Spring in LA and Me Without a Net Gun

Updates

This was a productive week. On the publishing front, we have one title that will soon be a proof, the last step before publishing. As soon as we get galleys back, we’ll be publishing two more titles. We have scripts for the film shorts. I found a costume designer for Gift of Surrender that is reasonable, and we have a hair stylist who can do the hair pieces. We even found a suitable location, I believe. The other two shorts are in the audition stage. And we’ve made some progress on the big film project, The Privateers. It seems I am doing Yaoi Con with the voice actor who did Rik Heron on the website for A Soldier’s Choice. And I may be doing a panel with him at Dragon*Con and a separate panel with Richard Hatch on writing sex scenes in Science Fiction. Those have not been confirmed. And I actually began working on the sequel to A Soldier’s Choice. I should be posting excerpts in the next week or two. I’m loving being with the characters again.

Springtime
It is spring in Los Angeles. And while it is not nearly the same as springtime in Paris, there are certainly lovely things to behold. The flowers here are bold in their spring colors. There are vibrant reds and yellows and purples bursting from gardens. The air smells like honeysuckle or night blooming jasmine. It never ceases to surprise me how pretty LA is in the spring. And then there are the half-naked men. One doesn’t have to be near the beach to see them jobbing or skating down the street. Jon often jokes that I need a net gun as I watch those male lovelies pass by. You see, even when they are walking, most are faster than me. Forget about catching them when they are jogging or skating. Once in a while, a situation will arise where a tall, lithe young thing will stop to do his stretches and, heaven help me, bend over to touch his toes. I’m certain he knew I was ogling him. But even when stationary, these boys would be hard to handle without an effective projectile restraining device. To my delight, Mythbusters episode 77 featured a net gun. They were trying to catch pigeons. Don’t ask. It was a little loud for pigeons, but the net did deploy consistently. However, it was really big and unwieldy. I need something easy to conceal, or the boys won’t come near me. Yes, I have an entirely warped mind, I know. But this all a part of how I appreciate the beauty of spring. And speaking of the local cute critters, we found there is a wacky squirrel on this block. He’s got quite a pretty, bushy tale and is kind of bizarre like our squirrel in Playa. Each week, there is something to make me feel more at home.

Month of Fun
This week begins the month of May. Since I turned 40 a while back, I keep the month of May as a month-long celebration called the Month of Fun. I do something for myself each of those 31 days to celebrate my birthday. I encourage everyone to do the same. It doesn’t have to cost lots of money, just a little treat. I have desserts I wouldn’t usually have. I make sure I enjoy a couple of sunsets. I’m lucky that May is a big movie premier month. I will count Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End as my treats. I’ll get a manicure and a massage at some point. I do that sort of thing. Do the same in your birthday month.