my digital life

At 5:30 am I am on an elyptical machine at 'Golds'. My nano is blasting a selection of workout focused music into my head while the T.V. on the elyptical shows the weather and news of the day, with a typed transcript on the bottom of the screen. So I'm listening to Beyonce while watching Newt and Romney argue. It's pitch black out side. The person on the treadmill in front of me has the finest ass I've seen in ages and there's a video screen on the wall beyond that plays a selection of music vids interspersed with diet and exercise advice.

And still I daydream. I see the second to last chapter of the book I'm working on played out in technicolor. I imagine the alternate reality in which I can sing and see myself mixing on the stage behind Beyonce. I visualize fat disappearing from my body like steam rising. And the guy next to me, who is into Wicca, tells me about manifesting magic.

The brain is amazing, infinitely powerful and the best toy ever.

The day the LOLcats died. An anti SOPA video

About SOPA my letter to Dianne Feinstein

My letter to my state senator:

Dear Ms. Feinstein,

I am an author whose books are frequently pirated online. Even though this possibly affects my income, I DO NOT SUPPORT the SOPA act.

I should mention that I do not rely on the sale of my books as my primary income. I may not be injured to the extent that an author, artist or musician may who relies on the sale of his/her digital product to put food on the table and pay rent. But may I just suggest that the people who pirate might not buy the products they steal if they were unable to acquire them illegally? Yes, its wrong, but does it really represent income lost? Perhaps they would simply do without the book/music/movie. I wonder.

In the interest of continued uncensored access to the rest of the world, though, I would willingly sacrifice whatever income I am losing. In truth, I probably already contribute more money to political organizations than I lose to pirates. But I'd be willing to contribute more to keep the internet free.

If you want to know more about the act, see this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/sopa-5-things-you-should-_n_1213797.html

And if you are an American citizen, please call your senator. They will be voting on this soon.

Why the Broncos lost so badly... one woman's opinion.

Okay, I'd drunk the Tebow Koolaid. I was rooting for the underdogs. Until that awful 'focus on the family' ad that appeared part way through the first half of the playoff game between the Broncos and the Patriots.

Oh, come on, you can't tell me they didn't put that there because Tebow has demonstrated his faith repeatedly on the field. Not that I have issues with his faith. Good for him. Weird that he has to keep doing it. I mean, does he not think God knows how he feels? Hmm. Seems like a mini commercial there to me. But whatever. Good for him.

But that ad really burned me.

And then I was screaming 'kill them'. For the next three quarters. And the Lord Almighty did.

I think God looked down and said, 'I do NOT support those people'. And he smote the Broncos bad.

Of course the Patriots rocked but I think that ad had something to do with it. Denver was holding their own until that ad.

Football lovers '1' Haters '0'

Ha.

Should I try to self-publish Kindle books on Amazon?

It looks so easy.

It has always seemed irresistibly magical to me, when something that was once difficult suddenly becomes easy. I can't keep my hands off it. For instance: Thai food. There was a time when I had to drive all the way into the city for Thai food. I lived in the boonies of Chicago suburbs and the most exotic food one could find locally was Taco Bell. So when I moved to Los Angeles and Thai food was abundant and available for delivery I could not stop ordering it. Until I od'd on msg one Saturday night and was cured of the craving.

I've got a Kindle. Because I can not get over the wonder of having a book delivered to me instantly. Instantly. God, how awesome is that? I have heard and understand all of the issues with Kindle and Amazon. Sure sure sure, but its so cool, isn't it? So easy.

Now, I've got a small stack of stories of varying lengths featuring Elves, Fairies, Banshees, Ogres, Leprachauns and a few odd Bogeymen lying about on my laptop. I'm working on them with an eye toward various epub houses. But then I thought, hey! I could self-pub them. Wouldn't that be cool? To pub my own books and have them available to people via instant electronic delivery? Pretty neat. I could sell them for just a dollar, design my own book covers, and just have fun with it. No worries about sales or house standards. To smex or not to smex. Just stories about the Fae.

But I'm looking at the Kindle instructions on Amazon and they have a CONTENT stipulation. As in, no so-called pornography. And I'm guessing that smex between consulting Fairies is perceived as porn by some. So, what does that mean? Is this some ugly area that I should just avoid?

Or would it be the super coolest thing evah?

How to Manage Your Money Plant

A co-worker came up with the title when he saw me watering my 'lucky' money plant in the sink. "Sounds like the title to a blog," I said. And so, since I'm desperately trying to think of up ideas with which to fill this blog, I stole it. Because that's how I roll.

Here's the thing about the money plant. Feng Shui dictates that one take great care of the damned thing or ill fortune might befall ones actual finances. Or at least that's the way I interpret the Feng Shui strictures about plants and lucky 'cures'. And because I superstitiously fear a direct relationship between the darned plant and my bank account, I tend it religiously.

It occurs to me that I put a lot less energy into my relationships with real live people. I don't check to see that my friendships are not drying up, or needing more sun. I don't worry about feeding or trimming my communications with my relatives, who live far away. In other words, I'm more worried about my so-called luck than I am about my real life.

Now when I look at the plant I feel guilty. How is that supposed to help anything?

But I can't get rid of it. Geez, I can't even imagine what would happen to me if I threw it away. Or gave it away. Or let it die. Lets face it, the plant owns me.

Getting out there

I've made a small resolution to post more frequently. We'll see how I do.

The problem is, I don't seem to have much to report most days. This is my life: I get up before dawn, take my (3) dogs for a mile or so hike in the dark. Drive to the Gold's gym. Sweat for an hour and a half, trying not to stare at the hard bodies around me. Drive home. Shower and dress and go to work.

Work. I wish I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

I'm home by 8pm. Walk the dogs again. Make dinner. Frequently fall asleep before finishing dinner. And get a few hours sleep before the alarm goes off and I do it all again.

Somewhere in there I write. I carry the books around on my lap top so location doesn't much matter to me. I have headphones and I block out the world and type away. This is one reason that I publish unevenly and sporadically. Somewhere in there, also, I watch movies. I have to. Its like a homework assignment. I have to see them at the theater, too. At least, quite a few of them.

What a pain, right?

I have other hobbies! I knit. With me, its less a craft and more a furious venting of anxiety and fussiness into a ball of yarn via bamboo knitting needles.

And I have a child and friends. All of whom despair of ever seeing me again.

I wish I didn't have to sleep.

What Genre do you like me to write?

I've written vampire, banshees and vice cops. There's an odd little angel story out there, also. I've written characters and romances for lesbian, gay and het. I don't think of myself as having a 'genre' but I wonder if readers expect a certain sort of book from me?

I ask because I'm currently laboring in my so-called spare time on a contemporary fairy fic. The concern is that readers would be wary of reading elves and the like if I penned it.

What do you think?