Hola mi amigo’s,
This week was
filled with music, speeches, reading, writing, and some trekking through the
desert.
First the music: UCR’s
orchestra performed a wonderful concert this weekend. There is something very
human about an orchestra. The sound is so organic; the string instruments are often
hand carved, and the players are so focused and determined to make each note
count that it’s easy to forget about all the ugly in the world and just revel
in the beauty that we humans can create. I particularly enjoyed Gustav Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer – beautiful, magical music!
This week I also
worked as a judge at a high school speech competition. I judged three rounds of
original scripts and it was a lot of fun. The high school students wrote short
stories and speeches and then spoke or acted them out—sometimes playing the
part of as many as five characters. Listening and witnessing the imaginations
of those kids was so inspiring. I listened to stories about high school woes,
serial killers, and an insane woman who was in love. The students also gave
persuasive speeches followed by a solution. Their solutions to save the world should
make the politicians shake in their boots.
This week’s
writing: I’ve almost finished the fourth round of edits on my children’s
chapter book and with any luck I’ll have finished writing the second by the end
of this month. I time traveled a little too, but I hit a wall with that story, and
after much meditation (I spent a lot of time in the car yesterday) I think I figured
it out. I might have to start over–which means I get to spend more time in that
world and with those characters so it’s still a win. ;0)
I have almost
finish reading Nicole Dunlap’s, Miss Scandalous the second in the Miss Nobody
series…I am enjoying the story and her style. If you are a person that
likes family sagas with lots of drama, this series is for you. I was going to
read Aubrianna Hunter’s new release Hidden
Depths (which has hit the top 100 in erotic romance), but she writes
faster than I can read and just released another book, Beyond the Mask, that she
co-authored with Jeremy Laszlo. This
is a paranormal story – which is more up my alley. So far (I’m 15% in – gotta love
Kindle) it’s off to a great start; lots of seeds taking root. I am also about half-done with Fear
and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter
S.Tompson. This book has me laughing out loud – usually at odd places. So I
read, I laugh, people look at me, and then my face turns red…it makes for an
interesting time at baseball tryouts.
This week my day job
had me trekking over rugged dirt roads in the high desert in my little compact
car. I finally took mercy on it and pulled over and searched through the
prickly plants to find just the right piece of dirt to photograph. This did
wonders for my imagination. In the fifteen minutes I wandered around, I came
across: aliens, turtle with superpowers, lone doors with gunslingers ready to
draw, and the one that ended the adventure and had me running back to my car—Dr.
Satan popping out from behind a Joshua tree (thanks Rob Zombie!).
I can easily appreciate the beauty of the
desert, but would much rather love it with a large group of friends, a long
poking stick, some spf 600, and lots of water.
Finally, my debut novel
Sunshine in Darkness is set to
release soon. It’s a paranormal story for young adults and/or those that just
like to read paranormal stories (take that! genre police!).
Here is the bodaciously
beautiful book blurb:
A dark, demon-like
creature has possessed Sunshine’s body since the day she was born. Now, seventeen years later, she is done
watching from the outside while the Intruder wrecks
her life. When the opportunity arises to reclaim her body, she takes it.
Finally back in her
body, Sunshine is arrested and, with her mother’s approval, sent to a mental institution where Intruders abound.
Sunshine must learn who she is, take charge of
her life, fight the Intruders, and look sane while doing it.
Its due to release
sometime next week!
Adios muchachos
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