Friday, September 07, 2007

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This...Who am I to Disagree?



Okay, yeah, that's a pic of me screaming which I know I've posted before but in light of certain circumstances, I thought it would be appropriate to post it again today, even though what I'm about to say is hardly anywhere near close to a done deal and I am certainly grounded and realistic enough to know that by this time next week, I could be right back at square one.

But let me tell you about what happened anyway because it is just far too cool to keep to myself, and in the event things don't pan out, as I laughingly wrote to a friend yesterday, "Oh well, at least I'll always have September 6, 2007."

To sum it up, yesterday I corresponded/spoke on the phone with (1) a mega literary agent; (2) an LA film producer; (3) an uber...and I mean uber...west coast film agent, who, when I found out that she was involved and went to her website, almost sent me to the emergency room...I wasn't sure if I was having a stroke or a major coronary when I saw the luminaries she represented and the deals she'd made.

My conversations with all three included optioning film/television rights for Three Days in New York City and Another Bite of the Apple, foreign rights for both, and my new book, Daddy Left Me Alone with God.

By the end of the afternoon, I was clutching the edge of my desk, alternating between whooping and feeling nauseous.

But like I said, this is a very tough business and I am only too aware that this is a tiny baby step...though for once I am not paranoid about how I handled things...I spoke in coherent sentences, do not recall saying anything that would cause me to cringe for days afterward (though naturally that might change...I'm liable to remember something any second which will send me flying upstairs under the covers in the fetal position for the next five years)...and well, thanks to all of the wonderful people at Backspace Writers Forum, especially Karen Dionne, Tish Cohen, Lauren Baratz Logsted (to whom I would probably owe my first born child if she wasn't already 21 years old), and my incredible pals from Zoetrope Studios, Steve Augarde, who just wrapped up his brilliant "Various" trilogy and the lovely, wise, and ultra-talented Ellen Meister, whose paperback edition of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA is now in Target stores as one of their Emerging Authors BREAKOUT selections. Yikes...I forgot Susan Henderson at LitPark, the person responsible for introducing to me to most of these writers via her extraordinary website.

Oh god, look at me thanking people like I've won the Academy Award. Have I mentioned what a dork I am? But it's true...the above list of writers are just incredible friends/people and I wanted to give them a shout out because they are also incredible authors and I cannot encourage you enough to buy/read their amazing books. And they all helped with/talked me through the events of yesterday -- let's just say that without them, I probably would be a complete basket case by now.

Alrighty then, that's enough about me. As I was told yesterday, "these things take time and it's in your best interest to be patient, Robin." So...err...stay tuned.

In other news, the Adrian Belew Power Trio are currently getting ready to board a plane for Mexico, where they will perform September 8, 9, and 10 as follows:

September 8 Guadalajara, MEX Teatro Diana
September 9 Mexico City, MEX Teatro Metropolitan
September 10 Monterrey, MEX Teatro De La Ciudad

And how freaking cool is this - if my life wasn't exciting enough yesterday, imagine my delight when I visited Adrian's website and saw this:

"SOMETHING FOR LINE-6 GUITARPORT USERS

For those of you who have the Line-6 GuitarPort there is currently a piece on Adrian on GuitarPort which allows you to play along with live versions of "Writing On The Wall" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair". You can chose to play along with The Power Trio or to silence Adrian's guitar parts and play them yourself along with the amazing Slicks. How cool is that?!"


For more information, click here.

That is just fantastic. And I'm guessing that "Writing on the Wall" and "Three of a Perfect Pair" are off of the soon to be released Side Four Live CD...and ho ho ho, I finally have some idea of the release date but it isn't up to me to announce it...keep watching this space though, because as soon as Adrian puts it up on his website (which I am afraid I do stalk obsessively compulsively), it will be posted here seconds later. Just know that you will all have it in plenty of time for Christmas!

Okay, that's more than I should have said. Let me rephrase it to read "In a perfect world, you will all have it in plenty of time for Christmas!"

So that's my news for now...I need to seriously finish making a decision on the final selections for the 39 and Holding Anthology I'm editing for Phaze, and yeah, yeah, I need to do some more google research so that when uber agents throw out terms like "three month options", "foreign rights" and other suchlike phrases I know what the hell they are talking about...

Later,
xo

22 comments:

  1. Congrats, Robin!

    You have such a famous family. You know, Julie with her bass playing, Eric with his drums, you with your writing...

    Hey, what is your hubby famous for? (Aside from being married to you...)

    Rock on!

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  2. Hi, Joe!

    Ha! Well, Gary is cousin to Jerry Slick, Grace Slick's ex-husband...and Gary is also an incredible guitarist in his own right who collects vintage guitars and basses which he freely let the kids play from the time they were big enough to hold them. He taught Julie her very first bass line - Cream's Politician...and it was his vintage bass that she first picked up when she decided she might want to play an instrument like her brother. Julie is actually an incredible fine artist who can draw your portrait so realistically it looks like a photograph, and I always figured that would be her thing.

    But the Gary influence...it's hard to resist.

    Oh, and he's also a gourmet cook. Like, so good I never want to eat out in restaurants anymore unless it's a date with Julie because that's our girl thing we do together.

    But he's been thinking of either doing some solo work or getting back in a band just so he's playing again and I'm all for it.

    Much more info than you expected, huh.

    Rock on, too, Mighty Joe!

    xo

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  3. HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Congratulations, ROB!!!!!!!
    xoxoxo

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  4. Thanks, Kat!

    But we all know that as exciting and fun as yesterday was, it could all end up turning into one huge dead end, so I'm pretty philosophical about it. Just the fact that I got to talk on the telephone with these people yesterday was so amazing that for now, it's enough. Hahaha - I don't think my heart/blood pressure can take much more at this point, anyway.

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  5. P.S. Kat - do you belong to Backspace? It's amazing, and a life changing experience even more so than Zoetrope. They charge a $30.00 annual fee, which is modest for all that they offer but pricey enough to keep out the trolls (insert smiley face emoticon here). There is no flaming at all and the boards are frequented by several wonderful agents and editors as well as multi-published authors and even Sara Gruen - #1 NYT Water for Elephants writer.

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  6. Anonymous11:47 AM

    That is the coolest, most well-deserved news and you have made my entire month with it!

    xoxo

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  7. Rob, my friend, I wish I could act surprised but the fact is, I've known for a long time that your fate was headed toward stardom :) This is fantastic validation of that !

    xo
    J

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  8. Yikes, Susan - I just realized I forgot to include you in my Academy Award speech -- I edited it just now. And thanks!

    Jordan, you are the best...but seriously, I can't stress this enough, yesterday was just a tiny baby step although yeah, yeah a hell of a lot of fun. Thank you so much -- and it's just a matter of time for you, too...though with your new book it's already really started to happen and I could not be happier.

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  9. Anonymous12:23 PM

    Robin - I can barely function I'm so excited for you. I talked about you all through dinner with friends last night and all through coffee with a Backspace buddy, Lynn Sinclair, this morning. I'm getting ready to write a book about you.

    xoxoTish Cohen

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  10. Anonymous1:38 PM

    Hi Robin,

    This is so cool I can't even imagine how you're breathing. I know I don't comment often but I stop by pretty regularly looking for news just like this!

    Really, really exciting and I wish you all the best!!!

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  11. Promise NOT to sell your Oscar!
    WHERE is the "after the AA" party that you'll be at and will the ABPT perform?

    I'll buy the DVD as well....

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  12. Whooping it up here on Cape Cod, too, Robin! AWESOME news! xox

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  13. Robin, you're a hot property, as we ALL knew already! Congrats!

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  14. WOO HOO ROBIN!!!!!!! (and thanks to LitPark for linking me to you!)

    Looks like you will be a film queen (in oh-so-many ways) very very soon!

    Don't forget to pump your (well, my - OK - OUR) documentary - which will be finished and hitting the festival circuit soon!

    xoxo
    k

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  15. WOW Major Exciting News!!!

    (no wonder nobody's posting in the kitchen anymore... y'all are too busy!)

    Love to hear more of the details...

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  16. And so now I'm wondering, how did you write your first book? So many damn words, omg. How did it happen? Just decided one day to write a book or what?

    CONGRATULATIONS ROBIN! WISH YOU WERE HERE so we could party this up!

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  17. Tish, Claud, Nolan, Patry, Richard, Kimberly, Maryanne, Lauren, Nathalie...THANK YOU!!!!!

    (But three days later, it's amazing how realistic I am about this whole thing and fully expect it to all come crashing down around me. Still a hell of a lot of fun, though)

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  18. You know I've been following this on Backspace, but reading it here in your exuberant words makes my heart do a jig for you. Blissings, baby.

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  19. I'm finally starting to calm down, but that's only because I've convinced myself that none of this is going to end up happening. Ha ha - better to do that than set myself up for the fall from hell, huh.

    Anyway, thanks so much Rena, Kat, Carolyn...I hope I got everyone...I told you I was a dork!

    Rena, what can I say -- writing that book just sort of happened. (I think I probably have 100 times as many words in this blog)

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  20. I proclaim September 6th Robin Slick Day. (Ticker tape parade pending.) Keep celebrating--you deserve it.

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