Music Monday: Song of a Local Hero

This won't mean much to some, but while we were abroad, we got to tour the Cathedral on the Hill, the home stadium for Newcastle United. There is a point when they come into the stadium where Mark Knopfler's (of Dire Straits fame) Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero plays. During the tour, the guide let us walk through that tunnel and played sounds of the crowd with that song in the background and I will admit to getting teary. So here's the full thing as we two not so local heroes spend today in a succession of planes, on our way home. Enjoy.

Sjonni's Friends - Coming Home (Iceland) Live 2011 Eurovision Song Contest

We are off to the UK today, for the first time in almost ten years. If I had to sum up my two years there in music it would probably include a lot of Eurovision songs. Right after I arrived in 2009, I lost two of my three greyhounds in rapid succession and was just ridden with guilt and depression. Simon suggested to me that I watch Eurovision after my Jeany died because he thought it would cheer me up. It did so much more than that and I am a lifelong fan now. This one is from 2011, the last Eurovision I saw in real time before moving back to the US, but I think it speaks to the journey today: I'm coming home - wheels up in about 8 hours! Enjoy. (Captions are on the video.)

Music Monday: I Hate It Here

My friends used to play a game where

We would pick a decade

We wished we could live in instead of this

I'd say the 1830s, but without all the racists and getting married off for

the highest bid"

Is this where we are headed? I certainly hope not.

Music Monday: Election Time

I don't know about all of you but I am so anxious about tomorrow's election. I don't know if I will feel better on Wednesday (or whenever this thing is resolved), but for now I'm just encouraging people to get out and vote...for compassion, for equality, for women's rights and LGBTQIA rights...etc. etc. etc. I will sleep...when I'm dead. (No lyrics because the video is closed captioned.)

Music Monday: What's holding you back?

 I heard this song the other day after a long hiatus. I have loads of curated playlists and this one is on a list called "Bus" that used to be the one I added things to and took things from for my commute on the bus to the DayJob. However, 2019 came and I lost my office so I wasn't down there 8:30 to 4:30 every day. Then 2020 came and I wasn't there at all...until 2022. Then there was cancer so I wasn't down there until a few months ago. Point being..."Bus" fell by the wayside because I wasn't riding.

I just threw the playlist on the other day and this song came on - and I thought as I listened about how everything that I see holding me back really isn't because the only thing that can hold me back is ME. So listen to this (a perfect quick step song, which I think is where I originally heard it) and remember. There's nothing holding you back but you. Get out of your way.

Music Monday: Hijacked by a Hurricane

Well, that was a fun end to September. On the 27th, Hurricane Helene blew northward from the Gulf and hit the edge of Georgia, the Upstate of SC (where I live), and eastern TN before ultimately destroying a large part of Western NC. The past 2.5 weeks have been filled with calls to insurance companies, cleaning out our now moldy (I wish I was kidding) basement, and navigating around downed trees the size of my Honda Fit that are still being a nuisance and keeping people from having the power and internet they need. If you look up Hot Mess in the dictionary, it will show Helene with sneaky Milton not far behind as he ravaged Florida.

So I'm finally back to Music Monday and I'm sure I've posted this one before...but when I heard it days after the hurricane, sitting in my car to charge my devices and try to work since we had no power nor internet...it broke me a little, but in the best way. Thanks, Mr. Buffett. Bubbles Up. If you need help with this lyric, just look at the folks in WNC. "If a hurricane doesn’t leave you dead/It will make you strong/Don’t try to explain it just nod your head/Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On"

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move Onby Jimmy BuffettI bought a cheap watch from a crazy manFloating down canalIt doesn’t use numbers or moving handsIt always just says nowNow you may be thinking that I was hadBut this watch is never wrongAnd If I have trouble the warranty saidBreathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
And it rained, It was nothing really newAnd it blew, we’ve seen all that beforeAnd it poured, the Earth began to strainPontchartrain leaking through the door, tides at war
If a hurricane doesn’t leave you deadIt will make you strongDon’t try to explain it just nod your headBreathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
And it rained, It was nothing really newAnd it blew, seen all that beforeAnd it poured, the Earth began to strainPontchartrain buried the 9th Ward to the 2nd floor
According to my watch the time is nowPast is dead and goneDon’t try to shake it just nod your headBreathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
Don’t try to shake it just bow your headBreathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

Music Monday: Guess Who's Back...

 ...but not until October. Music Monday is on hiatus and will return on Monday, October 7th. See y'all when September ends. (Yeah, I know.)

Music Monday: The Untold...Her

This song...y'all. If you're a Lindsey Sterling fan, then you probably already know this song. It's typically soaring and beautiful and just makes you catch your breath to listen. If you're a Team USA Olympic gymnastics fan, then you know this song from Suni Lee's similarly breathtaking routine that eventually won her a bronze medal..I think. That seems to change daily.

I listened to it with several of my characters in mind, and one stepped forward and strapped on her ice skates while her long-lost love watched from a window - he hasn't revealed himself to be back in her life yet. As goes with a lot of things that have Lindsey Sterling involved, this is going on my writing playlist. Enjoy. (No lyrics.)

Music Monday: We may never pass this way again

Today's post is late, but that's because it became something else this morning on my way back from an interpreting gig. The song I was going to post isn't as meaningful right now...so here we are.

Seals and Croft's We May Never Pass this Way Again is important to me as it was in the soundtrack to a play I was in at uni - one of my favs, The Shadowbox. But today, a dear friend of mine lost her mom, and it just came all the way back to me. The play is about three families living in hospice, and at the time I couldn't really understand my character. But now, having lost both of my parents, I do..and I hope I can be a light in this awful dark for my sweet friend as she navigates her new normal.

(Lyrics in the video.)

Music Monday: Of Befores and Afters

Today's Music Monday is a little bit about my current WIP and the FMC, but also a lot about me and my current situation. I was listening to it the other day and just reveling in the lyrics as I often do with Taylor Swift's music, but then I saw the video. All those past iterations of her arguing at the end made me think - I am not the same person I was this time last year when Eugene was discovered to be stage III breast cancer and not just a recurrence of my cyst from a decade ago. I've heard Hoda Kotb say that she has two lives now, pre and post breast cancer and that's very true.

It isn't just about the ways in which I look different now, post-chemo/radiation/bilateral mastectomy. Those things are surface level, really. The change that is sticking and that I'm thinking a lot about today is the change that happens to the me that was and the me that is. In early days, I just wanted to be through all the treatment, "so I can get back to my life." That, at the time, meant back to my then normal - hybrid remote work for the DayJob™️, appearance at the Georgia Renaissance Festival with Ciaragh, working all kinds of fandom conventions and other faires to sign my books...getting on with working toward being a full time author. Planning for our move abroad. Hanging out as much as I can with my US based friends before that move happens.

That stuff belonged to who I was before. Some of it has transitioned with me: the friends, the book signings on a smaller scale, the working toward being a full time author, and the DayJob™️ have all remained, just in different guises and on changed levels. But the renaissance festival appearances with the Hounds of East Fairhaven are in limbo at present - Ciaragh's death from lymphoma means I no longer have a rennie hound. The move abroad has been put off for a bit. Hanging out with the friends as much as possible has become keeping in touch as best I can and hanging out once in awhile.

But it's all okay. Eugene...look what you made me do. I am now worth the changes, even though they were awful in a lot of places. Welcome to the second half of my life.

Lyric Video: 

Regular video with, oddly, Japanese captions:

Music Monday: Je Me Casse

I missed last Monday, not sure why, but honestly I didn't think of it until end of day on Tuesday. So here we are a little late, but...

I heard this one and thought immediately of the MC in my current WIP. She's very serious and careful about her outward appearance, but my writing partner said that he would like to see her dancing and letting go now and then. I can just see her dancing around in her flat on her own after carefully making sure there is no one around. It's also a fantastic song, another Eurovision number and we all know how much I love Eurovision. Malta did not disappoint here.

"Je me casse" is a slang French phrase that means "I'm outta here," and is something that I can hear Lark muttering under her breath when humans hit on her or just generally get in her face. Sometimes it's just too much for a vampire to keep her cool, you know?

Je me casse. (lyrics are in the video)

Music Monday: Too Sweet

In the third week of this July's Camp Nanowrimo, as is the case often, I find myself stalling out. This is the collab with my brother Tony, this is a story that we've been working on for over a year, and yet I can't seem to keep myself motivated. It's a new genre for me, at least with an eye to publication, and Tony and I have wildly different writing styles and voices. But I adore Lark and Vyx, the two characters I'm responsible for at the moment, and so when I run across music like today's offering that just pushes through all the noise in my head and lets me hear Lark clearly I hang on tight...even if this song sounds like Connor (Tony's responsibility) all day long. Enjoy (lyrics in the video).

Music Monday after ConGregate Weekend

Well, I'm still exhausted but grinning like an idiot because I have a new found love for my litRPG series, The World of Arcstone, (Thanks to Matt Dinniman for the validation!) and I thought I'd repost a previous Music Monday with the song that inspired Em and Lex's journey in those two books: We Could Be the Same by MaNga.

(Doesn't hurt that it was a Eurovision tune, either.) Enjoy! I'm going to go take another nap to recover from Con.

We Could Be the Same by MaNga

Music Monday: Baby Lasagna

For today's almost on Tuesday Music Monday I'm revisiting Eurovision from this year. If you need a song to motivate you to write a chase scene or maybe a fight, this is your tune. I mean what could go wrong with a band called Baby Lasagna? Enjoy.


Rim Tim Tagi Dimby Baby Lasagna
Ay, I’m a big boy nowI’m ready to leave, ciao mamma ciaoAy, I’m a big boy nowI’m going away and I sold my cow
But before I leave, I must confessI need a round of decompressOne more time for all the good timesRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
Rim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi Digi
Gonna miss you all, but mostly the catGonna miss my hay, gonna miss my bedMost of all I’m gonna miss the danceSo come on ya’ll, let us prance
Rim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi Digi
Don’t call, don’t writeI’m leaving with the first lightDon’t cry, but danceRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
There’s no going backMy presence fades to blackThere’s no going backMy anxiety attacksRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
Rim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi Digi
I hope I find, peace in the noiseWanna become one of the city boysThey’re all so pretty and so advancedMaybe they also know our dance
Rim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi DigiRim Tim Tagi Digi
Bye mom, bye dadMeow cat, please meow backDon’t cry, just danceRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
There’s no going backMy presence fades to blackThere’s no going backMy anxiety attacksRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
There’s no going backMy presence fades to blackThere’s no going backMy anxiety attacksRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim
There’s no going backMy presence fades to blackThere’s no going backMy anxiety attacksRim Tim Tagi Digi Rim Tim Tim

Music Monday: You're gonna go far, kid.

So, full disclosure...I was reminded that I was once punk-adjacent and loved The Offspring when I heard this song in a video game advert. But I couldn't help thinking of the characters in my current WIP, the collaboration with my brother, and all of the fighting that is to come in the latter parts of their story. I mean, what's a good story without a boss mob to take down?

Yeah, that's back to the video game. Fair enough. But if you just need a good song with a pounding beat and some fairly dodgy and yet still awesome lyrics that you can almost belt out in the car or at the gym, The Offspring is a good bet. Works double for authors, you see - our characters can beat up on the bad guy while we beat up the keyboard writing those scenes. Win, win. What are your favorite songs to get ramped up and ready for (literary only) destruction?

Or maybe you're just staring down a new nano month and you need some motivation? I got you. GET IN! (Lyrics are in captions, and it's a bit NSFW in places but hey, that's the punk-adjacent way, man.)

Music Monday: From the Other Side of the World

I may have posted this song as a Music Monday before, but I was just reminded of it the other day, so here's a Music...Tuesday? When Simon and I were first...dating? Emailing? Whatever, he did what any good GenX man would do and made me a mix...tape/CD/playlist of songs by British artists that I needed to hear. They were all marvelous but one of them will forever make me think of walking through the Atlanta airport on my way to visit him for the first time. All I need to hear is the sound of the dogs barking at the very beginning and I'm right back there, about to fly internationally for the first time to visit this Yorkshire lad who was so very important to me. "I blow you a kiss, it should reach you tomorrow, as it flies from the other side of the world..." Enjoy.

Fugitive Motelby Elbow
Lost in a lullabySide of the roadMelt in a memorySlide in a solitude
Not 'til I can read by the moonAm I going anywhereNot 'til I can read by the moon
I blow you a kissIt should reach you tomorrowAs it flies from the other side of the world
From my room in my fugitive motelSomewhere in the dust bowlYeah it flies from the other side of the world
I'm tired, I saidYou always look tired, she said
I'm admired, I saidYou always look tired, she said
Not 'til I can read by the moonI'm not going anywhereNot 'til I can read by the moon
I blow you a kissIt should reach you tomorrowAs it flies from the other side of the world
From my room in my fugitive motelSomewhere in the dust bowlSomewhere in the dust bowlIt flies from the other side of the world
The curtains stay closedBut everyone knowsYou hear through the walls in this placeCigarette holes for every lost soulTo give up the ghost in this place
Give me strengthGive me wingsGive me strengthGive me wings
I blow you a kissIt should reach you tomorrowReach you tomorrowIt flies from the other side of the world
From my room in my fugitive motelSomewhere in the dust bowlSomewhere in the dust bowl
It flies from the other side of the worldThe other side of the worldThe other side of the world

Music Monday - I Walk The Line [Lyrics]

So today continues the tradition, apparently of the remnants of cancer treatment keeping me from remembering to do a Music Monday. At least I remembered while it was still Monday...
Today's choice is a song I came across by accident while looking up a song from a commercial. I have long been a fan of Halsey but hadn't realised she did this cover of the Johnny Cash classic, I Walk the Line. Once again, the MC from my current WIP popped her head out of the ether and mentioned that this song would be a good choice when she is contemplating the pull toward her wicked past... including a glass of wine and a picture window overlooking a rainy night in Atlanta. Well...if that doesn't scream ADD ME TO THE PLAYLIST I don't know what does. Enjoy - lyrics in the video. 

Music Monday: The Air I Breathe

Miss me last week? What I am not so lovingly calling The She Hulking (radiation) has come to an end and I can sort of think straight. This song spoke to me about many of my MCs and the found family vibes that permeate my writing. Enjoy. 

Music Monday: Well, hiya, Lark. Long time no see...

So I'm working on a writing project with one of my (adopted) older brothers and it has stalled out for me, probably because of all that's on my agenda these days that isn't writing related. And when I can't hear from the character I'm writing, Lark, he tells me to just listen - put on some music she likes and listen. 

Those of you that are plotters rather than pantsers can just look away now.

This song is one of her favorites and speaks to a lot of the plot and her as a character that I can't talk about yet. But it works, every time. Enjoy. 

Music Monday: Calling All Friends...?

It's been a week, y'all, and it's only Monday morning! Here's my list of wants and needs for now - how about you? Just hang on, it will be Tuesday soon, I hope. 

 

Music Monday: Are you strong enough?

As I said last week, I ran across a song that blends two of the most perfect female voices in modern music, Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow. This is that song. 

One thing that I do every time I start on a new story is to find my characters through music, hence the Music Monday section of this blog. When my writing partner and I first embarked on telling Connor and Lark's story, I set up a playlist called Connor and Lark that was basically the music I listened to while writing. But that was really MY playlist, and didn't help me get to know Lark at all. So I made a playlist for her with samplings of music I think she would have listened to over her very long life (200+ years...she's a vampire, y'all), trying to imagine what these songs would mean to her.

As soon as I heard this one I added it. Enjoy.

Strong Enoughby Sheryl Crow
God, I feel like hell tonightTears of rage I cannot lieI'd be the last to help you understandAre you strong enough to be my man?My man
Nothing's true and nothing's rightSo let me be alone tonight'Cause you can't change the way I amAre you strong enough to be my man?
Lie to meI promise I'll believeLie to meBut please don't leaveDon't leave
I have a face I cannot showI make the rules up as I goJust try and love me if you canAre you strong enough to be my man?My man
to be my man?(Are you strong enough) to be my man?(Are you strong enough) my manWhen I've shown you that I just don't careWhen I'm throwing punches in the airWhen I'm broken down and I can't standWould you be man enough to be my man?
Lie to meI promise I'll believeLie to meBut please, don't leave

Music Monday: In the crystalline knowledge of the Baskervilles

[So, I am very sorry that this video doesn't have Mama Stevie actually on the screen singing, but I wanted to find one that included the lyrics so here we are.]

I heard a Sheryl Crow song this past weekend that was being performed live in a duet with Stevie Nicks and I just stopped what I was doing to listen. Love her or hate her, think she was better in Fleetwood Mac than solo, it is my humble and often correct opinion that Stevie Nicks is an American treasure as far as music goes...and that made me think of the soundtrack to the movie, Practical Magic, which has some of her best work on it.

(It didn't hurt that I have been thinking a lot about my novel Strid, which I've always said is kind of Practical Magic meets Clash of the Titans.)

So please enjoy this, the first of several songs that always make my summer playlist as well as remind me of Lucy and Annie Boyd...I think that they need another mystery to solve, eh?

May 2024 Newsletter

It's gonna be...May. I really couldn't help myself with that...as I write this, it's the end of April, so I'm not wrong.

Moving on! I hit my target in that Camp NaNoWriMo project about a week ago, and the cringe won out - it's going back to the deep freeze of my Google Drive.

But a new month leaves me looking forward to summer and fandom con appearances so that soothes the sting of how truly BAD that manuscript was. Mercy. You're welcome for me not springing that on the world!

Since there was no author event at GARF this year, my next outing will be Mountain Hounds at the end of May. I will have copies of Proud Racer: An American Greyhound in Yorkshire, The Complete Clobberpaws (and maybe a few of the individual volumes), The Complete Proud Racer, and Strid (since it has hounds in it) to sell and sign. I can't wait to get back to those mountains...that's my happy place.

What are your summer plans? Any fun vacations? I'd love to hear about them since I'm living vicariously these days. But I have a vampire novel I'm collaborating on and another Camp Nano in July, so I have plenty to keep me busy.

Thanks again for all the support, y'all. It really means the world to me. Now, the next novel in the Guardians of Orana series...

A NEW HERO FACES A FORGOTTEN DANGER.

Created with the help of a meddling goddess, she is the daughter of the Nature Walker and the Rajah of Qatu’anari. Meet Kazhka Clawsharp, Rajahk’mere of the Qatu and apprentice druid of Aynamaede. But what is her true purpose, beyond palace politics and Guardian diplomacy? Why did Sephine, the All-Mother Goddess, step in to assure her birth?

Dark forces, biding time in the shadows, have chosen this time to seek revenge against Qa Sathlir - is his daughter the key to saving him and Qatu'anari from a forgotten enemy seeking to finish the plot that was begun against Sath's father? Welcome the newest hero to Orana in this next novel in the Guardians of Orana series. Pre-orders open soon! Watch this space for more info.

Music Monday: Skid Row

It isn't that unusual for me to post musical theatre numbers for Music Monday. But this one is extra cool because I got the chance to see my niece in her high school production of this show yesterday and I was just stupidly proud. Since she was a member of the ensemble, here's one number she was in (followed by a photo of the same number from yesterday that I got from the audience because let's face it...I am THAT AUNTSIE.) Lyrics are on the video.

Music Monday: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

No, I'm not going to quote the Scottish play. But I am going to recommend a singer that I'd never heard before tonight, as I was watching a rerun of a Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode that had this song in one of the scenes. I closed my eyes while I was listening and the voice of one of my MCs that has been ignoring me lately (I'm spending this Camp Nano session on something other than her) came through in the music. It's lovely, and I'm going to listen to more of Madi Diaz's work thanks to this one.

Tomorrowby Madi Diaz
So loudThe sound of my blood is rushingToo highI'm making myself keep climbingYou keep calling, you keep callingYou keep calling, so I'll turn aroundStill aching, you keep shakingBut I don't hear you nowOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrowOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrowTomorrow, tomorrow, ohSlow downI'm miles away from crashingIt's all over nowI still see your green eyes flashingYou keep calling, you keep callingYou keep calling, so I'll turn aroundStill aching, you keep shakingBut I don't hear you nowOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrowOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrowOoh, I'm over this feelingOoh, I gotta believe itOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrowOoh, never look back, never look backOoh, never look back, never look backTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, ohTomorrow, tomorrow, oh

Music Monday: Road Trips, Camp Friends, and Philosophy Of Loss

[From a post on the Book of Faces] I want to tell you about my good friend Brina. She was able to get some tickets to see the Indigo Girls last night at App State and had a plan to have former camp folk come up to share what is absolutely a core memory for those of us in the Bob Lanford/Jimmy Moor/Bob Cagle eras of Camp Glisson.

Sadly, as is the case when you try to get as many of us as you can together - even those who live fairly close to each other, life gets in the way. But a few of us battled rain and snow to get there and as always, Amy and Emily did not disappoint. 

I needed to be with those people and hear that music. I needed to laugh at a memory of Robby shrieking at the line, "are you on fire?" in the middle of Kid Fears. I needed to get big, happy tears in my eyes as Brina and I sang along to The Wood Song. I needed to be overly amazed with Malinda's gracious and wonderful son Harper, whom I hadn't met other than in Facebook photos. And I needed a non-camp friend like Amanda to go along because sometimes I'm not at back to normal as I think I am AND she loves the Indigo Girls with a Glisson-adjacent fervor. 

All of us Glisson alums have busy, vibrant lives...and yet, we can come together in a moment and I'm 18 again and standing outside the Chapel, hearing that bell ring.  Then, we depart to serve until the next time. 

To quote the Girls..."Thanks, y'all."

March/April 2024 Newsletter

This is where April is going.

Seriously, where did March go?

Actually, I have a theory - my loss of a month has to do with a slight setback and recalibration of my treatment schedule, but I'm back on track now and in the throes of another Camp NanoWrimo session (as I am every April and June). Please click on the link above to check on my progress. Since Camp months aren't as strict (in my mind, I'm so not a Nano Rebel), I'm working on a first pass editing of something I wrote back in 2013, complete with loads of cringe and WHAT WAS I THINKING as I go along. You may see that eventually as a YA offering, or I may send it slithering back to the dark corners of the hard drive at the end of the month. Uncertain.

My bookish schedule has become a bit more certain, so let me give you an update after I say thank you to everyone involved in ConPossible. I cannot wait to be back in person next year, and my sherpas (who are AMAZING HUMANS at the best of times) showed up and showed out. I'm just so grateful, and to all of you that stopped by the table to ask when the sequel to Strid is coming out, that will be officially in progress this time next year (I need a research trip back to the other home, Yorkshire, to get it really moving!).

2024 Schedule:

Confirmed: 

Mountain Hounds, Gatlinburg, TN, 1 June 2024. The event runs that whole weekend, but the vending area will be open on Saturday only. I used to attend this event with my greyhounds and the folks are so nice! I can't wait to introduce them to Clobberpaws (the book, not Bryn... sadly, she's a little too old for that kind of shindig these days).

ConGregate 10, Winston-Salem, NC, 12-14 July 2024. I am so thrilled to get accepted back to this event! There is a little bit for everyone there and I will be a panelist/author guest as well as have a table in the vending area so come see me! I will have copies of Hero, the latest in the Orana Chronicles/Guardians of Orana series.

Upstate Renaissance Festival, Greer, SC, 6-7 September 2024. This will be a return to a familiar faire for me but with a new twist: the author vendors will be in a different area all together this time, from what I understand. Stay tuned for more details. This faire has traditionally been free to the public and is in the most gorgeous downtown city part in Greer, SC. Don't miss it!

Craft Fair, Maryville College Homecoming, Maryville, TN, October 25-27 2024. This is my <loud mumbling noises> reunion year at MC and I can't wait! Come see me and get a book signed!

The Geekery Market, Concord, NC, 9 November 2024. Come get your geeky and nerdy Christmas gifts! Books make fantastic presents, y'all, and they are EASY to wrap. Just sayin.

Thanks, y'all!

Music Monday: Mr. Blue Sky

Yeah, I know it's eclipse day. Well, here in South Carolina, where we won't see the totality, the skies are blue and lovely today. Blue skies on a MONDAY require a little ELO. Enjoy (lyrics in video).

Music Monday: LABOUR (the cacophony)

I know, I've posted this before, but for the one year anniversary of this song being released, the artist took note of everyone that did a cover/lip-sync/other video on TikTok all rolled into one big video to speak to the shared understanding of feminine rage that has heightened since the song's release. I wasn't going to say anything about this new version at first. I was just going to let the video play and let you see the effects of patriarchy, misogyny, and centuries of oppression play out on your screen. But y'all...look at the amazing diversity of faces, self expression, and lives represented in this video. How much more does this hit home with this may voices behind the original? I wish they'd included deaf talent from TikTok on here performing the song in ASL, but when you think about how global this video has become that would have been just more oppression, IMO, to pick one signed language over another. Perhaps a video will be forthcoming in the future with that many Deaf performers from all over the world?

Anyway...I can't listen without getting goosebumps as well as very angry at the truth presented here. Lyrics included at the bottom.

labour (the cacophony)

by Paris Paloma

All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid

Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant

Just an appendage, live to attend him

So that he never lifts a finger

24/7 baby machine

So he can live out his picket fence dreams

It's not an act of love if you make her

You make me do too much labour

[Verse 1]

Why are you hangin' on so tight

To the rope that I'm hangin' from off this island?

This was an escape plan (This was an escape plan), carefully timed it

So let me go and dive into the waves below

[Pre-Chorus]

Who tends the orchards? Who fixes up the gables?

Emotional torture from the head of your high table

Who fetches the water from the rocky mountain spring?

And walk back down again to feel your words and their sharp sting?

And I'm gettin' fucking tired

[Chorus]

The capillaries in my eyes are bursting

If our love died, would that be the worst thing?

For somebody I thought was my saviour

You sure make me do a whole lot of labour

The calloused skin on my hands is crackin'

If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?

And the silence haunts our bed chamber

You make me do too much labour

[Verse 2]

Apologies from my tongue, never yours

Busy lapping from flowing cup and stabbing with your fork

I know you're a smart man (I know you're a smart man) and weaponise

The false incompetence, it's dominance under a guise

[Pre-Chorus]

If we had a daughter, I'd watch and could not save her

The emotional torture from the head of your high table

She'd do what you taught her, she'd meet the same cruel fate

So now I've gotta run, so I can undo this mistake

At least I've gotta try

[Chorus]

The capillaries in my eyes are bursting

If our love died, would that be the worst thing?

For somebody I thought was my saviour

You sure make me do a whole lot of labour

The calloused skin on my hands is crackin'

If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?

And the silence haunts our bed chamber

You make me do too much labour

[Bridge]

All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid

Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant

Just an appendage, live to attend him

So that he never lifts a finger

24/7 baby machine

So he can live out his picket fence dreams

It's not an act of love if you make her

You make me do too much labour

All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid

Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant

Just an appendage, live to attend him

So that he never lifts a finger

24/7 baby machine

So he can live out his picket fence dreams

It's not an act of love if you make her

You make me do too much labour

[Chorus]

The capillaries in my eyes are bursting (All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid)

If our love died, would that be the worst thing? (Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant)

For somebody I thought was my saviour (Just an appendage, live to attend him)

You sure make me do a whole lot of labour (So that he never lifts a finger)

The calloused skin on my hands is crackin' (24/7 baby machine)

If our love ends, would that be a bad thing? (So he can live out his picket fence dreams)

And the silence haunts our bed chamber (It's not an act of love if you make her)

You make me do too much labour

Music Monday: Of Living Masterpieces

I will admit to being low-key obsessed and potentially hyper fixated on the latest album from an artist I'd never really heard of before TikTok - Livingston. The lyrics to Last Man Standing have jumped out at me, and I am seeing the MCs for several of my novels through the images this young man creates. The fact that he not only sounds like Imagine Dragons but has recorded a song they gave him? Priceless. Sublime bliss. Enjoy. (lyrics in the video)

Music Monday: Sweet Lark...I mean, Melissa

Yeah, so today's song is speaking to my current #WIP but only in the eyes of the male MC I think. But at the same time, it is a call back to a different version of me at a very different time in my life, when all I had to worry about were my grades at school and remembering the bug spray when I went for a campout or creek hike (those two things have their own songs). Enjoy.

Music Monday: My new low key obsession

If you have been on socials this month I'm sure you have heard Livingston's new single, Shadow, along with others from his new album that dropped yesterday.

Can we take a second to acknowledge that I am clearly morphing into a teenager here in my self imposed exile while in treatment for cancer? Honestly.

Anyway! I heard that first verse in a TikTok and I haven't been able to get Taeben and the novellas I'd planned to write IN A FEW YEARS out of my head, so here we are. It's also a...bop? It slaps? I don't know. It's an earworm and I'm not mad at it. There. Enjoy.

Music Monday: I've Found Mine

So I survived the last minute surgery and then some. I'm back to progressing fairly normally, though there has been a bit of a shift in the timeline...an I'm not even mad at it, as the kids say. I've been told that I have a positive outlook and if I do, it's because of my tribe. My found family. My people. It's taken me 50+ years, but I have a group carefully cultivated that lifts me up and keeps me moving forward. Negativity? Nope. Criticism? Can't use it. Things I need to hear said with all love? This is what I have been looking for my whole life and what I have now, and I can only hope that you can find them too. Is it any wonder so many of my books have such strong found family vibes? Write what you know, they say. Write what you know.

Music Monday: Still Unwritten

This has been a weird couple of days, culminating in Music Monday almost being forgotten. Last Thursday I went to my appointment with "plastics" (as my oncologist calls the reconstruction doctor), expecting to have made progress that would not only move me forward in the journey but also allow me to sleep in the bed again for the first time in a month.

Instead, I was booked in for last minute surgery on Friday at 2pm - which meant I was WAY HANGRY by the time we got to that point. But I think now I'm back on the road to healing and ready to get back to writing. I need to write so badly it itches. That's why this song speaks to me this week. I'm still looking out that dirty window, but I'm getting ready to let the sun illuminate the words I can't find. Enjoy. (Lyrics in the video.)

Music Monday: Willow, hold the Pickle.

 This week's Music Monday has a dual meaning. I first heard it and thought of the project I'm working on with an author friend of mine. Some of the lines make me think of the two MCs and their relationship. But also, this has been a rough time lately for our youngest dog, Willow-Pickle. So...here we are with Taylor Swift. The video has captions and is absolutely charming and worth a watch. Enjoy.

Music Monday: Not See Ya Later, Goodbye.

I would love to say that this song is just research because I'm so bad at writing crime fiction, but really it's just very catchy and makes me laugh every time I hear it. I need that kind of laugh on a Monday, don't you? Enjoy...the lyrics are in the video.

 
50 Ways to Say Goodbyeby Train

February 2024 Newsletter

Kaylee Frye looks at fifty...two.

How is it February already? I will tell you: we've escaped from the 357,899 days of January, that's how.

If you remember from my previous newletters, I have been in treatment for breast cancer since last July, and I think I am finally in the homestretch. Part of that awfully long January was surgery, and while it is imparining my ability to sit and write for a long time, I can do short bursts. Most of that time is spent editing the next Guardians novel and working on that project I can't talk about yet with my friend and co-author, Tony Daniel (Return to Sender: From the Files of Pyramid Investigations).

My appearance schedule is turning out to be a bit more sparse than last year which makes me sad. One of the things I love about conventions and shows is the chance to talk books with other authors and readers - I genuinely want to know what kind of books you like to read. I've even found some recommendations for my TBR pile at some of these events. So far, I have three events on my calendar (I'm still waiting for a response from ConCarolinas and ConGregate 10) and one of them is coming up this month.

The twist is that I won't be there in person - I'm not cleared to drive yet, so my fantastic sherpas Angel and Melissa will be holding down the fort at CONPossible in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, 16-18 February. This event, formerly known as the Atlanta Steampunk Expo, is fantastic and the folks that put it on are just wonderful. I'm sorry that I won't be there in person but please stop in if you're local and looking for a fun weekend event...Melissa and Angel will have signed copies of my books for sale as well as bookmarks - my campaign against dog-eared pages in books continues!

I think that's all for now. I hope that I will have a better picture of my event schedule next month, and will be that much closer to the next Guardian novel's release date in May. As always, I could not do any of this without you, and I appreciate your support more than you know. Ta, y'all!

Music Monday: Of Moons and Bouncing

 I'm back from hiatus/surgery! Thanks again to my two guest hosts, Tony and Shannon, for those amazing posts/song recommendations. Y'all rock. These two weeks have flown by without a lot of writing time, sadly, so no real inspiration to share, there. However...

I know that I have used "Little Hercules" by Craig Carothers for a Music Monday before, and it was through that song that I found this one. This song to me is nights in the North Georgia mountains, working at summer camp, the smell of campfires and my deliciously talented friends with guitars and listening to it is like a warm hug. Enjoy.

Bounce It Off the Moonby Craig Carothers
I always come out here at nightWhen I can't think inside my roomAnd everything will be all rightAfter I bounce it off the moon
I tried to tell you on my ownBut every time it falls to ruinBecause I'm no good at this aloneI have to bounce it off the moon
I look for the wordsThat tell you I love youWith no moon above youbut they won't come
So I sit quiet in the darkI count the shadows in my roomAnd I will memorize my chordsAfter I bounce it off the moon
Tonight the sky is cold and blackYou need to know that love is trueI wish I were just holding backAnd not depending on the moon
I dream of the dayWhen I'll win you overBut over and overNo, it won't come
So I sit quiet in the darkI know that change is coming soonI find the language of the heartAfter I bounce it off the moon

Guest Post/Music Monday: Shannon Bridwell (poet and novelist)

Photo courtesy Redhouse Photography

[This week's guest host for Music Monday is a friend of mine who is a writer, a teacher, a phenomenal dancer, and shares my love for all things canine and D&D. Shannon is a jack of all trades and a master of most anything if she puts her mind to it.]

Hello everyone! My name is Shannon. When my friend Nancy asked me if I wanted to do a guest post for Music Monday I jumped at the chance. Music is poetry set to words and has the power to move people in incredible ways, from the goofy nonsensical songs that bring a smile to the deep, powerful songs that touch the soul. As a dancer, music is an integral part of my art and my life. When Nancy asked, I had one immediate song pop into my head. The past few years have been incredibly difficult for many of us and whenever the struggles and burdens got too heavy, I would remind myself that “we can get better, because we’re not dead yet.”.  It’s a simple phrase, but it means so much more. We can get better and heal our minds, bodies, and souls. We can get better and improve ourselves. We can get better and forge a new path and take chances. Life is filled with darkness, and we can get better and reach for the light. So, I leave you with a song that touches my soul in its simple message. As Frank encourages us, try and get better and don’t ever accept less. We have this one life to live, and we deserve to make it our own stories.  (Lyrics in video.)

Guest Post/Music Monday: Tony Daniel (author of Return to Sender: from the Files of Pyramid Investigations)

photo courtesy Tony Daniel

[Your first guest host is a dear friend and one of my "big brothers," Tony Daniel. We crossed paths plenty, I'm sure, at our alma mater, YHC, but only got to know each other once we figured out we were both writers. Check out his debut novel here.]

When I think about music, I think about the power of the songwriter. Their ability to bring you into their world, their vision, their ability to tell a story. A great song will capture your brain for a moment and just transport you into a place where everything else vanishes for a moment, and you find yourself living in the song, an observer, seeing everything, taking it all in. For me, Nanci Griffith did this with her beautiful song " Love at the Five and Dime." It's a very simple song, nothing fancy or intricate, yet it sends me into a sublime comfort zone of the true art of storytelling. Close your eyes and listen. You can hear the distinct "ping" of the elevator doors in this magical store Griffith sings about, hidden in the rhythms of the song. You can see every detail described in the lyrics. And the blend of voices, hers, and Darius Rucker's, mix perfectly. Enjoy, people... 

Love at the Five and Dimeby Nanci Griffith and ft Darius Rucker
Rita was sixteen years, hazel eyes and chestnut hairShe made the Woolworth counter shineAnd Eddie was a sweet romancer, and a darn good dancerAnd they'd waltz the aisles of the five and dime
And they'd singDance a little closer to me, dance a little closer nowDance a little closer tonightDance a little closer to me, 'cause it's closing timeAnd love's on sale tonight at this five and dime
Eddie played the steel guitarAnd his mama cried 'cause he played in the barsAnd kept young Rita out late at nightSo they married up in Abilene, lost a child in TennesseeStill that love survived
'Cause they'd singDance a little closer to me, dance a little closer nowDance a little closer tonightDance a little closer to me, 'cause it's closing timeAnd love's on sale tonight at this five and dime
One of the boys in Eddie's band took a shine to Rita's handsSo Eddie ran off with the bass man's wifeOh, but he was back by June, singin' a different tuneAnd sportin' miss Rita back by his side
And he sangDance a little closer to me, dance a little closer nowDance a little closer tonightDance a little closer to me, 'cause it's closing timeAnd love's on sale tonight at this five and dime
Eddie traveled with the barroom bands'Til arthritis took his handsNow he sells insurance on the sideRita's got a house to keepDimestore novels and a love so sweetThey dance to the radio late at night
And they singDance a little closer to me, dance a little closer nowDance a little closer tonightDance a little closer to me, 'cause it's closing timeAnd love's on sale tonight at this five and dime
'Cause Rita was sixteen years, with hazel eyes and chestnut hairShe really made the Woolworth counter shineEddie was a sweet romancer, and a darn good dancerAnd they'd waltz the aisles of the five and dimeAnd they'd waltz the aisles of the five and dimeAnd they'd waltz the aisles of the five and dime

My 2023 was a blur...

From one Annus Horribilis into another...?

So as I was looking for something in my blog, I came across my New Year's Eve wrap up from 2010 and I thought I'd just share this bit before launching into the same for today:

June wasn't hot, but it wasn't freezing anymore either, which was quite nice. I'm going to include July here as well, because there was one event that absolutely stole focus for all of us for the entire month. I found a lump in one of my breasts. I survived having what turned out to be a cyst drained, as well as a needle-core biopsy (google that if you want to be scared out of your mind) that showed absolutely nothing. Mind you, I'd planned my funeral in the six weeks from finding the pitch invader to the results of the biopsy, and I've never been so glad to hear a doctor say he recommended that I not come back to him again.

Yeah, so I think that was the bit of tissue that became Eugene, my breast cancer tumor. I have the gene mutation that won't stop cells from growing out of control, which is how Eugene came to be. But I think it is interesting that I thought THAT was awful. I've done so much more awful since then. 

So, January - June were pretty much status quo around here. I sold books and met wonderful people at the Atlanta Steampunk Expo and the Georgia Renaissance Festival and put in applications/made plans for many other events in the months to follow.

In June, I decided to be a grown up and finally get signed on with a new GYN since my insurance had changed who was in my providers list and I'd passed the 50 years old mark. I also attended ConCarolinas for the fourth time including the virtual weirdness that was 2020.

In July, I was diagnosed with Stage III-B breast cancer that had not spread beyond the tumor itself and some lymph nodes just behind it. I named it Eugene and started a long line of medical appointments as well as attended ConGregate 9 - which was far and away more fun. I started chemo on 31 July.

In August I continued chemo, started awful shots that jacked up my immune system, and waved goodbye to my hair. I will say, though, that experience wasn't as bad as others have experienced and I was expecting...but I'm glad it's over. 

In September, I continued chemo and changed from The Red Devil cocktail every two weeks to a lighter weight poison called Taxol that was administered weekly. I waved a one-fingered salute at those immune system shots with the switch. I also attended the Upstate Renaissance Faire as a vendor for the first time, since the 2022 faire was a monsoon and my tent tried to pull a Poppins so we had to pack up and head home. I met some really great folks and sold more books than I had at any event to date so...good times, if not a little hot.

In October, I continued chemo and attended Multiverse for the first time with two magnificent human sherpas and one canine salesman extraordinaire. A new show is always nerve wracking, and after a rough start (I showed up THIRTY MINUTES late for a panel that I was on...), it was an amazing time.

In November, I attended the Geekery Market in Concord, NC, for the first time. That one was so much fun - again with two amazing sherpas to help me - and I am so excited for the next one. I should have been selling/signing/meeting/greeting at CRF again, but that event has changed to something that doesn't work for out-of-town authors. I also continued chemo and got to have it ON MY BIRTHDAY, but that wasn't so bad - does everyone have an oncologist who lip-syncs to Stevie Wonder and dances in the middle of the infusion suite? No? 

In December, I finished chemo and rang the life out of that bell...for me and for our Ciaragh, who lost her fight with lymphoma. I celebrated Christmas, sort of, and watched SO MUCH AMERICAN FOOTBALL. 

So... what's next? Surgery in late January, possible radiation in February, and hopefully the grand return of my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Then the reconstruction process continues, per "plastics" as the cancer center calls my reconstruction surgeon, in late summer/early fall and I am DONE. Dunne and Done. I promise there won't be too many posts like this because it's all kinds of TMI but fingers crossed that a year from now I have loads more fun stuff to report!

Music Monday: Starting as I mean to go on...

First Music Monday, just a week late! This song fell into my lap, as many by Florence + the Machine do, and immediately spoke to me in the voice of a character in my current WIP who has been irritatingly silent up to now. This is a very personal song that takes a Bible story and turns it upside down with Delilah betrayed by Samson this time. Perfect, since my MC has a relationship from her past that mimics that gender-bent retelling...and y'all do not KNOW how hard I'm avoiding spoilers here! Enjoy...it comes complete with the angelic voice of Florence Welch.

Delilah

by Florence Leontine Mary Welch, Isabella Janet Florentina Summers

Drifting through the halls with the sunrise

(Holding on for your call)

Climbing up the walls for that flashing light

(I can never let go)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Holding on for your call)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Maybe not tonight)

Now the sun is up and I'm going blind

(Holding on for your call)

Another drink just to pass the time

(I can never say no)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Holding on for your call)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Maybe not tonight)

It's a different kind of danger

And the bells are ringing out

And I'm calling for my mother

As I pull the pillars down

It's a different kind of danger

And my feet are spinning around

Never knew I was a dancer

'Til Delilah showed me how

Too fast for freedom

Sometimes it all falls down

These chains never leave me

I keep dragging them around

Now I'm dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine

(Holding on for your call)

A different kind of danger in the daylight

(I can never let go)

Took anything to cut you, I can find

(Holding on for your call)

A different kind of a danger in the daylight

(Can't you let me know?)

Now it's one more boy and it's one more lie

(Holding on for your call)

Taking the pills just to pass the time

(I can never say no)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Holding on for your call)

'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine

(Maybe not tonight)

It's a different kind of danger

And the bells are ringing out

And I'm calling for my mother

As I pull the pillars down

It's a different kind of danger

And my feet are spinning around

Never knew I was a dancer

'Til Delilah showed me how

Now I'm dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine

(Holding on for your call)

A different kind of danger in the daylight

(I can never let go)

Took anything to cut you, I can find

(Holding on for your call)

A different kind of a danger in the daylight

(Can't you let me know?)

Strung up, strung out for your love

Hang in, hung up, it's so rough

I'm wrung and ringing out

Why can't you let me know?

Strung up, strung out for your love

Hang in, hung up, it's so rough

I'm wrung and ringing out

Why can't you let me know?

It's a different kind of danger

And the bells are ringing out

And I'm calling for my mother

As I pull the pillars down

It's a different kind of danger

And my feet are spinning around

Never knew I was a dancer

'Til Delilah showed me how

It's a different kind of danger

And the bells are ringing out

And I'm calling for my mother

As I pull the pillars down

It's a different kind of danger

And my feet are spinning around

Never knew I was a dancer

'Til Delilah showed me how

Too fast for freedom

Sometimes it all falls down

These chains never leave me

I keep dragging them around

Too fast for freedom

Sometimes it all falls down

These chains never leave me

I keep dragging them around

January 2024 Newsletter

Here we are at the start of a New Year, and my one resolution is to do better at this newsletter thing. Let's begin with a bit of a catch-up, shall we?

The second half of last year was filled with medial issues that I'm pleased to say are about 85% behind me...at least for now. There are two-three more hurdles to clear and I should be back to my normal level of chaos...and I am looking forward to that!

I'm still working on final edits on Hero, struggling through writing on the collab (that I still can't talk too much about), and re-discovering two YA novels that I found buried in my Nanowrimo folder. More on those later - I'd like to have them out by the end of 2024 but I'd also like to be able to fly and to speak all the languages and...and...and...

Old Lady Kaylee Frye sells books
at ConCarolinas

On to appearances/shows/signings in 2024: Those last hurdles I mentioned will keep me from being at ConPossible in February, but I have lined up two trusty sherpas to man my table with signed copies of my books. This is the Con formerly known as the Atlanta Steampunk Expo and I'm just gutted not to be able to be there this time - these folks are so nice and so welcoming!

Hopefully I will be able to attend the Dahlonega Literary Festival in March, but there will be more on that as January and February roll along. This will be a new event for me, so fingers crossed there.

I'm still discussing logistics with the Georgia Renaissance Festival for an author event there, so watch this space for more information. I'm hoping it will be scheduled before Georgia turns into the surface of the sun, but I grew up there so I know it could be hot there right now. 

Once I have heard from more events and shows I will add to this list. I'm hoping for a return to ConCarolinas and ConGregate. Again, watch this space.

Finally, I could not do any of this without you, especially now, and I so appreciate all of your support. Remember, if you want to help an author, one of the best ways is to leave a review - it helps other folks find my work and it gives me very important feedback that can only make future novels better.

Thanks y'all! Happy New Year!