Thank you to guitarist extraordinaire and Belew Tour Manager Andre Cholmondeley for sending me the very first photo from Seattle's Triple Door performance last night
Anyway, if you click on the link for tickets to the Aladdin Theater show tonight, it takes you to a pretty cool article which says:
"Since 2006, Adrian Belew has led his favorite ‘Power Trio’ lineup, featuring Eric Slick on drums and Julie Slick on bass. They have been devastating audiences all around the USA and globally, from Italy to Canada to Germany to Japan. With the release of their brand-new CD “Side Four (Live)” they return to the road to stretch out the new material and introduce it to new audiences. The show will feature material from the new CD, classics from Adrian’s many solo albums (including the recent ‘Side One’, ‘Side Two’, and ‘Side Three’), as well as solo moments, spirited improvisation and King Crimson compositions. ‘Side One’ features special guests Les Claypool (Primus) and Danny Carey (Tool), and includes the Grammy-Nominated single - “Beat Box Guitar”. The recently released “Side Four (Live)” captures the current trio in a burning performance.
Adrian is well-known for his diverse travels around the musical map – he first appeared on guitar-world radar when he joined Frank Zappa’s band in 1977 for tours of the USA and Europe. When Frank Zappa hires you as his guitarist, people listen up. And well they should have–Adrian’s signature tones and influences are all over Zappa’s movie “Baby Snakes” as well as his biggest-selling album “Sheik Yerbouti”. His unique use of effects and whammy bar remains completely different, and his techniques continue to be a huge influence on scores of guitarists.
The 80s and 90s were a wild ride through countless tours and albums with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, and Nine Inch Nails. In addition, there were Adrian’s many albums & tours, both solo and with The Bears. For over 25 years he has been the lyricist, voice and co-guitarist (with Robert Fripp) of progressive rock legends KING CRIMSON. In between touring, writing, recording and a plethora of guitar magazine awards, Adrian has always found time for producing other artists and releasing his own songs and sonic experiments. The new POWER TRIO has energized Adrian to an incredible degree – “‘The Slicks’ bring a whole new energy to the band,” says Adrian. “I honestly feel like we can do anything now. They’re great to play with and this band sounds incredible.”
Adrian has several projects ahead for this year, including some King Crimson dates, a huge gear auction, a new studio record featuring the Power Trio, solo concerts, and some special projects involving one of his other great loves – art. Already an accomplished painter, Adrian is responsible for several of his CD covers including all of the recent “Side” series releases."
I may have posted that article before - it looks familiar -- but oh well, I cannot get enough of anything cool about the trio that crosses my desk.
Like this comment from Patti in Seattle who left this remark on my blog late last evening...
"Hey, I saw your kids tonight. They were gorgeous and joyful and awesome to watch. Julie is this pool of cool calm, Eric looks like his energy is always on the verge of making him explode. They're always keeping an eye on each other, they were wonderful. :)"
Thanks, Patti! Erm...any pictures? Ha! I'm such a fan...this is torture, being so many miles away when I'd love to be at every single show.
So I am sure I will be getting more emails and comments as the day goes on -- it's only 5:00 a.m. in Seattle now, so I will come in and add to this post if/when that happens.
In the meantime, if you want to read something highly entertaining and pretty hilarious, Gary has updated his blog and tell me you won't all be shaking your head in agreement, laughing, when you read what he has to say.
Okay, that is it for now but I am pretty positive I will be back...
ETA: See? I told you I'd be back. Have a look at where the trio will be this weekend -- I am freaking dying with jealousy -- and the band gets a very nice mention with accompanying photo!
So tonight the Adrian Belew Power Trio tour kicks off in Seattle, Washington at the Triple Door. Julie and Eric flew out to Washington yesterday and when they were picked up at the airport, they were taken to Bruce Bickford's house which totally freaked them out.
If you want to see something really amazing, here's a couple of Bruce's films but you should really hang out on his website for a while - there's so much groovy stuff it's ridiculous.
Then, after hanging out with Bruce, who is really quite a legend, they went to their hotel and waiting there for Julie was her brand new Bob Glaub signature custom bass - it's translucent white and just gorgeous...she's madly in love with it already...and Eric was kind enough to email a pic of Julie giving it the first test run at the hotel:
So yes, Julie is now officially endorsed by Lakland Bass and to say she is thrilled is putting it mildly. The guys from Lakland are coming to the Power Trio show in Chicago and Julie is going to tour their factory that afternoon so how cool is that.
Even cooler, editors and writers from Guitar Player Magazine and Bass Player Magazine will be at the trio's San Francisco show and will be doing interviews and a photograph session with Adrian and Julie and ha ha, I guess Eric will get a mention or two as well...but how fantastic that Julie has her new bass just in time for the tour and Bass Player interview and that Lakland shipped it right to Seattle for her.
Here's an article which appeared about the trio in the Seattle Herald. I'm hoping the reviewers and bloggers and photographers come out in full force for this tour - usually if Gary or I tag along we get first hand information so I'm counting on others this time around, okay? Okay!
I also understand that the new edition of Philly Style Magazine which has a feature on Julie and Eric has been mailed to subscribers -- I'm guessing it hits the newsstands today or next Tuesday - I will let you know as soon as I find out but I'm way psyched about that -- especially since the photo shoot for the article was done in my living room. Oy. I cleaned for three days straight. Ha! (Not -- I think we all agree that it's the clutter in this place that gives it its charm)
Anyway, that's it for now but if I find out anything interesting from the tour I will be back.
So in case you were worried, it turns out I am still alive and woo hoo, Julie and Eric are on their way to Seattle right now, embarking on the month long Adrian Belew Trio tour which kicks off tomorrow night at the Triple Door. Hey, I just clicked on that tour link - many thanks to webmasters Rob and Scott - it looks awesome.
Anyway, I promise this is the last time I'll whine but I hope none of you get this particular strain of the flu...and how interesting...it's now all over the news that the flu shots we were given are resistant to whatever this bug is so, yeah, like I didn't know this already, we got horrible, sharp pointy flu virus filled needles for nothing.
Seriously, today is the first morning in over two weeks that I woke up feeling 100% and not coughing and all dizzy.
Time to play catch up.
On the top of my list of things to report other than the tour, Eric plays drums on this amazing new recording called Robert Musso and friends featuring Robert Musso on guitar, Dave Dreiwitz on bass, Elliott Levin on sax, flute, and poetry, Raoul Bjorkenheim on guitar, and special guest poet John Richey. You can purchase a download of the CD right here and all I can is...wow. Nice cover art, too, huh.
And if that is not enough, Eric also makes a stellar appearance with Project Object on the new Zappanale 18 CD/DVD performing Zappa's brilliant Village of the Sun/Echidna's Arf (Of You)/Don't You Ever Wash That Thing and you can purchase that right here and what the hell, I finally taught myself how to take screen shots so let's try it out...if you click on it, I'm not quite sure what is going to happen, meaning, will it take you right to the purchase page without the use of the link I provided or will it simply just work like a regular photo I post? We'll both find out together.
Wait. I just realize it's impossible to take you to an actual page. But it will look like the actual page. Whatever. The main thing is, I'm so impressed that I taught myself how to do this that today's post is going to be full of them but I promise this will be a one time event.
ETA: Those screen shot things are really a confusing pain in the ass. Don't click on them, just click on the link which takes you to the actual page. Bleh. No wonder no one else ever uses them. I should have figured that out.
Secondly, I got my very first IMDB listing! Soo...here's a copy of my IMDB web page...
Anyway, I am now on IMDB because of a little film in which I co-star called Why We Wax and here's their website and where the film will be screening:
And it appears I'm breaking into the movies now in a big way because the short story version of Daddy Left Me Alone with God was made into a film by actor/director Jonty Reason and the official film web page is way cool:
This is so crazy! According to Jonty's website, "BASED ON THE SHORT STORY BY ROBIN SLICK...Already selected for three International Film Festivals, two in the UK (Swansea Life and The International Film Festival, England 2008) as well as the International Film Festival South Africa, DADDY LEFT ME ALONE WITH GOD is a remarkable little film."
I also have mentioned more than once that I'm editor and contributor to a new anthology called 39 and Holding Him and I am giving you the Barnes and Noble link because their page just looks so pretty.
Anyway, the cover girl, Matilda Kay has kindly started a MySpace page for our book right here and I ask that you friend us. And now, because I am just so impressed with my new ability to take screen shots, here is what our MySpace site looks like:
I also found out that some of my books are available for your Amazon Kindle if you own one -- here's the link for that.
And so ends what had to be the world's most self-indulgent post but I figure starting tomorrow, my blog is going to be all Belew tour for the next month or at least 99%...so I needed to get all my promo slut stuff in now.
So as I have been shouting all over the internet, the Adrian Belew Power Trio begin a month long tour starting one week from today, but according to the February, 2008 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, if you are going to the San Francisco show at Slim's on February 23, you have a chance to win something pretty spectacular!
Live Show Announcement! Guitar Player Presents Adrian Belew in San Francisco at Slim’s February 23 – Win Tickets and an Autographed Parker P-44 Guitar
February, 2008
Guitar Player is proud to work with Another Planet Entertainment and Parker guitars to present a one of the instrument’s most innovative players.
Adrian Belew became one of the most accomplished guitarists in Earth’s history by making otherworldly sounds with Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie, and through his continuing work as the frontman for King Crimson. In GP’s 25 Anniversary Issue, Belew was counted among “25 Players Who Shook the World.”
Since 2005, Belew has released three solo studio recordings—Side One, Side Two, and Side Three [all on Sanctuary]. Belew described them in the May 2005 issue:
“There are three different brands of music I’ve discovered over the past few years,” he said. “The first was looping, which became the power-trio material featured on Side One. I would typify the Side Two style as DJ music, because it includes a lot of drum machines, loops, synthesizer pads, and a vocal that appears and repeats, but lacks verses and choruses. Side Three is more like most of my solo records—an eclectic mixture of different styles.”
Now he’s supporting a live solo effort, Side Four [Independent], which captures him recreating the solo material—plus a few Crimson gems—with bassist Julie Slick and drummer Eric Slick. “This is the best band I’ve ever had,” promises Belew.***
Belew will play his Signature Parker Fly Deluxe, a cutting edge instrument with a Sustainiac pickup, an RMC piezo hex pickup, MIDI capability, and Line 6 Variax modeling technology. Parker is providing a solid mahogany P-44 guitar to be autographed by Belew and given away to one lucky attendee, so be sure to come and sign the Guitar Player Presents mailing list for automatic entry in the free raffle.
Event Details:
Guitar Player and Another Planet Present: Adrian Belew Saul Zonana opens Saturday, February 23 at Slim’s 333 11th Street in San Francisco (415) 255-0333 8pm, $25 Free Guitar Player magazines, D’Addario strings, and one attendee will win a Parker guitar autographed by Adrian Belew GP editors will be present
Contest Details For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, click HERE and put Belew in the subject of your email. Winner must provide own transportation to Slims in San Francisco and have his or her own accommodations in the Bay Area on February 23. ******** So how cool is that?
Okay, back to bed for me - my flu is now a full-fledged, horrible head cold and while I feel better because I no longer have a fever, there are few things that are as uncomfortable as not being able to breathe or taste. Bah! It's like twenty below zero outside today but I may want to go out for a walk just to clear my head.
Yeah, like that's possible.
Later, xo ***you know, when you look at some of the bands with whom Adrian has played, the fact that he says Julie and Eric are the best band he's ever had...oh God...for once I am rendered speechless.
Yeah, yeah, I'm still on the planet -- it's just that Gary and I have been playing ping pong with the flu despite the fact we both had flu shots. Fancy that. Bleh. Gary came home from work last week with almost 103 degrees fever and then literally hours later I was back flat on my back yet again burning up as well.
Naturally I have two weeks worth of stuff to discuss and by the time I get around to talking about everything, I'm either going to forget most of it or you'll all have found my usual "breaking news" yourselves but oh well, I'm sitting here sneezing and dizzy so I'll try to blurt out as much as I can before collapsing back to bed.
First of all, happy belated birthday (it was yesterday) to Andre Cholmondeley, who is not only a brilliant guitarist in his own right, gave Eric his first real big break at age 18 as drummer of Project Object and plays with him in a side project, Delicious, but he's now also tour manager for Adrian Belew. So things have sort of come into a full karmic circle here - very strange and beautiful.
I will talk more about Julie's 22nd birthday (naturally she shares the Aquarius sign with Andre) next week including a full description of our outrageously fantastic dinner but my current illness does not permit me to write about food or even think about it without gagging.
Also, I'm sure this is old news to 99% of you, but the Adrian Belew Power Trio now has their own MySpace site -- it's still a work in progress -- but you can download one of my favorite songs off the new CD, Three of a Perfect Pair...anyway, please friend them right here.
Speaking of the trio, I was really stoked to learn that Mark Colman's gear photo is the official tour poster - copies have not only been sent out to all of the venues (can you believe the tour kicks off in one week - Tuesday night, February 19 in Seattle?) but will also be available for sale and you know all of the members of the trio will gladly autograph it for you post-show - and har har all three also happen to be really talented artists so maybe if you are extra nice to them, you'll get a little scribble along with their signature.
Or I could be delirious with the flu and the trio is going to stab me with sharp objects when they read this.
Oh hell, there's so much I want to talk about - not just Julie's birthday dinner as mentioned above but important current event topics, like, how I am terrified McCain is going to end up President because the Republicans own the media (I mean, seriously. How did he go from last place to #1 just like that); which brings me to another thought: I want to subject this person to, oh, I don't know, water boarding since it's a favorite hobby of her choice of politicians (when you are really sick there is nothing to do but watch daytime t.v. and I have never found any woman more repulsive both intellectually and even physically except for this genetic mutation.)
I think we should send the two of them to the front lines in Iraq so we can all be put out of our misery.
No more television for me.
No more typing, either, apparently. The room is spinning.
I admit it, the internet is my crack but hey, through on-line resources for writers such as Publishers Marketplace, Zoetrope Studios, Lit Park, and Backspace, I have formed some amazing cyber relationships with other authors from literally all over the world. Even better, because I'm lucky enough to be an hour or so away from New York City, I've had the chance to meet a lot of these writers in person as they pass through for readings and signings and too cool, they've ended up becoming my real world friends as well.
A lot of us started our careers at the same time. I joined Publishers Marketplace around five years ago and started reading a blog by a writer named Patry Francis called "I'm Really Not a Waitress". Is that the greatest name for a blog or what? At the time, I Was Really Not a Paralegal so I identified with Patry in a big way. And isn't she beautiful?
Anyway, after years of working as a waitress and raising four children while dreaming of being a published author, Patry got a book deal for her incredible novel, The Liar's Diary. When she made the announcement and I read her blog post about it, I threw my fist up in the air and shouted "Yeah!"
So imagine how thrilled I was to meet her in person last May at the Backspace Writers Conference in New York City...I hung out with Patry, Tish Cohen, Jessica Keener, Robin Grantham and Susan Henderson, and even though I'd never met Patry, Jessica, Robin, and Tish in the flesh before, we instantly bonded and it was as if we'd been friends for life. Susan and I had clicked the same way when we met back in 2002.
It was so cool -- six neurotic, hyperventilating women writers all about the same age (give or take erm, ten years) -- who connected like only six neurotic, hyperventilating women writers can. It was truly a beautiful thing.
Okay, I was the only one hyperventilating. The others were calm. I swear. Alright, maybe not Jessica. And maybe not Tish. Yeah, maybe not Robin G, either. Possibly Susan was calm, but she's sneaky, she could have been acting. But Patry - definitely calm, and one of those people who have a calming presence on others.
And so a few months ago, just a couple of days after after Thanksgiving, I gasped when I came across this entry in Patry's blog:
"Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Then the news got worse: a cat scan revealed spots on my liver, a possible metastasis.
So how does a lifelong neurotic and avowed hypochondriac deal with that kind of news? Initially, not too well. The day I got the scan results I went home, drank too much wine, cried, yelled at the wonderful husband who was as anxious as I was, and avoided calls from friends and family members. I preferred to sit in the dark and drink my misery to the last drop; thank you very much.
But the next morning I woke up in a different frame of mind. It was a bright November morning; I had work I love to do; and after only twelve hours, I was already tired of my own despair and fear. I couldn't change the fact that I was ill; I couldn't make the road ahead pain or anxiety free, but I could get out of bed and take the dogs to the beach. I could pick up a common, translucent shell and hold it up to the light until it revealed just how uncommon it was. Then I could put it in my pocket and take it home to remind me--just in case I forgot.
Fortunately, last week an MRI revealed no sign of metastasis; and I'm optimistic about my surgery next Thursday. Still, it's been a difficult time. The other night I was watching a British movie called Greenfingers. In it, a character says, "You have to learn to make adversity your ally." I knew exactly what he was talking about. I may not be ready to call adversity my ally yet, but it is certainly my teacher.
One thing I learned was that for every ounce of trouble I was forced to drink, I would counter it with two ounces of bliss. Not the cheap bliss I attempted to find in a wine bottle, but the real thing. The kind I saw in that thin shell when I held it up to the light. The kind we all have inside us if we choose to draw on it.
I really think this is where we so often go wrong . When bad things happen--whether it's disease, rejection, mistreatment, percieved or otherwise--we allow it to control us. In other words, we pour ourselves another glass of poison when what we really need is the antidote--a double shot of BLISS!
My grandfather, who I called John, said it more succinctly: "No kick." (Translation: No complaints.) I've written about his two word exhortation here and elsewhere, but it has never meant more to me than it does right now. When asked to expand on his philosophy, he said, "Once you give in to complaining, you're all done."
Well, John, I'm not done yet.
Peace and love to all--"
I fell apart when I read that and, completely freaked out, I fired off emails to Karen Dionne at BackSpace and Susan Henderson at LitPark. Just as I knew they would, they both sprung into immediate action along with authors Laura Benedict and Jessica Keener. And so thanks to those remarkable, tireless women and their coordinated massive campaign via email, their websites, and other various on line and real world networking, January 29, 2008, is officially PATRY FRANCIS BLOG DAY, with approximately three hundred (300!) authors participating, and I'm going to deliberately list them all below, and with good reason, which you will find out shortly.
Here is the official press release put together for this day: "Writer Patry Francis published her debut thriller, THE LIAR'S DIARY, this past spring; this fall, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Long before THE LIAR'S DIARY was published, readers flocked to her blog. There, she writes about her life with inspiring, unsentimental candor.
The paperback release of THE LIAR'S DIARY, is January 29th. Given that Patry won't have much energy for promoting the release, a few of us writer/blogger types thought we would try to give the book a boost.
We're planning a THE LIAR'S DIARY blog day on January 29th, asking folks to mention the book and link to Patry's website (www.patryfrancis.com) and/or the book's Amazon page right here.
Now you might be asking yourself, okay, but where do I come in? Well, it's quite simple, really. What we are actually asking that you click on either of the above links and purchase one paperback of The Liar's Diary for yourself and one for a friend anytime between today and February 1, 2008 (or beyond if your finances do not permit an immediate purchase). Our goal is to not only get the word out about Patry's brilliant debut novel and help her promote it while she recovers from her surgeries, we want to send it to #1 on the best seller list.
So, what else is in it for you besides owning an amazing, amazing book and helping out an amazing, amazing author in need?
Well, here's where I come in, along with the list of 300 authors below. The first ten people who send me proof to my email address at Robin81700@gmail.com that they have purchased two copies of The Liars Diary are going to have their choice of gifts. I will either mail you one of my books, autographed...or, okay, okay, I realize you might already have all of my books (har har) or I simply may not be your cup of tea. Therefore, I have decided that since there are three hundred authors so generously giving their time and participating in today's event, if you would rather have a book written by one of them, just say the word, and I will forward you, by email, an Amazon gift certificate for any one of their paperback books. Just looking over the list of names, you cannot go wrong.
And next up is my challenge. After you read The Liar's Diary, I would like you to write a review, to either post on Amazon, your own blog, or to send to me so that I can post it here. If I receive enough reviews, I will have a dedicated day where I publish them all though I would still ask that you forward them to Amazon as well. The upshot of this whole challenge is that in my "humble" opinion, whichever one of you writes the most compelling review, well, you will win a $50.00 gift certificate from Amazon for books by any of the below authors.
I think this is a pretty fair deal, don't you? Buy two books to help out Patry, get a third book of your choice free...write a review...and quite possibly win $50.00 worth of books by incredible authors.
So let's get back to Patry and her book.
Here's the synopsis of The Liar's Diary, as eloquently written by Patry herself -- or at least I think so, since that's the way it appears on her website. Gah! I know, I know, I'm a writer - I should fact check before babbling. Anyway...
"What would you do if your best friend was murdered—and your teenaged son was accused of the crime? How far would you go to protect him? How many lies would you tell? Would you dare to admit the darkest truths—even to yourself?
Jeanne Cross is an ordinary suburban wife and mother with a seemingly "perfect" life when Ali Mather arrives on the scene, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts. Almost against her will, Jeanne is drawn to this powerfully seductive woman, a fascination that soon begins to infect Jeanne's husband as well as their teenaged son, Jamie.
Though their friendship seems unlikely and even dangerous to their mutual acquaintances, Ali and Jeanne are connected by deep emotional needs, vulnerabilities and long-held secrets that Ali has been privately recording in her diary.
The diary also holds the key to something darker. Though she can't prove it, Ali is convinced someone has been entering her house when she is not at home-and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali's soul.
When Ali is found murdered, there are many suspects; but the evidence against Jamie Cross is overwhelming. Jeanne's personal probing leads her to the question none of us would ever want to face. What comes first: our loyalty to family—or the truth?"
To further entice you, here is the official trailer for the book:
Come on. You know you want this book, and you know you have someone in your life who would love a surprise gift as well. Let me make it easy for you and post the Amazon link again right here.
And now I'd like to give you some more of Patry and her brilliant and self-depreciating wit. Here's the blog entry she made when she first sold her book:
"HOLY COW! WAITRESS GETS A BOOK DEAL! originally posted: November 14, 2005
I bought these shoes a couple years ago on sale for $14.99. A deal! I called a few of my waitress friends who came out and bought two or three pairs. But not me. See, I didn't plan to wear those ugly black clunkers much longer. Back at home, I was writing my little heart out (mostly in secret, lest people think I'm crazier than they already do). But also in secret, I believed something great was going to happen to me. Something miraculous. I was going to find an agent who had faith in me; and somewhere, somehow I was going to get a book deal.
This summer, when the soles sprung their first official hole and rain or every gooey gross substance on the kitchen floor leaked through saturated my socks, I refused to buy another pair. Nor did I replace my yellowing tuxedo shirts. This, you see, was going to be my last season as a waitress. Those who had heard I found an agent, asked almost daily if I'd sold the book.
"We're revising," I said. "Maybe we'll go out with it in the fall."
People gave me the kind of looks reserved for escapees from the asylum. "Better get a new pair of shoes, hon," they said as they walked away.
Meanwhile, the holes in my shoes got bigger and the soles got thinner. But I was not buying another pair. Well, at least not till next spring. But worse than the problem with the shoes, my backaches required more ibupfrofen to quiet them, and my feet ached so much that sometimes I still felt them in the morning. Everything was telling me that the work I did was too physical for my ectomorph body, and that I'd been doing it for far too long. And yet the only Plan B I had was a miracle.
Then last Thursday around 11:30 a.m. the phone rang as I was wandering around the house with a coffee cup in my hand thinking about my work in progress. On the other end of the line, the most amazing literary agent in the known universe, Alice Tasman of JVNLA (Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency) greeted me cheerily.
"I have some very exciting news for you," she said. "Dutton has made an offer on your novel."
While she gave me the details of the offer, my eyes drifted toward my waitressing shoes which were sitting in a square of light in the middle of the floor.
"You mean I can hang up my waitress shoes?" I said.
"You can burn those babies," she replied.
What happened next and for the rest of the day can only be described as the five stages of happiness. In the countless times I imagined getting this call, this was not how I thought I would feel.
Stage 1. Weeping and shaking. Tears of joy? I'm not sure. They felt more like tears of shock or of something shattering inside me. When I called my husband to tell him the news, I was crying so hard that he was certain someone had died. "What!" he finally screamed on the other end of the line, giving me the kind of response I thought I would have.
Stage 2. Numbness. I proceeded to call everyone I know, everyone who believed in me, or didn't believe in me, and tell them, it happened. The words, the call I was waiting for since I was eight years old and first dreamed fo being a writer had been spoken. And yet, as I heard the happy responses of friends and family, I felt surreal. Who got a book deal? Me? It couldn't be true.
Stage 3. Drunkenness. Remember that good champagne I said I was drinking the other night? Well, it wasn't for nothing. It was then followed by a celebratory dinner and a bottle of pinot noir.
Stage 4. Crashing. When I came home from dinner, I went up to my room and fell into an exhausted, intoxicated sleep with my boots on, the pointed toes directed toward the ceiling like the wicked witch of the west. For a full hour, I slept the sleep of the dead.
Stage 5: Bliss. When I woke up, I found myself in the middle of the most beautiful room in the world. Who cares if the walls were still a pukey green and I had been planning to get new curtains for about three years now? It was my room. My life. And it was an amazing place. As I wandered around the house at midnight, I opened random windows and shouted out them. I did a victory lap around the lonely streets of my neighborhood. At 1:30 my cousin Ali called and the two of us laughed giddily the way we did as adolescents when a cute boy from school smiled in our direction. I noticed that all my animals, who are usually asleep at that hour, were up and trailing me around the house, wondering what was going on. The two dogs had dragged their toys out, obviously sensing the aura of celebration that I exuded. Whatever game I was playing, they wanted to play too.
I know that this kind of happiness cannot last,and probably shouldn't, because it's pretty much a full time job. "You gonna do the laundry, Mom. I need some jeans," my son asked a day or two into my bliss. To which, I answered, "Sorry, I'm too busy being happy. Maybe next week."
I also know there's lots of hard work ahead. But this has been my week for singing. For doing little dances in the middle of the grocery store. For my first sip of good champagne." ****************
And then a year later, Patry could not resist the following equally poignant journal entry:
"10 THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED SINCE I SOLD MY BOOK
A year ago today, something incredible happened to me. Let me set the scene: It was around eleven in the morning, and I was in my study writing when the phone rang. I shambled toward the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, a defiant bunch of characters still carrying on a spirited dialogue in my head. I was still wearing my pajamas.
My first thought? Maybe it was my agent calling to say she'd sold my book! An amazing coincidence maybe? A sign that that I possessed the gift of prophecy? Nope.
Actually, that thought has passed through my mind every time the phone rang for years -- even before I had an agent. In fact, I've probably been dreaming about that phone call since I was nine years old and I first started writing stories instead of multiplication problems on my papers during math class.
The only difference was that this time I was right. This time it was my agent. And this time she wasn't calling to say hello, or to suggest a revision or to tell me that we'd gotten a pass. This time she began the conversation with the words, "I have some very exciting news..."
What happened next, I recorded in detail last year. This year I want to talk about the expectations those words carried for me. (The illustration above may give you some idea of my modest hopes.)
While I waited tables and dreamed and scribbled by moonlight, I'd come to believe that if I ever sold a novel, I'd never have another moment of self-doubt, the grouchy old man in the deli would smile when he saw me and toss in an extra quarter pound of smoked turkey, and it would never rain on my birthday. Slowly, in the course of the past year, I've been disabused of nearly all my out-sized expectations.
In actuality life has both changed immensely -- and not at all.
Ten Things That have Changed:
1. I eased my way out of my waitress job -- with baffling reluctance, I might add.
2. When I told people I was a writer, they didn't do that funny thing with their eyebrows, or sneak each other sidelong glances, like they had in the past.
3. On my tax form, I wrote WRITER all in caps, instead of waitress. I wonder what the IRS thought about the row of exclamation points at the end.
4. I worked more hours than I ever have in my life and I loved every minute of it.
5. I learned that in today's market, the success of any given book depends as much on the writer's efforts as it does on the publisher's.
6. I became an enthusiastic promoter.
7. I threw around strange terms like "my publicist," "my editor," "my galleys," like I'd been doing it all my life.
8. I made some amazing new friends.
9. I went to New York for only the fourth time in my life -- and this time I went "on business."
10. I realized that self-doubts, rainy birthdays, and grouchy guys at the deli never go away. And what's more, I wouldn't have it any other way. If life was perfect, what would we write about?
And the one thing that hasn't changed? This morning, around eleven O'clock I was in my study, talking back to a troublesome character, and sucking on a cold cup of coffee. And yes, I was still in my pajamas. In the end, that's still what it's all about." *******
Finally, here's a really cool article I found - an interview with Patry, which blew me away, especially since she talks about the Backspace Conference in May of last year where I finally met her:
"Two weeks ago in New York, I had the privilege of appearing on a panel at the Backspace Conference. It was my first experience at a writing conference, and one I'd recommend to anyone in our solitary profession. During my four days in the city, I made friendships that feel destined to last, impressed the hell out of myself as I sipped martinis in the Algonquin bar, and attended crowded literary cocktail parties. I also had a chance to speak to an audience about my experience as a debut author.
But the highlight of the week was one I almost missed. A writer by the name of David Morrell was scheduled to give the keynote address. From the brief bio included in the schedule, I quickly decided that Mr. Morrell wrote the kind of taut male thrillers my husband sometimes reads, but I never do. (One of his early novels was First Blood, the basis for the Rambo series.)
I'd met the author during one of the "mixers," and he seemed like a nice man, but I doubted he had much to say to me personally. After all, we were different kinds of writers. Or so I thought. I will always be grateful to the friend who convinced me to stay for his address.
By the time it was finished, I realized that there is only one kind of writer worth being, and David Morrell had given us a living demonstration of who that was. As the writing cliche goes, he didn't tell us how to captivate an audience, he showed us. And he did it so powerfully that many people left the room in tears--and everyone left inspired.
He began with a simple question: why do you want to be a writer? Then, after eliminating all the easy answers, he moved on to a statement that has stayed with me. I'm paraphrasing here, but it was something like, "I'm going to tell you my story, but as I do, you're going to hear your story."
And as he spoke, sharing a story that held us entranced and left us deeply moved, that was exactly what happened: He told us his story, but in the universality of the emotions it evoked, we heard our own. And strangely, miraculously, we understood it better than we ever had before.
That, I realized, is the storyteller's art, the purest form of literary magic. It's what every reader or moviegoer hungers for when we open a book or enter a theatre. We want to go on that mythical journey that will not only entertain us; it will expand our hearts, illuminate the dark places inside us, and ultimately enlarge our vision of what it means to be human." *****
I was in that room with Patry while David spoke and when he was finished, we both left the room totally choked up. But sadly, being a hopeless fan girl, I had to go back in and try and talk to him afterwards, anyway, and yeah, yeah, we already know what a dork I am courtesy of my last experience trying to have a conversation with a world famous author...argh...Neil Gaiman...I still turn purple just thinking about that debacle...but fortunately with David I was totally unable to speak and merely burst into tears instead.
Here's a picture of Patry at the GalleyCat Party held in connection with the Book Expo in NYC which was held concurrently BackSpace Conference and which party I got to attend for a big five minutes with Jessica Keener before the two of us had to jump in a cab, ridden with high anxiety, because the BackSpace banquet was unfortunately being held the same exact time as the GalleyCat party.
Outside the GalleyCat party: Susan Henderson, Bethanne Kelly Patrick, Bella Stander, Patry Francis & MJ Rose.
That's okay, we had a blast at the banquet. So what if we didn't get to hang out with Bella Stander and MJ Rose...sniff..sob...
Oh, I'm kidding.
And now, without further ado, thank you so much to the many, many authors who are participating in today's event (and a huge thanks to Susan Henderson for providing me with all of the below links) and remember, all you have to do is buy The Liar's Diary for yourself and a friend, and you can select a paperback written by yours truly or anyone listed.
Thanks, Patry, for being an inspiration to us all -- and a huge, huge thank you to Laura, Karen, Jessica, and Susan for arranging this extraordinary event. Now here's hoping all of you will take me up on my offer...and if the above list is too daunting, I will be only too happy to assist you with a recommendation for the gift book of your choice.
ETA: I just learned by reading other blogs celebrating Patry today that you can also order The Liar's Diary directly from her publisher, Penguin Books. If you order that way, you can get a 15% discount. Just add the book to your cart and type the word PATRY into the coupon code. Here's the link!
Finally, I know a lot of you also hang out at LitPark with me so you probably all read this on Monday, but in case you missed it, here's a link to Susan's post of yesterday which includes a note from Patry's husband. Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.
Later, xo P.S. Wow! The response so far is overwhelming and it's not even 9:00 a.m. yet. So let me tell you about the emails I've received. Thus far, Tish Cohen, Ellen Meister, Jessica Keener, and Laura Benedict have written to me and offered copies of their books to send to you as gifts once I have fulfilled my initial offer to the first ten of you who buy a copy of The Liar's Diary for yourself and a friend. Patry's agent, Alice Tasman, has offered ten copies of the book as well and I'm trying to figure out how to work that in...perhaps someone would like a third copy for a Christmas gift or maybe you already bought a couple copies and would like books by one of the wonderful people who have organized this event. So I'm thinking that if you bought, say, a book by Tish Cohen and a book by Karen Dionne, I could send you an extra copy of The Liar's Diary courtesy of Alice. Keep checking back here and at LitPark - I will figure this out and I already know that the list of authors contributing is going to grow and grow as the day progresses.
What will I be celebrating on Tuesday, January 29, 2008? Or should that be "who" will I be celebrating? Or do I mean to say both?
Will there be a challenge issued?
Will there be prizes? Presents? Lots and lots of presents?
You betcha.
Don't forget to stop by.
Later, xo P.S. And um, I've re-opened comments. What the hell. P.P.S. Well, I tried to re-open comments. I did everything I am supposed to do, including double-checking the changes on the template. Oh well. Maybe they will magically reappear later. P.P.P.S. Yay! I figured it out! They're back!
I was looking over the archives of this blog the other day and realized that back in 2004 when I first started my journal, I was still working full time, Julie and Eric were still dependent, meat eating teenagers (and the four of us ate dinner together every single night) the whole family was still heavily involved in Rock School, and somehow I was able to make daily "saga" blog posts, crank out two novels, and write a hell of a lot of flash fiction and longer short stories.
Now I'm semi-retired, J&E are self-sufficient vegetarian adults who only live here part-time, and you would think I'd be pumping out War and Peace sized works these days. Or at the very least, never skipping a day without blogging. Au contraire, kimosabe.
I'm busier than ever but I think that's mainly because I've raised the bar for myself. I'm writing/editing two major novels simultaneously right now, one of which I've been working on almost three years, and I want them perfect. And to say I'm obsessed with that is putting it mildly. So please forgive the lag in keeping you updated here.
Of course the upside of that is today I have a bunch of cool stuff to report. Like, Julie Slick, who maybe one day will find the time herself to sit down with Scott Abernethy to finish her website, is now an official Lakland bass artist.
Lakland was just kind enough to send Julie the below Duck Dunn Signature Bass for her interview with the print version of Bass Player Magazine while they build her a custom Bob Glaub Signature Series bass for her upcoming tour, and that will be her main axe. (And please take note of the newest date added - the Milford Music Festival June 6-8, 2008 though it's my guess, since Dave Mason headlined last year, that they are the headliners for the June 7 or Saturday night show and I will let you know as soon as I find out for sure)
Yes, I know, that is one beautiful bass and one beautiful daughter...sitting underneath one beautiful Adrian Belew original painting.
In the interview, Julie says that she records and produces a local band, Cheers Elephant. Well, in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer, Cheers Elephant got an awesome mention in an article right on the front page of the Arts and Entertainment Section which you can read right here.
And I cannot believe another year has passed, but this Friday, Julie and I will be having her annual birthday lunch at Le Bec Fin. You can read the archives from January 2005, January 2006, and January, 2007. We've been doing those yearly celebratory lunches since Julie's 12th birthday and even though Le Bec Fin is outrageously expensive and pretentious, it's the world's most special place to celebrate a special occasion and oh my God, how is it possible that Ms. Julie will be twenty-two years old? But if you are new to this blog and peek into the aforesaid archives, you will see that every single year, we have a memorable experience so it is well worth every cent.
And what is Eric up to, you might be wondering?
Well, on Saturday he spent the day teaching in Wilmington, Delaware; then hopped a train to catch his good friends the Benevento Russo Duo at the Fillmore in Philadelphia...after which he took the red eye Greyhound to the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he had a lesson Sunday morning with Kenwood Dennard. I went into kind of neurotic mother mode knowing that Eric spent an entire night on a bus then walked out into subzero weather in Boston but as it turns out, he had an incredible time; Kenwood paid him some pretty high compliments (and if Eric were home to read this, he'd probably make me take that last sentence out but oh well, he's not here so I have free reign)...anyway, after that, Eric hopped a bus to Albany to hang out with his, um, special friend Katy and hmmm...since Eric isn't here to censor me, I have to post her photo because she's probably one of the most gorgeous girls (other than Julie) I've ever laid eyes on. She stayed at our house over the New Year holiday and I couldn't stop staring at her.
Oy, Eric is going to kill me for this but I could not resist. (Don't worry, Eric, I will take it down if you want me to but everyone who reads MySpace and Face Book already knows - I've gotten emails from friends WHO IS THAT ABSOLUTELY STUNNING GIRL WITH ERIC?????)
So Eric is hanging out with Katy until tomorrow, then he's hopping Greyhound once again for a gig tomorrow night with the Black Lodge Ensemble in Philadelphia.
Starting Thursday, he heads out on a mini-tour with Delicious, and here's the dates/times for that:
DELICIOUS JAN 2008 NORTHEAST MINI-TOUR 24 THU WILKES BARRE PA RIVER ST JAZZ CAFE 25 FRI PHILA PA BLACK LODGE 26 SAT NEW YORK NY ACE OF CLUBS 27 SUN ASBURY PK NJ ASBURY LANES
JOSH ROSENSTEIN/BASS and FROM PROJECT/OBJECT: ANDRE' CHOLMONDELEY/GTR ERIC SLICK/DRUMS
In a perfect world, I'll have more on the Delicious tour along with more links and posters later in the week.
But for now, I need to cut this off and get back to work. Though I do have a few final thoughts I want to share, just for fun.
Like, the following things make me crazy:
In a world where our government outlaws trans fats, why am I hearing radio and television commercials every five minutes for a certain evil corporate chain who is advertising a breakfast of Milky Way Hot Chocolate and a donut with thick chocolate icing studded with M&Ms? Why am I hearing two untalented white rappers on behalf of yet another evil corporation relentlessly singing I'm Into Nuggets Y'All, I'm into Nuggets Y'all for deep fried processed chicken bits and hey, hey, did I mention I'm into exterminating all bad white rappers for the good of mankind? (And as a side note: Are there any decent white rappers? I think not! And heh...that remark makes me doubly glad I've closed the comments section here)
And to end this rant, please, I'm begging you. Unless you are my brother, whom I love dearly and know for a fact is on the road constantly as a result of his job -- or you are my agent or an editor or publisher -- NEVER NEVER NEVER send me an email which says "Sent from my wireless blackberry".
I loathe those things. I loathe that expression. It makes my blood run cold. Don't ask me why, but it does. And if you send me an email with that at the bottom and I know for a fact you are just a normal person like me with regular access to a computer, I will hit "delete" without even reading what you have to say.
Okay. I feel better now. Off to gentle with my novel in progress. (Reference to Robert Fripp intended. He calls himself the cranky old goat; I relate so much to what he says sometimes I'm going to start calling myself the cranky old doeling).
Yeah, yeah, doeling is the proper name for a female goat. At least according to Google.
I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger but to be honest, I've been so busy I simply have not had the time. So let's play catch up, but it's got to be quick.
Today, 39 and Holding...Him, for which, as I've probably mentioned here a few thousand times, I am both editor and contributor, is now available in print (yeah!) and here's the link to order your copy today.
Secondly, there was so much great stuff left over and I have such brilliant friends to solicit, there will in fact be a Volume II called 39 and Still Holding -- and here is the cover for that, also done by the brilliant Nick Belardes, and as I've probably also announced a few times already, Nick not only did both covers, he has really great stories in each as well as five haikus in Volume II. And the model for both covers is the fabulous Matilda Kay, who also has a fantastic piece in Volume II and I do believe this is her first published short story so I am thrilled to be the first editor to introduce her to you and also quite excited that her story will appear with some "celebrities" in the writing world. I believe Volume II will be published May 5, 2008 which will be here before you know it and I'm very psyched at the fast turn around.
I want to talk more in depth about the contributors for both books as the lineups are truly stellar but I will have to get to that later this week. Right now, I am writing two books simultaneously, editing one (Daddy Left Me Alone with God) to the point where I have pages and pages of chapters printed out and I'm shuffling them like cards, trying to re-arrange the order and now I know what wanting to crawl into the fetal position truly means but I am determined to get this book right once and for all and trust me, I will.
In other news, I've received a few emails from readers: What happened to the comments section on your blog? Is your blog broken? Can it be fixed?
Erm, the answer to that is No. After much deliberation, I decided to discontinue comments. Please don't take it personally. Like I said, I am in serious writing mode and sometimes when I do a blog post, I spend the day stalking myself...I mean...reading all of your comments, which I adore and mean a lot to me. But it's time consuming and then I feel obligated to comment back, or worse, like with the last few posts, I've been too busy to do that and then I suffer guilt.
So I think the best solution for now is to disable comments. My new website has a very cool contact page where you can comment to your hearts content and it will be emailed to me.
Most likely when The Adrian Belew Power Trio embark on their month long tour -- which is less than five weeks away! -- I will reopen comments because as you know, whenever Julie and Eric tour with Adrian, my blog becomes a shrine to them.
In light of the above, I know I have a lot of nerve asking you all this, but I'm a nominee for best contemporary author over at Rites of Romance. If you have a little extra time on your hands -- like two seconds -- here is the link to cast your vote for me.
And really, that's it for now. I have to get back to writing!
