Musings

In addition to a super party I had a very good day yesterday because I finished my story for Thrilling Wonder Stories. I have no idea if it sucks or if it works, but I met my fear and conquered it. I find short stories very daunting and hard to write so this was good for me. It forced me to stretch some muscles I don’t often use.

I was going to write a story set in my EDGE universe, but George rightly counseled me to write an IMPERIALS story. IMPERIALS is a universe I created for a novel that never saw the light of day, but it’s a cool setting, and I’ve invited some of my friends to write in it with me. We haven’t sold the project yet, but maybe this short story will help.

Anyway, it was a good day. I now just have to finish my rewrite on my story for BUSTED FLUSH and then I can get back to book two. Oh, and write a spec feature based on Ian’s wonderful WWII novels.

I’ve actually given myself permission to travel to World Fantasy and to NYC and not take my laptop. I’m actually looking forward to it. I’ll have a chance to just read for pleasure on airplanes and in airports, and not be searching for a plug for the computer.

Melinda

Last night Pat Rogers and Scott Denning hosted their Halloween party. We were also celebrating Pat’s birthday so it was a joyous occasion all around. Now you have to understand that when Pat and Scott throw a party it’s AN EVENT. Two years ago the Halloween party had a pirate theme complete with buried treasure and the skeleton of a pirate, ghost stories around the bonfire, Scott looking devastatingly handsome in his full coat, tricorn and lace.

Well last night’s party was an Egyptian theme. It was stunning. Beautiful. Eerie. Magical. When we walked through the gates we were met with banners with pictures of the Egyptian gods. Our way was lit by firelitos decorated with Egyptian symbols. The front garden was adorned with twenty or thirty pumpkins carved into haunting faces, candles flickering inside. (The pumpkins were all grown by Pat and Scott which somehow added to the wonder.)

As we approached the front door of the house we went past an camp site with a sign that stated British Museum expedition 1921, which was a copy of the opening scene from the original Mummy. There was a mummy laid out on the table, a camp chair, boxes, it was perfect.

Then we entered the house. The walls were covered with hiroglyphics and paintings of the gods. It was stunning. Walter Williams pointed out to me that Pat and Scott had thrown sand on the hangings so they looked like stone. A painted sarcophagus stood against one wall.

Pat (who is six feet tall and very beautiful) was wearing an Egyptian robe, and diadem, and an exquisite beaded necklace with scarabs and lapis and (I think) jet and coral. She had made it. I’m not very talented when it comes to the visual arts or that kind of craft work so I was in complete awe at her talent. Scott wore a tunic with a leopard skin, and a headdress. He’s is even taller than his wife and very handsome and distinguished. I felt like I should have been burning incense and making an offering to them.

There were many other outstanding costumes, Chris Krohn and Pati Nagle must be mentioned, with headdresses made by Judith Rauchfus (I think I blew the spelling on her last name.) Anyway, Judith is a wonderful artist and dancer and she makes masks for the Cirque de Soliel. There was a fellow dressed as Moses, and at one point he was talking to a pharoh complete with shaved head. Kathy Kubica wore a beautiful Egyptian robe, and her eyes outlined in kohl. She’s another one of these unbelievably talented people. She had made a cake that was an Egyptian tomb with a mummy climbing out of the sarcophagus. Walter Jon was dressed in his navel uniform — he was there to free Egypt from the French at the Battle of the Nile.

I toyed with joining him aboard a tall ship with my captain’s uniform, but instead I wore high boots, riding pants, a leather coat and went for the Laura Croft look. There were a lot of archeologist costumes complete with pith helmets and jodpurs. Joan Saberhagen was there as Amanda Peabody and her pockets were filled with brushes and trowels. At one point the suggestion was made that we have a competition between the Egyptian gods and the archeologists since we were about evenly split. If only we’d had a volleyball net. There was even a real archeologist present — John Miller.

This is a lovely old property with a lot of acreage and there is the traditional firepit out near a spreading cottonwood tree. Sawn tree stumps circle the fire inviting people to sit down and comtemplate the leap and crackles of the flames. Many of us stood there watching the full moon rise through the branches of the distant cottonwoods. At times it looked like the moon was being cradled by the trees and rocked softly as the breeze swayed the branches.

As usual there was a lavish spread of food with everyone contributing to the feast. A stand out was Vic Milan’s chili pumpkin soup which was served from a hollowed out pumpkin. Vic came as Dr. Hawass who is the head of antiquities at the Cairo Musuem.

It was another typical New Mexico party with a room filled with writers and the readers who love their books. Just a quick list — Walter Jon Williams, Steve Stirling, Bob Vardeman, Vic Milan, Pati Nagle, Ian Tregillis, John Miller…. (I’m sure I’ve forgotten some people. My apologies if they should drop by my blog.)

It was one of those nights when I hated to leave. I wanted to stay and stay and drink in the beauty, the costumes, the conversations and the sense of just being enfolded in a circle of people that I value like family. Actually more than family because I got to pick them.

Melinda

I happened to be in an AT&T store today and started playing with an IPhone while I waited. It is _so_ cool. It’s so easy to read. So easy to manipulate. I will be good. I will be good. I will wait another year before I even think about buying one.

Meanwhile I’m trying to find my cord for my IPod so I can get it charged before travelling to World Fantasy. My house is a mess. I can’t find anything. Grrrr.

Tomorrow I get to stay home all day and, I hope, finish my story for Thrilling Wonder Stories. Script is done — Check. First pass manuscript on EDGE OF REASON has been returned to Tor — Check. Story will be finished by Saturday. Then I just have to complete the Wild Cards rewrite, and then get back to work on book two.

I love being this busy.

Melinda

By now most visitors to my blog know that I’m a rationalist. I don’t go in for crystal power, guardian angels, psychics, prayer, etc. But on Sunday night I really hurt my back, and I spent Monday locked in a terrible muscle spasm. I could barely walk. Couldn’t bend over, could barely roll over in bed. It was bad. I managed to get into Edan Kark today for accupuncture and massage, and it was amazing. He worked on me for two hours and I’m well on my way to recovery. It is strange that when I have a back problem he’s putting needles in my feet, ankles, hand and wrist, but that’s what he did. He also worked the muscles in my back and upper legs.

At the end I was feeling much better, but I told him I still couldn’t bend forward from the waist. I was dressed and starting to pay, but he said, “let’s try something.” He put two needles in the back of my right hand and spun them while requesting that I bend forward. It would hurt, then stop hurting, the muscles would relax and I would keep bending until I had my head on my knees. (I’m pretty flexible from years of ballet and yoga). Anyway, it was wild, and makes me inclined to believe him when he says he can heal the trauma where I had the tumor removed in my pelvis. It makes it hard for me to ride, and I really don’t want another tumor to grow back so I’m going to let him try.

I’m hoping to be able to get back on Exact on Thursday. We’ll see. I don’t want to screw up my back again just a few days before I head out to World Fantasy and NYC, but I really want to get back on a horse. And speaking of horses — the word is that Pi is doing fine, safe and comfortable. I haven’t called Christine because I don’t want to tie up the phone lines, and I’m sure she’s got plenty of people calling her. I hope the winds die down soon. This is just horrible.

Melinda

I just got off the phone with my riding coach. Pi and all the other horses at Christine Traurig’s barn are being evacuated to the San Diego Fair Grounds because of the approaching fires. I’m sick with worry about my boy. Yes, I wanted to sell him, but I hate to think of his afraid and being forced into a truck when all the humans around him iwll be so upset. He’s a very sensitive horse and I know he’s going to be very worried.

This trip to CA was ill fated. Last night I hurt my back, and had to cancel. Then we get calls from the barns where we were going to look at horses up in the L.A. area. They are all evacuating too. I couldn’t have ridden even if were physically up to it.

I’m trying to work on my short story, but it’s hard to concentrate. I just keep thinking about my pony.

Melinda

I’ve been over reading George’s blog. He talks a lot about football so I guess it’s okay for me to talk about my personal hobby horse — horses. I’m back riding again thanks to the generosity of the lady who owns the barn where I used to board Pi. She has a neck injury and has been unable to ride so she has given me the use of two of her three horses. Rosie is an 18 hand Hanovarian mare who had a leg injury and is just coming back. I have to take it slow with her and build back up her strength, but she has been fun, if a typical mare. “No, I don’t want to do that. You can’t make me do that! Oh, I guess you know how to ride. Okay, I’ll go on the bit now and get in front of your leg.” The first time I rode her it took thirty minutes before we reached the submission stage. The second time it took ten minutes. The last time she came out, tried to stick her head in the air, felt my leg and half halt, and gave in.

But the really fun horse is Exact. He’s 20 years old. He’s pushing nineteen hands with hooves the size of dinner plates. They’ve been working at getting him clipped — until today he looked like a mammoth. In his prime this horse was short listed for the Olympic Team. He is an incredible Grand Prix horse. When you look at him you think “plow horse, the ground is going to shudder when he trots”, but no. Once you have him correctly on the bit he’s as light as a feather. Like all Grand Prix horses he has about 40,000 evasions to avoid working. “I don’t want to get straight. How about if I piaff instead? Okay, you didn’t like that, how about a passage?” “Oh, you lost your concentration, and you stopped pulling down through your lats. Well, watch me dump onto my forehand and pull you out of the saddle.” But he is so much fun, and he’s got such a great personality. The first day I brought him out we were enjoying 50 mile an hour winds and the entire barn and arena was shaking. So he was _very_ alert and had his head up, ears pricked, etc. So, I’m trying to get the reins over his head. Everybody watching got a big laugh. Joost, the groom, said I looked like a five year old next to this monster. Finally I jumped in the air, and threw the reins which miraculously went over his head and ears. Thank God for mounting blocks. Without one I’d never get onto this horse.

I’m riding a lot because Monday my coach and I are making a flying trip to CA to look for a new horse for me. I’m very excited, but nervous because I still haven’t sold Pi. Leap of faith. Leap of faith.

If my Steppi had lived he’d be the same age as Exact. While I’m having fun on the big boy I miss my horse so much. No matter what horse I find he/she will never totally replace the hole in my heart left by my Stepmeister. I guess I’m tired. It’s making me sad.

Melinda

I’ve been a stranger at my own blog. Sorry about that, but I have been crazy busy the past few weeks. One thing I really wanted to post about was getting to hear Al Gore give his climate change lecture. The amazing Parris (George R.R.’s lady) had bought tickets and invited Daniel and I to join her and George at the talk. It was a bit of a comedy of errors because the tickets said the Santa Ana Event Center. Well, I lived in Bernalillo, and the Santa Ana casino was just down the road. We thought we knew where we were going. But no. Turns out the event center was halfway to Grants (well west of Albuquerque) I exaggerate, but it was still waaay out on the west mesa. Because so many people had gone to the wrong venue that held off starting until 8:00 rather than the advertised 7:30 start time.

It was amazing, sobering, fascinating, educational and flatly terrifying. And Al Gore is a statesman and an inspiring figure. I wish his damn handlers had let him be himself during the 2000 campaign. The lady sitting next to me was in tears at his passionate conclusion, and I had a lump in my throat. All I could think was this man was President, should have been President, and how different things would be if he had been occupying the White House for the past seven years.

Things have changed since the movie, folks. The Greenland ice sheet is melting at a stunning pace as is a large section of Antarctica. This is land ice, and that will raise water levels all around the world unlike the loss of the North polar ice cap. Tough on the polar bears, but it won’t innundate Los Angeles and New York and London, and Holland, etc. etc.

If any of you have an opportunity to hear this lecture I urge you to go. And then he won the Nobel and I was thrilled. He deserves it.

This was a terrific movie experience. (No, and not just because Viggo was naked). It started at the most basic story and structure level, and it paid off completely. As you watched the writer and director would pull your attention to little things, but it was never heavy handed. Then when you reached the end all the context was in place and you could nod your head admiringly and say, “Oh, so that’s why he did X or said Y.” That kind of fierce control of plot and structure is something I admire, and I think it is critical for a good viewing or reading experience. If a writer or a movie doesn’t know where they are going they will lose me very early in the process. The book is put aside and never picked up again, and I’ve been known to walk out of movies. This is a particular interest of mine because I seem to excel at plot and structure.

Putting aside my personal hobby horse - writing — I thought each performance was beautifully crafted down to the tiniest walk on part. Pay close attention to our heroine’s uncle. It’s an amazing role. Viggo was terrific, but the actor playing Kyrill will break your heart. I see some Academy nominations coming out of this movie.

This is a film I would see again, and I don’t often feel that way. At least we’re getting into the season of good movies again. Past time as far as I’m concerned. I’m sick of action movies where they are really just a Roadrunner/Coyote cartoon with humans. I love action, but let it be real. The fight in the steam room in Eastern Promises is as real as it gets.

Melinda

I’m slowly sampling some of the new shows this season. I just finished watching the pilot of JOURNEYMAN, and will catch episode two tonight. (Tivo is wonderful). Anyway, I quite like the show because I fell in love with Kevin McKidd when he played Vorenus in ROME. I was shouting at the television — “Why don’t you find out some information about this guy your keep running across in the past?”, but overall I liked it. The scene where he wants to sleep with his lost love, but sees his wedding ring is wonderful.

I missed recording BIONIC WOMAN, but I caught the last forty minutes on Sci Fi. It’s nice and dark, and there seem to be some intersting mysteries, but it felt like important scenes got cut from the script or cut in editing so it felt very choppy. The girl is pretty, but she’s just not up to Starbuck’s weight.

Of course I watched the opener of my beloved HOUSE. I love Wilson. Watching these two overgrown boy’s play testosterone games is wonderful. The big disappointment has been HEROES. I hated the season ender, and I thought the season opener was snoringly dull. They need to lose that droning V.O. opening. There were also no surprises. Oh wait, Hiro is the hero of ancient Japan that he so loves and admires. Boy, I sure didn’t see that coming. And why, why do people who are supposed to be dead not stay dead? Don’t ask me for an emotional response, and then say, “Ha, fooled you.”

On my front — Ian and I finished the rewrite of OUTPOST on Sunday. Our manager is reading the script and will give us line notes in the next few days. Fingers crossed that it finds a home. I really like what we’ve done.

Melinda