Karma Laundrette

Third novel (And It Came To Pass) out, is well-received, am pleased. My dad actually started reading it and mentioned specifically how "shocked" he was that I got how guys act with each other (specifically the missionaries joshing around, etc.). I blinked a bit, then responded, "It's almost like it's my job to make things realistic on the page." What I SHOULD have said was, "Weird how I, a mere woman, could accurately portray men on a page but most male writers cannot." Anyway, I bet he stops when it gets to the romance. BUT THAT IS A-OKAY. FIRST FAMILY MEMBER TO ATTEMPT TO READ ANYTHING I'VE PUBLISHED.

It got all the way to #80 on Amazon's Romance bestsellers list and sold out of the initial order they placed with my publisher, which is very awesome! It's still on sale at Amazon (as in, 23% off cover price) with free Prime shipping, if you're interested. Orrrrrrrr: ask your local library to get a copy, saving you money and helping me in turn! NICE. (You can also get it from Target, iBooks, Indiebound, Book Depository, etc etc.)

I'm running a series of blog posts over the next week and change about my Mormon family, romance, and other things, for those interested. Today it's about my grandma (who I've mentioned before back on LJ) who was forced to "eternally divorce" her One True Love, my bio-grandad who died when my father was 9 months old, in order to be temple-sealed to her second husband. Ultimately it's about why romance matters, because it does. I get really tooth-grindy when people roll their eyes at the genre. Is there garbage in the genre? Of course! There is in ALL genres. But there seems to be a particularly misogynistic flavor to the derision of romance novels. Read on here.

And lastly, who's got two thumbs and was hired this week by some Buddhist monks to prepare the temple gardens for a visit from the Dalai Lama in September? THIS GAL. 

:D

HEY GUYS. NEW GHOST TOWN SAME AS THE OLD GHOST TOWN, EH? ;)

I'm listening to The Book of Mormon: The Musical soundtrack (and you can, too!) and laughing all over again. There are so many great LDS jokes in this musical, I just can't even. The nerdy dude and the "glorious male" companions, the "I broke rule 72 so I'm way worse than you!" line (after Johnny Cochran sings that he got OJ off.) So damn funny. "Jesus hates you this I know, for Je-sus just told me so!"

I just found the contact for their Press contact, and I'm trying to build up courage to ask for a press pass to try and see it to review. I like how my first attempt at an official press pass is for the biggest musical of the year, lol. DARE TO DREAM, KIDS.

I need to get off my duff and get going on my Game of Thrones recap (damn it, I am LOVING that show) also, I finished reading the new Sookie Stackhouse book while sick this weekend and I have to say ( this about that with some spoilers and stuff )

It's going to get to 93 today. I wonder if you'll find me on a float in the pool today? (Hint: YES. YES YOU WILL.)

It's freezing here in Texas, and it's just WEIRD. I mean, it's May. It should be near the 90s and it's 50 43 degrees outside. Windy and tornadoes everywhere (which is also weird, because where is the warm air coming from to create the uplift?)

I finished Bossypants by Tina Fey and let me tell you this: that is required reading for all women writers/funny women. I wrote up a review (with an excerpt) at Hey Don't Judge Me.

Now I'm diving back into Rob Lowe's memoir, and holy crap, it's engaging to say the least. Who knew? That'll get a review, too.

Game of Thrones tonight, whoo! Recap up tomorrow. Diving back under the blankets, brrrr!

Jellis? Oh my goodness, I sat out on my lounger yesterday, aside my glistening, glittering pool, and read a trashy book as the sun baked my legs. I am so ready for the cold weather to be gone for several months. Today it's getting up to 70, so I'll be trimming the rose bushes and doing some general tidying. I like how I sound like an old lady when I describe my plans. Ha. (Trashy novel: Blameless, the third in the series by Gail Carriger, super fun Victorian/Steampunk/Supernatural romance series. I read it in a day, if that tells you anything. Nothing heady, just fun.)

NOW. *hand clap* I had my lovely sister and my lovely buddy Deva (he played Bone in Blood on the Highway, the hot guy?) design a new banner for Hey, Don't Judge Me and I think it looks great. How about you? [/shameless]

Also: Big Love review is up (it's finally getting good, imo.) I'd love to discuss it over there, come talk to me! And in addition to Jersey Shore, Big Love, SouthLAnd, and Being Human getting reviewed, we have the new incarnation of Spartacus up, and Misfits to come soon, too. YAY, BUILDING MOMENTUM with new writers! (I am not writing those, btw.) If you like the website, maybe you add it to your reader? Maybe you tell others? Maybe you continue being awesome, is what I'm saying.

It's a fine day, today. It's also Valentine's Day, and I'm not a big celebrator of that day, but for those who do, I hope you have a lovely one filled with whatever it is means love to you, be that chocolates, cards, what have you.

Speaking of, I think today calls for brownies. Oooh, or carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese and coconut frosting. OM NOM.

[ETA] one day I will have rotating pics in the TV screen on the banner, but I don't know how to do that. So you know. If you do, feel free to drop some knowledge on me. :)

I backed out of a blog commentary yesterday so fast yesterday because I was just flabbergasted and quickly outnumbered. The general gist of the post was "wtf is up with adults reading YA, that's kid stuff!" and the general consensus is that people who read YA are a) intellectually immature, b) emotionally immature, c) incapable of higher reading comprehension, d) all of the above.

UM. How about I point at my middle finger with my other middle finger? Or may I offer you a cup of shut the hell up? The general tone of commenters was "people who loooove YA are so clearly just stupid adults that can't deal with adult things, and can't read adult sentences, and I'm an adult, did I mention? I only do adult activities and eat adult foods and walk like an adult. NO ARM FLOATIES FOR ME!" *eats adult-sized portions while wearing adult pants and adult shoes*

I would like to put out there for the masses that if you think this way, you're an idiot. No, hear me out: You are a big ol' snobbish moron. Also, you stink. I think it's fairly obvious at this point how I feel about a certain non-vampire vampire series, and guess what was held as the YA standard? Does that mean we should hold James Fennimore Cooper as the dialog/prose standard for American Writers? OH MY GOD, NO. Worst. Author. Ever. (Chuck Jones likened reading his writing as walking through a wall of hot jello. That's pretty damned accurate.)

And I gathered from a lot of the comments that the people with the attitude were wanna-be or baby writers. If you think you can write better than Mark Twain or Harper Lee, prove it. Because the day your words are read 130 years after you've written them and are REQUIRED READING for literature classes as examples of amazing writing - not childish writing, not non-adult writing, but FABULOUS writing - that's the day I'll take you seriously. ( Mini rant with one eff bomb. For those that need to know. )

Anyway, that really touched a nerve with me, the hand waving and snobbery. I guess the positive is that these yahoos staying out of the library wing I'm in means the books I want to read will be available. Snobbery is never the way to go in any aspect of life, in my opinion. Except for when it comes to Mexican food, in which case I state that if you don't have people from Mexico in your kitchen, your food is moot. :)

Some great resources:
Black Teens Read 2
Voracious YAppetite
The Ya Ya Yas
I'm Here, I'm Queer, What The Hell Do I Read?
Forever Young Adult (My all-time favorite YA/book blog. HILARIOUS.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I picked up a copy of Hunger Games and plan on absorbing that today. :) (And finding out why I don't have a deck yet! Argh.)

*I realize I am not someone that can be considered an "authority" on literature, its genres, rating scales, keeper of data in relation to China's current tea pricing, but I am the leading Mormon Vampire Authority. And I'm the authority of your pants. So take this as you will. :)

Meaning those of you who grew up in the 80s like me. EH MEH GEHD, YEH GEHS. Sweet Valley High. Yes. YES. We are totally going to talk about the Wakefield Twins, poor little rich girl Lilah, Rapist-Porsche owner [same diff] Bruce and the hewl gang (lime green Triumph! blonde blue eyed size six perfection! French hair braids! Clips! perfect bf Todd! Jean jackets! nerdy glasses-wearing Enid!)

We're all close BFFs here, yes? OF COURSE WE ARE. So, I'm serious, you guys, guys? Guys. I'm so serious. I totally cried when I originally read #6, Dangerous Love, when you're led to believe SPOILER ALERT [lol] that Elizabeth and Todd DIE in a horrible motorcycle accident and Jessica totally loses it and cries because her TWIN IS DEAD, crie crie crie. But then Bruce drawls some cutting remark sexily while sprawling in terry cloth shorts on his Porsche, Lilah tosses her perfect mane of hair and looks bored and my world goes back to normal. ZOMG, if you tell the other girls about this, we are so not BFF anymore. Also, I was 12. Also, let's put Kassie's bra in the freezer, lol.

True story, when I was 13, I began my shoplifting career by stealing SVH books. OK, STOP. JUST STOP AND LET ME EXPLAIN. I had a hateful mother that didn't allow me any cash to buy books. Did I want to buy eight balls and bail out my boyfriend with the cash? No. Did I want to buy ridiculous purple flats with a big glittery flower on the toe like my sister did with HER money? No. I WANTED BOOKS. And no one would take me to the library in the summertime, so what is a nerdy girl in huge face-covering glasses and feathered hair to do? She goes into Waldenbooks and knocks four or five SVHs in her shopping bag, that's what she does. And then tosses in the Caitlin trilogy for good measure. I WAS A SAD, ABUSED CHILD, OK? (Do you know how much repenting I had to do for that? LOTS, ALRIGHT? Mormon Jesus was seriously mad at me for that and made my parents divorce because of my sins.)

Look. I have a 13 year old daughter now. And I wanted her to be vapid and needy like I was so I could work through my own things, a sort of stretch-mark induced therapy if you will. And you will. [I never get tired of my little joke there, I CAN'T HELP IT.] And yet she's all reading intellectual things, or classic literature, or the Gossip series, or whatever the latest thing is that deals with boobs and sex, but in a safe, teen environment. She won't GET the books and let me steal them while she sleeps. DAMN IT.

I say all of this because I found on THIS AWESOME WEBSITE a snarky breakdown of a lot of the books. And then I find out there are over 180 in the ORIGINAL series. Oh my god, how is that possible? Are some of them about how Jessica was given a shopping list by her mom (also blonde, fit from tennis, happy in their split level California house <-- I remember all of that because I am a dork) and she LOSES IT, YOU GUYS, and then her older brother Stephen, home from college over the weekend, has to make a Really Important Decision about a problem with his roommate, Elizabeth writes it all up for the school newspaper, Enid pushes her glasses up on her nose, Lilah goes shopping, and then Jessica finds the list? THE END. UNTIL BOOK 185. Wow.

...there might be a series of posts of fake book plots coming your way. I LIKE TO DO THAT STUFF, SUE ME. Well, don't, because that would be mean.

I don't want to take apart all of the fans and wash them, why do you ask? (omg, being in the cleanest, prettiest house this past weekend is making me hate my house and see filth every where. By which I retaliate by posting about books I read 20+ years ago, eh meh gehd.) Also, I totally loved those books. And I really don't want to clean right now. *scale hands* OH. And yes, I know Diablo Lame Cody is writing a screenplay for a movie adaption of SVH. And I know the vid to Mormon Jesus. Just sparing you the linkage, if you wanted to inform. :)

[ETA for OMG Factor] Oh, hey. Here are 32 of the books for sale. Is it bad to want this? Or to want them in eReader format? or to want someone to get me a hook up?

[ETA 2 - book cover!] ( Oh my god, I thought they were so beautiful, you guys. )

First, a head's up to those who care about such things. Today is a double post, because I need topics to make sense in order to be together in a post. So. Two posts. (The later is the DVD commentary on that story I wrote about the gay LDS missionaries. *g*)

Now that it's colder and I'm less likely to be outside doing things, it's time to dive into this huge stacks of books waiting for me. Which means, of course, that I'm going to get a few new books to add to the pile, because I'm crazy like that. Chuck over at Terribleminds mentioned a series that I'm not familiar with, because I've been hanging in the world of non-fiction for a while, Speaks the Nightbird, Queen of Bedlam, and Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon? Anyone else reading/read that series? Looks great to me.

This weekend was the christening of the opening of the Birth of Cool Lounge, aka, my former office. (I call it that because I'm going for a 60s vibe. And because who doesn't want to have a room based on the mood of a Miles Davis song? Losers, that's who. ( laptop a go go, bulky desks a no no! Pictures ahoy hoy. Okay, I'll stop that now. )

Okay. Round two is about to be tackled. It's cold, I have some white ginger tea with honey, and a purring cat. Perfect writing environment. :)

I've talked extensively about organics in the past, and I'm going to wear you out with the topic again, those who stick with me. My background: biology background (microbiology, specifically) and a Master Gardener, which required extensive class and lab work surrounded proper gardening methods, IPM, understanding of the chemistry of botany, etc. etc. I'm not THE expert on all things growing/living, but I'm no chump with an idea I want to blab across the internet, either. (Well, I could be that last one, depending on your perception. Har.)

( Repeat after me: Organic foods are NOT more nutritious than commercially grown food. They're something else. )

In conclusion, buy local, grow your own, save some money, and don't buy produce from China, because they use human waste in their "organic" farming practices, and it's PERFECTLY LEGAL. Yuck. Be concerned about huge growers like Monsanto and ConAgra who deplete the soil, grow nutrition less food in favor of larger crops (they're engineering food in a manner that doesn't maintain nutrition - and that is a type of engineering that's possible, too!) Be concerned about the environmental impact of pesticides, if that's your bag, but more importantly: don't buy food that has to be shipped from long distances. There's the REAL problem that could easily be solved, imo.

And Top Chef is back on tonight! And Project Runway! The two shows I love! WOOT. (Check how many times the chefs talk about locally available food - that's the new way to be eco-groovy. Food grown close, food in season.) I LOVE FOOD.

I've been reading some fantastic books lately, too. I finally got a copy of Let The Right One In and so far it's fantastic. The mood, the eeriness, even stronger than the movie, which I loved. I also picked up Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" based on The Daily Show's interview the other day and I'm sucking that down like Sumatra at 6am. Holy crow, is that a fabulously written and interesting book. I can't recommend that enough.

Lastly, from TEXTSFROMLASTNIGHT.com: (310): Fact: Godrick looks like David Archuleta Ahahahahaha! Yes, yes he does.

I finally stepped outside and found on my porch the brand spanking new book written by an LJ friend oatmellow aka Melissa Francis, "Bite Me!"

Congratulations on the publication of your new book! I'm so excited to read it, and my daughter ready to grab it from me when I'm not looking. If you like funny YA books about high school and vampires, GO GET A COPY! Support the LJ community of writers! The reviews coming in are very positive, too!</a.

P90X - Recovery Week (4) Day 4
Yoga! Mmmm, I'm happy with this routine, it's a butt kicker, but I feel a thousand times more strong and flexible now. An hour and a half routine that leaves you loosey goosey at the end. I tried to get cute last night and do an extra workout of the Core Synergystics (day 3) and oh my god. Some of those are just absolutely brutal when you don't take time off in between. ( for example.... )

I had an audition this morning for a print ad, and met another mom about my age, with kids about my kids' ages, too. She was sassy and funny, and I can't stress how HARD it is to talk to other actors when you're auditioning. They're competition, so you ignore them. (I mean, I don't, because I have no ego about this, but they do.) We swapped numbers and FB handles and that felt great to meet someone FUN.

I simply CANNOT find Clayhouse's Petite Syrah anywhere. I think - because it was such a small bottling - they only sent it out to restaurants to build up a clientèle. I'll be buying several bottles of the next vintage, that's for sure. It was outstanding. And because of your recommendations, I picked up their Adobe Red (2 bottles, actually) and look forward to a glass or two tonight. I'm about to finish off a glass of from a bottle that's been opened a leeetle too long [eta] nope, still good! Peter Lehman of the Barossa - Clancy's 2005 Shiraz, btw - and sit on my patio with books. YAY books! I ordered some hard copies (I'm sorry, Kindle!) because I promised to share with others, and no one is getting their mitts on my Kindle. :)

Books: A People's History of the United States, vols. 1 & 2 (thank you for the rec, liz_marcs!) and some to remind me of stuff, The Mormon Conspiracy, The Mormon Murders (I know, it's a theme, sorry I know some of these people!) and God's Brothel, which is about Christian-based faith (and LDS) polygamy that goes undercover in the US. I have my SPF 50, tank and shorts, and a book. It's 76 degrees with a gentle breeze and blue blue blue skies. BLISS.

[ETA] I forgot to mention that I have two Dreamwidth invite codes (I feel so cool!) and the first two people to ask for them get them! Gone!! Also, is everyone posting over there, now? I need to get my site up, huh? I'm trying to figure out what I would do there and what would stay here...