Bridghid Parkinson

Y!: BridghidParkinson

July 2007...LIVE from Houston, Texas!!!

Yes, I use that Yahoo Mail address above...I can check it frequently.

I've been writing for years. I have material on my drive that will either never see the light of day or it will go out to another publisher. Most of my work is Romance and Erotic Romance or "Sensual Adult Romance" and I am having way too much fun with it. My paranormal might detract from that or I can add my paranormal and fantasy works to my Romances. I'm sticking with the Romances... thank you!

I've used a couple different pseudonyms but they will forever remain in obscurity. I had a fire that destroyed a lot of my memorabilia- especially my author copies. If you have an old work you think is mine but it's under a different pseudonym, email me and I can confirm it for you, and at least tell you where I derived the 'Handle". Selene Greystone is one.

UPDATES on the works in general....

"Phantom Vindication" UPDATE I never expected what happened. As you saw in the front page, this story was selected as a finalist for the 2005 Reviewers International Organization Award for Excellence, in the "Short Story from a Romance Anthology". You could have knocked me over with a feather. One of the Interview questions I heard often: "If you could cast the leading roles...who would you have star in your movie?" Plus, I would participate in groups or discussions at conventions where I would hear about taking some of the shorter works and turning them into shorter features. Rather than sit and wish a screenwriter would grab the story, I got together with a friend and we agreed--who better to write our own screen play versions?

Another inspiration was discovering that "Brokeback Mountain" appeared in "The New Yorker" at around 12K words. Now, I don't have much patience for the author crying that the movie didn't get Best Picture. It took three awards, what ever happened to "Thank you"? She didn't write the screenplay- and even the screenwriters admitted that they had to flesh out some parts... one sentance became a new scene. The rationale for me became, if anyone is going to do any expansion like that, it should be me! The draft is now 60 pages--my flashbacks are real parts of the story and the descriptions include some special effects, and expanded hot scenes for the r/unrated version. That baby is mine...I would trust a screenwriter now to take my version and flesh out my descriptions in combination with the original story. Is the format perfect? Probably not! Would you want to see the handwritten manuscript I wrote in 1982 for the skit that was performed? Parts of it were in the scrapbook I lost in the fire...but it wasn't pretty. The only ones that needed to see it were me and Della. Is it enough to have a good idea of what goes next? YEP!

UPDATE...Haunted Passions gets reissued in Halloween Hijinx Fall 2007

Summoning Dangerously is getting some neat exposure, too. That's in Dragons Elves and Myths.

SPELLFIRE....Love it. I have six active Spellfire releases and four more on the way.

Summer Heat... "Hot Spell" has a piece/scene in it that I first wrote over ten years ago.

Egyptian Realms has "Anchient Jems" my big time travel. Yeah, I can see doing that in a screenplay manuscript.

Blue Noir has "Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch" was too much fun. Muscial? I can do that... would I make it into a screen adaptation? Nope. This one is just meant to be a good read.

"Elemental Dances" is a pagan/Wiccan theme story.

-----------------------

Why erotica? I used to struggle with the notions that some people would consider me a freak. There are books on the market that go into far uglier scenarios than sex, some of them are ethical or moral dilemas-- and some are even felonies. I write erotica because I have enjoyed edgy romances, with more than a plot of 'Boy meets Girl', and I don't have to sidestep what they are doing. Sex is a normal fact of life and one step in intimacy. I think some of my ghosts and secondary characters in the stories are bigger freaks than my heroines. I refuse to refer to any of my non-sexual work as 'serious'- every word I've put out is serious... some of it is sexual. Even my comedy is serious work. Check out my 'Advertizing Humor' if you don't believe me, although I will admit I don't have to look very hard for those any more!

FACTS ABOUT ME:

Nickname: Bree or Di- among others (keep reading- you'll understand) Bree is often a login I use for times where my full pen name won't fit. BreeParkinson was my NaNoWriMo ID

Brothers and Sisters? Lots of them! Two little sisters, two older half-sisters, and TEN foster brothers and sisters. It was more than just the holidays were interesting!

Place of Birth: Texas Hillcountry

Currently Living: HOUSTON but Other places I have lived are Arkansas and Delaware

Things I liked doing when I was younger (and still enjoy!): Swimming or inner-tubing in the river, driving around town, reading and writing, Speech and Drama in High School (I got my letter jacket!), Museums of all stripes, Basketball and horseback riding, Dancing- rock or western, Astronomy (I love meteor showers) and Art.

My Entertainment:

Novels I read recently: Niel Gaimon, American Gods; Jeffery Deaver, Lincoln Rhymes Series; Solomon Vs Lord, Paul Levine; Dear Guest and Ghost, Sylvia Dee (after reading both of my published works a friend of mine insists that I need to read that book! I keep promising myself that I will after things slow down... guess what hasn't happened? You know what? I'm smiling anyway!)

Of all forms of entertainment, TV has become my Least Favorite!

Favorite TV shows: M*A*S*H, CSI, Law and Order, Heroes, Stargate, Monster Garage or MonsterHouse, Who's Line is it Anyway? and Mythbusters. My only logical reasons for liking the latter shows is because they have people getting in and doing things with their hands. (Bravo!) I love the Improv of "Who's Line is it Anyway?" Adam and Jamie are hysterical in Mythbusters- especially when they are willing to prove/disprove some of these myths using their own bodies as test subjects. They are braver than I am!

The most recent movie I saw: King Kong

Recent Reads: Harry Potter, Life in the 1800s (Writer’s Reference), Jeffery Deaver, Charles deLint, Dan Brown, Ambrose Bierce- The Devil’s Dictionary, Flannery O’Connor, Piers Anthony, Anne McAffery, Mark Twain, and ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece’ (Public Domain- Sex Manual from the 1800s… they weren’t as dumb back then as some people might think. This is strong material and not for the faint of heart!). Carl Hiaasen, Dave Berry... hmm the list goes on...

Now... keep in mind I also review books. That's just the list I've put up for 'pleasure reading'.

Music:

Favorites: Rock or Classic Rock, Jazz, Blues.

Music for Inspiration while writing: Guitar and Piano instrumentals- Classical or Jazz.
(Disclaimer- it depends on what I am writing, too. I use music to set my mood.)

Favorite Musicals: Cats, A Chorus Line, Tommy- The Who, The Wall- Pink Floyd, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Disney Musicals

Favorite Rock: Just about any hard rock from the 70s and 80s. Def Leppard, Springsteen, Grand Funk Railroad, Doobie Brothers, Pat Benatar, and a host of others. There is a lot of good new music, too!

Favorite music in other genres: Eagles, Miles Davis, Dave Koz, BB King, Lee Ritenour, Manhattan Transfer, Englebert Humperdink (not open to discussion- my grandmother got me hooked), Dolly Parton, Texas Music, John Denver, Melissa Etheridge, and Johnny Cash. I’m also very fond of hearing a bunch of the fellas sitting around with their guitars, just singing along to whatever they can remember. That’s a perfect evening, in my book.

Food:

Favorite foods: Barbeque, Mexican, Salads, Oriental dishes, Korean, Sushi and Seafood

Favorite Restaurants:

• Rendezvous (BBQ) in Memphis, Tennessee
• Pacific Rim (Sushi), Baltimore, Maryland
• Huddock’s (Ice Cream and Burgers) near Salem, New Jersey
• Tower of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas, or shops on the Riverwalk
• Rusty Rudder (I hear they have great seafood but I love the breakfasts), Lewes, DE
• Grey Moss Inn, Helotes, Texas

Some of the most astonishing food- Truck Stops and little 'hole in the wall' restauraunts. I stopped for lunch in Perry Georgia to a little 'Mom and Pop' barbque place with a friend that I was working with who was originally from Baltimore. They had some of the BEST smoked Chicken barbeque I have ever put in my mouth. Special thanks to Brother Jimmy Revell- although I could not recall the name of the small resteraunt we were in, he could tell you. I got to talking with some of the locals, and I understood 'Georgia' perfectly because I am from Texas. Poor Darryl had a 'lost' look on his face and asked 'Is there an interpretor in the house?'

Favorite fast food restaurants? Burger King, Olive Garden, Applebee’s

Favorite drink: Coffee, Tea and Juices or diet soda- it's rare for me to drink alcohol! (I have to retract that in one way- I will drink Honey Mead in the drop of a hat. I found a vinyard in MD. Hail, Baccus!)

Favorite ice cream: Vanilla with homemade hot fudge.

What is your favorite snack: Pretzels, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies

Favorite Entertaining for a special friend: Candlelit dinner at home with music and a long conversation!

Travel:

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands- My grandmother lived there when I was young.

Memphis, Tennessee- Beale Street (Ride a steamboat- once in your life- I loved it!)

New Orleans, Louisiana- The French Quarter

Luckenbach, Texas

South Padre Island, Texas

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Atlanta and surrounding area, Georgia

Baltimore, Maryland

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- The Liberty Bell and all of the amazing sights around it.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Take in the Historic sites, museums, The Point, and the food!

Ocean City and Atlantic City, New Jersey (also of note: Enjoy the Cape May Lewes Ferry. I’ve been known to take a couple round trips and just sit with my notebook and write about whatever comes to mind. It’s a great diversion to cure writer’s block!)

UPDATE (October '05) I have to add Washington DC in it's own special category. I had an old special friend that gave me a call and said "Guess where I'll be?" so we went to meet him. I got a fabulous view from the car because we were lost trying to find Union Station. After an adventurous afternoon (we found Union Station) and evening, and a lovely dinner downtown, Lauren and I tried to leave DC the same way we arrived. That's very bad logic in DC.  We knew we were lost when we found Union Station. I now know Massechusets Avenue well.

Oddities:

Favorite colors: navy blue, burgundy, forest green

Favorite Animals: Dogs, Horses, and mythical creatures

Favorite Day of the week: Wednesday- and any day that is not MONDAY.

Favorite Flowers: Carnation, Rose, Lilacs, Bluebonnets (That’s just the top four- the ones I have reasons to like. I love flowers in general.)
Favorite Sport to watch: Basketball and Football (Live Games! Please, do not inflict televised Pro Football on me! I prefer High School and College games, but live Pro games are good, too. God Bless Art Rooney. Everything I know about football, I learned while waving PepSquad pom-poms in high school.)

Favorite Teams: San Antonio Spurs and Pittsburgh Steelers (remember- LIVE games!) If someone wants to tell me about a game- all I need to know is "Who won?" and "What was the score?" but if I feel adventurous I might ask about the standings. My son and I have been getting into arguments over this for years. He tells me about the score and then starts into his diatribe about, "You should have seen..." Sure, James... talk to the hand. Blech.

When I am bored...? I’m NEVER bored! I Write, Dance, Crochet, Surf the web, Read, and play with digital photography and art rendering and audio files. There are just not enough hours in the day!

How many pets? My Rufus was the inspiration for CAP in Haunted Passions. I lost him on 11/3/05 and I sitll miss that dog terribly. The stray cat went on his merry way. I do have a pet project that I worked with a programmer to upgrade. If you have the Google desktop- look for the plugin for the Aquarium. On a whim I emailed the creator and told him some ideas I had that could make it a little more warped... and sure enough, Teo may use them! I don't do Javascrtipt programming myself but I was tickled to contribute to a project like that. It was too fun!

The saddest thing I ever witnessed first hand: After all the news around 9/11, I was standing in our company parking lot in Dover, Delaware and saw the Chinook Helicopters flying overhead that were carrying the officers bodies from the Pentagon to the Military morgue at Dover Air Force Base.

Most impressive sights: Sunrise on the beach, and the view from the top of Granite Mountain in Fredericksburg, Texas; Lake Ouachita, Arkansas; The Mississippi River; and any mountain range; the underside of a C-5 transport plane from the end of the flight line as it’s taking off or landing.

(UPDATE... This is why one of the reasons I was so amazed with the outcome of the crash at Dover Air Force Base. I've stood where that plane crashed. ALL 17 of the crew survived.)

Most unusual (favorite, too) job: Residential aide in a Homeless shelter. OK... writer is getting up there. Writing is my 'art' but for a mundane job to pay the bills, I don't think I have ever loved my job in the shelter more.

Something a little more intimate:

What color is my bedroom? Burgundy and Navy Blue, Some floral prints, crystal and natural stone accents.

Bed: Twin, Captain’s bed with lots of pillows because I love to read

Favorite furnishings: My rocking chair and my bed.

Have I ever loved another woman? Yes. She passed away in June of 2004.

Current Marital Status: I’m divorced and I have a ‘gentleman friend’ but I’m not really looking. I've got work to do to get back home and a plan in place to get it done. My life is tough to keep up with or match. I wouldn't push it away but I have things I have to do and I am not willing to compromise on them yet and I don't want to drag someone else through it.

My most prized possessions: my father’s wedding ring, my Cowboy Boots and Cowboy Hats

The first name I was born with: Dianne-- "Di" is fine, too. In some places, my nickname really is Bree. My Daddy started the nickname "Deedee" because I was named after my mother, who he called "Dinny". Most of my family still calls me Deedee. Bridghid, however is part of my name. It started with my Catholic Confirmation when I was 14, spelled Bridgette. I like the Celtic Spelling. "Hey you!" works, too. Other nicknames: LadyDi, "Mija" (Spanish), and a gang of kids that also call me Mom. Only a few of them are really mine!