Today con artists, tomorrow aliens!

Edits for Miss Lonely Hearts are underway, and Earth Girls Aren’t Easy releases tomorrow. Talk about juggling genres. Meg Cabot has a hilarious description of the revision process in her blog, and she’s so right about starting a new book when you finish the old book. Of course, that leads to juggling con artists, aliens, and demons (Wicked Hot) in the same week, possibly also insane mathematicians if another set of edits appears this week, too.

So anyway, that’s my Tuesday. Editing the con artist caper and preparing for tomorrow’s alien invasion. It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure!

Hurricane Ridge

rialto hurricane 016 from raw
Photo by Patrick Teglia

Summer’s ending and you can really feel it up on Hurricane Ridge. The wildflowers are almost done for the season. An awesome vista, well worth the drive, with a nice walking trail around the top to keep visitors from disturbing the fragile meadow flora. There is something about getting a new perspective. Hurricane Ridge gives you the view from the top of the world.

Top Ten Reasons to Film Twilight in Forks

Pretty much the entire current issue of the Forks Forum revolves around the possibility of using Forks as the location to film the upcoming movie Twilight. I think this is a great idea, and so here are my top ten reasons why Forks should be used as the setting for the movie instead of British Columbia.

1. It’s authentic. Nothing says “real rain forest” like a real rain forest. You don’t have to try to create the atmosphere, just point and shoot. We got your gloom. Even the most cheerful soul will imagine vampires popping out from behind every cedar and Sitka Spruce after a few days in Forks.

2. It’s cheap. It’s about the only place in Western Washington, let alone the Olympic Peninsula, that a full-time writer can afford to live, which means that housing and feeding the crew here will cut beaucoup bucks off your budget.

3. We’re the only stoplight on Highway 101, population 3,000 (which probably includes our two cats). Nobody will ever be late for filming due to being stuck in traffic.

4. If we can handle lost hikers, bear attacks and Bigfoot sightings, we can handle an influx of movie people.

5. All that film equipment will be useful to capture the crew’s Bigfoot sightings.

6. We are a six-hour round trip from the nearest shopping mall and and a three-hour round trip from the nearest movie theatre. Your crew will work always be hard at work because what else are they going to do?

7. We have the cleanest air on the planet and with twelve feet of rain a year, we have ions like you would not believe. Ions stimulate creativity, guaranteeing stunning creative performances from the cast and strokes of brilliance for the director.

8. The Pacific wilderness coast in Olympic National Park will stun you with its raw power. There’s a scene in Twilight on First Beach. If you film it on First Beach, the footage will be magnificent.

9. Did I mention Olympic National Park? It’s a World Heritage Site. Other world heritage sites include the pyramids of Egypt, Serengeti National Park, and the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a place outside the ordinary world and an ideal setting for bringing fantasy to life.

10. Forget to pack something? You can buy anything at Forks Outfitters.

meme of four

Jordan tagged me, so today you get meme.

Four jobs I’ve had or currently have in my life:
Current: writer and mom. Have had: technical support, production director for weekly newspaper

Four countries I’ve been to:
US and Canada. Yep. That’s it.

Four places I’d rather be right now:
Rialto Beach, Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery, Lake Ozette

Four foods I like to eat:
Chocolate, pineapple, stuffed grape leaves, moussaka

Four personal heroes, past or present:
Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Richard Feinman, Jet Li

Four books you’ve read or are currently reading:
Now reading: Write For Your Life by Lawrence Block, Pick Me Up by Samantha Hunter. Recently read Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong and Agnes and the Hitman by Crusie/Mayer.

Four words or phrases you would like to see used more often:
Please, thank you, you’re welcome, I love you.

Four reasons for ending a friendship:
Lost touch, grew apart, discovered he/she was nuts, or he/she hates my writing.

Four smells that make you feel good about the world:
chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, freshly baked bread, the smell of the sea, the smell of forest

Four favorite activities you did as a kid:
Climbed trees, read books, sang, made up stories

I’m too lazy to tag anybody, but do the meme if the spirit moves you.

Wild Wild West: your questions answered

I’ve been answering questions via individual email, but I figured I could answer them here, too, and then maybe link this blog entry to the book’s page for anybody else with questions. Or for those with questions who don’t want to send me an email.

1. Can I have a signed bookplate?

Yes. Send me your snail mail addy and a signed bookplate for Wild Wild West can be yours.
2. Will there be any more cowboy stories?
Probably. I love men in chaps.
3. Will there be any more stories connected to the first three St. Martin’s books?
At this time, Wild Wild West, Satisfaction Guaranteed and Wicked Hot are all stand-alone. However, there’s always room for a spinoff. Wild Wild West could easily have another story in the same setting, although the same characters, if they returned, would be minor characters. Satisfaction Guaranteed has a good setup for another novel or whatever featuring The Capture Agency. Wicked Hot can either work as standalone or the beginning of more books in a series, depending on how things go. So, the answer is “maybe”.

For all those of you who bought and enjoyed Wild Wild West, thank you, and an extra thanks to those who took the time to write and tell me how much you liked it.