Photographer Mark Colman has posted the most amazing photographs of the Adrian Belew Power Trio's show Wednesday night in Portland, Oregon, and I'll give you the link for the whole set below but first, here's a few which really blew me away and I have to also include some of his descriptions:
"The Muse and I took time to watch the Lunar Eclipse on the way to the venue. It surely meant that something wild was going to occur. When we arrived, we found a choice spot right in front of the venue. Of course, we went around back and as luck had it, we were able to get backstage! There, to our amazement, we saw a real Rock Star getting a massage! That's what they do before gigs, you know. We weren't sure who it was, but we snapped this picture before we were thrown out by a large burley man named Elmer who smelt of dank diapers."
Hmm...who could possibly be getting that massage. Let me guess:
And here are some shots of Adrian, Julie, more of Eric...they just look like they are having the most awesome time on stage, don't they?
Here's what else Mark had to say about the show:
"What a gig! The trio are better than ever! They had to start this tour with no rehearsals! As this show was the second night, it is amazing that they were so smooth and fluid. It was a real treat, in a great venue, with a great audience. By the shows end everyone was on their feet and dancing.
I was thrilled that the lighting was the best that I've ever shot the band in. Give me light and I can do my job properly.
They were selling spiffy tee-shirts with that freaky image by that weird photographer, Kram Namloc. The posters (with the same image) looked amazing too. It was a kick to watch people buy them.
I'd like to thank Ade, Martha, Jules and Eric for being so kind to us. We felt like we were part of the family. Thank you.
If you get a chance to see them, don't miss it as they really are getting better all the time and that's saying a lot.
If you'd like to comment on the images or the performance please do so here.
(You will have to register to comment but it's a very cool site and well worth it)
And earlier today, I got the most amazing email from a graphic designer named Dan DeGraw who was at the Portland show:
"You should be the most proud mother on the planet! A friend of mine bought tickets and asked if I'd be interested in going. I had heard of Adrian Belew/King Crimson, but wasn't too familiar with his work, really. I more or less just wanted an night out. Being a father of two young girls(10 & 5), I don't get out much. I had ZERO expectations. My GOD! Eric is one of the most amazing drummers I've ever seen. I've played since 4th grade, but haven't owned a set in 18 years, so I can really appreciate the skill and hard work and talent from beyond that he has. And Julie...simply incredible. An inspiration to me and my 10 year old. She's just taken up cello this year and I've been trying to get her to try out the electric bass I bought last year. When I woke her up this morning, Julie is all I talked about. I said "you know the movie School of Rock?" She took lessons there and is now a rockstar, playing that instrument (pointing to the bass on her wall)! She wants to start writing her own music and wants to be like Julie now. Rock camp for girls, here comes my daughter! Eric has inspired me to buy another drum kit and get after it again. The energy he possesses...he was practically glowing and feeding it into the crowd. Such an amazing show and such amazing musicians you've raised. After the show my friend and I were reeling in amazement and we both noted the same thing. While Adrian is almost always looking at Eric for cues...Eric is looking past him at Julie. It really seems like she is the one in charge, even though it's Adrian's band. She's like the female Fonzi. 1000 times cooler than Leather Tuscadero.
Anyway...I'm far from speechless after last night. I want to tell everyone I know to check out this amazing new trio.
So the trouble with the trio being out on the west coast leg of their tour is that I like to do blog posts in the morning and since it's only 6:00 a.m. there right now, I haven't found many reviews/remarks/articles on line yet though I did come across an interesting picture of my son on my travels through cyberspace:
Photograph of Eric Slick taken by "Gene Ween" at the Chris Harford NPR Radio broadcast last year
And I did find these blurbs which I'll post in the meantime:
"Just saw Belew on the opening night of his latest tour, in Seattle last night. What a fucking awesome show! Some new stuff, some old stuff, some King Crimson, some Beatles! And the two kids he's got playing bass and drums are just amazing! 22 year old Julie Slick on bass, and her 20 year old brother Eric on drums, they both came out of Paul Green's School of Rock in Philly, and they blew my head off! You all owe it to yourselves to see this show, you won't be disappointed!" *****
Featured in today's North County Times: Real guitar hero: Adrian Belew on the art of rock guitarist
By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer
The irony isn't lost on Adrian Belew, the longtime co-lead guitarist for King Crimson (who's appearing with his own Power Trio on Feb. 26 at the Belly Up Tavern): While "Guitar Hero" versions I, II and III are atop the best-selling video-game lists (albeit with no songs from King Crimson or Belew's solo work ---- who could play such intricate stuff?), real-life guitar heroes have been a dying breed since grunge and alt rock took over the music charts in the 1990s.
"I think it disappeared because too many people saw that they could take shortcuts and not put in the time and work to really gain control over the mechanics of the instrument and learn a lot of styles," he said by phone from his Nashville home, speaking of the demise of the role of lead guitarist in mainstream rock. "They took the short way of getting there.
"In some ways, I blame the video explosion. The MTV video made a star out of anybody. You didn't have to be able to play well, you didn't even need to be able to sing well ---- you just had to look good and dress nice.
"For years, I was stunned at that ---- none of these bands can sing or play.
"There was a time period in the '80s and '90s that if you had chops and could improvise, you didn't belong in any of the mainstream musics ---- you had to go into the subsidiaries, like the blues."
But while the lead guitarist who could play improvised solos was eschewed by most punk, alt-rock and grunge bands, Belew said young people are now starting to rediscover the joys of instrumental virtuosity.
"Things do swing in cycles. We are starting to get a new generation of people who are smart and are willing to work hard.
"I happen to have two young kids who really can play, and so impressively that it's renewed my belief that there's a future of music coming from kids. There's some great players coming up now that did pay attention and did put in the work and did listen to unique and unusual styles as well as everything else, and now they're going to transfer that into something new." His Power Trio, with which he's heading out on tour, consists of himself on guitar and the brother-sister combo of Julie Slick on bass and Eric Slick on drums ---- the "two young kids" that he referred to.
He said he came upon them in the same sort of haphazard way that he was discovered by Frank Zappa in the mid-'70s.
"I went to the School of Rock in Philadelphia to do a seminar for their current students, and while I was there, the founder said you've got to hear my favorite students, (a) brother and sister who've graduated already.
"They came in, we played one song together, it was a Zappa song, and I knew they were capable. I was dreaming of having my own power trio ---- three musicians playing to their fullest potential at all times ---- and they were the perfect choice."
Belew said that the Slicks were 19 and 20 when he met them just a couple of years ago: "They don't even have their driver's licenses yet; they're so focused on music they didn't care about that."
That sort of single-minded devotion to music obviously appealed to Belew, who said that while growing up across the river from Cincinnati in Covington, Ky., during the 1960s, he was never much of a Reds fan, despite the team's growing success on the eve of becoming the famed Big Red Machine, which ended up winning two World Series.
"My mother was a huge fan of the Reds," he said. "She had every game on the radio. But back then I didn't pay much attention to sports at all ---- I was so engrossed in teaching myself to play guitar."
It was his mother's radio when the Reds games weren't on ---- or rather, the radio in every room of their house while he was growing up ---- that had led him to his love affair with the guitar.
"There was always music on in the house; that's how I learned so much. I remember everything my parents listened to. ... I remember Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, stuff that way preceded the stuff I remember loving.
"I got into the radio when they started playing Motown, and the Beach Boys ---- and then the Beatles hit, and that changed the focus of everything for everyone.
"There was one radio in the hallway, perched up on the towel closet. That was the first note I heard from the Beatles, and it just totally floored me. 'She was just seventeen ... you know what I mean ... .' I just stood there with my mouth open.
"I was probably 13, just at that crucial age when the hormones are stirring around. That just floored me, that song did."
Within a year, he was guitarist in a Beatles covers band, then played in a series of local and regional bands in Kentucky and Tennessee before Zappa walked into a club he was playing one night and ended up offering him an audition. A tour with Zappa then led to a gig with David Bowie, which led to the Talking Heads, which led to King Crimson's Robert Fripp bringing him aboard in 1980 ---- an association that has lasted to the present day.
But as Belew explained it, he struggled financially for many years before finally getting to a point he was earning enough to live off of and raise a family.
"It wasn't until Frank Zappa discovered me that I could make a living at it," he said of his music career.
"What happened, from 14 to the age of 27, is it became a real struggle to survive because there wasn't really a lot of money if you were trying to live on your own, have an apartment and a car, to make a job of it.
"From 14 to 27 I really put in a lot of hard work and did a lot of starving.
"That was so key to my life for so many years that it's almost funny to look back at it."
Adrian Belew Power Trio
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 26
Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach
********
That's it for now but I am sure I'll be back as I personally know a couple of people at last night's show -- Mark Colman, for one, the genius responsible for the current tour poster -- and I know Mark and others will have much to say once they get out of bed so I will return to this post as soon as they wake up. (Ha ha - too bad I don't have their phone numbers or I'd be waking them right now). The trio has off tonight as they make the trek to snowy Lake Tahoe for Friday evening's show at Crystal Lake Casino. Have I mentioned how much I wish I were there?
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.
