We went to see Eddie Izzard last night. He’d flown in from Berlin Saturday afternoon to do that evening’s performance. (He’s in that Nazi movie with Tom Cruise. He plays a German General, but not a Nazi. I didn’t know that you had choice of whether to be a Nazi or not back then, but apparently you did.) Anyway, he was a little jetlagged from the flight the night before. No surprise there. But it in no way affected his performance. He didn’t come out in his usual makeup and fancy dress. Instead, he looked comfortable in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket over the top.
‘Work in Progress’ was by far the funniest show Eddie has delivered since Dressed to Kill. I laughed so hard that my throat hurt afterwards. Eddie delivered his usual frantic take on a lot of different topics, which ranged from religion to giraffes communicating. The latter was one of the funniest bits in the show. Picture Eddie playing the part of two different giraffes. One is trying to tell the other that a tiger is approaching. Charades were involved. I know it doesn’t sound funny from my description, but the facial expressions made the skit. I’m laughing just thinking about it. He also pretended to be a pole dancing stripper. Just take my word for it, it was hilarious. I cannot wait for this to be released on DVD.
The thing that I love the most about Eddie Izzard is that whether you agree or disagree with his clever observations, he ALWAYS makes you think. It’s comedy at its best.
Archive for August, 2007
Yesterday dh and I went to see Superbad. It had its funny moments for sure, but it’s definitely geared for guys. Lots of penis and vomit jokes. The three ladies who were sitting behind us walked out of the movie within the first ten minutes. :-O
Dh returns from an unexpected business trip today. We’re hoping he gets back in time, since Eddie Izzard rescheduled his show for tonight. It’ll be close. My neighbor has agreed to go in his stead, if he doesn’t make it.
I’m using PBW’s Novel Notebook to plot out the second Tor book. She’s done an amazing job. It’s very helpful. I’ve also bought two notebooks specifically for the next two Tor books. I’m hoping that keeps me better organized. I’ll let you know how it goes. 
I went out this morning to get my passport renewed. I packed a jacket, a book, a notepad, water and a Zone bar. Yes, I planned to be there for a while. I found the courthouse and walked in. There was no line, but the girl sent me home because she said that it was cheaper for me to fill it out and mail it in on my own. Guess I know what I’ll be doing later today. *ggg*
So what kind of fun are you guys having?
It must be transition time again in the business. A lot of authors are switching representation or changing direction with their writing. I haven’t been in the business long enough to have the ebb and flow of things down yet. I’m still finding my way. I don’t think there are any perfect situations in this business. There are good ones, bad ones, and a lot of in between. The whole thing boils down to what an author is willing to put up with. This is when it’s really important to know what you want from your career and your professional relationships. Like I’ve said many times in the past, you have to be willing to leave a situation that isn’t working for you. I know it’s scary, but it tends to work out for the best in the end. Good luck to everyone who’s in the middle of a transition. 
I managed to get the Blaze edits sent off to Harlequin yesterday. All that’s left is to receive galley and then the book is good to go. YAY!!! I also found out that the title for my March 2008 Blaze will be called ‘OFF LIMITS’. Here’s hoping that I receive cover art soon.
Last night a friend and I went to a local RWA meeting to hear a professional ghost hunter speak. She was a very nice lady and had some interesting stories about the haunted areas in our state. I enjoyed listening, but after a while I noticed something that didn’t add up. Everywhere she went she encountered a haunt. Now I’ve had ghostly experiences twice in my life, but I freely admit that I’ve never been ghost hunting with anyone. (Please TAPS invite me along.) Sorry, I digress. *g* I may be wrong, but I think the odds of encountering a haunt at EVERY location you visit are slim to none. It’s kind of like saying that every time you step foot in the ocean you get bit by a shark. Not going to happen.
I’ve been watching TAPS (ie the Ghost Hunters), since the show started. I have learned a tremendous amount about ghost hunting from the show. The number one lesson that I’ve learned is that you enter a site with the intention to ‘disprove’ the haunt. You’re not there to prove it. If what you find correspondes with the eyewitness testimony, then that’s fine, but you don’t go into an investigation trying to prove the eyewitnesses are right. The whole point is to try and be as scientific as possible.
As entertaining as last night’s talk turned out to be, I couldn’t get over the differences in the investigative styles. If I ever get the chance to go ghost hunting with a group, it’ll have to be a group like TAPS. I don’t want to be around people who are going to be whipping out Ouija boards and asking the ghosts to take possession of them in order to communicate.
We just returned from seeing Stardust. Where to begin? There haven’t been many times over the last few years that I’ve left the movie theater feeling refreshed. The last time that stands out was after seeing the first Pirates’ movie. Sigh. I floated for a week afterwards, then went out to see it five more times. *ggg*
Stardust is one of those movies. Part fairytale, part adventure, mix in a wonderful love story and you have a few of the ingredients that make Stardust so special. A modern take on the Princess Bride, Stardust wisks the viewer across magical lands where our hapless hero encounters pirates (argh!), wily witches, conniving royals, and a cranky star. Sound different? It is. It’s also one of the best stories I’ve seen in a long time at the movies.
If you dream of romance or have ever wished upon a star, then RUN, don’t walk to the theater nearest you. Stardust does not disappoint. We’re already making plans to see it at least two more times.
One of the perks of being a published author is that after a while you can sell a book on partial. A partial tends to be the first three chapters and a detailed synopsis. For the longest time, I couldn’t wait until I had enough published books under my belt to be able to sell on partial. In my mind it meant that the publishers trusted me enough to finish the book.
A funny thing happened when I finally reached that ‘goal’. I no longer wanted to sell on a partial. I know a lot of writers think I’m wasting my time by finishing a book that may or may not sell. And I might be in some cases. Yet what I’ve found is that I’m not nearly as stressed out when I sell on a full. Why? Because the book is done and I don’t have to worry about meeting a deadline. That doesn’t mean the work is done. There will always be edits and rewrites, etc., but I find it’s much easier to face those with a finished product.
I know this is a personal choice. Not every writer feels the same. In fact, most prefer to sell on partial. Goodness knows I love the idea of selling on partial, just not the reality. So my question is for the writers out there. Which do you prefer, writing the full or only the partial?
Starting the 15th, I’m going to dedicate Wednesdays to the readers. I’ll be discussing the stories behind my books, other people’s books and favorite reads. See you there.
Tomorrow Stardust will be released. Anyone going to see it besides us?
I finished the changes to my Blaze. I still have to read through the whole thing and type in the changes before I can send it off. I think I’ll be behind by a day. It should go off on Friday.
Charlene Teglia’s book Wild, Wild West came out yesterday. There is much talk about the hot pink cover. Personally, I think it looks great and what’s inside is even better.
The following item is just plain sad for writers. Is it the need to get published? The rush to publish? Or the fact that people want instant gratification? I know that lulu has been used by authors to resell out of print work. I don’t mean them, when I ask the above questions.
Dh scored us some tickets to the new Eddie Izzard show. For those of you not familiar with him, Eddie Izzard is a British comedian, who I find absolutely brilliant. His comedy is smart and incorporates politics and history among other things. I am so excited to see this show. We’ve been wanting to catch his performance for years. I can’t wait.
