The Fear Behind the Smiles

Second-Hand Sarah: A Blog of Quirky Optimism and Explorations of an Old House

If you're wondering about my pseudo-radio silence of late, rest assured, I've been busy. If you haven't already checked out the new blog (special note: it's NON horror!), feel free to do so now.

It's called Second-Hand Sarah, and it's a bunch of fiction with some fact thrown in for anecdotal purposes.

Pictured to the left is the actual journal I've been writing in for the blog entries. Little notes, jots, pics to include, etc.

It's a strange process, this new blog. It's almost acting, almost writing, and a lot of making stuff up, scouring old pictures to use on the blog and digging through my own roomfuls of antiques and general clutter to find things that might have been 'discovered' during a renovation.

It's a fun process. Typically I write pretty early in the morning or during lunch, and I dress the part, which makes me laugh at myself. I put on jewelry or clothes and think 'No, that's not right, Sarah wouldn't wear that.' and change.

Likewise, music. Typical playlist for a Sarah blog includes new age, old jazz, classic rock, and sometimes even pop. Little to no industrial or goth (The Cure... where do they fall - pop or goth? I guess both.).

I'm playing a part with the blog, and discovering some things about myself while I do it. 1) I'm not bad at this optimistic writing thing. Not quite chick lit, it's much more empowering and uplifting but without going the gamut to religious zealotry or militant feminism, 2) the research is just as much fun as the writing, and 3) I genuinely like Sarah.

I also really like where the story will be going. Lots of hidden elements to the house, lots of secrets and histories, and just an absolute adventure as soon as the first explorations are made. I have to admit, I'm as excited about writing it all down as I would be if I were exploring an old mansion and finding all this crazy stuff myself.

Without further ado, enjoy Second-Hand Sarah's blog.

Amazon Author Page is Live

In one of those 'eureka' moments last week, Christian Dumais pointed out that I should create my Amazon Author's Bio page. It was like suddenly realizing I should have been wearing a coat in a snowstorm, but had been so caught up in building my snowman that I had forgotten the basics, in spite of such obvious parental warnings as pneumonia.

I think part of never having done it before now was that I always just considered myself a regular person (OK, OK, maybe I use that term in a snarky way). I'm a writer, certainly, but always assumed I needed to make X, 000, 000 book sales before Amazon put up an author page.Turns out good ole Puff Chrissy bestowed upon me a revelation: I am an actual honest to goodness author, and I deserve that Author's Bio Page on Amazon.  I just needed to jump for the golden ring.

So... kind of weird and kind of cool all at the same time... here it is, my Amazon Author's Bio Page: http://www.amazon.com/Suzi-M/e/B003TTLGP2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

I'm sure eventually this will all be very ho-hum, but for now, I'm merely basking in the glow of the now.

The Insomnia Monster Strikes Again, Producing Digital Men and Monsters

The night is stormy, which would usually be a great opening for an intense story somewhere out there in literati land. Sadly all it means for me is a sleepless night.

I'm definitely not afraid of a good thunderstorm. Quite the opposite. I love them. Dark and stormy nights are my bread and butter, after all.

The downside to a really good thunderstorm (or upside, depending on how optimistic I feel at the time) is that it's like sticking my finger in a socket, pure energy rush and buzzing with creativity.

I have had zero caffeine today in hopes I could sleep tonight at a normal hour. The storm rolled in around 9pm and that was it. I've been supercharged ever since.

Rather than play the woe-is-me card and mope, I decided to do something - dare I say it? - productive. The digital image you see here is made with a combination of Poser and Photoshop. The main meat and potatoes of the Big Guy's face, head and background were all done initially in Poser. Finishing touches, such as pallor, hair, eyes, and shadowing were all hand drawn in Photoshop. It's not as easy and effortless as it seems, but it is a labor of love.

I'm a regular Pygmalion when it comes to my characters. One of these days I'll have to summon up the rest of the characters into digital format. So far they only exist as the initial concept drawings, sketches, and rough paintings I did back in 1993 when I wrote the first draft of NEMESIS (aka Book 1 of the Immortal War Series).

So on this particular dark and stormy night, I'm listening to a fun and extremely eclectic mix of music from Lycia and Lady GaGa to Grendel and Fields of the Nephilim. Issues? No way. I have subscriptions and franchised newsstands for my blend of problems. I've created the digital art gracing this post, and gotten some writing done. The Moleskine has even seen some ink tonight, which will eventually find its way into a digital form of dark comedy story. 

Oh yeah, the dark comedy. Inspired by, of all things, eBay. I thought I had seen everything til I saw ghosts, djinns, and vampires bonded to jewelry and sold on the cheap in a digital marketplace. After sorting through page after page of items, I found myself wondering how the inhabitants of the jewelry/objects felt about their lot in life. Most importantly being stuck in jewelry, dolls, or in some cases even just a box, and sold at auction. And so the story was born.

Feel free to get up-to-the-damn-near-second updates on my Facebook fanpage. Feel free to post something and say hello, too. I talk to my fans because I'm a friendly sort.

Speaking of fans... got recognized by titles and storyline in my fave local yarn store a couple of weeks ago. It was my first recognition. I was so in awe I asked them for THEIR autograph. Based on the experience, I've decided to start an autograph album of people who've read my novels. To hell with famous people autographs, I want the folks who admire my work enough to say hello to me.

Feel free to join the fun on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=37195941#!/pages/Suzi-M/54616181082

I've Been Bad....

 Instead of using my birthday weekend to update my Etsy shops and get stuff done, I did exactly the opposite. Epic win for fellow Etsians, as I splurged ALL over your shops. I think I may have bought an item from almost every Etsy shop this past week.

Mind you, the majority of my shopping spree was actually FOR my Etsy shops in way of supplies and such. I'm cool like that, and I try to keep prices in my shop as affordable as possible, since it's that kind of economy, I don't care who says it's getting better. If you're an artist in the US that isn't splashing paint for millions, then you're probably either poor or have a day job and a closet full of your art addictions. I can relate, totally.

So in an effort to support my fellow artists/Etsians, and keep my stash of fiber and jewelry-making supplies well-stocked with choices and various color palettes, I splurged. There was one purchase I made for me, though, as a happy birthday, and that was a little leather journal necklace and two leather journals from the Artreasury. I had been coveting both shops' wares for some time, and finally found a reason to break out the cash. 

For those who have yet to take the handmade plunge, it's something I highly recommend. We're out of the plaster hands and paste-dripping paper plates zone here, and the stuff posted to Etsy - the majority of it, anyway - is fantastic. Many shops will even do custom orders, so you get a truly unique gift at a usually decent price.

I also got a skein of INSANELY bright purple yarn to make socks for my mother. She's going to love it. I can just tell. If not, I'll distract her with the purple wind-up pinwheel pen I got her.

And After Anger.... Acceptance, with Caveat

After a nice night of very little uninterrupted sleep, I have decided that perhaps I need to just stop worrying so much about what bad parents are doing to mess up the world..... and start DOING something about it.

Call this a 'take back the night' kind of campaign, but so help me, the room above my hotel room will be missing a Do Not Disturb sign come morning, and will have a healthy dose of 6:30am wakeup call with a 7am wakeup call chaser.

Likewise, I will also be walking down to the front desk and alerting them to the kids running rampant in the hallways and pulling fire alarms (assuming they're still here tonight and didn't get their dumbasses kicked out last night).

In much happier and less stressful news, I finished the scarf I was working on (pictured above). It's beaded lace, and I knit it from the Scheherazade I yarn I spun up a while back. There may be enough yarn left to make some wrist warmers, too, or a second scarf.

On the world front... I realize I am way out of touch when it comes to current events. After reviewing headlines briefly with coffee this morning, I realize I LIKE being out of touch. I may just unplug completely one day and go off-grid.

Fire Alarms Are Just Another Way of Saying Bite Me

Dear Absent Parent at the Hotel I'm Staying At Tonight,

While I understand a parent's need to run from their children (hey, I feel the same need to run from your children, too), it is still a parent's responsibility to buffer your child from the rest of the world. The rest of the world does not need to be woken up by your child's, nay, TEEN's inability to keep their grubby paws off the damned fire alarm in a hotel.

Those things are put there for a reason. Emergencies. Not for your kid's amusement.

Bad parents... do the rest of us a favor and 1) stop breeding, and 2) beat your kids, because apparently just telling them in an annoyingly preachy soccer mom voice that they were doing something wrong didn't work, as evidenced by the TWO instances of the fire alarm being set off in the hotel tonight, both times with YOUR kids hanging around it.

And don't go getting all pissy at me like I should mind my own damned business. Believe me, I would LOVE nothing more than to stay out of your life and as far away from your spawn as possible. However, I'm the one who got woken up by your kid. So shut up, man up, and go be a damned parent! It's 12:30am for chrissakes and your kids are still running through the halls.

This is not a job for security to deal with, and it's not a job for the other guests in the hotel to put up with your kids' bullshit. This is your mess. Go clean it up, along with the buckets of ice they've been freeing from the ice maker next to the fire alarm.

Sincerely,

Suzi M

Like Clockwork Orange....

The latest creation in the Smiling Goth Shop on Etsy.

It features an antique skeleton key and a working reproduction of an 1882 pendant watch. Roman numerals, swirly watch hands, and a skeleton clockwork back displayed under a glass magnifying crystal. 

It really is a working piece of art, melding Victorian style into a grittier steampunk base.

Home for the Holidaze....

And so it begins again...

The mad dash, the holiday rush. The flu season.

As I write this, I have the song 'Drowning' by Lost Signal stuck in a perpetual loop inside my head, as if this post has a soundtrack. Well, hell, why not? My life has always had a serendipitous soundtrack, so why not this post?

Spent turkeyday traveling all over PA. In terms of states, it's about as long to traverse as Virginia it seems, and 81 is like the Twilight Zone in some places. I still swear Forksville, PA was a Twilight Zone episode that I just didn't see.

While visiting the family I got to finish the scarf pictured above. It's part of my friend Debbie's Christmas present. I got her something else, too... just in case she's reading this. :)

Also got started on a beaded lace scarf made from the Scheherazade yarn I spun up a while back. So far so good.

Got the PDF proof in my inbox today from the super top secret anthology project I'm a part of. It's set for release in March, so details will be coming sooner rather than later. I'm happy to say I am still the chick at the sausage fest on that project, and a greater group of writer-types couldn't have been hoped for. Reading through the stories and checking out the amazing talent, I can only say that I feel honored and small by comparison to these will-be literary giants.

My stories in the anthology will feature some outtakes from my novels, along with some brand new stuff that - get this - has NOTHING to do with vampires! Yeah... write three vampire novels and people start to think you only write vampire novels, never realizing the swimming pool also has a deep end.

And speaking of things literary, Kindle sales have jumped quite a bit. At a $1.99, with Amazon's demonic discounts all over the place, it's impossible to say I've made any cash in the Kindle endeavor, but my novels have at least ended up in someone's Kindle archive, waiting til they get to read my section.

Other new stories available for an almighty dollar are:

Enoch's Devil

Love of Addiction

The Lazarus Stone

Be sure to check out the main titles in Kindle edition as well, if Kindle's your thing:

NEMESIS

LAMIA

THE TOWER

MEMORIES THAT COST A LIFETIME: THE IMMORTAL WAR COLLECTION

And if you're like me, and prefer to read hard copy, you can find all of the Immortal War titles directly at the Smiling Goth Bookstore. There's also some other goodies there, so check it out.

For those scrambling to find something for the special someones on their holiday lists, you should check out my Etsy shops: The Smiling Goth Shop, Bizarre Yarns, and Cinnamon Zen are bound to have something for everyone.

Holidays Approacheth...

Super top secret anthology stuff moves forward smoothly. Will start to record audio segments for the audio version as soon as the dust settles from the kitchen remodel and travel insanity.

So far I'm looking at travel to Philly twice in a matter of days. Decided to stay with the Wenchling and Adamantium for the weekend instead of going back and forth between central and eastern PA. Two birds and such.

Movie stuff also moves forward. I'll be meeting with the producer over Thanksgiving to go over details and to meet face to face. Very excited to start on that project.

Research and outlining for the next story, possible novel, continues. Have fragments sprawled across the art room that I really need to clean up and get consolidated. Maybe in the near future.

Etsy sales are picking up now that the holidays are here, and now that word is spreading about my shops. Smiling Goth Shop features all kinds of fun unique jewelry, ranging from neo-victorian to gothic and steampunk. All pieces are of good quality and most important: affordable! I refuse to jack up my prices. Instead I've looked for bargains, and passed the cost-effectiveness on to my customers. If I can find an antique pocket watch relatively cheap to use in a piece of jewelry, why would I want to charge over $100 for it? OK, yes, lots of profit, sure, but I'm not greedy.

Sales at Bizarre Yarns are also on the rise. There's some new yarn and some new holiday stitch markers as well. There's also a sale going on, with some fun contests and giveaways, so be sure to check it out.

There's also some awesome stuff available at the Cinnamon Zen Shop. There's all natural, dye-free soy wax candles scented with 100% natural essential oils, 100% natural perfume oils, and high-end jewelry made with precious metals.

Want something totally unique for that unique special someone in your life or on your shopping list? Feel free to contact me at any of the above-listed shops and let me know what you'd like. I'll make it for you! :)

Also, don't forget the vampire lover on your list! There's still time to order a copy of the Immortal War Series at the Smiling Goth Bookstore.

The World is Spinning and I'm the One At the Wheel

OK, where to begin? The end.

Now that we've got THAT out of the way, here's the middle and beginning to entertain the masses.

Got to hear a guy in a web meeting today pronounce passe (should have an accent over the e, and is pronounced pass-ay) as 'pass'. WRONG, dude. I don't care if you sound scrumptiously adorable and are from the land of tall, blonde and GQ-esque. Bastard.

This past weekend got to travel into Gettysburg, PA for much fun and romping. First stop was The Mannings, which isn't actually in Gettysburg but in East Berlin. Close enough as the crow flies, really. If you haven't been to the Mannings, well, jumping Jesus, get there! ... Well, only if you're a fiber freak like me, anyway. If you don't play with yarn or make yarn/felted objets d'art, then The Mannings might be kind of boring for you.

The purpose of this pilgrimage? To meet up with the gals (and hubby of a gal) of LSG on Ravelry. What a crazy awesome time. I may or may not have come off as a raging alcoholic to my new friends, but in my defense, we did have some awesome food and atmosphere by camping out in the Gettysburg Hotel bar.

After the adventure, came back home to ponder what exactly to do with the ends of yarns that have no home. Enter the hair ties, shown here to the left in lavender and black with glitz. They are available on my Etsy shop for the yarn grrl in your life.

I have to admit, they do amuse me greatly, and they come in assorted colors. These are a limited edition, so hurry up to BizarreYarns.etsy.com!

That is all. Until next time, of course.

~Suzi