Big Fun

It isn’t often that my Month of Fun overlaps with business. That usually only happens at the Marche du Film in Cannes. Last week it happened three times in Los Angeles. One was the weekend event I’ve written about in the Sybpress blog Seeing the performances of Brenda’s incredible stories was a wonderful treat for someone who is a writer and a publisher. I count that as quite a treat.

Another happened earlier in the week and involved an audition. Those have seldom been any fun, let alone something I’d call a treat. However, this was both. We’re planning on shooting some short films as proofs of concept for funders and distributors interested in our features. We’re starting with the most developed of the small features, a romantic western called The Gunslinger. Here’s the short version from the Dragoncor Productions website.

The Gunslinger is the story of Shadow Smith – a wanted man who has been wrongfully accused of murder. He has had no end of confrontations over his ill-deserved reputation. While in New Mexico, he rides into a range war to confront a gunfighter who has been using his name. He can’t allow anymore killings associated with that name than he already has. Instead, of a would-be gunslinger, he discovers K.D. Delaney, a beautiful young woman posing as Shadow to fend off two factions that want her land. The real Shadow stays because he can neither resist the fight nor the woman. K.D. is strong despite being wracked with grief over her father’s recent death. And she gives him the first home he has known for a long time. If they survive the superior numbers and weapons against them, will they be able to prevent the law from hanging Shadow?

Because we wrote it, it is a twisted romance. There is a wild subplot involving the fictional Shadow Smith in some really awful dime novels and how KD has fantasized him into a character that no one could live up to. Thus we needed a tall, good looking man (I know, who doesn’t) that can really act and is willing to do the short for the tens of dollars we’ll be paying.

Travis did such a wonderful job with the audio excerpt of Rik on the website for A Soldier’s Choice, he was our first choice for Shadow. And he was willing to audition. Even with all he had going for him, he was not a shoe-in. I had a good feeling though. He asked some really good questions after reading the script and the short. So early one morning last week, I watched him become Shadow Smith before my eyes. Even though the KD he was ready with was Jon, not a lovely blond, he still bowled me over with his version of my sardonic and charming desperado. He was very charming, a little shy and very, very sexy. That was definitely a treat for the day. I can’t wait to shoot the short.

The third business related treat was a movie screening. Every event like that is, at its heart, about business. This was an advanced screening for Pirates of the Caribbean At World’s End for the crew and some of the cast. My date was one of the actors in the film, Ho-Kwan Tse who played both, Hadras and a crewman from the Black Pearl. The screening was at the El Capitain Theater. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of that theater, but the ticket prices are really steep there. The film itself was a blast, and that’s all I can say without major spoilers. Seeing a film with crew is really different. They don’t react to scenes the way a regular audience does. They laugh at odd scenes because of some inside jokes, I assume. And they cheer folks like the stunt guys. It was a most interesting experience along with a great film. Thus this was a big week in the whole Month of Fun.

During all this excitement, I managed to fill notepads with the sequel for A Soldier’s Choice. I am distressing my boys, so that is distressing me. But there are some really hot scenes developing as well. I should have excerpt in the next week or two.

Book Launch and Blog Delay

I had a big week and weekend of fun to write about. I also had a big Sybpress event on Saturday. I had to report on that before doing my blog. I'll post mine tomorrow. Meanwhile, read about the book launch and upcoming bookfair.

http://sybpres.blogspot.com/
Spread the word and come on by!
DL

Ya Gotta Have Friends

Warning, the following paragraph contains some general whining. You may skip ahead if this is distasteful.

This has been an unusually difficult blog for me to write. The first attempt came out much too dour. The second was too strange – even for me. I think all of the stressors from the beginning of the year are catching up to me. The manifestations have been numerous. Lately, it has been physical. I think I could sleep for a week and not make a dent in the fatigue. And I always seem to be on the verge of a very bad cold. There is too much that needs to get done, and I have no energy to do any of it.

Of late, I’ve needed to spend time chatting or hanging out with my writer friends. They are the only people who really understand the occasional flare-ups of angst and sadness that can overwhelm a creative mind trying to cope with the business of their work or the people who read it. I have many wonderful and close friends who are not writers, and they try to understand when I’m like this. But only a writer understands feeling the feeling of complete vulnerability and fear after something is sent out to a new editor or published or awaiting review. Sometimes there is a great sadness when something is finished. I compound this problem by working with other writers who all have similar issues. I had been troubled by my inability to cope with all of it. But then, I got some sage advice from the incredibly talented and wise, Sarah Freligh. I give you better than a shout out, my friend. Readers should check out one of her poems and bio here. Though as creative as they come, she is also very practical and really down to earth. I was given a new perspective, and I’m grateful.

My other creative friends helped me bring in another year in their own ways. From Craig, I received a great hug and something to make me laugh. He is my favorite Jersey Boy (a great compliment considering my second favorite is Bruce Springsteen). Craig has a way of always knowing when I need to laugh. While I was at Borders, I could never go through a whole shift angry if he was working as well.

Then there is the wonderful Marie, my co-publisher. She brought me the loveliest and most delicious gift for my birthday. It was a tiny and perfect chocolate truffle cake that I relished. And over much champagne and reinforcements, we watch a great old film and laughed about our past decades – decades! I was encouraged to write the third novel in the Surrender series. I definitely am feeling that pull. But I must spend a little more time with my soldier-boys. I have to have that done for YaoiCon in October. Marie reminded me that times have been pretty good since moving out here. Our little Press is breaking even (very big in the independent press world). And we’ll be doing more traveling because of it. I am writing more than I ever have in the two decades since I got the MA in Creative writing (decades, I tell you). And I am largely happy with the work. I am even considering something ‘literary’ after all these years. Life am good (no, it’s not bad grammar, it’s a reference to an Adventures of. Superman ep, Little-big-head man.

The month of fun continues this week with a visit by a tall, dark and naughty actor-boy and a really fun time at the cinemas.

I'm an Anime!

I'm working on the new blog. I have a lot to cover and am a bit under the weather. But I thought I'd take a moment to share my new image. This is courtesy of Anne Cain, who did the cover for 'A Soldier's Choice.' I'm really pleased atthe waist-line she gave me! I'll piost the rest of the blog tomorrow, hopefully.

'Cheesesteaks', Mutants and Strangulation

The So-Called Philly Cheesesteak

I begin with a rant of sorts. Jon and I are from Philadelphia which is home to the steak sandwich, known to the rest of the country as the Philly cheese steak. We learned to live with that slightly incorrect usage. In Philly, it’s a steak sandwich and it doesn’t necessarily come with cheese. You have to ask for that. So, first the term is wrong. Then, there are the increasingly strange variant on this sandwich that are puzzling. The last ones are outright annoying. Philly steak sandwich meat is never put on a hamburger like Dominos Pizza.

While the products are really appalling, the advertising features a Philly accent that neither of us has ever heard south of Brooklyn are worse. I’ve only seen an outsider get that strange, nasal tone right twice. Once was in the Jack in the Box ads for their odd variant on the steak sandwich. The other was from Toni Collette, an Australian actress who played Haley Joel Osment’s mom in The Sixth Sense. I could have sworn she was from south Philly. And the last thing, for those restaurants out here or places other than Philly who manage to get the steak sandwich in the ballpark, they shouldn’t cost more than $6.99. It’s made from the cheapest meat on the planet or it should be if it’s authentic, and is supposed to be a cheap meal option. I’ve seen it for as high as 10.95 in other states. Ridiculous! We’re lucky enough to live near Markie D’s, owned by a man who hails from our fair hometown. He does a good job at a fair price AND he has Tastykakes. Joy! The first time we went there, he asked us what part of Philly we came from. I asked how he knew. He said we knew how to order one, and we called it a ‘so-called’ steak sandwich when we ordered. That meant we knew what a real one was supposed to me. The only thing they need to have is Federal Pretzels and Habersett’s scrapple (it’s sound awful, but them’s good eats) and I’d be in nirvana.

On the food topic, I’ve been having fun with recipes for the sequel to ‘A Soldier’s Choice.’ One of the sub plots involves food, and one character is nearly obsessed with it. Thus, there are already a lot of recipes in this novel. I’ll have to another bonus cookbook. I’ll be attempting two of them this week as part of my continuing birthday celebration. They are more elaborate than my usual efforts, but they are worth the try. I’ll reveal how I did next week.

Mutants, Vampires and Atlereds

The sequel is going well. I was worried that I was getting too involved with the inner workings of the Foundation for Altered Development and it’s headquarters. It is, after all, erotica. Those details weren’t any where near being erotic. However, I hit upon a very valid reason for the characters’ behavior early in the book that causes a crisis in their relationship. This relationship problem flowed organically from the details of the job and the organization they work for. That was one of those unexpected and magical moments that sometimes happens to a writer. It gave the conflict more depth and edge than I’d imagined. Now I’m struggling to keep up with the characters as the scenario are moving forward in my head. It’s a lot of fun. And the erotica is fitting in seamlessly which pleases me as well.

The other surprisingly seamless element in the sequel is the explanation of how Altereds happened. I am fusing a futuristic story with a vampire story. However, at the heart of Demon Under Glass is science. WARNING: Geeky Stuff follows. The Vampire, Simon Molinar, is not of the undead. He is an altered human. We proposed that a virus caused a genetic mutation. The Delphi Project was formed to research how he worked and if the mutation could be generated in other humans. What we figured out is that the results of the Delphi Project’s research was used on dozens of subjects over a number of years, primarily in this country. The descendants of the experimental subjects who really developed Molinar’s traits manifests one or more of them (speed, strength, senses, etc) as children. The military uses the Delphi Project’s old research to further Alter the subject and enhance those traits and cause others to manifest. None of the Altereds have the thirst for blood. Molinar’s real identity of a vampire has been concealed in the years since Delphi was shut down though rumors persist. The sanitized version was that he was a genetic oddity who came to believe he was a vampire. The report calls him a sociopathic serial killer who eventually escaped the facility to an unknown fate. I had to figure out all of this because Bobby hears the rumors told to call new Altereds. Also, in trying to change how Altereds are treated through the medical procedure, Rik and Vincent discover that the practices dates back to the original experiments on Molinar. This sounds very techy and geeky, but it was fun to work it all out as a writer. You can check out the trailer for the film which really covers how the experiments works, and is fun to watch this link.

Month of fun update

Yesterday, I treated myself to a manicure and a dinner with one of the actors who did the voice of Vincent on the website for A Soldier’s Choice. An outing with an actor is always fun, but usually exhausting. We had a rollicking good time though there was some hubbub when Vic found out that I’m doing panels with Travis (the voice of Rik on the website) at conventions. They have some sort of rivalry that they claim is friendly see this link. And I’m in the middle getting strangled. They are both way cute, so the consternation they cause is well worth it.

More to come...

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.

I began the weekend filled with melancholy. My e-mail is filled with the details for this year’s Marche du Cannes and the Cannes Film Festival. We were planning on attending this year, but the fates in filmmaking, and condo conversion conspired against us. I am really missing the singular loveliness of Paris in the springtime (cliché, perhaps, but true). I even find the city beautiful in the rain. I really miss the food and the light in that city. I even miss the subways with commuters who could give New Yorkers a run for their money. I miss the TVG train with its lovely baguette sandwiches and beautiful countryside complete with the world’s prettiest and happiest cows. And of course, I miss Cannes with its lazy cafes and beautiful sea and sky. I am running out of herb de Provence (and Thyme and Tarragon and Basil) purchased there. I need a fix! Ah well, I shall have a chocolate truffle and remember.

Many things are happening at once. I’ve been researching costumes and hair and locations for the Gift of Surrender short. It looks like everything will be in place for a June shoot. I’ll start a photo blog of the process as soon as we start costume construction. I’ll also post the script as soon as it’s finalized.

Major spoilers ahead for those who haven’t read A Soldier’s Choice! And an excerpt from the bonus chapter follows.

I haven’t been online very much with Jon on the PC working on the various titles and promotional materials. I’m online to check e-mail and look at artwork of half naked men (for Sybaritic Press business only). So, my spare time is spent with pen in hand working on the sequel to A Soldier’s Choice. Of course, I have no title yet. I’ve had to do some research before starting. I always research before I begin a new novel. Even romances need a basis in reality, in my opinion. I needed to know about the current state of military food since it is one of Vincent’s obsessions. Of course, there is a website dedicated to military cooking , but I needed first hand information from those who have had to eat it. I found some accommodating ex-soldiers willing to share their thoughts (the internet is a wonderful thing). I was surprised by the information I found. The website reveals a great deal of thought and effort amongst those who prepare troop meals. And there was as much praise for the quality and variety of meals as there was criticism of the same. That information caused me to re-think one of the main threads of the novel. Why do villains always have to be complicated?

The timeline of the novel encompasses from the January after A Soldier’s Choice ends through the end of Bobby’s first mission as a fully trained Altered soldier. There is much in the way of angst along with my usual twisted humor and numerous hot scenes. My beloved soldiers are besieged by all manner of being both well-meaning and not. I have my characters sketched out and the entire plot dancing in my head. I’m off in a moment to finish the first chapter.

And now, here is an excerpt from the bonus chapter of A Soldier’s Choice. The boys realize that Christmas is a mere few days away at the end of their adventures in the novel. Shopping proves dangerous from the attentions of amorous females and abundant mistletoe. The boys have to use their best military skills to keep away unwanted lips. This scene is after they return home.

We were keyed up from the Mistletoe op even after a big, tasty chicken dinner. Sometimes it’s hard to turn off the adrenaline after being on alert for hours. We used the energy to decorate the tree and the house. There was something calming about weaving the string of tiny lights along the trunk of the tree then matching symmetry and color while gently hanging the delicate ornaments on the slender tree branches. Vincent also fastened ornaments along the garland on the mantle and around the doorframe. We picked glass ornaments in deeps reds and green and gold. The candles were also deep red or green. The whole place looked festive and inviting, but not gaudy. With the fire going, our home made me feel warm and happy inside. The Grevens felt the same way. The young men both had soft expressions full of wonder. Vincent hugged me close.

“Thank you for making this home for us,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” Bobby said softly. “This mean a lot.”

I motioned for the younger Greven to join us and hugged them both. Some deadly weapons we were. Then, I smiled. My heart felt fuller than I could ever remember. I also felt very right.

My lover was very quiet for what remained of the evening as we reclined entwined on the sofa, but I said nothing until Bobby went to take a shower before bed.

“You’re troubled by something,” I said quietly.

“I feel like a jerk,” Vincent replied glumly.

“Why?” I asked stifling a chuckle.

“I don’t like smelling anyone else on you,” he admitted. “It pisses me off even though I know there was no help for it. I mean I know you can smell them on me, but you aren’t pissed off about it.”

“I’m not happy about anyone touching you,” I replied, kissing his temple. “But I can’t say that I’m pissed off. I don’t know how people keep from touching you. Must be the scowl.”

Vincent snorted.

“ I do know how we can get past this intrusion, and I know we’ll enjoy it.”

“How?” Vincent asked, peeking at me through that fringe of blonde hair.

“We shower together, and you take every trace of them away. Then, you re-claim me in bed,” I said softly against his temple. “And I do the same.”

That got his attention. He shifted in my arms to really look at me. His eyes had a very wicked glint in them.

“And every time this happens...”

“We reclaim each other,” I said softly.

He smiled at me. It was a very wicked smile. “I really like this plan, Colonel. Will you write a report about that?”

“Brat,” I muttered, swatting his ass.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” he said. “I’m claiming you first.”

“Like that’s a surprise.”

Vincent was very serious about obliterating any trace of another’s touch on my skin. He was very gentle but extremely thorough spreading thick lather over my face then rinsing it off. I laughed when he lavished the same attention on my body. I believe he wanted to clean any area on my body those women were even thinking about touching. Still I enjoyed the thorough exploration and gladly returned the treatment on his lithe, elegant muscles and smooth, tawny skin.

The meticulous shower was not the end of my lover’s reclamation. He even had me brush my teeth and extra long time and gargle with a stronger solution of mouthwash even though I insisted that no tongue had breached my lips. Once I was cleansed of all evidence of the incursions on my person, I was dragged across the livingroom and shoved onto the bed. Thank goodness that Bobby had retired to his bedroom. I really don’t think Vincent cared what his brother saw. I’d never seen him that intent on having me.

What I didn’t expect from my lover was being straddled and my wrists tied to the headboard. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me, but I was still startled. Vincent sensed that, and gently caressed my face and body until I calmed.

“I saw you like this once, but you still had pants on” he murmured as he ran his hands gently over my torso. “Do you remember?”

“Yes, my one and only undercover op,” I murmured vaguely, lost in his touch.

“I couldn’t figure out why the target did that to you,” Vincent said with a frown.

I arched into his touch with a moan. “Do you know now?”

“Yes,” he replied. His voice had quite an edge to it. “Now, I really want to kill him. I tried before, but because he had hurt you.”

“I hurt him pretty good, believe me,” I moaned in reply. “He didn’t get what he wanted, love. Forget him...reclaim me...please, Vincent...”

He was driving me absolutely crazy. Thankfully, I got through. Vincent finally kissed me, deeply and possessively. The kiss was almost rough in its intensity, but his hands were gentle. He caressed my face lovingly once he pulled free of the kiss. His fingers ran over my forehead then down my cheeks, his eyes intent upon me. I wondered what he was thinking before he kissed me again. Then, I couldn’t think at all. My focus narrowed to his lips and his hands on me.

All of Vincent’s considerable focus was unleashed on my captive body. He used all his knowledge to arouse me quickly. He stroked, and licked and sucked me until I was writhing wantonly beneath him.

“Now, love...please...”

“Say it, Rik. I need to hear it...” he rasped, positioning himself between my legs.

“Yours, love...I am yours...” I moaned before he pushed into me.

Lord, how he could fill me and move me with the lithe, strong body. No one else could make me feel the way Vincent did, wanted and needed, possessed and loved. My gaze locked with his as he had me. I let him see all that I was feeling as the power arced between us.

“God, Rik...I love you...”

I came then, in a near blinding flash. I felt my lover follow, gasping my name in that helpless way I couldn’t get enough of hearing.

I was barely aware of anything when I felt my wrists being freed. My arms wrapped around Vincent of their own accord, and he snuggled closer to me. For a while I couldn’t speak. I simply held him, breathing in his scent. Some time passed before I could form thought coherent enough to voice.

“Have you reclaimed what is yours?” I asked while stroking his back.

“Hmmm, yeah...”

I smiled at the contentment in his voice.

“How long have you wanted me that way?” I asked softly.

“Since the night of the rescue. I’m embarrassed considering what was done to you,” He replied against my shoulder. “It’s the only way I thought I could have you.”

“Hey, what you wanted and what he wanted were two vastly different things,” I replied reassuringly. “And that tact may have worked just fine. I’m no saint.”

Vincent looked up at me then. His eyes were glittering with mischief. “I know you aren’t. You want to tie me up or hold me down. That’s why you always have me by the hair or pressed against a door.”

I actually blushed under that gaze. “I spent a long time wanting to contain you. It’s a hard habit to break.”

Vincent rose up on his knees. He held the robe belt in his hand. “Do it, then. Take me.”

“So soon? You are insatiable.”

“You keep saying that, but you never complain,” he smiled. “That’s why I didn’t suck you off. I wanted you to do me.”

“Very considerate,” I murmured dryly, snatching the bathrobe belt. “Don’t lie down. I want to be able to touch all of you that I can.”

I maneuvered around on the mattress until I was kneeling behind Vincent. I gently took his wrists in hand then quickly tied them at the small of his back. The first thing I did was nuzzle the skin between his shoulder blades then lick down the length of his spine.

“You have the most beautiful back,” I murmured against his skin.

Vincent tried to reply, but the sounds turned into a gasp when I nipped the flesh along one of his hips. I was really enjoying this. My mercurial lover was contained and compliant. I grasped his forearms to keep him still while I explored the smooth tawny planes of that elegant back to my heart’s content.

“Please...Rik...” He murmured after a long while.

He had been so patient. It was time to give him what he needed. I took him from behind, so I could press my face against the nape of his neck. He didn’t mind the press of our bodies against his bound wrists. In fact, he pushed back against me to have me deeper within him while I stroked his erection. We didn’t last long. I didn’t care. It was the second time in an hour that I came so hard, I couldn’t see. The energy surge sizzled along our nerve endings, exhausting us both. It took almost every bit of will I had left to untie Vincent and maneuver our lax bodies under the blankets.

“Such a freak, getting off on my back,” He murmured with a sleepy smile.

“Pot, kettle, brat,” I replied with a soft chuckle.

“I am yours,” Vincent sighed.

“I know, love.”

Well, I’m going back to my notepad.

Blogging from the Edge

I've posted a legnthy and crazy blog on the Sybpress Blog 'Notes from the Edge.' It's some rambling insanity about my lurid work history in LA and what I'm doing when I'm not an author, publisher or movie mogul. Ha! You can read all about it by following the link.

Meanwhile, I'll be blogging here tomorrow!

New Novel and New Film Shorts

Welcome new folks to the blog. I'm seeing more and more far flung addresses on my statcounter. The people who find me through google searches, I hope you aren't too weirded out by what you discover. Those looking for info on Playa del Rey Condos, sorry I wan't more informative on the topic. I'm none to pleased with the condo situation in LA as it caused two months of insanity with the two tiered move. Though I am happy to report that the LA city council approved much higher moving fees for those whose palces are converted to condos and they closed the loophole that allowed the company who took our building to avoid paying the moving fee. Doesn't help us, but it won't happen again. For those who find me from Asia and the Middle East, happy reading and I'm willing to try to cut through the confusion I'm certain my ramblings cause.

I've taken to writing lists for everything. I've had to do it to make sure I don't forget small but important things while trying to get the big things done. I'll make sure I get to meetings for various projects, but I'll completely forget there is absolutely no food in the house. We just finished buying cleaning supplies for the new place. I don't know how many times I've left a market since moving here and realized I hadn't bought a broom. The key to list though is to not leave them at home when you go out and to actually pull them out and look at them while running errands. It's been that kind of crazy. I'll detail some of the mayhem on the Sybpress Blog as it has to do with book publishing. I'll be sure to post a link for

that blog here later.

All in all, save for the recording session with Travis, I have not been a happy publisher of late. In recent days I've questioned the sageness of even opening the business to more authors. However, I had a very pleasant task of meeting the actors who will bring Nikulainen and Sarianna alive in the film short for Gift of Surrender. Brent is very blonde and pretty and lanky and graceful. He's also willing to have his eyebrows shaped and his hair weaved for such a short film. While Lisa is a stunning dark haired beauty with a great deal of sparkle to her personality. She, too, was looking forward to the big romance hair weave -- and the cape.

Both have very nice voices. Brent is soft spoken and even seems a little shy like my Nikulainen. And Lisa has a lovely voice to go with her lovely 26 in waist figure (I could just slap her for that, but she's also very sweet). They looked fabulous together and were excited about the book. I gave them their own copies to study though I declined to post-it note the love scenes. It will be several weeks before we actually shoot something. That's how long it will take to work out the locations, the construction of the sets and have the costumes made. Though it is only a five minute film when finished, the amount of planning is almost the same as a full length feature. In fact, taking time to really plan and shop around makes the film cheaper to shoot.

And while thses characters are coming to life, my soldier boys are continuing their exciting lives in the sequel to A Soldier's Choice. I've worked the plot for the book out in my head. Now it's a matter of finding the time to write it. That's not that difficult. We only have one PC right now and Jon has dibs on it to do the layout and covers for the three novels in the Sybaritic pipeline. He's on for hours, so I can't really work on anything but cooking or my writing. There really is a limit to how much CSI: Miami I can watch. I'm hoping to have the novel done by June or July. I'll be posting excerpts here for sure.

Now, I'm off to the movies. My brain needs a break and I believe that Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is just the ticket for that.

Crossovers

It looks my film life and my author life are going to crossover. We are doing R&D on creating five minute shorts from a couple of the novels. I've just finished a 5 page script for a scene from Gift of Surrender. This would be filmed along with two scenes from romance scripts that we were marketing. They do not have novels written yet. It's a project we've been trying to pitch for more years than I care to think about. They are historical or fantasy romances for the direct to DVD market. The folks currently looking to fund this want a proof of concept short. That is, a five minute or so short that shows what thefilm will look and feel like production value wise. I don't mind doing them. I think they would help drive book sales. And, I enjoyed hearing the voices for A Soldier's Choice so much that I'd really enjoy seeing the characters from one of my novels. We have a potential actor for Nikulainen and I think I have a Sarianna. We'll have to see how they look in an audition.

And yes, I am considering a short for A Soldier's Choice as well.

New Place, New Book and 'the Juliet Syndrome'

We are finally home! We moved in last weekend and it’s taken this long for the place to not look like crazed pack rats are in residence. Yesterday, we donated a lot of things accumulated over the nearly eight years in Playa del Rey. It was some good stuff and went to a great thrift store. All in all, the experience was liberating. There aren’t any wacky squirrels that I’ve noticed. But there are many wacky young children. One is marching above my head in the apartment upstairs. They’re all adorable and the noise isn’t distracting. Our office is set up and we’re finally working. I was really surprised at how little we were able to get done during the five weeks in the temp spot. Our lives and work has gotten too complicated to function in a really stripped down environment. Of course, that means we’re woefully behind on everything career and business related. Yet I’m not as stressed as I was two weeks ago. The important things are in place. And later today, I will be cooking up a storm – at peace with my cutting board and sauté pans.

On the writing front, I’ve been mulling over my leading men from the Yaoi novel and where to take them next. Save for the attempts on their lives, day to day life for Rik and Vincent in A Soldier’s Choice is idyllic. They spend a lot of time in each other’s arms. They eat great food and have a lot of ‘naps.’ The only stress they have – aside from the people trying to kill them – is negotiating personal boundaries with their family and friends while keeping a suitable supply of food and firewood. In these conditions, it is easy to have a perfect relationship. Most of their world is each other. As I consider the sequel – and I am with the novel doing so well – I have to put the couple through the trails everyone faces adjusting to work and daily life with an intimate partner. Of course, there are still forces trying to destroy them, but the big enemy is everyday life. Vincent is, at heart, still the volatile young man that Rik was always trying to reign in, and Rik is still the imperious bastard that Vincent has to take down occasionally.

The next novel will be filled with conflicts for the couple. They have to establish personal boundaries with each other at work. That will be a battle. Each man has to make his own way at the new Foundation. Each has personality traits that make the transition a challenge. Bobby becomes a large source of contention as he formally enters the service and seeks a relationship of his own. The hardest issue for them to overcome is being separated for lengths of time when they are almost physically addicted to being within arms reach of each other. Their staff will certainly find it a constant source of conflict. Then again, all that fighting means a lot of really great opportunities for making up.

One of my frequent soapbox topics is what happens after the curtain comes down on the couples in romances. I always love a happy ending, but I also try to make sure the reader understands that the couple will always be working on their relationship. One of the issues I argued about with fanfic writers was the death story. In certain genres, there is a fascination with them. I was told death stories were the ultimate romance story. I called it ‘the Juliet Syndrome.’ I felt killing one of the couple was ca cop out. Of course, the romance is perfect. The pair never had a chance to face day-to-day life together. I don’t find the day-to-day dull. Each day brings an opportunity for a new situation to find drama, humor and eroticism, frankly. This certainly will be the case for Rik and Vincent. Breaking in their plush offices will represent many opportunities for sensual mayhem. As I said, this is all in the early stages. For now, I must put on the publisher hat and get some titles out.

There is one audio excerpt (Vincent’s) up on ‘A Soldier’s Choice’ Website. Getting Rik’s done has proven to be a challenge even with Travis being in the same town as we are. We’re hoping it will happen this week. Believe me, everyone will hear about it when it happens.

No contest for this week. I’m trying for a very special set of prizes, so I have to put it off again. Stay tuned!

New Blog Soon

We have found a new permanent home, but all remains in disarray. I'll post a new blog on Sunday with much news and musings and a great new contest. I'm off to unpack more boxes.

Important News for Booklovers

The literary community may be about to suffer a major loss. Please, read the following Blog from one of Sybaritic's editors.

http://blog.myspace.com/mariepoeticdiversity

Thanks!

The King and I, Theoden, that is.

This has been an odd week, even by my standards. We’ve been living in a furnished, temporary housing situation with intermittent internet service (it’s cut out on me twice trying to post this blog) and a so-called bachelor’s kitchen. I believe this means that bachelors do not cook very much. I didn’t think I’d miss really cooking as much as I do. I didn’t realize it until I was chopping onions for hamburgers last nigh, that cooking is my best therapy. Little wonder I’ve been on edge for the last month. It’s been difficult to keep on top of all the projects we have on any given week when ¾ if our lives is in storage. We have two novels and two anthologies in the publishing pipeline, and that’s just the erotica side. The poetry side has a bunch of titles that need development.

On the film front, there are three projects I would call active and viable. One of the biggest ones lurched forward last week. We went public with the website (http://theprivateersfilm.com) and announced the cast we’ve signed so far. The biggest coup among the cast is signing Bernard Hill, King Theoden from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He signed on the strength of the script and despite his management’s hard line stance on contract points. We were really pleased, we really liked the man when we got a chance to meet him and we have long admired his work. Having him gives us more leverage with the other big names we’re after. Going public at this point is a move that often happens in development to indicate to the reps of actors we’re negotiating with that we are real and serious. Turning up the heat on this project means that I have to send a lot of letters via messengers and talk on the phone a lot. I usually do all of this very tiresome work while chopping leeks and garlic or sautéing something fragrant and wonderful. It’s been a tense week. And the upcoming week will be a lot more of the same.

On the positive side, one of the two recording sessions for A Soldier’s Choice was completed. I have heard Vincent speak, and it was very exciting. He sounds just like I imagined, which would make sense. The actor who did the character that inspired Vincent did his voice. What’s impressive about his performance was it was done by remote control. He is in Texas, so he wasn’t directed in the performance. He went by my vague notes (he’s 21 year old, gorgeous soldier who is war-weary) and the text I sent. We’ll have his excerpts up on the website by the 15^th. A scheduling conflict kept us from getting Rik Heron’s excerpts on Saturday. We’re very hopeful that we’ll get him on Wednesday morning. He is very game to do his excerpts, so I believe it will work out. I’ll post a blog and photos after it happens.

There won’t be a contest this week. I’m working on a special prize for the next blog. We had two winners with the last contest and one from the anniversary chat. All of those have been posted.

Stay Tuned!

Blog Delay

I won't be posting until this weekend. We're having some upheavals in our personal and professional lives that are keeping me pre-occupied. I'll post after the recroding session.

Anniversary Blog!

Old Business

The bonus chapter for A Soldier’s Choice is complete. I’ve sent it out to those who have purchased the book. I believe I’ve sent it to all who have won an e-book. Please, let me know if I’ve missed anyone. I still have one winner who has not contacted me with an e-mail address.

Blog Party Chat Reminder

The chat will be this Sunday at 4pm PST (that’s 7pm EST) in the chat room on: http://soldierschoice.com/dlchat.htm

Though the chatroom is on the Soldier’s Choice website, the chat can cover any of the novels, fanfiction, my work in film. I’ll try to answer most questions though I ma deny everything later. Also, my internet connection is fragile. I may disappear from the chat at any point. It’ll take a minute or two to get back. Be patient. But do come out and have some fun.

Pop Culture References – No, It’s Not Your Imagination

As I explained in my blog of 08/29/2006, I am a pop culture maven. References to things I like to watch tend to end up in all of my writing. In the most recent version of The Privateers, there is a funny and pivotal scene that is fueled by an obscure reference from one of the Thin Man movies – and not even a well-known film from that series. It tickled Jon and me, so in it went. I’ve been asked by some very sharp readers, who also watch entirely too much TV, whether what they were seeing in my work was a reference to a film or TV show. I was really impressed by the fanfic reader who spotted the Pooty Tang reference in a Due South slash story. But I was most disappointed that no one noticed the All Simpsons installment of The Secret Logs of Mistress Janeway. I mean, I can see readers missing the Eddie Izzard or Invader Zim references in the later Logs (63 and 64), but how do you miss the Simpsons? Ah well. The answer to the questions raised is, if you think it’s a reference, it probably is. And yes, there are some in The Gift of Surrender, The Price of Surrender and in A Soldier’s Choice. Find them, and I’ll give a big prize!

On The Anniversary of the Blog

I’m actually surprised to have written a whole year of blogs and almost one every week. When this was suggested to me by publicists, I wasn’t keen on the idea at all. I’m not really sure if it has helped my books sales, but I have enjoyed the experience. I am really flattered to have readers from far flung places around the world, and I hope that you all will continue to enjoy my lunacy. I hope to speak with you at the chat!

Leading Men, Excerpt and Moving

Chat Change

My wonderfully astute husband pointed out that I am usually insane after moving. He thought it prudent to move the chat until after we’re settled. I agreed. Thus, I will be chatting on Feb 18th on either the Sybpress site or the Soldier’s Choice site. I’ll post an announcement as the time gets closer. I’m also going to hold off on contests and save them for the chat.


Moving

The move has been more traumatic than the others partly because this has been our longest residence since coming to LA in 1995. And mainly because we weren’t willing to move. Condo-conversion has forced us to go sooner than we’d planned. Despite our complex’s odd location (convenient only to LAX) and the constant rhythm of jet engines, we’ll miss this place. It had critters besides strafing hummingbirds and wacky squirrels. There are snowy egrets and falcons and even a fox that lives on the airport grounds. Then again, we knew the time was coming to leave Playa del Rey. It has been developing at a frenzied place. Traffic and parking are becoming impossible. A new place will have new energy. I’ve opted to look on the move as a positive thing. Though the bare walls and magnet-less fridge make the last days of transition depressing. Let’s talk about something that’s more fun.

Leading Men

I’m talking about the literary kind, not the actor kind in this instance. I find it very hard to let go of Vincent Greven and Rik Heron from A Soldier’s Choice. My bonus chapter is actually long enough for three chapters, and still those naughty boys are murmuring seductively in my ear to let them continue to play. I certainly love my other male characters, but something about this pair has me completely enthralled. They were such fun to write. The guys are sardonic as well as sexy. They are as funny as they are brave. But I think it’s their vulnerability that makes me want to stay with them. As soldiers, Vincent and Rik are the most dangerous and talented the military has produced, but in matters of the heart, they are relatively untried and fragile. They often get things wrong and suffer for it – especially with those closest to them. For example, one of Vincent’s oldest friends has a lot of trouble coping with his relationship with Rik in this excerpt:

It took a mere five minutes more to tell my squad of over six years that we were retiring. There were not many questions. Perhaps that was because they would still be seeing me fairly often. Perhaps it was because they had felt my detachment some time ago. They wished us luck and promised to throw a lewd party at some point. There was nothing to do but return to my office to move out some of my things.

We had just piled a number of my personal belongings on the couch when the door slammed open and closed leaving what looked to be a furious Jenn Saxl in the room.

“It’s bad enough that you drag Vincent into your twisted games,” she snarled. “You have to have Bobby, too?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Vincent bristled. “Nobody dragged me anywhere. I went to him on my own.”

“Like you had a choice,” she spat. “This...pervert...has controlled you since you were a kid.”

I was spared snorting out loud at that by my lover’s derisive retort.

“If you think that about our past, you weren’t paying close attention,” Vincent all but shouted in a full-blown Greven tantrum. “He never laid a hand on me that way until two weeks ago. Fuck, I was twenty-fucking-one before I was ever kissed!”

Jenn had sense enough to cower a little in the face of that fury. The room was crackling with his power.

“But why does Bobby have to be involved?” she demanded.

“Rik and I became his legal guardians today to protect him,” Vincent snarled. “He’s manifested.”

Jenn gasped. A lot of wind was taken from her sails. “How can either of you protect him when you’re part of the military?”

“We retired effective today,” Vincent said. His own anger subsided as the threat to me lessened. “We need to keep him close until he decides what he wants to do.”

Vincent’s voice was normal, but I knew he was an emotionally worn and trembling.

“Enough,” I said quietly.

My lover looked lost without anger to fuel him. I took him in my arms and held him tight. His arms nearly crushed me. Jenn was riveted on us as I wordlessly comforted him.

“I am so sorry that this has upset you,” I said to her as I gently stroked Vincent’s hair. “This should have been handled more delicately. We wanted to do this differently. But know this, Vincent is who I live for. I will protect him and make a place for his loved ones in our lives. Ms. Saxl, Jenn, rejecting them will hurt them deeply and yourself as well.”

Jenn sank onto a free space on the sofa and began to cry softly. Vincent pulled away from me to kneel in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Jenn,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse from shouting. “I knew how you felt, but it was hard to say anything. I’m lousy at this stuff...and I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

“Good job, genius,” she quipped between sniffs.

She was quiet for a moment. “At least you’re back to normal – temper and all.”

Vincent chuckled. “I’m sure Rik is thrilled to see that.”

I snorted and went back to filling boxes.

“I’m sorry, too,” Jenn said. “I just saw Bobby’s empty room and realized you’d both be gone. I freaked and now...I’ve outted you to the squad.”

Vincent shrugged. “It was going to be all over Central command by this afternoon when the Generals get our retirement letter.”

“And we weren’t planning to hide it,” I added easily.

Jenn relaxed for a few seconds, and then she flushed bright red. “Oh God. We were yelling about Bobby manifesting. He won’t be safe!”

“He’s fine. That school is locked up tighter than a bank vault,” Vincent said. “And we dropped off the guardianship paperwork with them. Nobody can pick him up but us.”

“Besides, if I know my Lieutenant, the squad didn’t hear most of that,” I said, opening the door.

As I expected, Remak was alone in the bullpen.

“Thank you, Ouida,” I said.

“Not at all, sir. If I may, Miss Saxl and I would like to go to lunch,” she said.

Jenn looked up then smiled. “Yes, I would like that.”

“Will you come see as at home?” Vincent asked. There was a plea in his voice.

“Yes...yes, I will,” she said softly. “Bye, Vincent...Colonel.”

I shut the door, and found I had Vincent in my arms. His head tilted back and his lips parted. I couldn’t help but kiss him deeply and slowly. He clung to me humming his pleasure.

“Thank you for protecting me,” I whispered above his lips.

“I live for you, too,” he murmured, kissing me again. It was a sweet, tender kiss. “I want to go home. We should be napping or something.”

“I want that, too...especially the or something,” I replied with a smile. “But we have to get your brother and his furniture.”

“Let’s have an expensive lunch then,” he sighed.


I suppose it’s the dichotomy of a physically strong yet emotionally vulnerable men (who happen to be gorgeous that’s so appealing). I get to arrange a lot of comforting and protecting between them. Fortunately, the novel is doing very well. I’ll likely do a sequel. That makes me happy, but I really do have to let them go for the moment and be a film maker and a publisher for a while. Once we’ve moved, that is.

Year Anniversary Blog Party!!

Believe it or not, the Blog will be a year old on February 11th. To
celebrate, I'm having a chat on my website February 11th. I'm not sure
of the time right now.  I just tested the chat program and it works,
so we'll upload it this weekend. We can talk about most things I'm up
to (film stuff, the publishing stuff and my novels). I may even answer
such things as:

Why WAS that anime voice actor in my livingroom?
Who did I have that $100 breakfast with?
What is it with me and possessive men?
What happened to that squirrel?

And there will be instant contests with prizes!!

So stay tuned for the url and time.

Little Victories and Keeping Sane

The last few weeks have been odd, even by my standards. In California, Malibu burned one week then needed snow ploughs the next. I actually saw snow on the hoods and roofs of cars. That pretty much summed things up. Amidst the good news is that A Soldier’s Choice is getting a favorable response, and we haven’t really started the heavy ad campaign. I’m really pleased about that. My bout of the flu or whatever that was has stalled finishing the bonus chapter, but it is now nearly complete. The writing thing is good. I have ideas for two more novels. That makes me very happy. The last week has been full of little and timely victories.

The film thing continues in its weirdness. It turns out that the oft mentioned $100 breakfast was worth the price. Our script and vision impressed that actor. We have our President for The Privateers largely because he wanted it to happen. He is already a royal from an extremely successful trilogy. We hope this will be another. And that is good news amidst the spirit numbing morass that is this business. In this same week that we scored a genuine A List actor for our film, we discovered that in order to even talk to any more of them, we needed an A List casting director. How do you get to talk to one without 20 grand in hand and an A-list writer or director? You happen to be partners with a mid-level manager who has a former 80s b-movie queen who loves corsets in your stable, and said b-movie queen is key to a scene in a major horror film involving werewolves, nazis Rob Zombie and Robert Rodriguez (Grind House). Coming through on a Sunday makes for one grateful a-list casting director. This all sounds very glib and fun over drinks, but the reality is quite scary when you think about the odds of those circumstances happening. We were in the middle of it and didn’t believe it.

Every day has been up and down with making in roads and hitting incredibly dense, arbitrary and stupid walls. It’s often extremely difficult to keep that positive attitude going. We’re managing. It keeps me in limbo, which I really hate, but we have to keep pressing. Now, we are really close to the big project. And there are some nice little ones finally taking shape as well. We’re hanging in there with each little victory.

The other things keeping us sane on the path to our goals are our friends here. Of course, my publishing maven Marie is always ready with keen inisghts and endless patience with me. There is the imported friend, Randy, who is our major set elf when we are in production. Set elves get things done. They build apartments or pirate pubs from scrap wood and a single rusty nail. Doesn’t matter the hardship, they get ‘er done! Lately, he’s been driving me around so I can maintain a livelihood and he’s been helping us look for a place. Then there is my wonderfully literate, talented and insane friend Craig. He was part of the 3^rd street promenade Borders posse, and he keeps me from being homicidal on set. He lends be the most wonderful books to read, and never fails to make me laugh. We had the most wonderful conversation about the benefit of preserving an 1890 book on hemorrhoids (with drawings). I didn’t even question why he was calling me from a cave in the Santa Monica Mountains. That just happens with Craig. I was more amazed that he could get a signal there and not in my apartment. And then there are the Koerners. They came over to have Jon teach Gabriel about Speed Racer. This isn’t strange because Jon would try to teach any guest we have about Speed Racer if I’d let him. But this was business. Gabriel is lead FX modler on the big budget film version with Keanu Reeves as Racer X. Any reason is great to see this lovely couple. I’ve known Gabriel since Trekkies (he’s that over the top kid with the mullet). And I adore his beautiful and brainy wife. We talked French food while the boys watched 60’s anime. Next week, she and I will make Boef Bourguignon and work with puff pastry!

The hunt for a new home has been harrowing. We are usually competing with eight couples who have wild looks in their eyes as we race toward the manager's office. I had been really worried, but I think it will all work out somehow. We may not even be in the country in a couple of months. And if all else fails, one of my darling actor boys offered me camping space in his yard. Hopefully, the canals won't flood.

I promised a contest question. Let me see... Does anyone out there know what a roller stroller is and who made it a fashion statement? And or name the Canadian band who first sung the hit Lenny Kravitz made famous in the 90's.

Blog Winners and Answers

I'm working on the new blog right now. Some events are still unfolding, so I may have to wait until Friday night for a real comment. We have things really heating up on the film front, and we having a moving date, it seems. But there some really crazy and some cool things going on that I have to wait to see how they turn out.

We had three winners. Unfortuantely, two are straight men who would have some problems with certain activities my heroes indulge in frequently.

Kim W won the e-book and one of the bonuses. The bonus chapter has a little more tweaking before it's presentable.

The answers are for question one: Maniac from the film Flashdance.

The guys got the answer to the second question. The series is Ghost in the Shell SAC: 2nd GiG. The song is called Rise. I usually don't go about quoting lyrics, but these are so much in keeping with the tme of the book, I thought I would here. You can also view the really kick ass opening of that series here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cEN96e-frY

The song is sung in english and another language, but the images made me actually watch the series.

Song Title: rise
Performed by: Origa
Lyrics by: Tim Jensen / Origa

I'm a soldier, and that means I'm both defendant and judge
I am standing on the two ends of fire
Bending over the steep turns, overtaking death and life
I'm running to fight the shadow of the lies

No matter how much threads deceit weaves
The truth will show the face of light

* Save your tearsfor the day when our pain is far behind
on your feet come with me
we are soldiers stand or die

¶ Save your fears take your place
save them for the judgement day
fast and free follow me
time to make the sacrifice
we rise or fall

I'm a soldier, born to stand in this waking hell I am
witnessing more than I can compute
pray myself we don't forget
lies, betrayed and the oppressed
please give me the strength to be the truth


people facing the fire together
if we don't, we'll lose all we have found


* repeat
¶ repeat

Don't you cry,
Hide your tears
Because there'll be a new day
Your fireWill be heating Thousands of hearts
Now, rise up
Hide your pain and fear far off
The one who is right will win
Remember, everything is in your hands

* repeat
¶ repeat

New Blog and contest in a couple of days.

A Soldier's Choice E-book Available Now!!!

A Soldier's Choice is now available as either an Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Reader e-book now at http://soldierschoice.com. The bonus cookbook and chapter are availabe with the e-book as well. The print book will be available via Amazon.com or bn.com by January 22nd.

Happy Reading!!

Contest Hints

It seems I have been too obscure in my questions. I have been admonished, so let me give some hints.

For Question One -- The film made legwarmers and off the shoulder sweats popular. It also maintained that women construction workers moonlighted as exotic dancers. And the song was actually written about a serial killer. The title of the song makes that clear.

For Question Two -- The anime series features a female lead who carries a gun and runs around in a thong and a jacket. In the critaclly acclaimed film though, she was often naked. The song from the last season of the series (or 2nd GiG) is up for an american anime award this year.

Good Hunting!

You can e-mail answers to: deborahlwarner@gmailcom

Deadline for Slash and Burn

Just a reminder that the deadline for submissions to 'Slash and Burn' is January 15th. If you have submitted and not heard from us by now, we may have your story and no way to contact you. We changed e-mail servers six weeks ago and lost a lot of the contacts. If your name and e-mail wasn't on the story, we have no way of reaching you. Please, e-mail us at sypress@gmail.com with the name of the submission. Again, the deadline is January 15th. The url for info is: http://sybpress.com/slashburn.htm.

New Year, New Contests

Okay, we want to get the promtion started on A Soldier's Choice even before the release date. I have e-book versions in Acrobat pdf or Michrosoft Reader complete with the beautiful cover art. All you have to do is answer one of the questions below. They are super hard, but if you click around where I surf, you'll find the answers.

What song from an iconic 1980s film was originally written about a serial killer, but changed to reflect this upbeat, move your feet movie?

Or

For the first time in my writing history, there was a song that reflected the theme of my story. It is called one of the best anime series opening themes ever. It was a series on Adult Swim (thethme is from the second season) and it was an acclaimed cyber punk anime film that influenced the creators of The Matrix. I used a paraphrase of one of the lines for the first line of the back blurb of my book. What is the name of the theme OR the name of the series.

In your replies, let me know which form of the e-book you'd prefer.

Email me at deborahlwarner@gmail.com or post a comment here.

Year End Rant!!

I saw the squirrel the other day. He was just as crazy as ever, so I wasn’t sure if all the fumes and dust were really affecting him. He used to fall out of the trees before the renovations began. We’ve already started packing. I wonder if the little critter will ever move on.

Many things are on my mind at the end of the year. And there is a lot going on personally and professionally. There is so much on all fronts that I am not even attempting to cook the festive New Year’s Eve buffet. I just don’t have the time or energy to spare. Oh, don’t think the Eve won’t be festive (as long as there is champagne, I could eat mayonnaise sandwiches). I’m just taking it easy on the cooking, save for two very traditional soul food dishes. To do what those Food Network peeps do without a shopper and interns takes too many hours. I want to relax with a glass in my hand and a vague smile on my face as 2007 rings in.

My first observation for this year is that I prefer years when traveling to France is a part of the equation. We did some fun traveling this year, don’t get me wrong. But there is something about that country that makes everything else more bearable.

2006 was interesting professionally because I was largely a gun for hire instead of working on producing my own scripts. I did a lot of budgeting and scheduling for other small film-makers. That was strange because I really hate doing all that detail-oriented paperwork, but it pays really well. I was surprised to have reached the point where I know how many days and how much a film will cost from just reading the script. The script doctoring happened once. That was really strange, because that film was something I would have never written on my own. It was kind of cool to fix it and keep the spirit the writers intended. I’ll know whether or not the fixes worked when the reviews come in.

But it wasn’t all working for other producers. We started the process on one of the biggest projects of our modest careers. I’ve been playing footsie with the A-list, baby. A hundred dollars for coffee and toast for four in Beverly Hills (that only happened once), hob nobbing with some intense agents and managers (I don’t see how anyone that tightly wound can be enjoying their work). We may be in Europe as early as next month to continue development of the film. I have no idea what the next two weeks will bring. This is not a fun state for someone who hates limbo and really hates to travel on short notice. But I can never turn down a shot at an adventure. This one looks to be a huge one. And in that vein, I've had more than my fair share of fangirl fun. I've met and even befriended some long admired actors. That's been a hoot and a half.

The research Jon and I have been doing all year for the Hemmingway thing has made my grad school paper jones kick in(there are those who believe we’re only doing this to shoot a film in France for six months, but we really put a lot of time into that script). I know I’ll have to write one for all that research and the central thesis of that script, but there are other papers that I’d like to write if I had the time. Some of the serious and whimsical are:

The Juliet Complex: Character Death in Fanfiction. And yes, the complex can apply to men.

Homoeroticism in the Sword and Sandal Movie. I know that Spartacus and Alexander are no-brainers, but it was howling apparent in the Robe, for goodness sake. All that moaning and gnashing of teeth by Richard Burton over Victor Mature was hard to ignore – even at 4a.m.

Book ‘Em Delko: Comparing and contrasting CSI: Miami and Hawaii Five-0. There are more similarities than one might think.

On the novel writing front, this was a very odd year. I had a very difficult time finishing The Price of Surrender despite loving all the characters. Everything else I was doing seemed to get in the way of that novel. I was very depressed about continuing as a novelist when it was all over. I began to think that the toiling I was doing in film had disconnected me from writing prose. But then I was at Dragon*Con and the first sentence for A Soldier’s Choice (the back blurb is now up on the temp site. You can read it by clicking the title) popped into my head. I had written three chapters before we touched down at LAX. It felt so good to have characters interacting in my head instead of budgets and flow charts and day out of days schedules. Mind you, I was still doing those things and then some, but I was also writing that novel every chance I got. That story has spawn other ideas for next year. I am very happy about that.

On the personal front, it was a great year. Jon and I got to go home for a while and reconnect with family and friends(and stuff our faces with proper steak sandwiches and soft pretzels). I got to know my wonderfully eclectic in-laws better. I find them to be extraordinary. And it was nice to forge new bonds with my brother and my father. We had a great time at Dragon*Con, and Jon got to know my wonderfully sharp-witted grandmother. I was glad to get to know her again.

All in all for 2006, to quote the song, ‘regrets, I’ve had a few but too few to mention.’ I bid a sad farewell to my naked rugby guys of Dieux de Stade 2006. I have the new batch on order.

Next year, we’ll be living in a new place and undoubtedly doing something new. As long as I’m learning something, creating something, cooking something and making new friends(especially the actor boys), loving and laughing 2007 will be a great year.

Next week, I’ll have e-books of A Soldier’s Choice for giveaways, and more strange rants to share.

Now, I’m going to put my glad rags on, pop a cork on some nice bubbly and enjoy the company of my friends. I’m hoping that you and yours will have a great time, too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas!

The trees are up at last. We have a regulation sized one and a little, artificial one from our first year here. The little tree is the Todd Manning tree, named after my favorite soap character at the time -- more than ten years ago, I think. The Hanuka bonfire is ablaze and threatening the Christmas Stockings. It's a melancholy holiday because of the impending move, but I think everyone will have their usual good time. At our next place, we may add Festivus to the celebration.

We don't know who from the film part of our lives will be coming by. We never do. Word spreads that we have an open house, and whoever shows up, shows up. I'll get photos of them in my happy holiday hat (santa hat with mistleto attached). And they all know that any misbehavior will be in my blog and elsewhere.

So I'm off for last minute stocking stuffers and later, the buffet cooking frenzy. I hope all of you have a great holiday, whatever you celebrate. Look for the mega year-end wrap up next week!

May you all have a very sybaritic holiday!

http://sybpress.com/dlxmas.htm

The Perils of Infamy

Consternation is the theme for me this week. No that the week has been bad, per se. It's a little early in the week to render that judgment. But events have filled me with consternation. Today, our new overlords, er landlords, commenced jack hammering the pool. I'm assuming that is being done to replace said pool. All I know is I have a headache and the dust is giving me fits despite the closed windows and doors. But that's not the only reason for my agitated state-- it's just the loudest.As a former slash writer, I am often placed in potentially awkward situations with actors. Many of the ones I've met or have worked with are aware of slash on the net. And they have some pretty strong opinions. I always have to out myself as a slasher before some well-meaning fan does.

The revelation has yet to cause me any problems in my film career so far as the actors are concerned. Though I have been in the incredibly embarrassing position of explaining Real Person Slash (RPS) when I want nothing to do with it. The fans are another story. I can always tell when Trekkies has run on cable. I get a burst of hate mail claiming that I have ruined the franchise. I am awaiting a backlash from Fullmetal Alchemist fans when they discover who my narrators on the book trailer are. And I realize that many FMA fans are really young, but I have no intention of promoting anywhere that's age inappropriate. I've even child protected this blog as I do all of my sites with registration on the sites that support child block software and I have warnings. Children shouldn't even be looking at any of my pages. I know that won't matter. Like the affronted Trek fans, the affronted FMA fans will think I am trying to besmirch that series. All of this is howlingly funny as I also received a number of notes to me or about me concerning the Slash and Burn anthology. I seems in some circles, I don't really know enough about slash to make this sort of call for fiction. This gets frustrating, and fills me with consternation, I tell ya.

But the thing that has me in an uproar this week is that I can't really talk about what I'd like to talk about in my blog. The high powered Beverly Hills type guy is pretty net savvy. He does appreciate the value of good net buzz (despite the negligible affect of the ticket sales of Snakes on a Plane). However, he likes a controlled release of information, especially before all the contracts are signed. I get that, and I agree with it. But it makes me nuts to go through grief over fandom and not get to talk about the cool stuff that's going on. And I know you're thinking 'how could he find out what you write in the blog?' A few months ago I would have agreed. However, according to my stat counter, I've had hits on my blog that stemmed from searches on the web for Elizabethan cooking (I have no idea why) to the French Rugby Calendar. All I have to do is mention The Privateers, and someone will find the blog because of it. And most of the stories have to have references by name to really make sense.

Thus, I am censored for now. I'll have more on the next book next Monday. But the good news is that the jackhammers have stopped.

Lovers, Families, Novels and Films

There was lots of drama in the apartment complex this past week. To begin with, it's no longer an apartment complex -- it's going condo. And in that process, they've cut down almost all of the trees in our environment. I was saddened by this more than I thought I would be. The place now looks like a concrete institution. But I also thought it had ended the escalating feud with the squirrel. Even the hummingbirds had disappeared. To my relief and, surprisingly, that of my room mate, the squirrel came back. As did the hummingbirds. We think it was the noise of the tree cutters that scared them away for a while. I'm really pleased that we have not lost that part of our routine -- however strange it is.

It seems my life and my creative work have attached me to several strange 'families.' I'm not counting my blood relatives and in-laws as strange, no matter what I've muttered during holiday gatherings. Out here in LA, I have among my friends lots of novelists, screenwriters, poets and actors. No musicians, which is odd. There is one stand-up comedian though. Our room mate is the odd man in the mix, but he has enough eccentricities to be a creative person. But I digress.

They are all strange in some sort of way which makes for volatile mixes at times, but we are all very close. I can't think of them as any other way but family. Which is the only reason I answer the phone at 1:30 am knowing that it'll result in an ordeal that'll last hours when I really need to sleep. At least this time he wasn't nearly naked. Hey, wait, I actually enjoyed that part of the last pre-dawn adventure. Ah, well.

With the holidays coming, having an eclectic and unpredictable family means making sure there is enough food for anyone and everyone who may take a notion to cross our threshold. This gets really interesting when my friends hand out my card to actors with nowhere to go because they looked forlorn. Some of them I know can afford a really good meal (I see the re-runs, I know there are residuals). I suppose they come for the camaraderie and the comments during bad movies we show.

Having these relationships seems to mean that I am fascinated by the dynamics of families -- even ones cobbled together because of common interests. This theme keeps coming up even in my erotica. In the Surrender novels, the relationship between Nikulainen and his brothers is as important as his relationship with Sarianna. I ended up healing the relationship between Nikulainen's father and grandfather when I hadn't planned on having that thread in the novel. I wrote The Price of Surrender because I could bear for Armas to remain estranged from his family.

In A Soldiers Choice, I started with just the two men but soon built a family around them. I think these other characters help define my protagonists. Know a characters relationships and you get to know them. These relationships also give the drama higher stakes. It's very clear that though my main men are a physcial match for almost anything, those around them are vulnerable to attack. The threat of losing someone close or the danger for the main characters that stems from them trying to protect a love one makes for more suspenseful drama.

Jon tells me that all of my work has that family theme somewhere. In Demon Under Glass, it's like the Odd Couple gone terribly wrong (can a vampire and a doctor share an apartment without driving each other crazy). In the cop novel, Freak Experts, the romance begins in the midst of a failing marriage and involves forging a new family with a squad of cops. Geez, I sound like one of my professors.

A total non-sequitur. In the Simpsons tonight, Gor Vidal mentioned my Ala Mater, Temple University and the year I was in the graduate writing program.

Enough literary analysis. I didn't spend the week doing that. In fact, I was only thinking about it as I start the polish on A Soldier's Choice. This past week was power meetings in Beverly Hills and conference calls from Europe. All of it less aggravating than usual. This was in part because I got to hire some friends for parts they've been waiting a long time to play. I also landed a major anime voice actor from FMA (Fullmetal Alchemist) to do excerpts on my booktrailer and audition for this film. That was a lot of fun. The big fat hairy deal of the week though was being solicited by and hired a highpowered agent to make the film happen. It was really cool to have this guy come after us on the strength of the concept and the script. Of course, he's one of those guys with a blackberry who may call at 5am because of something happening in Japan. Now, I only answer my cell when we're in production. I'm as laid back as he is high-powered. This should be interesting.

I must now morph into Martha Stewart. I've got six pies and pounds of side dishes to start.