Diary of a Mad Housewife

Daily Hotsheet:

June 30, 1999
I finished the revisions on Lost Boys Monday night, and Kurt approved them. I'm thrilled to be sharing a toc with Lisa and Ron -- and only a little intimidated.
We attended the Ren Faire in Richland, WA over the weekend. The kids had fun, and in general it was nice (aside from some very offensive "dancing" by a group which billed themselves as a gypsy troupe and thought that 20 minutes of simulated sex on stage was bellydance). The faire was larger (2,000 in attendance) than our local one, with lots of venders and entertainment. It was definitely a spectator event. I missed the intimacy of the Spokane faire, though, with its strong story line and interactive characters who were never off stage. Still, it was a great weekend get-away.
On the dance front, I've committed to jumping off the cliff this fall. My first public performance after 2 years of keeping it in my private living room with the drapes drawn. It will be at a hafla (dance party) in November and not a big deal as these things go, but I'm equally excited/scared about it.   I've been studying for 2 years, so I suppose it's time.   I've walked on stage with a whole lot more at stake many times--college semester juries come to mind--so I know the world doesn't end no matter how it goes (unlike juries). But just like anticipating the publication of Lost Boys -- it's not the comments I'll hear that worry me. It's the ones whispered outside my presence that twist my stomach.
My greatest fear is being considered a joke and not knowing it.
June 15, 1999
Finally! After simmering on the back burner for nearly 2 years, I know where Wild Onions starts. This is a story I've reluctantly let sit until my skills caught up with my vision; not that they're there yet, but I'm going to try. Since the plot of WO is overly complex, I'm writing one time-line of it as a short/novella (maybe I'll know what it is when it's done) entitled Consortin' With The Coloreds. 1,000 words on it last night, and I'm pushing for at least that much again today. Background music is Blues Traveler Four.
June 11, 1999
CONGRATULATIONS to troll Hannah Rowan, who sold her romance novel Just A Gigolo to Kensington's Precious Gems line, her first print-publisher sale! Consider the logistics of this one: she mailed the ms. from New Jersey on Monday, and Wednesday afternoon the editor called with an offer! More details on release date, etc., when I shake them out of her.
Just for fun ...
Check out the Nessie-cam, a web cam aimed at Loch Ness.
June 9, 1999
For your listening pleasure, today's recommendation is Without Expression, from John Mellancamp's The Best That I Could Do. For some reason this cut is ripping me up. My moods are a little to close to the surface today for this cd, perhaps.
From the misunderstood lyrics department: listening to this cd is taking me way back in time. And just like the first time I heard the song, I sing along to "Our old Sika in the USA." aka, R-O-C-K In The USA.   Anyone else remember Sika?
June 8, 1999
Troll Of The Day: Aged To Perfection
I rescued this little guy yesterday at Value Village while I was supposed to be looking for something else. He's now at home of my monitor, overseeing everything. I bought far too many trolls--they just seem to keep leaping into my cart. :) The kids have gotten into "troll spotting," and make sure I don't miss a one. Soon I'm going to need a separate room just to keep them in!
Congratulations! to Lisa, Stephen, Ron and everyone else that I've missed the last couple of weeks. Johnzo, sympathies on the visa trouble, but good luck with Vancouver.
Just because, I've created a troll picture gallery with snaps of my collection.
No progress for me writing-wise. It's the last week of school. Next comes summer vacation.
June 7, 1999
Rest in peace, Nancy ....
Nancy Richards-Akins was murdered in front of her young children yesterday, allegedly by her ex-husband who later took his own life. Nancy was a romance writer, the author of sixteen historical romances.   I first met her in 1993; she'd been my first contest judge. I remember how she took the time to write several pages of comments and encouragement to a hopeless beginner, treating my "baby" as gently as if it were her own, then seemed genuinely pleased to meet me at a conference. She even remembered my name.
In a muzzle-flash, she was gone, her life was stolen by someone who claimed to love her. She was 45 years old.
I won't speculate on the circumstances of Nancy's death, nor any possible history leading up to it. But a recent study comes to mind: in the last 10 years, while access to domestic violence shelters and intervention programs have increased, the number of men murdered by their intimate partners has decreased sharply, probably because women now have more opportunities to leave. During the same period, the number of women murdered by their intimate partners has increased.
Probably for the same reason.
Intimate partner violence is too often invisible and too often fatal. There's no profile of a typical abuser. Gender, socio-economic status, race, sexual orientation, legal marital status -- no group has an exclusive franchise on violence. It is never justified, and it is never deserved. And it doesn't happen "just once."
Check your local yellow pages for shelters, hotlines and organizations -- get involved and give a little of your time and/or money. You might save a life.

Past months:
May, 1999
April, 1999
March, 1999

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