Bridghid Parkinson

We needed it...after the storm everything has been straight work. There are still brown spots in the tress from broken branches that haven't come down. I still see shingles and glass all over the ground....but I'm working...and I come home and sleep. I was nothing less than exhausted. BUT...I took a day off. The results of which you will see in the link below.

As far as the Social Networking sites I've seen...it's good...it kept my attention. It caters to a youncg crowd, but that's OK...it has plenty of people over the age of thirty, and features to entertain.

I think it needs more romance novelists and comedy...some of them need to really LIGHTEN UP. Life is just not all that serious...you know?

www.myyearbook.com/diparkinson

I got to thinking about something and figured you guys would appreciate this.

In the time rebuilding since Hurricane Ike several people have told me about completely redecorating since they have to rebuild a room or much of their house. "I want ____ color and this and that." and I've looked through a dozen books and I realized there is a critical element missing...

Stories.

I was in a gorgeous home recently. Just the right colors in some places, areas blended together, there were nice fabrics over comfortable chairs and nice prints on the wall. OK...so what does it mean to the owner? I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't glean one detail from his life and had no clue what he did for a living, what his reglious beliefs might be or what his favorite sports interests were--much less his team. There was nothing.

These types of stories also equate to "Values" for me. Are you just following a fancy brand name or are you really interested in some feature enough to make it part of your daily life? You can gift wrap a turd. You can dribble 'bling' all over celebrities and it may never make them interesting. What are your values and stories that are deep daily parts of your life?

I, on the other hand, am a little showy in my apartment.I have a wall I am going to paint with some of the titles of my stories. I have some of the covers in prints. Believe it or not--it's not really a brag wall--as much as it is who I am and some of the many faces of me. These are my stories. You'll find my walking sticks on one wall close to the door. Near the bookshelves, you'll see my dragon prints. You'll find my black cowboy hat on top of my computer equipment in an entire corner. My bicycle is behind my couch. My file cabinet is covered in magnets. My cat runs around like he's on speed, or he lays in "his chair" which is the fancy leather office chair that I can't use because it makes my back hurt. My shelves are lined with books. I painted a "cafe" sign on my dining room wall. Heck--you can even look in my closet and find a few good stories in there! "What in the world is the dress that looks like it's made out of leaves?" :-)

 These things are who I am...and when you walk into my house...I can tell you about them. They might look weird, if you dn't understand the pursuits I value, but when I hae a chance to tell you about it...it will make perfect sense.

I posted my experiences in the storm to my myspace blog. www.myspace.com/dbparkinson but the entire experience (June, July, August and September, just in general) has been overwhelming.

June and July initiated my move into a new apartment--just me and my cat, "Stormy". He's a mixed Sealpoint Siamese. He's adorable and playful and just an all around sweetie. Don't tell Stormy, I'm really not a cat person. He adopted me and I didn't have much of a say in it. That, as they say, was that. This little prince of a cat doesn't like the fact that I set out ground rules about not jumping up on the counters (Come on--How else is he supposed to sit on the top of the refridgerator?) but...well, you know cats. They are going to do as they darn well please. I still miss my Basset Hounds.

The move got finished in the end of August...and I am still facing stacks of boxes. At the end of July it was announced that my oldest half-sister discovered her recent bout with pneumonia was really Stage 4 cancer. We worried about needing to evacuate a woman from Ike (in Florida) that is close to taking her last breath. My youngest sister went out there with her and spent a few days before she passed on September 8th. When Judy called here, we were getting word that Ike could come into this region, and I got to tell her that I didn't plan to leave. She wasn't happy about that. I told her it wasn't my first rodeo, but it darn sure was the biggest bull I'd ever seen. All my previous hurricanes had been Catagory 1. Well...If I needed to have her come get me, all my important stuff was still in boxes!

The week went downhill, not much real work got accomplished in the office and less in the apartment. By Thursday, I developed a 'nervous tic' at the corner of my right eye that just wouldn't go away. I did entertain the idea of going to San Antonio with a coworker and meeting Judy for the remainder of the ride to my hometown. I started to get flashbacks of 1978 where tropical storm Amelia trotted into Central Texas dumped a bunch of water on us (and upstream) and left the town in a devastating flood. Yeah...my luck, Ike would head in over Central Texas and I would be stuck in another notorious Hillcountry flood. No thanks.

I spent a little too much money getting 'supplies' but I had no idea what could happen. I knew a power outage was coming, so I got non-perishable foods, water, and the like. I grabbed candles, batteries for the radio, and a few other things that I had once missed during my experiences in other storms. I could crochet and read, or write on a notepad, if the sun was out and sleep when it was dark.

The beat-by-beat report of the storm is in the myspace blog.

I got very lucky. Our power lines are buried and I never lost power. That's why I was able to keep my running account going. It was keeping me sane. The wind never lets up in a storm like that and the sound of breaking glass and unknown crashing flower pots was about to drive me up a wall. I couldn't sleep. I hurt (hurricane aches are a dog) and I had to keep going somehow. I had my radio, my computer and me--and that goofy cat under my chair! I told him he was now 'scardy cat' insteady of Stormy.

The aftermath took my breath away. I came out of the storm almost unscathed. I had a lot of branches around and I got two good walking sticks out of the branches on my doorstep. The plywood held so everything inside was fine. Outside...every tree was missing branches, if it wasn't completely uprooted. Business signs travelled at least 2 blocks (remember- blocks are pretty big down here) and some of them, I can't figure out where they started. Highway signs travelled miles in the wind. One of my teachers used to collect traffic signs to decorate her living room. I think about her, especially at times like this where I see a half dozen on the ground. Standing on the sidewalk looking around at my area of Houston (NW Side by 290 and the Heights) it was almost the same as a punch to the chest. We were over 50 miles inland and the storm still ripped up this area like a chainsaw. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down.

At my office...the Clark Kent job...everything looked normal at first and I reported such to our management. There was a tough looking security guard and I didn't want to make a stir with the building management so I didn't go inside. I should have. Windows were intact but the seals didn't withstand 100 mile an hour winds. We had water all over the floor. The disaster crews came in and ripped out all of the wet carpet and damp drywall and left enough destruction of their own. There was no power at the building and wouldn't be for two weeks.

I got the call to go to central Texas on the Monday following the storm. My hotel would be covered and I would have an allowance to eat in local restaraunts. I didn't need that much persuasion because I knew I'd just have to wait out the work crews to get our office back together. I worked and slept and never saw much of the Killeen area. I needed that monotony. I talked with other customers also in Houston and between us, we started to heal. The tic by my eye finally went away on Thursday. The bonus from that work got me another "Sparkly" and offset all the costs from the storm. Cindy--wait 'till you see my sparkly. BTW---that is the upper management boss that I provide reports for on occasion. She likes sapphires, too. The sapphire I wear to scare off the fools in the bars got seriously "Upgraded." That is one heck of an Ike souvenier.

I've returned to my poetry roots to document the experience because simple blogging is just not going to cut it. I rode through Houston in a van with coworkers on the way to Central Texas and I can't accurately describe in simple words what it was like to look out over the Houston slyline and see buildings that are beyond empty...almost 'dead'. Photos can document the damage in the daylight but I'll never forget the goosebumps from seeing it at night. If a city could lie down, whimpering and crying in pain...Houston has in this storm.

But--the signs of recovery were almost immediate. After I inspected the outside of my office building (before the rain even stopped!) and I started noticing others were coming out of their homes. I'm walking home and I smell...barbeque. Yeah, Di is home. It brought back immediate memories of when Tropical Storm Amelia moved into Central Texas and caused the flood. We had a two week long barbeque. Teenagers were already wriggling up to the broken branches of trees and pulling out the debris.

Bit by Bit...Houston is recovering. I've heard others report that they are sick of hearing about it...it was "Just a Category 2" storm. Well, keep in mind...it was a 400 mile wide storm with winds in the upper levels that reached Catagory 4 ratings and ripped large panels of the roof off Reliant Stadium. The official rathing was for winds of 110 mph, specific to this storm. Catagory 3 hurricane starts at 111. Buildings downtown, rated for Hurricane forces, had shattered windows and streets were covered in glass. That's just Houston. The Eastern Gulf shore north of Matgorda...Galveston and the Bollivar Penensula are devistated. People are missing. It's believed some have been washed out to sea. People died in Louisiana. Power was knocked out in Arkansas and even Illinois flooded. The storm wasn't downgraded until the eye passed me. That is why the damage and the recovery is so remarkable.

This wasn't just any hurricane. It afftected more than the almost 7 million people in Harris county...there were millions more in the region. Don't browbeat Mayor White for off color language (rhymes with truck) when dealing with the truckers that carried emergency ice and water supplies, but were standing around Reliant Stadium like a bump on a frog. I don't think I would have been as delicate as our Mayor and I am grateful that he's that willing to fight for us...millions of us. I never knew truck trivers could be offended by a couple cuss words. Rumor has it that Mayor white could break arms over the telephone and not say anything banned on TV. Can you imagine the frustration we are dealing with when a disciplined Mayor finally lets something off color slip? Give him a break.

The estimates of costs from just the power failure are already in the 6 billion range. That doesn't include storm damage. That primarlily covers things like lost food and the added expenses of generators for the ones that went that route. Our office generator used 1300 gallons of fuel a day. The tree hugger in me had a nervous breakdown. All of my effort to be green in the last 10 years was probably lost in one single generator. The replacement of the transformers in the office area were cause for a party.

We are getting back to normal work. By this spring, you'll hardly notice the damage. Most people wont even remember the carport that got twisted like a gum wrapper. The new leaves will cover the spot were the chainsaw took down a broken branch. We'll have our Livestock and Rodeo Show in March, swap a few wild Ike tales, and we will be back to business as usual.

After all...this is Texas. The heart of the state is her people. While this may be one of the worst storms we've faced in 100 years...it just makes the tales the old-timers will tell later a little more lively.

For Christmas, I asked my brother-in-law to paint up a characature of a curly haired cowgirl on a huge bull named Ike with a hurricane symbol brand.

Would I do it again? Yep. I think God blessed me to keep the power so I could write out these experiences in a couple different formats. I'm up to 50,000 words in different articles and poems. That's a novel in less than a month, with more source material for unimaginable adversities in stories. I think I did fine.

That which does not kill me makes me stranger...Really, Larry!!

     There are a few concerts that I have considered exceptionally good even for stadium size venues. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is at the top of the list. Yeah, he was in Houston and it was a rocking two and a half hour show that I wish I could have taken one of my sons to see with me. James is gallivanting in the military and Steve seems to be afraid of Texas . That’s OK…Mom rocked herself silly because I’ve been a fan for thirty years, but I would have had one of them rolling their eyes and telling me to sit down. Not cool, guys. The fellow prancing around on stage is 15 years older than I am. That’s my right to prance around my seat and sing all those songs I know so well.

     I don’t seem like the Springsteen type? Oh, honey…if you’ve caught me at a book signing then (with a few exceptions) I can guarantee I was being a good girl. I’ve enjoyed a few book signings that allowed me to be more colorful. You can see in my writing that there is a little more under the hat than just ‘sweet innocent’ by now. Writing romance is not always feather boas with champagne and chocolate. Although at the 2007 RT Convention in Houston , I came close to thinking it was possible to OD on that. I will settle the argument that, no matter how decadant the dish, chocholate is never better than sex. Sorry.

     Music like Springsteen’s takes “everyday gritty romance” to new heights. Love it. When I think of ‘the streets’, that’s my first image, still—factory workmen and a crappy economy, pool halls, jeans and work boots, old cars worked on by the shade tree to something that could race, old houses with screen doors. It’s not even location specific, because some of those images were hauntingly real in rural Texas . It’s making the best with a little that we have even if what we got wasn’t quite legal. As I got out in the world, I learned that it’s a common image through much of America: Dallas, Little Rock, Austin, Pittsburgh, through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia . That was particularly emphasized at the concert, he substituted “Texas” where he would have said “ Jersey ” and it gave the songs new meaning. Rosalita could have been played out in my area, northwest of San Antonio .

     Reviewers would later say that some people complained that the show was “Up and down” with songs like “Long walk home” loosing some of the classic energy he has in his concerts. Um…he’s pushing 60, folks. You try a hot sprint for two and a half hours. For the rest of the world, it’s called pacing. Clarence wasn’t getting around real well, either, but he still sounded great. Clarence was active in most of the set, even if it was from the chair on the sideline. You can see it in all of them—they love the music. Little Steve still tears up the stage, too.

     There were notable absences from the stage, and Bruce gave the explanations that Patti was holding down the fort with teenage boys (EEKK! Sorry about your luck, I just escaped that stage) and Dan was under medical treatment, but I found where he managed to join in a show in Illinois a few weeks ago. The way it sounded to me was that he was recovering from cancer treatment, but the stand-in Sessions keyboardist was good. I personally think all these guys could be in wheelchairs, they’d still sound great. Three days later, Dan Federici passed away. I don’t often cry over the passing of ‘celebrities’ (well, some, like Diana, Lucille Ball, Johnny Cash), but I sure cried Thursday.

Heaven’s music just got a whole lot sweeter. Dan is missed.

Yeah, I have to. I have to make sure the rent is paid and I have food. Unfortunately, what also happens during the winter is that I'm usually too happy to work the holidays that no one else wants (Overtime? Break my heart.) and there are problems found that I get to fix. Bypass all the whys and wherefores (It's massively dull.) I had to learn Microsoft Access. I had to learn more than just the basics that I know, I have to learn to work with text based databases and be able to shuffle them around and spit out pivot tables. Want to talk about dry? Dear God this makes "The life of Samuel Johnson" look like a Dean Koontz thriller. I plodded through it...and plodded through it...and wanted to kill someone until I was talking to a friend that noticed I was a little stressed recently. Stressed? STRESSED?? NAH! I wonder whatever gave her that idea. "Just do something with it that you like!" she said. Right. What am I going to do, catalog publishers?

Then I started thinking, Hey, wait a minute...

Well...guess what?

The DiParkinson Surfing List of Publishers is coming! It will be nice and sorted by the Genre and whether or not they are taking any adult material and their submisisons and contact links. After that...I will not get into reporting or updates or good lists or bad lists (my salute to those that can, Piers Anthony--BRAVO!)...it will be what it is...a list of publishers that you can surf for yourself. You either write for the Genre--or not. If you prefer Romance--you can skip the section of Poetry or non-fiction. Right? Sure, send them to me. Now, in the "About Me" section of this blog you are going to find an ID (my pen name) preceded by a symbol for a popular email/groups/IM service. If you understand that, I have no problem with you dropping a line...and by all means send me list of publishers (anything... really...include a webpage whenever possible), I'll add it to my database and check them out...and crank out reports from Microsoft Acess and post them for everyone else. No muss, no fuss, just whatever genre you prefer to write.

But, yes, I also have a handle on weeding through the mess of records and reports in my office. Damnit.

Do writers ever get self-sufficient on writing income? Dang...I'm dying to find out. Then again, I have to admit that my work fuels some of my characters. I have a cop in "I'm no angel" that (almost to my horror) I discovered acts a good bit like Oscar (Last name omitted to protect the guilty) but Greg is fighting for his own bit of notoriety in a story. Sure, I've had many characters inspired by people I know. In Crow like Me, one of the elders was insired by one of my Jr. High teachers. It doesn't mean that person really is that character (or vice versa) but that is the face I see when I am writing the words on the page. Sometimes I'll do celebrities, but it's just an association.

Well...I'm alive...surviving winter and working like a dog. This spring, I've warned the boss, I am taking vacation time for conventions and the recovery time needed thereafter. AppoloCon and ArmadilloCon...here I come! That's the top two...I'll see what else shakes out in Texas. If you know of a new convention restarting in New Orleans, let me know!

First...keep in mind, "Town" refers to Houston, Texas. Which ranks somewhere around the top ten of the largest cities in the US, bypassed only by New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. I think.

I also have to settle a 35 year old argument...Sorry, Charlie...you lost that one! NYC wins the size argument from grade school. I was in New York City at the age of 5 (and change) and I can tell you there was nothing in the entire city more awe inspiring to this little country girl than looking up at these huge skyscrapers and clinging desperately to my father's shirt collar or neck as I looked straight up. Usually, I would lay down in the grass to look up at the stars but I was in my party dress and there was no grass. It's very significant in two respects: this was my only first hand view of the World Trade Center and it was also the night I met Charles Lindbergh. My Daddy never let me forget it and those memories are burned in my heart forever.

I mentioned earlier that I replaced my bike, but I have no compulsion to replace the car that my oldest son burned up by not changing the oil during the time I couldn't drive at all. Now...think about this...Houston can be measured in so many square miles...and I don't need a car. With sweet crude prices going so far up, I don't care if I ever get a car again. The only draw back is that I do have to do a little more planning for my shopping and travel. My bike gets me to work in 20 minutes. That's not a bad commute by anyone's standards. I have huge department stores in the same range and if I get a little excersize or take my bike on the Metro, there is NOTHING in the town I can't do.

I went to Hobby Airport by picking up one bus two blocks away and sticking my bike on the rack. I wanted to talk to Air Trafic Control safety offices to research for a new work-in-progress called "I'm no Angel" and I want to feel the lay of the land and the streets so that when the motorcycle goes blasting through in the manuscript, you know it's serious. That single bus took me all the way to the passenger drop off terminal. I snuck through the parking areas with my bike, hit Airport Road and went down Telephone. OK- I talked to a couple pilots along the way. I'll have to post the pictures later, but winding around some of the old terminal buildings I found, and feeling a little nostalgic for having walked so many identical buildings with my father, I kept snapping pics as a visual notebook. I do that alot. I kept on the streets that kept me closest to the flight line so I could see all of the fantastic planes coming in. As a rounded the corner, I got the shock of my life as I found a DC-3 poking her pretty little nose in the air. It was in the process of restoration and getting outfitted as a Vietnam War era AC-47. I guess the plane's gender should properly be masculine but I have a tendancy to charicterizing machines from computers to planes. Yep- that's the plane I describe in Spellfire Heroes and Spellfire New Years Eve. Dover Air Force Base Meuseum had them on display, so yes, I have been inside and discussing the aircraft in great detail with the curators.

Did I make it to Air Traffic Control? Nope. That's reserved for another weekend. Instead, I found the 1940 Air Terminal Museum. I was as happy as a pig in slop. I looked around the old Eastern displays and I didn't get to go into a lot of detail because the museum was close to closing. Houston was evidently a major hub for Eastern and there was all types of memorabilia. I looked at the little "pilot's wings" that the airline used to give to the children and I laughed. Do you have any idea how many of those things I had, but lost, as a kid? If you dig up the property at our old house (now by the new elementary where I grew up) you'd probably find a dozen of them in the sand box we used to have by Daddy's work shed. They made a cool pattern in the sand so we could make roads for toy cars. I still consider the day a huge sucess but I will definately need to go back.

Now, to Houston's credit, the shopping and entertainment in the area is the best that I have ever seen. In the negatives column, homelessness is some of the worst I've seen, and the crime rate makes me skittish. Never underestimate my ability to defend myself. One of the homeless men I've helped was robbed a couple nights ago. That's just low. I told him that it's not worth risking your life for a couple bucks and got him dinner to try making up the difference of what was taken. In his world it may be equivalent to giving him the proverbial fish, but teaching him to fish is beyond my capability. He defends the area where he sleeps and I pass through it to and from work...we just got to talking. If I have change, I'll pass it to him but he knows my budget is a bit tight just taking care of myself. But, you may see "Cowboy" pop up in a Labrynthine (Brother Luv--Spellfire) story.

Oddities of my Hobby Airport Adventure...I still have not broken the unlucky streak of getting some of the absolute WORST food when I am out researching a story line. What's up with that? I set out, and classic to some of my creative pursuits, I forget to eat. I'm serious. Laura (my twin in Delaware. We were just born to different parents.) would do a 'drive by fooding' when she found out I was in the writing mode. But, when I am out and about, I am so intent on chasing details that I really do forget until I am in some physical need. Oddly- I carry water all the time, but not food. That's got to change and I carry coupons for the nutritional bars but I should put something in my tote for emergencies. When I arrived at Hobby, I was getting shaky so I found the nearest convenience store about 2 blocks away. I saw what looked like good fried chicken and some kind of deep fried burrito. Not the best for my diet, but I'll take it. The chicken was the nastiest crust I have ever put in my mouth but the meat was good. The burrito was a cheese filled cinder block. Maybe it's just my distaste for fried foods but some of the best fried chicken I had came from Delaware. (Paul...can you send some down?) I finally made it to a franchise burger joint, which I also classify midrange on the 'good food' list but high marks for being dependable. No fries, PLEASE.

Now..when I am just out for general shopping, exersizing or exploring, I'll find the BEST food. I've eaten Mediteranian, the world's best tacos are served about 2 blocks from my apartment, I've had Pakistani curried goat (before you turn up your nose at that, Texans call it cabrito and it was great!) and Mediteranian foods that are incredible. I'm still in search of Korean and a sushi bar. I have found an amazing Spanish market and several Chinese places. I love General Tso's, but this is the first time I have ever seen jalepenos in chinese food. Oddly, that was good, too.

I think I fell and hit my head at one point during the train trip from Delaware. I was in a restaurant that served Tex-Mex and the plate came out with a whole jalepeno in the middle of the spanish rice. Forgetting that I had already arrived back in Texas... I looked at it, my mouth watered, and I popped it in my mouth without a second throught. I chugged a full beer to wash it down. By my standards, it was hot. By Yankee Delawarian standards, the spice included brimstone and it would have induced seizures.

But, of all the places I have lived in my life...this is one of the best places suited to me.

For those that know me...that says a lot.

Now...something very funny. In the 90s, I participated heavily in some of the early telnet BBSs (How old? 14.4 modems gave me a headache because the animations and chat windows on my telnet screen were moving so fast.) I get to talking with area old geeks once in a while and I get nostalgic about the BBS days...so my internal compass points to Denny's where we used to do our get togethers (GTs). I started talking with the waitress, who knew an old geek and she got my card to pass on to her friend. Son of a gun, the old friend walks in 10 minutes later and I discovered she'd telnetted to PlayPen and our sister BBS in Washington state called "Northern Lights" her handle was Starlight. That's the proverbial needle in a haystack. Of all the people in Houston, I found a Penner!

Well...That's just my luck. Hey, God, can I apply those odds to winning the lottery?

Some of my writing projects have hit an all time high...just so you are warned about that...

The bad news...Stanley went to Rainbow Bridge, he passed away last weekend. I got to thinking about the silly hound all weekend and had been ernestly writing him into an erotica piece for Spellfire that involves other...critters. I called Lauren and during the course of events I found out he was gone. So--like my Rufus, he's getting his own stories from Auntie Di. The name? Oh..."Damnit, Stanley!"...of course!!

Speaking of which...Haunted Passions is to be rereleased. That dog is a fictionalization of my Rufus--keep in mind, the kooky antics of that dog were done to me--it has to come from somwhere, ya know? When this story was first released, I encountered rave reviews but the consencus was that most women are terrified of anything implied as haunted. I am not afraid of it. You will have to remember that the house in the story is inspired by a historic home that I rented for two years. It was haunted--I have no doubts. One of the most haunted sites in Texas is the Alamo and I've lost count of the times I've been there. Now, in my perspective- it's not a scary experience, as a general rule. If your husband is around, any room, you know it. All of a sudden, you get the feeling something is different and discover that he's slipped outside to the yard or the car. That's a presense you are used to...right? Well, I was finishing dinner one night for company. I was expecting a visit from an archeologist that was looking at the house and could explain some of the archetecture to me in terms I can understand. Obviously- he did a good job--those details are in the story! I am setting my table and I feel the extra presence. I carry my tray to the dining room and find a man kneeling, staring at the floor. This is not unusual to me because when I spoke to the archeologist I told him I was leaving the dining room door open, he should stick his head in and holler because the stove is on the far side of the kitchen, and I won't hear a bomb going off in the front yard. Remember- this is a colonial house with foot thick walls because of all the renovations! I set down my tray, and turned to greet my guest and he was gone. My guest showed up about 5 minutes later. Strange lights and shadows allways turend up in the 'corner of my eye' so much so that I went to an opthamologist to make sure my eyes were ok. It was just at that old house and I got used to it. Heck- it was fodder for stories that included some recent Spellfire!! Labrythine has little details that were inspired by that house!

Another investigation...good for writer types...Moss... that's one of the many things around the "Bayou" area that is hard to describe to someone not familiar with a swamp. Huge tangles of moss hang in the trees and I was walking around town today and came accross a copse of trees that were covered with the stringy, spooky and creepy looking moss...except in bright sunlight, it's doesn't look creepy, it's actually pretty. The bad part is that it's also a parasite and will kill a tree, but if the tree is already dead...I wouldn't mind the moss. For those reading "Brother Luv's Salvation" Labrynthine grounds are covered in Moss...especially Jamie's carriage house!!

And a howdy to Mr Tucker...ever get someone that says something 'simple' but your mind plays with the words? Well- my mind does it because that's what I do. We walked into the office at the start of the day only to find that the heater (instead of the airconditioning) had been running. He commented, "You can hear the heat!" I knew logically he was referring to the heating devices in our office area, but at the same time, while missing the cool conforts of the parking garage, I started thinking how to perceive different sensations. Would 'heat' have a sound? (The crackling of a fire?) so I started writing these things out as we were waiting on the servers to boot up- and in half an hour, I had a page- front and back- written up on different sensory perceptions...and he's still got my sheet about the ways a writer's mind 'wanders'. Don't worry- I rewrote it for my own journal.

Oh...and I finally replaced my bike. I've come to the conclusion that I probably need a 'bumper sticker' on it that says "No...I write Romance and Urban Fantasy and my name isn't Jessica" but I cruised 5 miles within an hour this afternoon. Remember- Houston is FLAT. The motorcycle is next.

And a couple "Happy Birthdays" to go out...they know who they are.

I ran into a blue-eyed sweetheart at a concert (yeah, 'accidentaly on purpose') and my email handle is in the 'About me' section...which is my pennname, of course. The symbol next to it tells you which service it is (I really am trying to keep the Spam bots from the address) and I don't mind if you use it! Yeah, you, too, Mel.

BTW... www.bridghidparkinson.com  and www.dianneparkinson.com are 'real' but they are only parked for now as I get a bit more time to work on them

New releases...Ledgends of Love includes the "Fairy Tale" based "East of the Moon" which is based on an Andrew Lang Fairy tale. "Brother Luv's Salvation" is in Spellfire Moons, and I have more coming up! We did a few with Musical Themes so I am in 'Rock and Roll Dreams' with 'Shadows of the Night" and in 'Honky Tonk Heart' but that doesn't have a title yet. I was looking to Johnny Cash songs for inspiration. The story was inspired by an interview I found with a Texas songwriter that was naturally concerned about the horrible influeces children have today in popular media, versus giving these kids some real music to have fun with! I agree with that in spades! I had my kids playing RPGs with me rather than letting them loose in some arcade because I thought it was a better venue. I grew up going to honkytonk dances with my Daddy--I danced with men that were as much as 60 years older than I was--so what? I had a blast and I can still dance like a demoness even if my back is acting up (Right, Tony?). I lack the funding to build an enterprise that would include children, but I can fictionalize it. That's the story...she's barely hanging on to a house she inherited...but she meets a man that has a property that would be a good family venue... Be careful, I am doing some serious cussing in this one! And most of you know that's odd for me!

And a thunderstorm says...I gotta go!

Lovely spot of Houston weather we are having here!

The train trip was a rousing success. Three months after the fact, I am only finally settled in and working again at a regular job. I would really die without that type of grounding force to keep my creativity in high gear. God knows, if I vegitate at home- the brain just stops. I also like to eat more than once every quarter.

New Orleans made a huge impact on me and I will be going back every chance I get. My hometown is in the hillcountry, it's one of those "Idon't get to pick, but I didn't do too badly," deals. If I had ever had a chance to pick my hometown, New Orleans would be it. Midnight Showcase has set up a special tribute digest for the ongoing battle of rebuilding after the hurricane. You can still see the debris and damage and it's now been two years since the incedent. We looked hard but kept with a familiar charity, Habitat for Humanity, because of the excellent work they have already managed without a need question as to how the money was used.

My appearances... Howdy to all the new people I met from ApolloCon and I will be attending ArmadilloCon in Austin. I also have plans to attend other conventions here in the Houston area but I'll warn you- look out for next year. It's going into high gear in the Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas areas but I think I'll have a few new things to offer, too. You already know I share a love of books in the Sci-fi and Fantasy range. Heck, look at the titles I've done so far...all that Spellfire! I'll do more and submit them to sci-fi publishers. I'm also looking forward to an opportunity to create graphic poster renderings. I've read a car...after that, a wall or door isn't much of a streach.

The weather in Houston and through central Texas is lovely for those that may be homesick for Scotland, or India in the monsoon season. The local SCA shire is called "The Shire of the Wetlands". I am looking forward to the Texas Renfest (Do cowboy hats and kilts make a good fashion statement?) this fall and there is a reading group I have my eyes on- and a couple 'leisure learning' classes I hope to take over the winter.

I'm doing just fine... LOL

When you see your licence agreements and the Terms of Service for software, do you just click 'Next' because it's the most boring legalese on the planet? I don't have the ability or the inclination to decompile software or reverse engineer. I'd rather be writing, but I still check it to make sure of the commercial applications, and all the goodies like that. Dull stuff. Not this time- in an instant messenger program I got a new one. Have you ever seen anything like THIS in a licence agreement?

(iv) you may not use the XXXXX Software to operate nuclear facilities, life support, or other mission critical application where human life or property may be at stake. You understand that the XXXXX Software is not designed for such purposes and that its failure in such cases could lead to death, personal injury, or severe property or environmental damage for which XXXXX is not responsible.

Honestly-- I can't make this up!! What I find even more mind boggling is the possible situations that necessitated that wording. Can you imagine someone putting a home user software on a system in a neuclear power plant? Submarine? ICU? OK... a lawyer has made their money, but it seems someone missed their calling in comedy.

Enjoy... Dianne

Once again, when I'm faced with the choices of blogging or writing and my publishing, the blogging gets stuck on a back burner. I'm here!! If you ever wonder what I am up to... by all means drop a line, swing by Midnight Showcase and see what I am doing.

Art: Book Covers have blown up for me. Spellfire Heroes, Jaded Beasts 5, Spellfire Hearts 2, The Keeper, Moondock, Stargazer, Vamptations, and a few others I can't remember off the top off my head.

Writing: Anchient Jems (Living laughing and loving in 12th Dynasty Egypt) was my first major time travel and I loved it. Of course I had Jewel Adams nudging me and telling me I needed to write a time travel, see what I thought of the genre. Would you want to tell her "no...?" So... you know I don't play around, I bit off 3700 years!! I can see doing more of those. I had a blast with that.

Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch is a take on old movies- Musicals and Black and White silent movies. It's got a 4 Heart Review from TRS with specific nots about the humor.

Hats off to Juilette Ashton and Starla Malone. Spellfire Hearts 2 is a huge sucess. I was worried at first that they might not 'get' Spellfire, but oh boy-- did these ladies ever jump in!! I thought I was warped... Starla wrote about a "Freckle Fairy" and her sorcerer (who has a pet parrot that speaks in Yiddish). Juilette, with a very easy logic about demon and imp sub-types in spellfire, gave spellfire it's own angel. I'm in Spellfire Hearts 2 with Abby Normil's story... they might finally find her!!

Pagan Pleasures-- Elemental Dances If you have ever wondered about Pagans, This is a contemporary sneak peak into the lives of two modern pagans and the magic that surrounds them!

 OK... the itinerary for Texas:

I leave the East coast on April 2nd. I will be in New Orleans on April 3rd- the night sky will have a full moon and I am hoping there will be no rain!! I'll have my camera.

I land in Houston on the 4th, with about 2 weeks to RT. I was trying so hard to make up a party for what would have been my father's 100th birthday when we discovered that the Romantic Times convention will be in Houston. We decided not to get a table this year and we will be roaming... look for the "Spellfire Texas" t-shirts. For those who don't know... my trip to Houston is permanant. Houston is about 6 hours from where I grew up in the Hillcountry and so the whole state is 'home'. I'm sick of snow.

I may be off line a bit more... don't panic, I'm doing fine!!

First off... Christmas and the winter holidays are a very busy season for me but I'm happy to say now... "Merry whatever and many more to come". I know how it is, you can't please everyone and I do think the holidays are a special social season that everyone should enjoy... even Laura and her fork.

You will notice the blog is closed to comments. Sorry- if it's important that you reach me, you will know where to find me. I welcome comments, I really do! What I don't welcome are the bots from the websites of adult videos that are adding their website to my blog to increase their footprint on the web. This is mine, I don't care for their sites, and I am not going to add mine to theirs. 

Now... Stanley came for a visit, again. I do love this dog dearly- but for every sweet memorable event he gave, he gave me three, "Damnit!" moments. Typical of bassets, he is attention starved. I have a nice green khaki skirt-- kind of looks like the old solid color Army Uniforms. It's long, comfortable in summer or winter, and just one of those nice multi purpose pieces that goes everywhere. Stanly walks up and starts rubbing his head on my leg. Cute? Oh, HECK NO! Not Stanley!! He's found a wonderful portable napkin and I am now wearing the latest collection of eye-boogers, drool and dribbles from the water dish. Thanks Stanley, I'm so glad to be of service. We discovered Stanley ATE a sock- and in the normal course of events, it certainly did pass. No tummy ache... nothin. But... there is no doubt this dog loves his Auntie Di. I had a furry shadow for a week.

Works in Progress... or newly completed items...

EGYPT... "Anchient Jems" is finally finished. Imagine that you are an archeologist and you have a chance to study your subject in first-person. Toss in one HOT Priest, the antics of a few Egyptian Gods, and the liberal ideas of the Twelfth Dynasty society. Indeed, it gets interesting. Months ago Jewel was telling me, "You need to try time travel..." Well, I did. I just didn't anticipate that my first episode would chomp off 3700 years and drop her into Egypt. Can you imagine coming back and reading about yourself with the perception of the people that you are a Godess? Of course, that's not the ending! I won't tell you that!! Shame on you!

JADED BEASTS 5-- CROW LIKE ME. All I have to say is WOW... that was a whirlwind of fun to write. You may be familiar with the book, "Deaf Like Me" or the HBO series called "Dead Like Me" but it's not the same. Logan is a Guardian. He's a spirit that has watched over Tommie since she was born. Tommie, a computer game programmer, is murdered when the criminsal element she discovers in her office comes after her. They need to get her murderers, liberate the hostages they have, and run from the 'psychic types' that can actually see the Guardian Spirits. I've been through China Town and that region of Philly. They go up I 95, down to the court house and police stations, too. I wish I could have included some of the historic sites I have seen- up to and including Ben Franklin's grave and the Liberty Bell.

SPELLFIRE... I do love Spellfire.

THE GROLLIM (Spellfire Commemorative) are creatures inspired by a modern ghosts legend in Kentucky, around an old medical quarantine ward for tuburculosis patients. I watched some documentary and Spellfire seemed like the perfect, logical place forthe location of an imfirmary of that type in Texas.

FOR SO LONG (Spellfire Harvest of Heroes) is about two WWII Era people-- now obviously ghosts-- that live in Spellfire. Well, let me clarify that- Jack's been there a while- he discovered Spellfire when he met James Dallingham, the Texas Ranger, during th Korean War, and now that Rosie has finally entered the realm of living-without-a-human-body, he sure would like to have his wife back.

HEART OF A RANGER (Spellfire Seasons2) goes into a little more about Capt. James Dallingham. He is, without a doubt, a typical old Texan. Of course- he fought during the Texas Revolution so he's entitled to his quirks... but Miss Sarah, in spite of her 1800s birthday, is more modernized. Our darling captain is dragged, kicking and screaming (well, OK... he enjoys it) into the 21st century but he does take a stand that some things need to be done properly. And he's right.

CUTS BOTH WAYS (Spellfire Evening) Imagine that you have two ugly little minions of a bad-guy standing in front of you and one of them is holding a dagger. What do you do? Most of us would "Kill it". Guess what... wrong answer. You should know me better than that! That's way too easy. This one ventured into a little darker aspect of Spellfire. Jack loves his wife, and after all the years he waited for her, he was afraid of loosing her again-- and he was justified in that fear. He just couldn't keep up with the old-fashioned thinking that he had to protect her. She knew the risks of what she was doing, and quite literally, she was the only woman for the job. Could he let her do it, like the many times she'd let him work for his military service? That kind of love cuts both ways... it's not just the dagger. Jack proves he's a very big man, even when he's on his knees.

COMING... oh yes... SPELLFIRE HEARTS, Spellfire Shadows, and a few things I am cooking up. I got a little addicted to the "Paranormal watchers" and Time Travel romance. We do have something special cooking!! Haunted Passions is going to be reissued... with GRAPHICS. I get to show you some of the stunning buildings of Delaware... and that Kookie dog.

The storms were bad last night and there aren't too many improvements expected for tonight. 

I watched the storm on radar as it blew up over Delmarva. My first thought was, "You've got to be kidding!"

A severe storm warning was finally issued. No- it doesn't make the storm any better or worse, but sometimes I am sure this area is neglected by the weather service. Watch how many times the people on the weather services will say "Delmarva" They point out Baltimore, DC, and New Jersey.  During the entire June Rain Fiasco- where we got something around a foot of rain, we never lost power. I reading the storm warning for Delmarva (at long last!) when the lights flash and go out.

We spent time comforting the dogs that were terrified of thunderstorms. I thought to step out and rescue my plants until lightening hits a light pole in the park less than a block away. I don't think so! The thunder rattles the house and I looked at my son and laughed, "I don't think I'm going to try that again!"

And then we sat around and twiddled our thumbs. I like to read. I like to crochet. I like to play cards. BUT none of these things go well when you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. Kik napped out in the recliner. Steve snoozed on the couch with the fraidy cats... errr... dogs.

Once it stopped raining I surveyed the damage. We may have lost a couple tomato branches. One of the 'succulents' (Lauren insists it's not a "cactus" but it drew blood more than once!) needed to be repotted because it fell and the pot broke. Considering that this was a NASTY storm, it could have been worse. The wind was the worst and reminded me of Hurricane Isabel.

So... the power still out and I'm back to twiddling my thumbs. Once the rain softened outside, I noticed something. All of the people are coming out to their porches. You know... we are so dependent on our electrical devices anymore. We, as a society, are lost without them. If the power goes out... do you really have any oil lamps or kerosene lamps? I didn't think so. Don't worry, neither do I. i have a few candles- I won't stub my toe or trip over a dog. I decided outside looked like a great place to be!

I was right. ADVENTURE TIME!

I left my shoes and stomped in every mudpuddle I could find. I also met at least a dozen of my neighbors. Special "howdy" goes out to Buddy and his Mommy, Candace and Ra-ra, and Nick. The lights came back on, and guess where we stayed? You got it... that sidewalk torned into a nice social place!

You have to watch for your best opportunities... when you least expect it... lightening strikes!

Life is sweet....

I've put out two stories in Digests, a Novel and two stories in Audio CD. Do you think, for a wild minute, that I might be slowing down? Oh, heck no!! We've got more things going on

You can still catch me in the playgirl posse group... the link is on the left. Midnight Social. LoveRomancesCafe, Maejikal Powers (Mae Powers Group) Fallen Angel Reviews Chatters... yea... I'm all over the place.

If you want to catch up with me... go to the Midnight Showcase Page...

I swear... I am going to make that the title of a book. Subtitled "The pitter-patter of Petter feet"

In April we got a shock that Chris Petter passed away suddenly. I'd had the pleasure of meeting them and we talked online with Chris and Rosie... and by proxy, their darling basset named... Stanley.

Stanley's nickname is "The Professor". He has a few naughty and quirky behaviors, typical of most bassets. He's happy to teach his favorites to other dogs. We have photographs of him getting a fresh drink from the toilet at Marylin's house... and teaching Otis the same trick.

After Chris's death, Rosie wanted the comforts of her family in Idaho and so Lauren took on Stanley for a few weeks but he's very happy to follow Auntie Di. Stanley loves Hims Auntie Di. All of my heartaches right now are usually punctuated with "Damnit, Stanley!".

My son wanted to take a shower... guess where Stanley is?? Yep. Turn on the water- baths usually drive dogs away-- even at the mention of the word. Muttlee? HA! Spell out B-A-T-H and it will be three hours before you see him again. Stan? The cool water only made him more adamant not to move.

I open the door to go to the bathroom... Guess where Stan follows?

I open the fridge... guess who has his nose in it first? Stanley.

Who dragged down the trashcan from the kitchen? You are getting good at this.

Who piddled on the floor? Yep.

Di puts her foot down on the floor from the step stool I keep at computer... right on top of Stans head.

I'm coughing up "Stanley colored" tribbles. Stan is my shadow.

I haven't recorded lately... Stan SNORES.

Don't get me wrong... I do love this dog dearly. He has a few quirks that remind me of Rufus and that certainly brings a smile to my face. But... why is it that I can be in my nice cool cotton broomstick dress, and stanley thinks it's a handy face towel after taking a nice long drink from the... yea... you guessed it.

As a Midnight Showcase digest, Seasons Spirits will go out-of-print in October.

You can grab a copy at: http://www.lulu.com/content/177143

"Haunted Passions" will continue to enjoy life as it's own freestanding Novella in the Midnight Showcase Romps line. And of course... in AUDIO. That is going to be a 2 CD set. I know it for a fact. I recorded "Phantom Vindication" in 50 minutes of run time. Haunted is twice as long plus a bit.

I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything on the releases.

BUT...

Dragons, Elves and Myths, Oh, My! is OUT finally... it holds the "Summoning Dangerously" story.