I Smell Smoke

Every once in a while I get what I call the blogging blahs. As much as I like to run off at the mouth, sometimes inspiration fails to strike me and in the immortal words of a wise woman somewhere, "I got nothing." Actually I don't necessarily have "nothing." More like I got a bunch of random stuff floating around, I haven't posted in a few days, and well, I need to put something here. Yep, it's time for another list of linky goodness!

1) I've "known" Amy a scary long time. Longer than I've been blogging, which means we're talking going on 10 years. She's the only person I know who might have a TBR scarier than mine (and we don't know for sure since she refuses to count it - scaredy cat). Anyway, I really liked her recent funny post about family drama and rediscovering "why" she reads. Go forth and say hello.

2) Leslie has an interview up with Cheryl St. John with two contests attached. One particular point of interest in the interview? Cheryl teases us with tidbits about her current work in progress. Go forth and read.

3) I've done some updating over at the Upcoming Historical Romances wiki. Lots of pretty book covers and lists of books through July 2010 (lists still not totally "complete," but I'm getting there).

4) Rosie is over at AccessRomance Reader's Gab making me think too hard. Seriously, Mondays after a holiday always find my brain the consistency of lumpy day-old oatmeal. Anyway, head on over and read what she thinks about creativity, longevity and staying the course.

5) The Cheesecake Factory has a new Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake which consists of red velvet cake, cheesecake filling, cream cheese frosting and white chocolate shavings. OK, seriously. How am I expected to say no to something like this? And for the record? Oh. My. Gawd. Something this good has got to be illegal in 23 states.

6) Thanksgiving at the Bat Cave was grand. My turkey turned out OK, but it was my stuffing that rocked the house. I followed my Aunt Mary's recipe to the T and drown those bread crumbs in a serious amount of turkey broth. Soooooo good. The leftover stuffing didn't make it past Friday night. Oh and the Lil' Sis makes some killer mashed taters and gravy. Those made it to Sunday night - but just barely.

7) After finding my mojo earlier in the month, my reading hit the skids again. I jump-started it last night by finishing up a Harlequin Historical (OK) and two Spice Briefs short stories (one OK, the other really dang good). Reviews will be forthcoming over at TGTBTU. Next up? I'm reading the new Cheryl St. John, Her Colorado Man. I couldn't resist it any longer.

These Are Their Stories

I can't remember where I first read about Remember How I Love You: Love Letters From An Extraordinary Marriage by Jerry Orbach and Elaine Orbach - but I suspect I saw it in one of Simon & Schuster's catalogs. I filed it away in the back of my mind, and when I noticed one of my colleagues ordered it for work, I put my name on the waiting list expecting to browse through it. I'm a massive Law & Order fan, and I adore Jerry Orbach (who passed away in 2004), and that was enough for me to give it a whirl.

Imagine my surprise when I was able to plow through the whole book on my lunch break.

This is a slim (182 pages) gift-sized hard cover that was put together by Orbach's widow, Elaine. They met during the original production of Chicago on Broadway. Orbach was cast as Billy Flynn, while Elaine was the understudy for Chita Rivera, who was playing Velma Kelly. Being an understudy was actually a step down for Elaine's career at the time, but she said it was fate, because that's how she and Jerry ultimately met and fell in love.

During the course of their 25 year marriage, Jerry would scribble Elaine poems every morning. Because of his shooting schedule on Law & Order, he was often out the door before she got out of bed. So she'd wake up, to find these poems scribbled on the backs of page-a-day calender sheets. Sometimes heartfelt, often times funny and silly, Elaine kept all these notes in a large soup tureen they had. Interspersed between a selection of a few of those poems is a biography of their life together.

As far as a biography goes, this one is pretty slim. I didn't learn too much here that I hadn't already picked up by watching A&E's Biography. What does shine through is how funny, charming and incredibly likable Orbach was. The one aspect of this story that did surprise me was how long he had actually been sick with prostate cancer. This was not an overnight illness. He lived with it for 10 years. About 5 years longer than the doctors initially gave him. Everybody "at work" knew about his cancer treatments. They all knew about his regiment of treatment(s) and medication(s) and yet? Nobody breathed a word of it. Jerry Orbach lived with cancer for 10 years and outside of his inner circle, nobody was the wiser. No sensationalized stories in the Enquirer. No Internet rumors. Not a single peep.

It was also wonderfully refreshing to read about a couple of actors who were about as far away from the limelight as you can get. Law & Order propelled Orbach into career security, and he was beloved around New York City - but this is a guy who did the laundry when Elaine threw her back out and helped with the vacuuming. They never hired a staff. They rented their apartment. He didn't even have a publicist. He loved to golf and play poker at his club. Just a normal, average Joe who had a pretty awesome day job.

The writing in this book is very straight-forward. Again, it's meant as a love letter to their marriage, so any sort of deep digging into Orbach's life isn't going to be found here. The best parts of the story are when some of Orbach's colleagues make appearances in the book. Benjamin Bratt's recollections are particularly touching, as is the forward by Sam Waterston and afterward by Richard Belzer. But ultimately this book is a heartfelt winner thanks to candid pages where Elaine recounts Jerry's final days. As I said, I read this on my lunch break at work, and I was a weeping, sobbing mess by the end of it all. Ultimately that's what makes this book work. As is Elaine's message behind compiling some of Jerry's poems: to bring the old fashioned love letter back into vogue. As she says herself, once Jerry was gone, those notes brought her a great deal of comfort. E-mail and Twitter just don't have the same sort of punch.

Final Grade = B+

Harlequin + Super Librarian = More Awesome!

Remember when I posted about the upcoming Cheryl St. John ebook bundle I proposed to Harlequin? The one coming out in January 2010? I mentioned in that post that I had proposed three different ideas for ebook bundles, hoping one would "stick." Turns out - they liked them all!

Coming in February 2010 is the Love, American Style Harlequin Historical bundle! My goal for this bundle was to showcase the diversity that can be found if readers would just Please For The Love Of My Sanity Read Some American Historicals Already. In this bundle are three books that have previously been unavailable in electronic format.

Prairie Wife by Cheryl St. John - Yes, more St. John. But really, you cannot go wrong with this woman! This is my favorite of her books, an emotionally gut-wrenching, western-set, marriage in trouble story (which I normally don't care for - but holy cow is this a good one!).

The Bride Fair by Cheryl Reavis - Reavis is one of my very favorite Harlequin authors who consistently delivers in her historicals as well as her contemporary-set stories. This one takes place post-Civil War, in the South, and features a Southern heroine with a real dilemma on her hands and the Northern, former POW, commanding officer who has commandeered her family home for the occupying troops.

Married By Midnight by Judith Stacy - This is the story that will lighten up the bundle. Set in late 19th century Los Angeles, the heroine finds herself a bridesmaid for the third time in three months, when she runs up against our hero, a man who broke her heart as a young girl. The hero has entered into a wager with his best friend, and ultimately falls under the heroine's spell - but what happens when the heroine finds out about the wager? Yeah, it doesn't bode well for our hero. Stacy is kind of hit or miss for me, and this one was a major hit. It's charming, it's funny, and it's set in Los Angeles. More historicals need to be set in L.A. Says me.

Also, good news via an e-mail bud of mine - she has discovered both of these bundles at the Kindle Store over at Amazon. Just go to the Kindle Store and search "super librarian" and they'll both pop up, available for pre-order. Amazon is retailing both bundles for $9.99 and if their list price is anything to go by - they'll be around $14.00 at other ebook retail outlets. Woot!

As for that third bundle I proposed? Given the theme of the bundle, Harlequin has told me they're holding it back for a Summer 2010 release. And no, I'm not spilling the beans on that one just yet. You'll have to be patient and wait.

More Teasing Via Ear Worm

As stated in my previous post, I have some big news to share. Well, I just got the official confirmation e-mail, and it's been...well...confirmed. I'll make the big splashy announcement tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a hint:



One of the catchiest, ear-worm-y TV themes of all time. No need to thank me. Ha!

This Weekend At The Bat Cave

Once again I have a bunch of "little stuff" floating around in my pea brain, which can only mean one thing. Yep, time for another round-up post! And away we go....

+++++

Every once in a while My Man gets "stuck" on a TV show. He discovers something new-to-him or revisits an old favorite and then goes on a gorge-like viewing frenzy. In the past it's been shows like Iron Chef America, Dirty Jobs, Star Trek: The Next Generation. His latest obsession? For all you Brits who read my blog, it would be Top Gear which airs here in the States on BBC America. Basically three guys who talk cars, drive cars, and talk cars some more. He discovered it on YouTube, and now he's hooked. I'm currently wondering how long it will be before he completely O.D.s.

+++++

After five years, the Bat Cave once again has a Christmas tree. When we lived in Michigan, we did a real tree every year. Since we now tend to travel over the holidays, I have refused to shell out cash for a real tree since moving to So. Cal. Of course traveling also means I have put off buying an artificial tree. Well no more. We did it today, and in a confession that will likely send the hounds of Hell after me....

I'm done with my holiday decorating. Already. I know, I know. Would it make you hate me any less if I tell you I haven't even thought about holiday cards yet and I haven't done a lick of shopping for gifts? See, I'm not that ahead of the curve.

Of course getting a tree has meant another long discussion with My Man. He's of the I Think The Tree Should Look Like Better Homes & Gardens school, while I think Christmas trees are like people. When they lack character, nobody wants to spend any time around them. I like my Batman ornament thankyouverymuch. And yes, Strawberry Shortcake is going next to Rhett and Scarlet. And how could he possibly suggest I not put up my Pinky And The Brain ornament? Rubbish!

Ultimately I "won" this round. Heh, only because our tree couldn't look like Better Homes & Gardens without us spending a shitload of money on new ornaments. And we're nothing if not cheap frugal. Plus I decorated the darn thing. So yeah, I win.

+++++

I got a thank you card this week from my niece, The Fairy Princess, who turned 8 years old earlier this month. I got her the gift that keeps on giving. Yep, a Barnes and Noble gift card. I would say the favorite part of the thank you note was the fact that she signed both her first and last name. Like I wouldn't know it was from her. But the entire note is pretty damn cute.

"Dear Aunt Wendy,
Thank you for the Barns and Nobles gift card. I like it because I get to pick out my own different kinds of books."

Me too sweetie. Me too.

+++++

I signed on to my e-mail this afternoon to discover a message from one of my longtime online buds. The long and the short of it is that I may have some news to share....hopefully soon. I just need to write another e-mail to verify a few things. When I can share, I will. For now, you'll have to settle for me being a tease.

RocknRolla

I don't know about you all, but I'm just about full-up on the Harlequin Horizons brouhaha. Not that I don't think it's an important topic to beat half to death (I have devoted two blog posts to it!), but I'm reaching the saturation point where I want to start smacking people. Which means it's time for me to take a step back and steer the Bat Cave back towards a completely frothy topic that nobody gives a flying fig about. Heh.

During my morning commute, one of the radio stations I rarely listen to in the mornings (DJs = blah, blah, blah) was promoting their upcoming Thanksgiving week programming where they're going to play the Top 1000 Rock Songs as voted on by their listeners. The DJs were discussing their own personal Top 10 lists. I thought this sounded like fun (I'm a massive list ho) plus the Big Sis (the metal chick) hasn't commented on my blog in ages (some nonsense about finishing nursing school, working, being a wife and mother - like those are excuses!), so I thought I'd do my own personal Top 10 Songs Wendy Rocks Out To list. Here it goes:

(Song title links will take you to YouTube)

1) Helter Skelter by The Beatles - Paul McCartney tends to take a lot of shit for his "silly love songs," while John Lennon is touted as "the genius." Well kids - arguably the hardest rockin' song The Beatles ever recorded was written, wait for it, by pretty boy Paul. Yeah. You can shut up now.

2) Welcome To The Jungle by Guns n' Roses - Could be the greatest hard rock song ever recorded. Period. Every time it's on the radio I crank it up to about 50,000 decibels. Sheer awesome.

3) Back In Black by AC/DC - I can take or leave AC/DC, but I love this song. One of the all-time great guitar riffs.

4) Panama by Van Halen - It's hard to pick one Van Halen track (the Bat Cave likes to pretend Van Hagar never happened), but this one edges out Hot For Teacher because not only is Eddie's guitar amazing, but Alex's drumming sounds like pure sex.

5) Barracuda by Heart - I lurve old skool Heart. Ann Wilson is my choice for greatest female rock vocalist ever. And her voice still sounds fan-frackin'-tastic to this day.

6) Tush by ZZ Top - It was hard to choose between this one and La Grange, but Tush wins out because again, it sounds like sex. Dirty, Texas honky-tonk, whiskey-shootin' sex.

7) Sex Type Thing by Stone Temple Pilots - Hands down, some of the most misogynistic lyrics ever set to music. I should feel dirty for loving it - but I don't.

8) Enter Sandman by Metallica - Hard core Metallica fans consider this the band's sell-out point, but damn this song rocks. It barrels down on you like a freight train, and that bass line? That bass line is hot!

9) Head Like A Hole by Nine Inch Nails - I can't help it. I'm a Gen-Xer. Which means I have to like one band that panders to whiny, disenfranchised slackers. NIN works for me because Trent Reznor took electronic music and gave it a damn melody. This entire album (Pretty Hate Machine) rocks my socks.

10) She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult - A gothic-punk hybrid, I love this song because of how melodic it is. Oh and the guitar. I'm a sucker for that guitar.

So that's my fly by the seat of my pants list. Honestly, I'm leaving off a ton of stuff. There's no mention of The Who, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Ozzy, Cream - geez. Tons.

Add your favorite rock songs in the comments section. And happy Friday!

RWA, Harlequin Horizons And My Take

As most of you probably know by now, Harlequin has announced they are severing the Harlequin name from their Horizons venture. As a reader (and librarian) this makes me happy, since the slathering of the 60 year old Harlequin brand name on this venture was my biggest gripe.

A letter Harlequin has sent to various authors and agents is now posted online, and while I'm happy to see Harlequin changing their stance on the Horizons issue (sort of), this letter is full of a heaping helping of WTFBBQ. You can read the letter in it's entirety here, but I'm just going to highlight a few things that struck me as particularly ballsy.

Harlequin was very surprised and dismayed to receive notice late yesterday that the RWA has decided that Harlequin is no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. We were even more surprised to discover that the RWA sent a notice to its membership announcing this decision, before allowing Harlequin to respond or engage in a discussion about it with the RWA board.

::snort:: And I'm sure Harlequin considered notifying RWA and their members (many of them Harlequin authors) before they announced the Horizons venture. Seriously. WTH?

It is disappointing that the RWA has not recognized that publishing models have and will continue to change.

Oh this is rich.

I am hardly RWA's biggest champion. There are many issues I think they have failed to address and I believe they are short-sighted on. Namely the long-standing resistance in some corners to the erotic romance sub genre, the failure to recognize legitimate e-presses, and their complete head-in-the-sand attitude towards digital (not that they're alone in this boat - hello many traditional NY publishing houses!).

But to use that line about "publishing models changing" when addressing the clusterfuck that is Horizons is just rich. RWA and many authors recognized this for what it is. A completely and totally skeevy way to sell out the Harlequin name brand.

Do I think RWA needs to be more proactive on certain issues? Yes. But I think perhaps Sybil said it best on Twitter today when she said:

because honestly I think epubs (some of them) should be approved but I don't think every issue should be tabled til past fuck ups get fixed

And that's it in a nutshell. But unlike some corners of the Internet, I have a hard time believing RWA is the bogeyman or evil. Misguided at times? Sure. But it's up to the members of the RWA organization to work (rationally and calmly I might add) to help affect change.

Can you tell I've spent too much time on Twitter the last few days?

What hasn't been addressed to any satisfaction is how Harlequin is going to move forward with Horizons. Are they still going to keep advertising the service on the writing section of their web site? Are they still going to refer to Horizons in rejection letters they send out to writers? That hasn't been made clear at this time (of me writing this blog post).

But as a reader, and as a librarian who spends a lot of time banging her head up against obstinate colleagues? The dropping of the Harlequin name from the venture helps.