much of anything save write. It is extremely frustrating, but it isn't uncommon for my cancer treatment. I have to be patient.

Stay tuned!

Bunda Shaking, Creative Baking, and Deadline Mayhem

After watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Cuba episode (I highly recommend it, if you haven't seen it), there was a special called Dance the World with Jaycee Gossett, a New Jersey ballroom dancer out to learn the dances of the world. She was in Brazil to learn the real way of dancing the Samba. See the explanation of the dance's origin HERE. Key to the dance is shaking the bunda which is Brazilian for booty or groove thing. I think. I'm still not completely sure what a groove thing is, but I am guessing it's the same as the booty. The show was a lot of fun. Hopefully, the Travel Channel will bring it back. At any rate, I was reminded of something that Kirstie Alley said recently about getting into great physical shape. I believe she said when in doubt shake your butt. I remembered that I have my Bollywood Dance Workout. This was good as I've been looking to vary my physical activity. I want to swim, but I just haven't gotten to it yet. I've been taking dance classes off and on since I was in grade school, so this was a natural way for me to work out. I managed to do a thirty minute workout at half time. The steps were fun and most likely funny looking to anyone passing by my living room window. I really felt it the next day, but I'm going to keep at it. I'm also going to order a yoga for beginners DVD. It's clear that I need a lot more stretching and flexibility.

Extrapolation

I found a really neat recipe for honey white bread last week. Then Jon suggests that I make raisin bread with the same recipe. I'm not much for adlibs with my baking, Theoretically, it's just a matter of rolling the dough into a rectangle, spread cinnamon sugar and pre-plumped raisins over it. Then, roll the dough into a tight tube, let it rise in a loaf pan and bake. So, I gave it a try. Let's just say that baking raisin bread smells insanely good. The bread turned out very nicely – though I should have rolled the final dough just a bit tighter. But this section is called extrapolation for a reason. I next took that raisin bread and made French toast! Yowza!! The other extrapolation I tried this week was via a recipe by a finalist on Food Network Star. He is from Brooklyn originally and now lives in Las Vegas. He came up with a wrap sandwich called the Philly-rito. It's a Philly cheesesteak burrito. I told the chef that I found the whole notion was an abomination. However, it also looked pretty tasty. I love a good burrito after all. So, I gave it a try. It had onions and smashed avocado and roasted red peppers along with melted cheese. There was a sauce on the side made with sour cream, garlic and finely chopped cilantro. I have to admit that it was very, very tasty abomination.

Organized Mayhem

I have a lot of writing projects on my plate. Most are mine or the production company's. They are all creative. And they now have hard deadlines. One thing writers get asked over and over – and I still do – is how do you get that muse to work on demand? The very simple answer is practice. The muse doesn't have to be in gear to structure a plot or figure out character arcs. I have found that the inspiration comes far more easily when the structures are in place. Sometimes, I'll give the broadest strokes to a scene or even a chapter to just keep moving the story or the script along. This method makes Jon a little crazy when we're doing a script. He likes to solve everything before he types FADE IN. I believe in getting the storyline basically in place then adding detail or modify during the first re-write. In my novels, I fill in new details before I give it to the proofreaders. Strangely, I often leave the fine details of the love scenes for the second pass. Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not thinking of wildly imaginative sensual acrobatics all the time. I do not. Furthermore, I find it difficult to write those scenes straight away because I don't really know my characters when I'm early in the process. Love scenes are an expression of character for me. I have to know them well at each stage of their arcs to effectively write great love scenes. I do confess that, like authors throughout time, I always seem to be working with my back against deadlines – no matter how much lead time I have. I'm not sure why that is. I suspect it is an expression of creative flakiness. Thus, I often look like Usagi-sensei to my right here when I finish a manuscript. He is my favorite author character in anime. As you can see, he captures the nuttiness of an author quite well. Thus, my readers here will hear me bemoaning my progress or lack thereof frequently in weeks to come.

Updates

Film updates are scarce. Everyone attached to my projects is book with other things. I suspect I will have to chase them down soon for updates. I have a major update for the Cancer documentary that I will announce tomorrow on that blog. I will also cross post here.

Stay tuned.

The Pros of Cons, Civility and Updates

I had planned to do a super-sized blog last week. However, my body had other plans. It isn't rush to the doctor serious. It's part of what may be the new normal for me post cancer. I had a lot of my insides altered during the two major surgeries. Sometimes, things don't agree with me. I spent a lot of time in the heat and sun. Long story short, I had to go into a convalescing mode. Not a lot got done last week, and it was frustrating. I'm not exactly sure what caused the problem, so I'm not sure how to avoid it happening again. At any rate, Friday brought some improvement. Over the last couple of days, I've picked up more of the usual routine. It seems that I'm back on track. I certainly hope so. I have plans! Among them, is getting more exercise. On a good week, I'm walking at least three miles every other day. I may actually try to swim later today. That's pretty good. In fact, it's more exercise than I used to get before I fell ill. However, I must not counteract the potentially disastrous effects of being home all the time and baking. I found a really doable recipe for Brioche last week. The same diabolical woman, Ina Garten, was making honey white bread this week. And that danged Martha Stewart is making sticky buns on Monday. It's all an evil plan to make me – and Jon, Breadman Cunningham – enormous!

On Civility – A Social Network Dilemma

I see a lot of amusing things on the news feeds that I follow on the social networks. And I have enjoyed passing along the insightful and the silly to the people that follow me. Increasingly, however, I've had huge qualms about sharing links on my pages. The problem is some of the language that peppers these posts. Goodness know, I'm not a prude. For those of you out there who want to expound endlessly on how I'm so not a prude – shut your yaps! And goodness know, I am capable of swearing like a sailor and a longshoreman combined. And for those tempted to testify about that – don't make me murderlize you! At any rate, I find the really coarse language in these otherwise witty and amusing post off putting. For example, there was one called 40 Books You Shouldn't Bother Reading. The article was very funny, and I found I agreed with a number of the authors contentions especially about any thing written by Jack Kerouac or Joyce's Ulysses. It had some dandy thoughts on books like The Rules and the Twilight series as well. It was the kind of article that would have sparked a donneybrook on my page. Fun for everyone! After a lot of thought, I decided against sharing the post. It was unnecessarily profane. Mind, the first thing that pops into my head when I think about Ulysses is a two sentence long string of obscenities. In the past – even the recent past – I have posted links with a warning about salty language. Now, I think it's not right for me to post, because I don't want to be seen as supporting or contributing to the coarsening of public discourse. I'm really puzzled as to why this is considered acceptable in something that is not a personal blog but a feature article. I'll grant that I went to journalism school in the dark ages, but I really don't see the point in dropping F-bombs or using G-D as an adjective in an article. Swearing belongs at football games, especially for Eagles fans and on movie sets, especial for a producer.

The Fangirl-Producer versus Scifi Conventions

I have a long history with Scifi conventions. I attended the second or third Star Trek Convention ever held in the early 70s when I was barely a teenager. The Hubs has been going to Philcon forever, it seems. However, it wasn't until moving to Los Angeles that we really started attending major conventions with any frequency. That wasn't by any design on our part. I had begun the insane writing experiment, The Secret Logs of Mistress Janeway. Because of those stories and later, the webpage, we started getting invitations to speak on panels at conventions. We became even more popular on convention panels after I appeared in the documentary, Trekkies. I was in fangirl heaven for a while. If a convention paid for me to attend, I had money to buy lots of stuff from the vendors. I bought t-shirts and buttons from my favorite shows, and I wore them, gleefully identifying myself as a fangirl. The only things I didn't do was Cosplay though I really wanted to and Filking which I never want to do.

Convention appearances were more complicated for us since we moved to LA. At conventions where actors appeared, it was problematic. Since Jon and I were writing scifi scripts to produce, we were hoping for a professional relationship with some of these actors. Now, I'm not saying that actors are snobs. They meet a great many people during their careers. It makes sense that they would put people they meet into categories as quickly as they can. If I was introduced as a fangirl, I may have had a lovely moment that made me feel like I was the only one they were thinking about. Then, they would have forgotten the meeting or worse, they would remember meeting me in my one of a kind caricature t-shirt of their TV or film character. They would then justifiably refuse to take me seriously about a part I may offering. Thus, I demurred at the notion of meeting them while they were signing things or before their panels. The one exception to that was the bar Toronto Trek. It was at the nexus of corridors and a patron could see everyone passing by. That was where I would hang out and wait for Jon or our friends. I usually was dressed normally while in that bar. Since Canadian fans tended to be far less intense than US fans, actors felt comfortable hanging out there. And it was easier to actually talk for a time in that setting. I actually cast one of them that I met there, Jason Carter, in Demon Under Glass years later.

Things got really weird with actors at Conventions after we made our first pilot presentation, The Privateers. By then, Jon and I were dressing like we were going to a pitch meeting when we attended panels. We didn't know who we might run into – especially conventions with a heavy media presence. We had to dress and conduct ourselves like a business meeting might happen. A few times, they actually did. Not that we were in suits and ties. It was LA business casual – no fun buttons or stickers on our bags. At any rate, one of our Privateers/Demon Under Glass alumni outed us in an autograph room full of actors as film producers. Twenty heads snapped around to where we were standing. That made things really awkward as we weren't hiring at that point in time. Finding a balance is a challenge. At our last visit to Dragon*Con, one of my favorite conventions, Jon and I did a talk about how to attend the Cannes Film Market and Festival on the cheap and get a lot done. We even dressed the way we did most days in Cannes. That same day we had a panel on the viability of fan made productions as an economic model. I was also the lone fangirl on a panel about Trek versus the reboot of Battlestar Galactica. That was a great fun.

We found a balance of sorts with regards to conventions. Though we no longer just go for fun. I regret that sometimes. When we go, we're usually networking at the very least. The next couple of conventions on our horizon are about marketing the upcoming books and web series. It's lots of fun roaming amidst the really cool stuff on the vendor tables or endlessly debating about our favorite shows for the debate's own sake. We just can't justify the time unless it's also work related. One consolation though. I still wear things that identify me as a fangirl. It's just a lot harder to spot. Those vendors do have some amazing stuff.

Updates

Between the holiday and my little set back last week, there is no news on the film front. The books are coming along well. I'm sending one to my readers in the next week or so. I have a new author of romantica (romance meets erotica) that I'm very excited about. Sybpress is going to be putting out a lot of titles, including the next Demon Under Glass anthology this fall. Film production meetings are up for next week.

Stay tuned.

Asterisks, Croissants and Ninjas

For all of my life, answering the question 'how are you' was simple. I would just say fine. The only variant might be complaining about a cold or allergies. Most of the time, when someone asks that question, they aren't looking for a long answer. A catastrophic illness changes that question. Simply saying 'I'm fine' in response causes a lot of assumptions that aren't true. Yet even with coping with an illness like cancer, the people asking aren't looking for a half hour explanation with all the awful details. So, for those who ask me how I'm doing, 'I'm fine' does not mean that I am completely free of medical problems. For now 'I'm fine' has an asterisk with the further explanation of 'relative of chemo side effects and my usual neuroses. This has come up recently, and I thought I needed to clarify. When I am free of them – and things are improving at a steady pace – I will say, 'I'm great!'

Deb versus Croissants

Puff pastry was a big challenge because of the time commitment required. Croissants are made from a yeast dough, and the prep spans 24 hours. But I found them easier to make. I think that the reason is that croissant dough doesn't require babysitting for hours. Most of the time involved in the prep before rolling out the dough to be cut is letting it proof in the fridge. That's not difficult at all since I'm not really doing anything. And when it came time to cut the dough into the properly shaped triangles, I had the right tool for the job. At some point where my only outlet was shopping on Amazon and Ebay, I ordered a croissant rolling pin. But, Deb, you say. These are simple triangle shapes. Can't you use a ruler and a pizza cutter? That sort of logic works on people who aren't geometry challenged. I am philosophically opposed to reincarnation because I don't want to relive high school geometry. There was just no telling what oddly shaped baked goods I would produce left to my own devices or multiple devices. And there is a perfectly good, affordable device available. Why no use it? It certainly saved me from hours of crying over floury dough and pizza cutters. And the result was just marvelous in every way. They looked great. They smelled amazing – especially while they were baking. And the taste was just not to be believed – especially right after baking. All in all, a very satisfying experience. I even want to do it again.

Language Barrier or I am Not a Ninja

I have been alternating on honing my French skills and learning Japanese. I'm getting more questions about how that's going, so I'll focus on that. I do a lot of very odd searches on Youtube. Those searches result in Youtube suggesting sites I might be interested in. Among them, was a site for teaching Japanese through anime. That made sense as I look at a lot of anime and I had noticed words and phrases that turned up a lot in the subtitled stuff I watched. It is an amusing set of lectures that went over conversation basics in the most casual language. That's a problem with Japanese as in many situations that a tourist would encounter, formality in speech is the norm. I was also learning how to conjugate a lot of swear verbs. Very amusing, but somewhat problematic as well. And then, there are the common words in this teacher's vocabulary. He was primarily using the anime series Naruto. I don't think I've ever uttered the phrase 'There is a village over that hill.' And even on my weirdest days I have never been known to shout 'I am a Ninja' at anyone. Still, I have found these lecture useful in some fashion. I just have to convince Jon that I don't plan to dash over to Mitsuwa Market spewing obscenities and claiming to be a ninja. I am also well aware that I'm not in the least bit ready for a trip to Tokyo. He really needs to relax. I have found some other online sites that offer the more formal conversational Japanese as well as slang. I am beginning to understand more. And I can even say some things – besides swear words. By the way, I seemed to have confused some of my readers. I didn't start trying Japanese recipes because of anime. I started noticing that the food in anime was largely accurate because I'd begun watching Your Japanese Kitchen. Though I confess that it was an anime scene that caused me to make the wiener octopi. They are supposed to be used in Bento box lunches. But I ate them on a hot dog roll. Jon didn't want to have anything to do with them in his lunch. He's no fun sometimes.

End Part One

I am really drained from a day out in the heat and unusual humidity yesterday. So, the updates, the party details and some more geeky musings tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Blog delay -- Party in the Yard!

The blog will be delayed until Tuesday. I'm getting ready for a patriotic feast/cancer free celebration among other things tomorrow. It will be a double-sized blog! I might even explain this photo!

Living Big, Fighting Flour and Some Updates

The past week was an interesting one. As always with me, it is full of duality. On the one hand, I am coping with the 'new normal' of my body after cancer and chemo. On the other hand, I must find a way to make the most of my clean bill of health. I was told by a caregiver of an appendix cancer patient who did not have the advantage of finding treatment that works that I should be living big in all things. His mother would have done incredible things with the reprieve I have been granted. He was right about his mother. She would have done extraordinary things with more time. His was an admonishment that I could not ignore. But how does one live big in all things when walking is often painful and other problems sometimes keep one housebound altogether? I think I have a solution. At least, it worked for me this week. One day, I will go out and walk or do some exploring or do an errand. On those days, I will push myself physically. The next day, I will rest, but I will do something mentally that pushes me or hones an existing skill. Or I'll work on a more rote tasks like those involved in cooking as a meditative thing.

So, each day involves some sort of betterment – even the days where I don't stray far from my sofa. I have decided to work on my French language skills on my non-outing days. To that end, I am watching French news and what television shows I can find on Youtube. For example, the French version of Law and Order: Criminal intent is Paris Enquêtes Criminelles. Very interesting. Watching cooking shows really helps because I can follow along more easily. And to really keep my mind nimble, I'm also learning Japanese. Slowly. Cooking videos help there. As does anime. Luckily, I have a Japanese supermarket close by with staff to practice on. For French practice, I have an international calling plan and a certain someone I can call! And the language study is not just to keep my mind sharp. I have business in both countries. So, I am striving to live big in every way.

Oh, thank you for the kind words of support over the insurance insanity. I realized on Monday that since July was only a week away, I didn't need to go through getting a referral for the B-12 shot. I just changed the date of the appointment. The oncology clinic nurses were very understanding about it. They, too, felt the extra appointment was a little crazy. Thus, the one phone call saved me a considerable amount of consternation last week.

Deb Versus Puff Pastry

When I noticed Martha Stewart gently repairing part of her dough were the butter had seeped through her dough during the first rolling, I knew that I could succeed. I had been very concerned about the bit of butter that was on my rolling pin after I wrapped the dough to let it rest after the first and second turns [after the butter is incorporated the dough is rolled out to about 19 inches length wise. Then, it's folded in thirds like a letter and turned 45 degrees and rolled out again or wrapped to rest]. The other thing I had to watch was that the dough didn't get covered in too much flour. Between each turn, it had do be carefully and thoroughly dusted off. That was difficult as there was flour everywhere There was so much flour in the air that I wondered about explosions. There was a lot of flour about. That photo was taken after I had cleaned things up a little bit. All the while between rolling out the dough with each turn, I worked on the blog or some other writings. It was a pleasant way to pass the time. Once the dough was finished, I had to let it rest a couple of hours before attempting the palmiers. They were remarkably simple to make. The dough is rolled out onto a surface coated with sugar. Then the edges on either side are rolled toward the middle. Then, the dough is sliced and baked. They were delicious. I was very pleased at how the recipes turned out. I believe that I will try to make croissants this coming week.

Book Updates

I've given this a lot of thought. Since we're planning on new covers and revisions and all sorts of things like new artwork and book trailers, I'm going to wait on excerpts until the books are ready to be published. I want to encourage readers to buy the book after reading the excerpts. I've also had to accept the fact that whatever excerpt I put up will have some sort of spoiler in it. I'll try to keep it to minor ones and I'll give a lot of warning.

There are no film or web series updates this week.

Stay tuned.

Insurance Insanity, Kitchen Therapy and Modest Updates

Last week was every bit the roller coaster I expected – and a few things that I hadn't expected. In the midst of having the tests to check where I was with the cancer (For those who missed my posts, I am still free of the disease. No new tests are scheduled for six months), I received my shiny new medical card.. Actually, it's cardboard, so it isn't really shiny. I'm excited because I have coverage that will handle anything that arises. I don't have to worry about a sudden cutback in subsidized cases at USC. Apparently, I had completely forgotten what an amazing hassle a health insurance carrier can be. When I enrolled under the state's new managed care program, I was asked to fill out the information for my primary care doc. Which I did. I figured that since I was getting oncology services at a state subsidized facility, and that my primary care doc had already made the referral to said oncologist, I was covered there, too. Not so. And I find this out moments before I'm due to hear the results of my tests. I must take this form two buildings away and several floors up to an office to switch my coverage and – hopefully – get an override for that day's appointment. They said hopefully because I had already received out of plan services that month when I had the CT scan. I hadn't really slept in three days, and I was already half way freaked out. I must have looked very reasonable when I reached the insurance office. Who knows? They did get things underway swiftly with the switch in assigned, care and they did override the denial of services in a little less than an hour. I may have been looking homicidal again.

By the time I got back to my regularly scheduled appointment, my brain was fried. I was barely engaged in the argument between oncology and the pain management doc I'd met during my last ER visit. They were arguing with each other as to whether I was in pain. No one really asked me. I plan to revisit the issue with my primary care doc – whomever that is. Why is there a question? Well, I was assigned one at USC, but that doesn't take effect until July. Meanwhile, I need a referral to get my B-12 shot. So, for a five minute appointment, I have to have a whole other doctor's visit to get a piece of paper. I can't complain. There are far, far worse insurance horror stories on the various appendix cancer group forums. I can only sigh. My tests are clear, and that's the most important thing.

Kitchen Therapy

I took refuge in the kitchen among other, less savory places. Well, not unsavory. I don't want to frighten anyone. Let's just say that they were strange places – even for me to seek refuge. As I was not sleeping, I often found myself in e-mail or chat room debates. I do mean that literally. A chat room would open up, and I'd be in it with someone seeking my opinion on something or agreement with something else. I was not agreeable by and large. I think I've been living with Jon for too long. Not that he's disagreeable. He just likes to debate on an opposing view for the sake of a broader conversation. As I mentioned in last week's blog, producing books or films or anything has complicated my views as a fangirl. So for those who chatted me up at 3 am, I wasn't trying to pick a fight. And I was cranky. Sorry.

The kitchen was safer. I had a lot of practical cooking to do. I bought a lot of meats on sale and had to prep them for freezing or cook some for the week. I made two kinds of soup stock – roasted chicken and mushroom. I really like doing basic cooking. There is something calming about chopping all those veggies and completing tasks I've done hundreds of times before. Roasting garlic makes me really, really hungry for some reason. The scent triggers something. I did a lot of foraging this week with my grocery shopping. Since I'm walking more, I take my little shopping cart and going to all the markets that have significant sales. I was pretending I was marketing each day in Paris. That didn't work at all, but I did get a lot of exercise along with the savings. I made many discoveries during those shopping jaunts. For one, Trader Joe's has a really nice fresh pizza dough at only $1.29. Also, my bargain/ethnic market has three varieties of tahini for half the price of my regular markets! They also have fresh pita from a local vendor. These were very exciting discoveries that warrant further study like Thai red rice and imported fava bean products. Sweet!

I did some fancy cooking this week. I made a pizza with that Trader Joe's dough. Also, I made mayonnaise for the first time. There wasn't enough for the potato salad today. That may happen more often as I liked the taste better than the jarred. I also had another crack at making sushi. The results were as good without nearly as much comedy. I say not nearly as much comedy. There was some. There is always a least a little. I also tried some new Japanese dishes. The one that was the most challenging was Tamagoyaki, a rolled omelet. While viewing the youtube video that taught me how to do that, I learned about bento box lunches in which the Tamagoayki are often featured. With these new found mad skills, I sprung upon Jon the bento breakfast! The sausages are heart shaped and everything. For some reason, I suspect Jon thinks I've gone around the bend. What is so strange about shaping sausages? He should worry when I make him hot dog octopi or rabbit shaped apple for his lunch. No, he really should worry, because I'll have gone bonkers. Oh, and that bento video is really strange, but I can't stop watching that dog.

I made the dough for the new sugar cookies. I plan to bake them off on Monday. I will also attempt puff pastry. It's definitely time. I shall post photos!

The above was written on Sunday. It is now Monday. I'm still exhausted from insomnia, but the puff pastry is underway! I will post details in a separate blog.

Updates

I've been informed that the Special FX Supervisor for Octodemon and the director are working on post production issues. Everything else is in flux. I expect to get more details on where that project stands later in the week. The script for Demon on the Run, the web series based on Demon Under Glass is almost finished. I didn't get much done on it last week because of everything going on. I'm not going to post the script. There are a lot of really fun things that I don't want spoiled in any way.

The books are coming along nicely. I think they will be done by the end of August. I'm re-releasing both Soldiers books when the sequels publish. I've changed some things to reflect the script for Blood Oath. And there will be new covers as well to match the artwork in Blood Oath. My only difficulty is finding excerpts that don't have major spoilers in them. That's what happens when the love scenes are not gratuitous. I'm still sifting through the chapters to find something.

Stay tuned.

Weekday Blog -- Good News

Good news, everybody! I aced my last set of tests -- even got rid of that pesky anemia for now. No new tests are scheduled for six months! I totally had a martini. There were three olives, and it was dirty. Then, I had a nap. I am out of practice guzzling martinis.

I have to see my regular Doc to discuss managing my side effects and what may have become permanent (or the happier phrase 'new normal') in the next few weeks. But that's for another day. Right now, I'm planning my various celebrations...and a showgirl outfit.

More news on Sunday including food, film and book updates.

Stay tuned.

New Tests, New Recipes and Familiar Foibles

This week has been very difficult. There are a number of reasons for this. The biggest reason is that I was going through a routine that I haven't had to do for three months. It was back to the lab for blood tests. And then it was back to radiology for the CT scan. And this time, I had to go to the appointments without Jon. He's got a cool new day job that has many things that he enjoys. It is connected to the visual arts. It has a lot of varied detail work that he enjoys. And there are even office cats to occasionally stand on his keyboard and head butt him. The job is a fantastic thing to have happened for both of us. Still, it was daunting to have to go to these appointments on my own again. The CT scan was really a fast appointment, at least. I barely had time to choke down the contrast drink – this time it was 'banana' smoothie flavored – before I was called in. I was out in a never heard of two hours! There was also the scintillating company of Ray Proscia who was kindly shuttling me about. All of that offset the ordeal of having the tests. Now, I have to figure out who not to worry myself into a frenzy before I get the results.

Christmas in June

It's more than six months to the next holiday baking season, but it is time to start planning! I have been watching some new dessert themed TV shows of late, and I believe I may have found a sugar cookie recipe that I like. This one doesn't require rolling the dough and cutting out cookies! The search for a durable but tender chocolate cookie continues, but I think we're going to do sample batches of the sugar cookies. I also think the time has come to try puff pastry. Martha Stewart made a batch and made it look even simpler than the last demo I watched. I want to be able to make this to make Palmiers as a Christmas treat among many other things. The Martha recipe produces three pounds of dough which is enough to make tons of Palmiers, cheese straws and en croute anything that isn't moving. I also want to make croissants. It's a similar recipe to puff pastry, but the dough has yeast in it and needs an extra day to proof. While I also feel that trying that recipe is inevitable, I think I should try the puff pastry. There will be some 'lucky' locals who will get to sample the results. I don't like to ship the goods unless I know they're really good. No worries, non LA peeps, I may ship some out to a few folks for more opinions.

Accidental Genius and Other Writing Foibles

Some of the constants in my genre fiction are very deliberate. The oddest – and the funniest to me – is that in all of the worlds I write in whether they are in some strange future or a fantasy past, the weather is almost always in the fall or winter. Spring and summer fly past in a blink, but I luxuriate in the crispness of fall and the biting cold of winter. The reason for this is not because I like those seasons above others. I actually prefer the spring. Basically, I've lived with the Hubs for far too long. He likes even the most far flung scifi fantasy to make sense in every day moments. Knowing what I know about men, I realized that they would never lounge about in their homes wearing the beautiful silk knit pajamas I often imagine them wearing. Jon has often told me that if I didn't object, he'd be in his boxers or less at his PC. Thus, I couldn't make that work in my head even as fiction. So, I made the environment cold most of the time. Cold environments also require fireplaces and cuddling. Genius!

Other constants are by products of my own interests but have been thought of as a brilliant, deliberate choice. My obsession with food has become a constant in whatever I'm writing. Relationships are forged and shaped around meals, in my opinion. A character's relationship with food says a lot about who they are. In my romances, the first sign of a sensual nature is an appreciation for all aspects of food – taste, texture, smell. Recently, some of my fiction has attracted attention in Japan. I may have my titles published in Japanese! But that is a very long story for another day. One of the things I was praised about was the focus on meals and cooking. Did I know that made my work seem very Japanese. Of course, I did, I replied. Yeah...sure. (The image is from an anime based on a very popular Japanese romance. This would be breakfast.). There is also an appreciation for my twisted sense of humor there that some critics have felt was out of place in a romance. Obviously, those critics have had much more orderly romances in their lives than I've had. Or my friends have had. At any rate, those aspects of my writing were much less planned. I'm really pleased that they work, or I'd be in trouble.

Updates

I don't really have any on the film and web series fronts. I've been a bit distracted last week with the medical tests and panicking about them. I've been taking refuge in my fiction and the latest script. And a shameless amount of anime. I don't expect that to change much until mid-week when I get my results.

Stay tuned.