Mystery Matters Interview

As a nice balance to the euphoria I've been experiencing (see yesterday's post) I'm now back into my routine. As in: trudge into the Super Target at 8:47 a.m., buy food, retreat home. I did a lot of grinning in the process, which made the employees nervous, but other than that it's a normal day here. I've found that zooming over and buying sustenance at an early hour allows you to pretty much have the store to yourself, with the exception of those stocking the shelves. Once home, I logged in to watch the stock market and see if I'm making any money. Today I am. Other days I don't. Such is life.

Tomorrow, however, will be great fun. At 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time I will be on the Mystery Matters: Where Murder is an Open Book podcast with Fran Stewart. Fran writes cozy mysteries and we've known each other for a long time. In fact, I interviewed her for one of my podcasts a few years back.

If you wish to send interview questions (and you know you do): mysterymatters@earthlink.net

To listen to the interview, click here - select channel home page on the left of the screen to turn on the Internet radio.

Fran kindly supplied the following details:

Mystery Matters airs live Friday mornings at 10 Eastern/ 7 Pacific.
The one-hour interview is re-broadcast 12 hours later.
All shows are archived on her host web page for 24/7 access and MP3 downloads

She also hosts a blog about what happens behind-the-scenes of a radio show: http://.mystery-matters.blogspot.com

If you want to learn more about Fran and her books, here's the link.

This is your opportunity to ask why it is I alphabetize my spices and how I come up with those really complex mysteries. There will no stock tips, however. I don't need the guilt when you lose your shirt.

A Dream Realized

One of the traits of a successful author is that you just have to believe in yourself enough to keep rolling that rock up that mountain. You receive a rejection, you keep going forward. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. More times than not that dogged persistence pays off in the end. And so it has in my world.

I'm thrilled to announce that St. Martin's Press has purchased the first three books of my DEMON TRAPPERS Series, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy set in a dystopian Atlanta. My agent believed in this series as much as I did and found it a wonderful home at SMP. She rocks! I don't have publication dates yet, but I'll keep you posted as to when you can find my first NY-pubbed book in the stores.

As you can guess, there is much rejoicing in this household. The reality of this big step will come home to roost soon enough. Right now, I'm just glowing with the news.

So for all those writers who are aiming for this moment, keep trudging up the mountain. The view is breathtaking.

Romantic Times Orlando

While my other buddies are at RavenCon in Richmond, VA I was in Orlando at the Romantic Times convention. This is a nearly week long blow out. Unlike the Romance Writers of America annual convention, which tends toward business, this one is fun. Think stag party for women. It was smaller than in previous years due to the economy sucking, but being held in Orlando certainly didn't hurt.

Melody (a dear friend of mine) and I motored down to Florida on Monday. It was an eight-hour trip. Tuesday we were off to Universal City to plough around and try some of the rides. I can recommend the Terminator show. Way cool. Unfortunately some of the rides had specific warnings about those of us with head/neck issues so I didn't get to give some of them a try. Bah. From that point on Melody went on a crusade for beads for her art projects and I dove head first into RT.

Wednesday I attended a few panels with one of my writing buddies, Jeri Smith-Ready who writes that fab WVMP "Lifeblood of Rock n Roll" vampire series.) We'd met earlier in the day and she was kind enough to introduce me to Rachel Vincent and (squeeee!!!!) Ilona Andrews. I've made no secret of my adoration of Ilona's most excellent Kate Daniels Series. So I gave her fair warning, went momentarily fangirl, and then chilled back out. I even got my copy of MAGIC STRIKES signed at the book fair. Grin. I have also made a note to read Rachel's new Y.A. book that should be out soon -- teenage banshees. Should be a kick.

Wednesday afternoon was the e-pub, small press booksigning. I handed out sample copies of SOJOURN, which I term a "gateway drug". If folks like the first three chapters, they're back buying the series. Which they were on Saturday during the big signing (see more later).

Thursday morning was the Mystery Chix and Dix breakfast. We had a blast! Lots of readers and booksellers showed up to nosh their way through the food and listen to us talk about our mysteries. Great fun. Later in the morning I was on my only panel for RT: How to Write A Mystery. It went very well. I also got to catch up with Carole Nelson Douglas. Later in the afternoon I attended the Y.A. panel Robbing the Cradle: How YA is Taking Urban Fantasy By Storm. It was very informative, especially since my agent is currently shopping my Young Adult Urban Fantasy in The Big Apple(TM). It was great to finally meet some of the big name authors who pen Y.A. Nice folks.

Friday I hob-knobbed with a few of my readers at the Club RT function, then sat in on Alex Sokoloff's Screenwriting Tips and Tricks for Novelists and Screenwriters. Alex(andra) is a screenwriter and novelist, so she knows her stuff. We met at Left Coast Con (a mystery convention) a few years back. It was grand to run into her again.

Later Friday afternoon I got to attend another panel I'd been anticipating: The Good, Bad and The Paranormal which Ilona moderated. The ladies (and one gent - Mark Del Franco) discussed kick butt heroines in Urban Fantasy. It was a fun panel!

Now for those of you who have attended RT you will have noted that I didn't mention the evening's festivities such as the Ellora's Cave Party (billed as for adults only), the Faery Ball or the Vampire Ball. I blew all those off. My roomie and I would go out to eat, then come back to the room and settle in. I know others had a lot of fun at those events, but I was just happier to chill out with a good book (in this case it was WHITE WITCH, BLACK CURSE which is Kim Harrison's latest).

Saturday was my final day at the convention. The big booksigning was from 11-2 and I sold a LOT of books. 15 to be exact, which is pretty awesome given my books retail for $19.95. Folks who had read the sampler came back for the series. WOW. I bought Melissa Marr's latest (FRAGILE ETERNITY) and chatted with Ilona for a time before we hit the road. My roomie, who is a thoughtful sweetie, handed me a bag full of munchies the moment I got in the car. She knew that I'd be wasted from 1) no lunch and 2) schmoozing with the fen. So she fed me. I love friends like that.

We had such a fine time we're thinking of hitting RT in Columbus, OH next year. Great town. And maybe by then I'll have a vampire costume worked up. Who knows?

Off the road for a week and then hubby and I are vacationing in Chicago. Wheee!!! And then it's back to work on the Y.A. book. Must get some words on page just in case someone buys the critter.

Of Weekends & Wildlife

Ah, what a lovely weekend. Hubby is visiting his mum in scenic Iowa so I've had three days to myself. Usually I'm on deadline for my next book, but right now I'm not under contract so I decided to kick back and enjoy my time off. Besides spending some time in the basement Friday evening (Atlanta got some nasty weather) reading another one of Artemis Fowl's adventures, I've putzed around the house, watched movies and cleaned. Movies, you ask?

Okay, I admit it, I finally broke down and watched TWILIGHT. I wasn't a fan of the book. It just didn't do it for me, but the movie worked. The pacing might have been a bit slow, but the movie corrected some of the characterization issues I had with the original source material. In particular, Bella (Isabella Swan the heroine) came across as far more with it and than in the book. The Book Bella was wimpy. The Movie Bella had some stones. The vampires were suitably creepy and the visuals nice.

But I think the highlight of the weekend were the foxes. Hubby spied a red fox on our porch the other morning. What he didn't realize is that she came equipped with four kits. ADORABLE critters. Why they're living under our porch (we're in suburbia) I have no idea, but watching the little guys bounce around and rough house is really great fun. I have pictures, but can't edit them until I get my other computer running again. I will attempt to get a video and post it. I am worried some neighbor will get upset about the critters and call someone to dispose of them. Then there's the dogs and the coyotes. Since foxes eat all sorts of annoying things, I'm fine if they stay. They're a lot cooler than possums and far more tolerable than skunks. And the little ones are just so darned cute. Here's a UK link about urban foxes and how they're thriving.

So how goes your weekend?

David B. Coe on Characterization

As promised, today my guest is David B. Coe and we are going to savor his wisdom regarding characterization. It seems I've known David forever, though it's only been a few years. We don't get to see each other at the conventions very often, but when we do it's always a pleasure to catch up on what's new in our respective lives. Since David has plenty of experience creating memorable characters, he is the perfect candidate to tell us how he goes about one of the trickiest aspects of novel writing.

Hi. I’m David B. Coe. Jana invited me here today to discuss my approach to developing characters for my books. Thanks, for the invite, Jana. It’s good to be here.

Let me begin by telling you a bit about myself: I’m the author of ten published fantasy novels including the LonTobyn Chronicle, Winds of the Forelands, and Blood of the Southlands. My most recent novel, The Horsemen’s Gambit, the second book in my Southlands trilogy, came out in January. The final Southlands book, The Dark-Eyes’ War, will be out early next year. You can find sample chapters of all my books, as well as contests, world maps, and other information at my website, www.DavidBCoe.com.

In many ways, Jana asked me the $64,000.00 question (actually that’s been devalued a bit over the years -- let’s go $64,000,000.00). To me character is the key to a successful novel or story. Worldbuilding and plotting are important, but to my mind really interesting characters can overcome flawed worldbuilding and a lackluster plot. But if your characters are flat, boring, or unsympathetic, no amount of fancy worldbuilding or plot complexity will save your book. That’s my opinion anyway.

So how do I develop my characters? What I’ll outline here applies mostly to lead and major secondary characters, though the differences between what I do with them and how I handle the minor characters are more differences of degree than of fundamental approach.

Step 1 -- Inspiration: I’m often asked where I get my ideas for my books and stories, and it’s a question I kind of hate. The reason is I can’t answer it. My ideas come from all over, they come from everything I experience, every conversation I have, every emotion I feel. They come from that part of my brain that is constantly asking “What if?” But though one book idea might begin with a scene, and another with a magic system, and yet another some aspect of worldbuilding, those initial ideas are always followed closely by the first glimpse of my main character. I won’t get much from this initial inspiration -- a name might come to mind, or some key trait, or perhaps an important detail from his or her past. Just enough to make me realize that a) this is the lead character in my new project, and b) I need to get to know this person better.

Step 2 -- The Interview: All right, I know that sounds weird. I’m going to interview a character I’m making up in my head? Well, yeah, I am. The interview consists of taking that kernel of an idea from step 1 and turning it into a living, breathing person. So I begin to ask questions. Sometimes that’s literally what I do. I open a blank word file and begin to brainstorm by asking myself questions about this person and typing out answers. (For the sake of simplicity in this post and to avoid the “he or she” thing, I’ll assume it’s a man, as it is in my latest work) Where is he from? Who were his parents and what were they like? Does he have siblings? What was his childhood like? What are his best traits? His worst? What does he look like? What does he do for a living? What has been his romantic history? Is he outgoing or a loner? Where has life taken him thus far?

There’s really no end to the questions one can ask, and to be honest, the answer to one quite often leads directly to the next, so that I usually stop “asking” questions fairly early in the process and just let his life story flow. The important thing for me is to get all the background that I need before I begin to write.

Step 3 -- Finding the Voice: More often than not, my lead character will also be my point of view character -- my narrator, in a sense. In my multi-strand novels, several of my major characters will be point of view characters. So the next thing I like to do is begin writing scenes and short stories from the viewpoint of the character I’ve created. Some of these might find their way into the book and in fact at times I merely begin work on the early chapters, though they usually wind up being reworked considerably. At other times, I’ll write a short piece that will have nothing to do with the book but that I might try to sell as a stand alone short story. The primary point of this is to take all that information I’ve gathered in the “Interview” and turn it into a unique and compelling voice for writing the novel. It’s not enough for a character to have a detailed and distinct personal history. He also has to have a personality, and that comes out in the way he tells his story.

Step 4 -- The Quickening: The verb “quicken” can mean, in its more obscure usage, the act of coming to life, and people have often referred to the quickening of a pregnancy as the time when a child is first felt to move. That’s exactly how I mean the word here. There comes a time in my writing when my character(s) begin to act on his (their) own, when I find myself surprised by some of the things they do and say. It’s a wonderful feeling, almost like when one of my daughters expressed her first truly original thought or first said something truly, creatively funny. That moment in a character’s development when he begins to take on the traits of a living, breathing person who is as independent of me as any creature of my imagination can be -- that’s the moment when I know that steps 1-3 have worked. At its best, character development is the creation of people who are capable of interacting freely with each other and with the world I’ve shaped for them. When my work is flowing well, when the characters are fully realized, when they’ve “quickened,” I become little more than a chronicler of their actions and a stenographer keeping track of their conversations. The growth of my characters and the development of my narrative become linked at an organic level so that it seems that the characters are driving the plot.

There’s really no secret to creating good characters, and it may be that your approach is nothing like mine but achieves results that are just as good or better. This is the process that works for me, and if you’ve been struggling with your character development recently you may find that adopting some or all of my method will help. In any case, happy writing!

What a Character!

It's been over a month since I last posted. Life has been full and that's been the reason for the radio silence. Good things may be in the works, but none have come to fruition so I'll keep them under my hat at the moment. Should one of them blossom, you'll hear it pronto.

In the meantime I've been mussing around with characterization, my personal project for 2009. I've invited a few of my fellow authors to blog about characterization and the first of those posts will appear next Wednesday (April 1) courtesy of David B. Coe. David's an accomplished author who crafts the most fantastic, vivid and entertaining fantasy worlds. But for all that, if his characters didn't ring true the stories wouldn't be worth reading. David knows the ropes, so be sure to stop back and see what tips he has to offer on the subject.

To help me figure out the characters in my current urban fantasy project, I created a Character Dossier for the really important characters. For example, my heroine's dossier includes information such as:

Full Name: Riley Anora Blackthorne
Name Means: Riley - “Valiant” Anora - “Light”
Age: 17-1/2
Birth Date: (to be determined)
Location: Chicago
Birth Order: Only child
Parents: Paul & Miriam (Henley) Blackthorne

Riley hasn't told me when she was born (yet) and when she does that will give me additional clues to her personality when I correlate her birth date with the Zodiac signs. Being an only child is something I can relate to. I've been to Chicago and love the area so I sorta have a sense of what Riley's life was like until they moved to Atlanta. I also have a photo of Riley (to me she looks like Emma Roberts). Taking this information, I've extrapolated where Riley is at the start of the series, where she should be at the end of the series, and the life-changing events that occur to her in the meantime.

Sounds good, right? It is. I know this character fairly well despite the fact she's *cough* a number of years younger than me. I have more of a sense of Riley than I do most of my heroines at the beginning of a book, and I can see where the story arc is headed. I have come over to the Darkside (sort of) as there will be less fog walking through this series than, let's say, the Time Rovers, which originally was a standalone book (SOJOURN) that grew into a series. For me to have this much information going into a book/series is unheard of. That tells me this one is really going to rock.

Fine and good, you say. You got what you need. So write the books. The issue is transferring the intimate knowledge of any given character into the story. How do I layer in those details over the course of the books and how to I show Riley's growth as the stories spin out?That's where it gets tricky.

I think part of that issue is already taken care of by the mere fact I have that character dossier. I've been referring back to it as I write, checking off the various aspects of Riley's hellish life as I complete each chapter. But lest you think I'm hewing strictly to this dossier, I'm also correcting and changing it as I go. The further I trudge into the story the more I know each character so I'm reflecting that in the dossiers. So it's a dynamic process.

So how do you deal with characterization in your books? Any tips on how to coerce recalcitrant characters to reveal their innermost souls?

Be sure to stop back Wednesday for David's wisdom. It'll be about the only thing on April Fool's Day we can take as kosher.

2009's Writing Challenge

Every year I try to tackle another aspect of the craft that I know needs work. In years past I've confronted my point-of-view problem and now I don't head hop anymore. Back when I began I told a story rather than showed it through action or dialog. I don't do that now unless it's for effect. So what's my challenge for this year?

Characterization. I recently submitted a Young Adult Urban Fantasy series proposal to my agent. We discussed the sample chapters and she mentioned she felt my characterization wasn't up to the same level as the worldbuilding or the plotting. My agent is right on the money. Luckily, it's a fixable problem.

This isn't new for me. I don't usually layer in the deep characterization until the last pass through the novel. In the case of my Time Rovers' books that was because my editor was pushing me to get inside the characters in each scene. Once she asked me "Why is Cynda doing this here? What is she feeling?" I could pour those emotions out on the page. For those of you who are authors you're probably thinking, "Ah, babe, you really outta have that stuff in there earlier." And I should.

So I decided that this year it was time for me to attack the issue of characterization. I need to learn how to layer in those cool character tags, emotions, etc. way before the editor has to slap me on the head with a rolled up newspaper. I conquered POV, I can do this.

So I've found an image of a young girl who looks like my 17 y/o heroine, I'm building a music playlist and I'm starting to write her diary so I can understand how she feels about the death of her mother, the fact that her life is going to hell on a slippery slope and her fears about the future. I'm doing roughly the same with some of the other major characters, trying to build up my understanding of each of them before I get too far into the book.

After the rough draft, I'm going to go back through each scene and layer in the setting and the characterization at the same time. I'll let you know how my quest for character goes over the year. I'm sure I'm not the only author fighting this particular demon and so I'm going to invite some of my fellow scribblers to my blog to have their say on characterization. Should be both entertaining and enlightening.

Books In Our Future

The few months of 2009 are brimming with a bumper crop of new books so I figured I'd let you have a peek at some of the ones I'm looking forward to. Since I'm very fussy about what books I read, these are the series that I've consistently enjoyed. I also introduce a new pair of authors who hold great promise!

** I updated the list to include David Coe's latest book. Purely an oversight on my part and now that's corrected.


The Horsemen's Gambit by David B. Coe
(Hardcover - Jan 20, 2009)
I'm not much of a fantasy reader. Urban Fantasy, sure, but pure fantasy is usually too boring to slog through. David's book are just the opposite. The complexity of the characters, the depth of the plot and the overall story arcs keep me coming back. Always worth the read and the latest looks no different.


Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4
by Patricia Briggs (Hardcover - Feb 3, 2009)
Auto mechanic, shape-shifter Mercy Thompson always gets into a load of trouble, but she has the realistic spark I find compelling. After the last book, which contained some seriously personal devastating events for our heroine, I'm curious how Briggs will help Mercy move on in her life.


White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7) by Kim Harrison
Hardcover - Feb 24, 2009)
Okay, I admit I was steamed at Kim for a time after she offed Rachel Morgan's hunky vampire lover. But I've gotten over that. Well, sort of. As the author, she calls the shots (sigh) but that hasn't stopped me from looking forward to the next in the series with great anticipation. Kim is a master at setting scenes and penning believable characters. Much like many of the others on this page, I read her not only for enjoyment but to study the craft.


Hunted (House of Night, Book 5) by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
(Hardcover - Mar 10, 2009)
The next installment of this incredibly popular Young Adult vampyre series is due out in March and I'm eager to see how the story plays out. Think "Hogwarts Meets Dark Shadows." Too young to know the Dark Shadows reference? Click here.



Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3) by Ilona Andrews
(Mass Market Paperback - Mar 31, 2009)
Ilona (actually Ilona and her husband Gordon) set their Urban Fantasy in a dystopian Atlanta. Magic runs amok and they have a really cool twist on how vampires work. This series always surprises me. I recently reread the first two books (Magic Bites & Magic Burns) to ramp up for the next one. Yeah, I'm a fan.


The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
(Hardcover - Mar 31, 2009)
These are the two newcomers I was speaking of. I met these gents at WorldCon in Denver and just by talking to them I can tell this book is going to be dynamite. I'll be queuing up to buy a copy as soon as it's available.



Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher
(Hardcover - April 7, 2009)
Any guy who can spin out a series over twenty (20!) books and keep it on the rails has my unabashed admiration. Each of these books deepens the mystery, deepens our understanding of Harry and his continually messed up life. Pity these only come out once a year.

The Plan for 2009

A new year is much like a fresh sheet of paper in a typewriter or a blank screen on your monitor. You can make of it what you will. Well, sort of. External forces to do apply, but a fair amount is in your control. At least that's my delusion and I'm sticking with it.

Personally, things are going well. Husband is gainfully employed, house is super clean due to Annual Decompression Party yesterday (attendees are more inclined toward intelligent discussion than heavy duty partying) and I have story ideas to play with. So what is on my plate for 2009? Lots of good things, I hope.

I am continuing to play with a Young Adult Urban Fantasy story set in 2018 Atlanta about a young girl working as an apprentice to her father, a legendary demon hunter. Demons have been done to death so I'm trying a "twist" to the standard tropes that will hopefully prove an interesting read. It helps that I really like the heroine! Because this is set in a dystopian Atlanta, I've actually had to do some research about The Athens of the South. I plan to do some exploring when it stops raining every weekend. (Not really complaining -- we're still in a drought here and the lakes need water.) However trudging around historic Oakland Cemetery in a downpour, while picturesque, is not ideal.

I'm also playing with that paranormal historical set in 1902 Chicago, which is equally revving my creative juices. I have two paranormal romances already written that need some editing and there's that self-pubbed Fantasy series that demands a final book. So this year will be full.

Since 2001 I've been doing the "Jana Oliver Roadshow" at conventions so potential readers will get to know me and potentially buy my books. That's actually worked rather well so now it's time to settle back, finish maybe a book and a half in a year rather than the usual one, and not crisp myself around the edges as much as I have the last three years. Since 2001, when I started this journey, I've lost count of how many conventions I've attended. I do know that since 2005 I've attended 30. Wow.

So the plan is for this year to be much more focused on the writing and not the schmoozing. I'll still be out there (4 conventions) but not as much as before. It feels right. When I sign with a NY publishing house I'll be back on the road, but the earliest that would be is 2010. For now I get a breather from the airports, the con food and the hectic schedule. I'll miss the fen, but I am available by email so it's not like I'm totally running under the radar.

So what's your plan for 2009? Any new directions or goals? Or are you just going to crawl into your cave, order in a stock of double pepperoni pizza and ride it all out?

News Article of the Day

Couldn't pass up commenting on this news article. For those of you concerned that all the Muslims in the world are going to blow up your airplane, here's a few tips. Bad guys come in all shapes, sizes, colors and religions. Just because the lady next to you on the plane wears a hijab doesn't mean she's looking to kill you. Would you have raised the alarm for a good old boy (Tim McVey)? Yet he killed a lot of folks, including leveling a daycare.

Talking about the best place to sit on an airplane does not qualify you as a terrorist. Hubby and I have had this same spirited debate and concluded there's no best place because you can't predict if the plane is going to crash and in what manner. An innocent, albeit gruesome conversation. Folks of a terrorist bent do NOT have these kinds of conversations. They blend in by staying very quiet and they don't come in groups of NINE. One or two are plenty to send the plane to Valhalla, folks. In fact, you don't even need a body on the plane anymore. (Technology is not necessarily a wonderful thing). The bad guys have moved onto other "softer" targets. It's only our fellow citizens who are still thinking "hijack airplane." Anybody with a working brain could have ruled these folks out in a heartbeat. Maybe they've been watching a bit too much "24". To their credit, the FBI handled this very well. However...

AirTran didn't. Once the FBI cleared these folks you should have put them on the next plane, then someone should have had a chat with the folks who reported them so they could understand why their worries were groundless so they won't do it in the future.

The terrorist's ultimate weapon is paranoia. It doesn't require any manpower or C4 to pull it off. It's self perpetuating. Next time look past the accents, the skin color and the clothes. If they looked like you would you have called attention to their comments? No? Then sit back and eat your peanuts. Yes? Then talk to the flight attendant pronto.

A History Junkie

I admit a certain fascination...obsession with history. It fascinates me because I see so many parallels with our era. Very little changes in human nature. I've been merrily immersed in 1880's English history for over six years now. The result is a series primarily set in that time period. Recently another era/place caught my fancy: Chicago in the late 1890's and early 1900's. Just as raw and earthy as London in the same period, Chicago had a certain energy to it. Still does.

This interest in Chicago will hopefully give birth to a couple of books. One will be set at Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (a future Time Rovers book). Others have tread this way before me and done well by the subject. I also intend to pen a story set in 1902 Chicago, something paranormal me thinks.

So it is like hitting the lottery when I found a CD on Ebay that held thirty-three vintage books about Chicago ranging from the 1876 to 1922. GOLDMINE! Wow. The books have as many as 800 pages in some of them and often include advertisements of the era. Did I mention this a GOLDMINE for a historical author? It saves buying countless old tomes and finding bookshelf for them. Perfect.

It is only a matter of time before I'll be penning a non-fiction account of some person or event. I've been lured that way by the best: Erik Larson (Devil in the White City) and Karen Abbott (Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle For America's Soul). As I see it, all this research experience is leading that way and I might as well not fight the undertow. When I finally figure out what the subject might be, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, this CD is a pleasant way to start the New Year -- old books to read and mysteries to discover. Wow, do I have a great life or what?

To Gray or Not to Gray

Aging gracefully is for the birds. I consider aging a full contact sport requiring a lot of fortitude and an equal amount of attitude. I don't fear it, I'm just not going to let it roll over me.

However, I did decide after my latest birthday to give in just a little in the matter of my hair color. My natural color was brown. I was nearly blonde as a kid, then it got darker and more medium brown. Then darker brown just about the time I started turning gray (age 40). In 2000 I went red. I was tired of brown and red sounded exciting. They got the slogan wrong: it's redheads who have more fun. Redheads can be sassy and no one is surprised. We're not considered dumb, but intelligent and "brassy". So I hung with the "reds" for over eight years, but every time I colored my hair there was more salt and pepper to be covered. Some folks are blessed with that cool silvery gray (like my hubby). You've seen them. I especially admire ladies with that thick silver hair. Mine's not thick, but it is silvery, so this last time to the hair stylist I gave him the word: we're growing out the gray (or grey if you're British). He was surprised, but agreed there were certain things we could do to mitigate the suckiness of the grow out period of approximately one year or so.

So he put in some honey gold auburn highlights to take the color out of the part of the hair that has been dyed and gave me a wonderful cut. And now we grow. It looks kinda funky with the now muted lighter sections of hair and the gray/black growout, but so far it doesn't look like I've spaced off a trip to the salon. It will eventually. My dear stylist said it wasn't usual for a woman to ask to go gray. Most are very keen to cover up the passage of time. But that's my mantra: be unique.

In about a year the gray/black combo will be completely revealed and I'll have to change makeup yet again to accommodate. I have no doubt it'll look great. So I leave the red haircoloring I'm not using to those out there who do (you know who you are!) Red on, ladies!

P.S. This whole thing must be working as the cashier at Fuddruckers gave hubby and I the Senior Discount the other day and neither of us asked. Where I'm tickled to save the two bucks, somehow it's sorta painful to know it was offered in the first place. Had to be because of hubby. Yeah, that's it.

Yet another Postscript: Today is hubby's birthday. We spent it plowing around the mall, picking up some amazing bargains and then a wonderful dinner at P.F. Chang's. Then some video time with our Netflix addiction augmented by his very own Naked Newt wine. He pronounced the day a success. My job is done.

Huzzah!

The verdict is in: my latest book, MADMAN'S DANCE, made the grade. The previous two books each earned a 4-1/2 Star Top Pick from Romantic Times BOOKreviews and the third has not shirked its duty. I was so hoping I'd see all three receive this top honor and it has come to fruition.

If not for my editor, Adrienne deNoyelles, who works these books over like bread dough I wouldn't have received this score. Ditto with my beta readers -- Ally Reineke and Nanette Littlestone. They both gave me very valuable input as to what worked and what didn't. Luckily I pay attention.

It's grand way to cap off a year.

Let No Man Put Asunder

When I was growing up there were two ladies who lived behind us. I remember my mom talking to them while we weeded the flower garden. Both were nurses. Years later my parents told me they were lesbians. I had no clue as a kid. I just knew they were nice ladies. It was my first exposure to a relationship that wasn't "traditional" and it was a positive one.

Earlier this year I wrote about a couple of gents I met on the van heading to San Francisco airport. They'd come to California (from NY) to get married. I celebrated their joy because it was clear they were very much in love. Why shouldn't someone else enjoy the same kind of happiness I've found? Well, it seems there are those who would take that happiness away.

In November Proposition 8 passed in California defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. We have the same idiocy here in Georgia. But now the Prop 8 supporters are going one better: they want to nullify all the legal marriages conducted earlier this year before Prop 8 passed. Yup, they want to render those unions null and void.

Now that spooks me. Who has the right to tell me or any one of my fellow citizens that we are no longer legally wed? Those two gents I met jumped through all the hoops, flew all the way to CA to acknowledge before G*d and their fellow humans that they were willing to spend their lives together. And now the Prop 8 folks want to throw that commitment into the trash? It's tantamount to saying, "Yeah, you're third class citizens right behind the immigrants and the Muslims. Life with it. Or better yet, go straight."

WTH? Legally this is on shaky ground. Reversing marriages that were legal at the time sets an ugly precedent. Imagine someone announcing to you that that you're no longer married because someone decided it wasn't kosher after the fact?

In a few decades we'll look back at this mess and be embarrassed. This is much like those laws in the 1950's that wouldn't have allowed our president-elect's parents to be married because they were of different races. Gay and lesbians are our neighbors, our fellow citizens. They work, they pay taxes, they want the same things we want: love and respect. If their co-habitation is a sin, that's for G*d to sort out, not the rest of us.

I have long advocated that marriage should have absolutely nothing to do with the state. Marriage should be a religious entity. The states should provide a civil union ceremony. If the couple wish to take the commitment to the next step, then they marry in their church, synagogue or other religious institution. This "protect the sanctity of marriage" crap is just that. Homosexuals don't threaten my marriage. If anything, when I see their willingness to stay together through all life throws at them, it only reaffirms my own union.

Why Receipts are Like a Time Machine

What, you say? What do receipts have in common with traveling through the 4th dimension? They remind you of times past. Having done some work on my downstairs office (got a new desk!) and finished the arrangement of my various computers, I'm tapping in the business receipts for this last year while keeping an eye on the stock market. I'm usually a lot better at keeping the receipts up to date, but not this go around. That being said, I'm determined that I'll have the business finances ready for the husband to input into the taxes BEFORE the end of the year. Yeah, I'm dreamin' but at least I'll not be doing them on April 12th or so.

But back to the premise: receipts are like a time machine. I pick up one from the Palamino in Calgary. No, this isn't a strip club, but an awesome restaurant that had some of the most incredible ribs I've ever eaten. Jean Marie Ward and I savored their offerings the night I arrived. Just reading the receipt brings back that moment. Ditto with my three trips to Denver's Corner Bakery for their Berry Almond Swiss Oatmeal. I remember sitting in the back of the restaurant, enjoying my breakfast (any breakfast that costs $6.79 is a blessing) and trying to hack into their website using my iPhone. Finally figured it out. All the while folks from World Fantasy came and went as I enjoyed my moments of solitude.

Receipts from The Rialto Cafe resurrect my conversations with Tony Ruggiero & his lady, Mary. Great couple to hang with. Smart, witty and fun. The receipt helps me remember those times.

Then there's the bill from The Mosser in San Francisco. After my roomie departed, I moved across the street from the Marriott ($225/noc) to The Mosser ($109). It's a boutique hotel built after the great earthquake. Very nifty and clean place. I knew there wasn't a toilet in the room, which was fine by me. I did have a sink and a bed and that's about it. Whenever I travel to Europe I always ask if there is a desk in the room so I can do my writing thing. I failed to do so with this hotel. No desk. A tiny nightstand. The room, tops, was about 10 x 12. I was in the middle of heavy duty, gotta get this stuff done sort of editing and no desk. I talked to the nice people downstairs -- no desks in any of the rooms and they didn't have a library. I was free, however, to use the lobby if I wanted. I passed on that.

I improvised (see above). Necessity is a mother so I pulled out the ironing board, set it up and did my thing.To the left is the door. The seat in front of the ironing board is a stool with a pillow on it. It is butted up against the edge of the bed. Yeah, this room was small. But it worked. On Day #2 I decamped to nearby sandwich shop that had wi-fi and great food. Spent most of the day there eating, editing and using their facilities as needed. Authors write no matter the situation. It's just what he have to do.

So you as seen, receipts help me reconstruct those moments from earlier this year and savor them once again. Who says doing the finances is boring? For me, it's a vacation.

A Hot Button

Okay, fair warning. This is a hot button with me. A big one. For many years I took birth control pills for two reasons -- not wanting offspring (because I knew I wasn't going to be the kind of mother any kid would want) and for a medical condition (adenomyosis) which is second cousin to endrometrosis. Never once did I ever worry that my pharmacist or my physician would deny me adequate care. Why do I mention this? Recently Mr. Bush has instituted a last minute change that allows pharmacists, doctors, etal. to refuse to supply medications and treatments if they are contrary to the provider's religious beliefs. This will allow a pharmacist to refuse to honor your prescription for contraceptives, emergency or otherwise, and for doctors and nurses to refuse to assist with medical procedures that they deem unacceptable. Now this problem has been growing for years, but now our departing president has made it nationwide.

I was a nurse for about ten years. I would never have thought of telling a patient I would not treat them because of my religious beliefs. It would be the same as informing an African-American or a Native American that I wouldn't treat them because they weren't white. I've taken care of patients who were physically combative, drunk or high on lord knows what. I've been explosed to countless diseases, including those that could have easily killed me. Part of the job. I knew that going in.

So when did it become "me first, then the patient?" You may be against contraception, abortion, etc. I have no objections about that. Still, your beliefs should not become my problem if I'm trying to have a prescription filled while trying to obtain emergency contraception after rape or to prevent another pregnancy. To be blunt, it's none of your damned business.

If this change had occured a few years back, I might have been the one facing a pharmacist who refused to serve me or, worse yet, confiscate my prescription. He or she would be making the decision that I should get pregnant or continue to suffer from my medical condition. WTH? This has gone overboard. I respect your beliefs right up to the point when they infringe on my medical care. If you don't honestly feel you can offer full service to your customers or your patients, get the hell out of the business. (I did mention this was a hot button, right?)

Mr. Obama will overturn this, but that can take months before the changes come into effect. In the meantime people will be playing G*d with other folks' lives. Making decisions as to their care that they are not qualified to make. Since I no longer have the equipment needed for this sort of medication I will not see the day when someone refuses me care. It's probably best. It would have gotten way ugly. Years ago, when I first became a nurse, I would have laughed at anyone who told me this would come to pass. How wrong I was.

Thanks. I needed that.

Of Viruses

Viruses. Ya gotta love 'em. At least the ones that infect humans. Human viruses are incredibly adaptable critters and I find that fascinating. I'm the kind of person who aced Microbiology in college, okay? My fascination is waning what with my SECOND cold in one month. I was making progress toward full recovery when I got hit again. Now I'm a tidy person. I wash my hands, do all the things one needs to do to miss being infected. Old nursing habits die hard, you see. But I got nailed. Sigh. On the plus side, the hubby is finally getting better after four weeks of coughing at all hours. I am progressing on Cold #2. This all will pass.

And now for the other kind of virus: the computer kind. My main Dell laptop felt sorry for us sick humans and so it decided to download its own virus just to keep us company. Lovely. I run virus software. It quarantined the critter. After it did the damage. Groan. At this moment my husband is on the phone to Norton and their wizards are removing the virus and getting the machine back to functioning (hopefully!). Then they're going to install their virus software on my computer to replace the other competitor's brand.

Which leads to a new form of Jana defense against these assaults. I have long chuckled at the antics of some of my fellow writers who have two computers: one for surfing and email and the other for writing and personal business. Computer A is connected to the Internet (natch). Computer B is not. Ever. I thought that overly paranoid. Nevertheless, if the virus I had downloaded had been the one that turned my computer to a pile of liquid goo, I'd have been devastated at the loss of my research materials (think hundreds of links to cool sites, photos, you name it.) Luckily it was one of the "let's hijack your computer and send your to websites you didn't intend to visit" sort while using the computer for their evil purposes. A plague on your houses! Every one. Get a real job, will you?>

In future my new Dell Mini 9 will handle the email, the surfing. Its bigger Dell cousin will be for writing, finances, etc. and shall be free of contact with the outside world. A recluse. I can transfer files back and forth via the network, after a proper scan. Should a virus attack the Mini, it's not going to take out a big body of my work. And I promise to do more backups. I'm nuts about backing up my writing, but lax about backing up the other important stuff. Nevermore! (quoth the raven).

So that is my New Year's Resolution. Along with the fact that one of these days I'm going to write one of these malware fools into a book and kill them in a most gruesome fashion. Then resurrect them and do it all over again!

The final post about the Chicago trip is forthcoming once I can get back on the main computer. So those of you waiting for closure will have it.

UPDATE: The nice fellow at Norton found the bits o'virus and removed them. It took about an hour and a half, but he was also working with other folks. Yes, he was most likely in India, but we didn't care. He knew exactly where to go to remove this stuff. It had tucked one of its files away in the Drivers file. Amazing. We'd already followed the directions from our previous virus software and tried to track down the bad thing ourselves. No go, even though my husband is an Uber Geek. The upshot is that the bigger Dell is now live and living a hermit-life existence free of I'net contamination.

For those of you who are amateur geeks, I'll share something we did over the weekend lest it be of interest. So that I can flip back and forth between the two machines, we installed something called a KVM switch. What this critter does is allow you to use your keyboard, mouse and monitor for both computers. With a quick tap of a keyboard (two taps actually) you can toggle back and forth between them. Cool. It cost $39.95 (Iogear - item # GCS632U) and I got it at Fry's. So I am now officially set up to work off the Mini for "Accessing the Real World" and the bigger Dell for my work computer. I plink back and forth as I need.

In some ways I owe the *#@$&@#$ who hacked my computer a thanks. He/she/it won't get one.

Chicago Day Three

Downtown Chicago is buzzing as this evening the Magic Mile parade and Christmas light event is in the offing. Knowing it would be packed and starting to slow down a bit, we opted for another trip to the Museum Campus (as it's called) and a visit to the Adler Planetarium. Much smaller than the two other museums we'd visited, this one was well laid out and quite informative. We got to play with planetary models, watch a couple of the shows and generally muss around.

By early afternoon we were tired and took ourselves to Millennium Park to watch the skaters. After a bit of holiday shopping for friends, we visited the Chicago Architectural Foundation to check on boat tours for Sunday. There are a lot of tours you can take in Chicago, some of which go out into the lake and others that go up the Chicago River. After finding out the info we needed, we crashed at the hotel and then went out for a fabulous Italian meal at the Italian Village. The wait was forty-five minutes, even at eight at night, but it was worth it. I've never had manicotti that literally melted in my mouth. Heaven. The same family has owned the place since 1927. Across from the hotel is a business that has been there for 151 years. Yeah, since 1857. Iwan Reis is a tobacconist and they have the most incredible supply of pipes and pipe tobacco. I loitered there, I admit it. What a wonderful smell.

Because we opted to rest we missed the Magic Mile festivities. Given our colds are still not quite resolved, we thought that best. A quiet evening of reading and recuperating proved to be perfect.

Tomorrow -- the boat tour! Did I mention it's barely going to hit 46 degrees? We Atlantans are in for a treat.

Chicago Day Two

Day Two in Chicago found us feeling better. Having both acquired colds before our departure from Atlanta, by now we were over the worst. To take advantage of this improvement, we headed off to The Field Museum of Natural History. A few years back I was absolutely convinced that this museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium had originally been part of the Exposition. It's only been in the last year or so that I realized my error (they weren't built until the 1930's). Given the grandeur of the buildings I suspect it was a realistic mistake.

The Field is HUGE. Even though we trudged and trudged for a good six hours, we didn't get to see all of it. We especially enjoyed Sue, the T-Rex (see above) and the other dinosaur displays (see below). When you look at the size of Sue and the nasty toothies on the meat eaters, it's pretty obvious humans weren't on the planet at this time, despite what The Creationists might believe. We'd have just been canapes. So I take the view that the seven days mentioned in the Bible were on the Almighty's clock, not ours. Why couldn't the creation of the planet and its life forms taken millions of years? Why would He be in a hurry? If you're The Supreme Being, why not do some experimentation? The point is we're here and that we have this incredible history behind us. Ignoring scientific fact doesn't make religion seem very intelligent, if you get my drift.
Other exhibits portrayed the rise of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures. It was interesting to see how native groups progressed from small settlements to big cities and what that meant in terms of safety, food supply and personal liberties. We definitely will be making a return visit next summer to try to see even more of the exhibits.

Have I mentioned how much I love this town???

Chicago Day One

The train trip to Chicago went very smoothly. As mentioned in the earlier post, we opted for bedrooms on both trains. Now lest you think these things are huge, they're not. They do include a shower inside the toilet stall, but there was no way that could happen logistically. However, sitting in a comfy seat and watching the world roll by is a very nice way to travel. Once the beds are folded down, let's just say you better not be claustrophobic. The first night it was hard to sleep. My bed was not comfortable and with an existing back problem, it made it worse. However, the second night we were "seasoned" and slept beautifully. We rec'd complimentary meals with the booking and I am happy to report that Amtrak's food was quite tasty. Yum. I think it would have been more fun if the trips had been longer and during more of the daylight hours. That way I could have enjoyed the scenery more. Train travel is definitely on our list of things to do in the future.

We had a brief layover in D.C. The DC train station was designed by Daniel Hudson Burnham, a name that will crop up later in my posts. Burnham was one of the key Chicago architects in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Union Station (see above) is an example of his incredible work. Right now the station is decked out for Christmas and quite festive.

We were met by my good friend and traveling buddy Jean Marie Ward. JMW took us on a mini tour so my husband could get an idea of what the town felt like. Fortunately, she took pity on us as we were still suffering from our colds so there was walking, then resting. In the Capitol picture, if your eyesight is good, you'll pick out the reviewing stands being built for the Inauguration. We dined at an incredible restaurant that served succulent crab cakes resting on top of field greens topped with mango salsa. WOW. Then we were back on the train and on the way to Chicago. I admit, I took a nap after we boarded. I hadn't quite realized how run down I was before we reached DC.

We arrived at our hotel far too early for check-in and so we checked our bags with the friendly porter. The Silversmith Hotel is housed in a building designed by, no surprise, Daniel Burnham. It was created for the silver and jewelry trade and there are still a number of jewelers on the street. Our accommodations are as huge as the train car was compact. Two rooms, massive bathroom and it overlooks the "El" the elevated train system that runs Chicago's Loop. No doubt some might object to the noise of the El as it pulls out of the station below our window, but after the other trains we hardly noticed.

Burnham, along with his partner John Root, were involved in the design and execution of the World's Columbian Exposition (1893) . This fair was a wonder and if I could go back in time I'd be there in a flash. All that is left of the 600 acre Jackson Park complex, besides the park, is the building that now houses the Museum of Science and Industry. Originally serving as the Palace of Fine Arts, it was designed by Charles B. Atwood of New York. Unlike almost all of the fair buildings, which were of a temporary, yet ornate nature, this behemoth was permanent and fireproof because of the valuable art treasures it displayed during the fair. Atwood's design is classic Greek and at the time it cost $541,795 to build. The main part of the building is 320 x 500 foot but included two 120 x 200 foot wings. Fortunately this beauty is still with us, teasing us as to what the entire 600 acres of statues, massive buildings, ponds, fountains, etc. would have looked like. Like I said earlier -- give me a time machine and I'm there. According to those in the know, it took over THREE weeks to see every exhibit at the fair. Unreal.

We immediately set off like a local: we took the bus. A tourist pass got us on and off and it was a easy trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum, geeks that we are. Harold's favorite was the Pioneer Zephr (see the webpage link above.)

We took our evening meal at a pub up the street. I didn't realize how packed Chicago eating places could be at seven in the evening. It was like Friday or Saturday evening in Atlanta. We waited about a half an hour for a table, polished off a fine meal and a couple beers each. Then we crashed, literally and figuratively.