Music Monday: The Power of Kate Bush

 If you watch Stranger Things, then you know why I titled this post what I did. If you don't, and you are somehow not familiar with Kate Bush, you need to rectify that, soon.

Running Up that Hillby Kate Bush
"If I only could, I'd be running up that hill.If I only could, I'd be running up that hill."
It doesn't hurt me.Do you want to feel how it feels?Do you want to know that it doesn't hurt me?Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making?You, it's you and me.
And if I only could,I'd make a deal with God,And I'd get him to swap our places,Be running up that road,Be running up that hill,Be running up that building.If I only could, oh...
You don't want to hurt me,But see how deep the bullet lies.Unaware I'm tearing you asunder.Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.
Is there so much hate for the ones we love?Tell me, we both matter, don't we?You, it's you and me.It's you and me won't be unhappy.
And if I only could,I'd make a deal with God,And I'd get him to swap our places,Be running up that road,Be running up that hill,Be running up that building,Say, if I only could, oh...
You,It's you and me,It's you and me won't be unhappy.
"C'mon, baby, c'mon darling,Let me steal this moment from you now.C'mon, angel, c'mon, c'mon, darling,Let's exchange the experience, oh..."
And if I only could,I'd make a deal with God,And I'd get him to swap our places,Be running up that road,Be running up that hill,With no problems.
And if I only could,I'd make a deal with God,And I'd get him to swap our places,Be running up that road,Be running up that hill,With no problems.
And if I only could,I'd make a deal with God,And I'd get him to swap our places,Be running up that road,Be running up that hill,With no problems.
If I only couldBe running up that hillWith no problems...
"If I only could, I'd be running up that hill.If I only could, I'd be running up that hill."

Upcoming Event: ConCarolinas 2022

In Author's Alley, ConCarolinas '21

So, this weekend is ConCarolinas in Charlotte, and while I'm a bit disappointed to not be invited to be in Author's Alley, I'm hoping for a timeslot at the Featured Author table and I will be speaking (or dying of impostor syndrome, one or the other) on four panels throughout the con weekend and one of them is about Star Trek. 

Y'all, I'm trying not to lose my EVER LOVING MIND because... Star Trek. I think we can all agree that one will be a full on struggle between what I know (having watched ST all my life) and impostor syndrome. It should at least be entertaining, right?

I will also have copies of Red with me for either the Featured Author table or to sell out of my hotel room (I'm just kidding.) (Maybe.), so come find me and grab a signed copy. I'm not bringing all of my stock this time since I'm not going to be set up for the weekend, so it will probably just be Red and Strid.

Come see me! Have Geeky Fun! Do all the things! And if you see an aging Kaylee from Firefly cosplayer hiding in doorways, just point me in the direction of the lifts and mind ya bidness. Shiny.

Music Monday: Stefania

Posted without commentary...except for Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava! English lyrics in the video. 

Music Monday: Cuckoo

 Y'all. I love Rising Appalachia...but this song is just AMAZING. I can't even put into words yet why it strikes me so, but I can tell you that this song speaks in the voice of one of the MCs and I am obsessed.  Enjoy, won't you?

[Chorus]Oh, the cuckooShe’s a pretty birdAnd she warbles as she fliesAnd she neverHollers 'cuckoo''Til the fourth day of July
[Verse 1]Jack of diamondsJack of diamondsI know you from oldYou’ve robbed my poor pocketsOf my silver and gold
[Verse 2]Gonna build meA log cabinOn a mountain so highSo I canSee WhitlockAs he passes by
Oh, the cuckooShe’s a pretty birdHow I wish she was mineShe never drinks whiskeyShe only drinks wine
[Chorus]Oh, the cuckooShe’s a pretty birdAnd she warbles as she fliesShe neverHollers 'cuckoo''Til the fourth day of July
Mmm-hmmUh-huhMmm...Mmm-hmmUh-huhMmm...

Music Monday: T minus 7 days and counting...

...until I'm officially on my summer break from the DayJob™. 

One Camp Nano is in the books and there is another coming up in a month and a half. There is one more appearance for us at the Georgia Renaissance Festival for Bryn's Rennie Retirement Weekend (more on that over on Our Daily Bryn). ConCarolinas is the first of June and ConGregate is in July. I'm feeling like I'm going to be gone a lot this summer, but it is mostly doing book stuff so that's always good. I was reminded of this song by a blog post and it figured in prominently in my recent nano, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy.

Gone, Gone, Gone

by Phil Philips

When life leaves you high and dry

I'll be at your door tonight

If you need help, if you need help

I'll shut down the city lights

I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg, and bribe

To make you well, to make you well

When enemies are at your door

I'll carry you away from war

If you need help, if you need help

Your hope dangling by a string

I'll share in your suffering

To make you well, to make you well

Give me reasons to believe

That you would do the same for me

And I would do it for you, for you

Baby, I'm not moving on

I'll love you long after you're gone

For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long after you're gone

And long after you're gone, gone, gone

When you fall like a statue

I'm gon' be there to catch you

Put you on your feet, you on your feet

And if your well is empty

Not a thing will prevent me

Tell me what you need

What do you need?

I surrender honestly

You've always done the same for me

So, I would do it for you, for you

Baby, I'm not movin' on

I'll love you long after you're gone

For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long after you're gone

And long after you're gone, gone, gone

You're my backbone

You're my cornerstone

You're my crutch when my legs stop moving

You're my headstart

You're my rugged heart

You're the pulse that I've always needed

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, my heart never stops beating

For you, for you

Baby, I'm not moving on

I'll love you long after you're gone

For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long after you're gone

For you, for you

Baby, I'm not movin' on

I'll love you long after you're gone

For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long, long after you're gone

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you

And long after you're gone, gone, gone

I'll love you long after you're gone, gone, gone

Music Monday: On Leaving my Nano World...for now...

I added this song to my Camp Nanowrimo First Round for 2022 Playlist (I promise that's not the name of it) just on whim because I liked the music. But this song has a lot of the same themes as that WIP and I remember sitting up one night working on a scene where my MC meets his daughter - of course, he doesn't know that yet...and neither do you, dang it, SPOILERS! Anyway, it just fit the scene so well that at one point I was sitting in my bed with my eyes closed listening and typing. More on that MC and that story later. For now, enjoy a little Shinedown.

Unity

by Shinedown

I found a note with your name
And a picture of us
Even though it was framed
And covered in dust
It's the map in my mind that sends me on my way

They say it's never too late
To stop being afraid
And there is no one else here
So why should I wait?

And in the blink of an eye the past begins to fade

So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair?
And your moment of truth
Is the day that you say "I'm not scared"

Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I've been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
'Cause I'm not gonna leave you behind

If I told you that you're not alone
And I show you this is where you belong

Put your hands in the air
One more time

I've seen a million miles
Met a million faces
Took all I knew
To reach all these places
And I'd do it again
If it brings me back to you

So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair?
And your moment of truth
Is the day that you say "I'm not scared"

Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I've been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
'Cause I'm not gonna leave you behind

If I told you that you're not alone
And I show you this is where you belong
Put your hands in the air
One more time

Put your hands in the air

Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I've been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
'Cause I'm not gonna leave you behind

If I told you that you're not alone
And I show you this is where you belong
Put your hands in the air
One more time
Put your hands in the air
One more time

Music Monday: Ray of Light at the End of the Tunnel

How has Camp Nano flown by so quickly? I mean, there is still another one in July and Nano proper in November, but the gap between the end of November till the first of April seems so long. But we're not quite done yet...and if you think you know what I'm writing about this month, today's song should just flummox you a bit. Enjoy...and get up and dance, won't ya?

Ray of Light

by Madonna

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder

Do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun?

She's got herself a universe gone quickly

For the call of thunder threatens everyone

And I feel like I just got home

And I feel

And I feel like I just got home

And I feel

Faster than the speeding light she's flying

Trying to remember where it all began

She's got herself a little piece of Heaven

Waiting for the time when Earth shall be as one

And I feel like I just got home

And I feel

And I feel like I just got home

And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light

Quicker than a ray of light

Quicker than a ray of light

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder

Do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun?

She's got herself a universe gone quickly

For the call of thunder threatens everyone

And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light

Then gone for

Someone else will be there

Through the endless years

She's got herself a universe

She's got herself a universe

She's got herself a universe

And I feel

And I feel

And I feel like I just got home

And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light she's flying

Quicker than a ray of light I'm flying

Music Monday: And so Camp Nano Goes...

I have loved Billy Joel for a long time. Most of my life, in fact. My father told me when I was little that "She's Got A Way" was on the radio in the car when he was on his way to the hospital (and got a speeding ticket) because I was about to be born. But this song, "And So It Goes," spoke to me so strongly as I just listened to it, as though my MC was whispering in my ear WHO HE IS and...just, oof. So, that happened. Enjoy.

And So It Goes

by Billy Joel

In every heart there is a room

A sanctuary safe and strong

To heal the wounds from lovers past

Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones

You answered me with no pretense

And still I feel I said too much

My silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose

It seems I only felt the thorns

And so it goes, and so it goes

And so will you, soon, I suppose

But if my silence made you leave

Then that would be my worst mistake

So I will share this room with you

And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed

It's just as well for all I've seen

And so it goes, and so it goes

And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you

That's if the choice were mine to make

But you can make decisions too

And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes

And you're the only one who knows

Music Monday: Hey, Tony...

In which I wonder if a story is really just going to be a fairy tale retelling or if it has its own tale to tell...And that's all I'm going to say about that. Camp Nanowrimo Spoilers, Sweetie.

Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)

by Stevie Nicks

Some call her strange lady from the mountains
Well, yes, and others say she's not really real
Like a candle burns bright
And it wants to burn faster
Well, maybe then, at least, she really feels
She really feels

Burning like a candle in the middle
She's lonely, lost, she's disconnected.
She finds no comfort in her surroundings.
Beautiful, insecure, she has nothing.
She moves from situation to situation, like a ghost.
Then she see's him, candle burning.

It's strange, she runs with the ones she can't keep up with
It's so strange, slows down, so desperate to stop her
Meet her in the middle, they both run from the one who hunts them.
They drop to the forest floor, frozen,
They drop to the forest floor, frozen
He loves her, but he loves his life alone as well
But does he know the road or the reasons why

Well, if he leaves her
He'd be losing the chance to stay alive
Well, the candle burns bright
Then the candle dies
Burning from the middle
Like a candle

It's strange, she runs with the ones she can't keep up with
It's so strange, slows down, so desperate to stop her
Meet her in the middle, they both run from the one who hunts them.
They drop to the forest floor, frozen,
They drop to the forest floor, frozen

Strange, she's laid on the floor in silent pain
Strange, she sat in the chair for months just staring
Strange, she knows too much to walk away
Strange, she couldn't do it anyway,
Strange, she's laid on the floor in silent pain
Strange, she sat in the chair for months just staring
Strange, she knows too much to walk away
Strange, she couldn't do it anyway

He slows down, he slows down,
He slows down,
She couldn't do it


She couldn't do it

Music Monday: Early Morning...

This song immediately takes me back to Camp Glisson, where I was first introduced to U2 and fell in love with Bono. But how perfect is this song for today? IYKYK

Pride (In the Name of Love)

by U2

In the name of love

One man come in the name of love

One man, he come and go

One man comes he to justify

One man to overthrow

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

One man come on a barbed wire fence

One man, he resists

One man washed on an empty beach

One man, betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

Early morning, April four

A shot rings out in the Memphis sky

Free at last, they took your life

They could not take your pride

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

In the name of love

What more in the name of love

It's Nano Time...Again...

The eyes have it...

So...This isn't so much a Music Monday, but it's more like a Throwback Thursday...? Yet another Nano month starts tomorrow, and, unlike other Nanos, in the past I'm keeping the details of this WIP close to the chest this time. 

What I can tell you is that it is a departure from what I normally write but not from what I like to read, and I'm really trying to stretch a bit into a genre that terrifies me. 

That's all I can say, well, except that if you know me this shouldn't be a surprise. Like really know me. Like in person. Like well enough to know that is not my real eye color in that photo, but it might be a clue.

Intrigued? Stick around. This is gonna be a dark April... Here's a link to my Camp Nano Playlist if you'd like to follow along and see if you can guess where I'm headed this month. The Music Monday posts might be a clue as well... 

Music Monday: One More Ozzy

So there I am, still singing along with the Prince of Darkness from last week, and this came to mind. I mean what better way to start the week after Spring Break than to SCREAM ABOUT IT?

Let Me Hear You Scream

by Ozzy Osborne

Let me hear you scream!
I'm black and blue, beat up, but still I take the blows;
'Cause all I need is blood and sweat and skin and bones!
I'll take this rage,
Rattle your cage,
Nobody said it's easy!
It's do or die,
Only the strong survive!
Get ready for the last stand!
Get ready, I'm your hangman!
Let me hear you scream like you want it! (Want it!)
Let me hear you yell like you mean it! (Mean it!)
If you're gonna go down
Go loud!
Go strong!
Go proud!
Go on!
Go hard or go home!
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you scream!
(Scream, scream, scream, scream...)
I'll pull you up and push you right
Back in your place!
I'll take you down and wipe that smile
Right off your face!
I'll watch you break,
Your mine to take,
Don't blink; you just might miss it!
It's all or nothing,
Nowhere left to run!
Are you ready for the last fight!?
Get ready with the war cry!
Let me hear you scream like you want it! (Want it!)
Let me hear you yell like you mean it! (Mean it!)
If you're gonna go down:
Go loud!
Go strong!
Go proud!
Go on!
Go hard or go home!
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you scream!
Let me hear you scream like you want it! (Want it!)
Let me hear you yell like you mean it! (Mean it!)
If you're gonna go down:
Go loud!
Go strong!
Go proud!
Go on!
Go hard or go home!
Let me hear you scream like you want it! (Want it!)
Let me hear you yell like you mean it! (Mean it!)
If you're gonna go down:
Go loud!
Go strong!
Go proud!
Go on!
Go hard or go home!
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you
(Let me hear you)
Let me hear you scream!

Music Monday: Well, that was unexpected...

I love a good Ozzy ballad as much as anyone else, and the one on my mind when I sat down to write was Close My Eyes Forever with Lita Ford. But this popped up in a search and I was captivated, as much as early uni Nancy was when she was all about a bad boy from Birmingham. Oh, Ozzy. If only I had your skills with eyeliner...

No More Tears

by Ozzy Osborne

The light in the window is a crack in the sky

A stairway to darkness in the blink of an eye

A levee of tears to learn she'll never be coming back

The man in the dark will bring another attack

Your momma told you that you're not supposed to talk to strangers

Look in the mirror, tell me, do you think you life's in danger, yeah?

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

(Tears, tears...)

Another day passes as the night closes in

The red light goes on to say it's time to begin

I see the man around the corner waiting, can he see me?

I close my eyes and wait to hear the sound of someone screaming here

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

It's just a sign of the times

Going forward in reverse

Still, he who laughs last

Is just a hand in the bush

So now that it's over, can we just say goodbye? (I'd like, I'd like)

I'd like to move on and make the most of the night

Maybe a kiss before I leave you this way

Your lips are so cold, I don't know what else to say

I never wanted it to end this way, my love, my darling

Believe me when I say to you in love, I think I'm falling here

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

No more tears (Tears, tears)

Is just a hand in the bush

(In the bush, in the bush, in the bush...)

The Pickle Paradigm: an excerpt...sort of...

Our Whomping Willow

Those that follow me on social media know who this little face is, but if you aren't familiar with her, this is my AmStaff mix, Willow-Pickle. She came to live with us at the tender age of 9 months, after a repeat engagement at the shelter where she was returned for "being just too much." Any of you that have shared your home with any kind of terrier are probably nodding your heads in acknowledgment.

She is the living embodiment of getting what you need rather than necessarily what you want - we got her in November of 2015 and lost Daisy just over a year later. If we hadn't had her, I'm not sure Bryn (or any of us) would have made it through that awful time. She was patient yet insistent as she tried to draw Bryn out of her depression and eventually succeeded. They have been thick as thieves ever since.

But this post is not about any of that. This is an excerpt, hopefully, from WP's own book - she's been a supporting character in the books about her greyhound and wolfhound sisters, and really deserves her own story. This happened just this morning, and I will tell it from my perspective because she hasn't shared hers with me...yet. Enjoy.

In Which Mommy Discovers a Chicken in the Yard...Again

Now there have been other occasions when our neighbors (who CLEARLY do not understand the difference between city chickens and FREE RANGE chickens) have allowed their hens to run freely in our neighborhood and we have had to chase them out of our yard. Many. Other. Occasions. We had landscaping done and they ate some of the grass seed. They have pulled up the borders that Hubs put down in the garden. They walk back and forth by the gate to the fenced yard and, at first, would whip the girls into such a frenzy that I feared they would turn on each other...or at least Willow-Pickle and Ciaragh would. Poor Bryn just wants to see what they are and potentially make friends, if the bunnies she has followed through the yard are any indication.

This morning I was working in the kitchen and Hubs had let the girls outside, leaving the basement door open so that they could come back in when they were ready. I heard a very loud cluck but no growling or barking so I figured the ladies were just outside the fence as they often are, eating all the birdseed from the feeders. But then it happened again. CLUCK CLUCK. Still no growling but I could hear movement on the patio downstairs (thanks to my McDonald ancestors for my bionic hearing ability). I ran down the stairs and found a hen backed into a corner by a Willow-Pickle who was growling low in her chest and a very amused and happy-looking Bryn. No Ciaragh to be seen. Small mercies.

I ordered Bryn in the house and she did as she was told with all of the excitement of a child that is at 2.5 on a 3-count to go to bed. CLUCK CLUCK! I turned back and Willow-Pickle was so close to that hen that she could sniff it, LICK IT, and growl as she ignored me. 

My greyhound owning readers will remember the early days when you were advised to keep a can of pennies nearby to drop in order to break your hound's focus on the whateveritwas that they wanted to chase...well, if I had possessed one of those loud things I could have thrown it at the two and neither of them would have paid me any attention. I finally got as close as I could (Willow-Pickle had pinned the invader behind the Yellow Rose of Texas in the corner of the yard off the patio) and screamed her name. 

The look that dog gave me...Col. Pickle is the master of the side-eye, and she did not approve of me interrupting her game of "Hey, Chicken, why don't you Eff Around and Find Out" that she was meticulously playing with a view toward a chicken biscuit for second breakfast. In addition, the chicken didn't move a muscle, even when I grabbed the Pickle's newest bionic knee and pulled her backward. Reluctantly and slowly she turned around to face the house and I shoved her inside and THAT, MY FRIENDS, WAS WHEN COL. CLUCK-CLUCK MADE HER MOVE. 

That stupid chicken was going to just follow the dogs right into the house until Ciaragh appeared OUT OF NOWHERE and barked from across the patio by the vegetable beds. Well, this has just completed my morning, let me tell you. I eyeballed the chicken who changed her mind about checking out our basement, called into the house to let Hubs know I needed a leash, and then walked slowly toward my nervous Irish puppy to convince her to BACK UP SLOWLY AND NO ONE WILL GET HURT.

She'd seen the chicken. She didn't know what it was, but she wanted it. Mommy was in the way. And then, like the hero in an action movie, Hubs came out onto the deck and dropped her leash down to me. I don't know what its superpower is - maybe it would be like the Lasso of Truth if Ciaragh could talk, but I don't think ANY OF US want that. I put it on her and led her past the feathery foe and into the house so that I could open the gate to let it out.

Only it didn't want to go out until I gave it some gentle encouragement in the form of picking up a nearby vegetable cage and swinging it like a madwoman. Last time it hopped up onto the fence and then flew out of the yard. As God is my witness...

Music Monday: Florence is King, Long Live the King!

I've just discovered this song -  how perfect it is for some upcoming inspiration...it's a new track from Florence + the Machine and, like everything else from them, is like someone opened up my heart and soul and sang about what they found. The part near the end where they all silently scream...just good, good stuff.

And I was never as good as I always thought I was

But I knew how to dress it up

I was never satisfied, it never let me go

Just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show

(no lyrics this time, the video is CAPTIONED and not icky automatic captions)