25 Mar 2008
The Bugster
Andrew is the bright, shiny man in the middle wearing the brown sweatshirt. You already know he's a playwright, but here are a few other intriguing tidbits about him...
He's a black belt in Kung Fu San Soo.
He's an accomplished chef of Central and South American cuisine.
He likes beer (a fact he only recently discovered).
He believes smooth leaves are far more pleasant than toilet paper (a fact revealed after a few of the aforementioned beers).
The first thing my friend Andrew said to me when he walked into Coffee Bar, the café where we met up to work, was "What's wrong?"
I frowned at him. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"
"You're gripping your head like you're trying to squeeze the ideas out."
"I wish it were that easy."
"Are you working on your revisions?" he asked, sitting down next to me and pulling out his laptop.
"No, I took a break from them to work on the bane of my existence."
"Which is?"
"My blog. I just don't know what to write about." I sighed, deep and heavy. An aspiring playwright, I knew Andrew would appreciate my drama. But right as I was about to sigh again, an idea struck. "Oh! I know what my topic is now."
He leaned over, his eyes lit with curiosity. "What is it this week?"
"I'm going to write about you."
"Me?" His brow furrowed. "Am I interesting enough?"
"You're more interesting than goats, which is what Nate suggested I write about." I pursed my lips. "Do you want people to know that I call you Bugster because of the yellow lensed swimming goggles you wore to protect your eyes after your Lasik surgery?"
"Uh..."
I nodded. "Okay, I'll leave that part out."
18 Mar 2008
Out Golfing
No blog for you this week.
I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not really. I've been writing my little heart out. To put it into perspective for you, I've written about 250 pages in two weeks. Maybe more. I've got no words left in me—not even for a birthday card much less a blog post.
The good news is I'm done with the bulk of my revisions, and I'm taking a break for a couple days. I should be back, fresh and ready to blather, next week.
What are the revisions for, you may wonder. Well, allow me to tell you (in case you don't check out the news area every month). We accepted a two-book deal from Grand Central (formerly Warner) for a paranormal romance series I cooked up. The first book, MARKED, will be out June 2009. It's about an artist and the mystical Chinese scroll she inherits.
You'll love it—trust me. It's a little dark, a little kick-ass, and a lot sexy. I'll post a snippet of the first chapter soon—stay tuned.
11 Mar 2008
The New Health Craze
It's my favorite guy's birthday week (that's you, Nate). He's not this little anymore, but he still has a winning smile—and he still loves Spiderman.
For the record: his taste in pants has improved.
There's an intriguing woman who comes into the café where I write in the mornings. Every morning, she orders a cup of coffee and a glass of red wine. Mind you, it's not butt-early when she comes in—it's usually around 9:30am. (Observant sounds better than nosy, thank you very much.)
What kind of person orders a glass of red wine in the morning? Every morning? I mean, at a bar—sure, I can see. But we're talking a nice café where the neighborhood gathers to drink lattes, eat breakfast burritos, and read the paper.
So I figured there could be a few different reasons.
It could be medicinal.
I mean, it's not exactly "proven" that red wine lowers your risk of heart problems, but look at the French.Coffee tastes better with a red wine chaser.
Maybe I should try it. Though coffee with Scotch sounds more like it to me.She just wants a glass of wine and she doesn't care that it's morning.
Heck, I can respect that. My favorite breakfast is spaghetti—who am I to judge?
I mentioned this to the owner of another café I go to, and apparently they have an old guy who orders a cappuccino and a tumbler of red wine in the morning too. Maybe it's a health trend I'm missing out on. If so, forget Atkins—I'm going on the Cabernet diet.
04 Mar 2008
Don't Quote Me on That
My sister called me a few mornings ago, all huffy with indignation. "You and Nate are the only ones who really understand me."
"How is that?" I asked.
"Last night, I was out with some friends, and there was a perfect moment in the conversation for me to use with your eyes all scranched from French Kiss. So I did, but no one got it."
"Bummer."
"I know. Only you and Nate get my movie quotes because you're the only ones who have seen all the same movies."
"I feel the same way. A couple days ago, my friend Andrew was debating whether to go to a café with me for some writing time or to out with another friend, so I said to him he'll lead you down the path of righteousness, I'm gonna lead you down the path that rocks, but he didn't get it."
Parisa sighed. "I love The Emperor's New Groove. Talk about a movie no one's seen."
"I know." I pursed my lips in thought. "Maybe I should have a day on my blog where people have to respond in movie quotes."
"Oh, that'd be fun."
I grinned. "I know just the quote to start off the comments with too."
