The Fear Behind the Smiles

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

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

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

BizarreYarns.com and Other Sundry Happenings

My insane obsession with knitting continues, as does my spinning of yarns in the literal sense and the storytelling sense. BizarreYarns.com is a direct link to my yarnish Etsy shop.

Since last we met, I've been hosting Literary Night at the Virtual Hotel Chelsea in Second Life. Before you scoff, it's not solely poetry, and we use voice, so it's not all geekery. I read short stories and chapters from my novels, we've had a fantastic rendition of 'The Raven' in the spirit of Halloween, and others test out song lyrics before playing them live. If you're not in it, you should be. IM me at Cinnamon Zemenis and I'll give you the location info. Time is Thursday nights at 9pm ET.

Also of the latest and greatest, many things are in the works behind the scenes. Think 'movie deal' and 'podcasts'. That's all the details I can give for now until I find out more and contracts are signed. Also be on the lookout for the upcoming info about the international anthology I'll be in. Woot-woot indeed.

Keeping up with What's Gone Down

Craziness. Sheer craziness. For those following the saga of the day to day of one Smiling Goth: I'm 3 Etsy shops up past my eyeballs, three novels in over my head, and now have about three projects I'm working on simultaneously. 

It's been a busy time, and it promises to become far busier before the year is out.

Bizarre Yarns is doing well. Better than I had initially expected, honestly. I spin all yarns posted, and work primarily in different fibers, from milk protein to soy silk, bright colors, regular colors, and always unique products. The stitch markers are entertaining, I have to admit. :) There's even a Zazzle shop now with some cool merch. 

Also doing well is the writing gig. Sales on the Bookstore go up before Halloween, you see. Apparently people just LOVE vampires. :) All titles are also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various other online book retailers. There's even Kindle editions, so go search out NEMESIS, LAMIA, and THE TOWER by Suzi M.

The Smiling Goth Shop is also doing pretty well. Unique jewelry, Halloween costume accents, and perfume. Check it out. There's even my first free standing sculpture box.

For those in Second Life, there is a weekly event on Thursday nights at the Virtual Hotel Chelsea. Literary Night, come on out. Bring some of your writing to read. Good times had by all. IM Cinnamon Zemenis for more info.

Catch you in virtual land.

~ Suzi

Update At Last!

Soooo.... for those anxiously awaiting stories of my Denver train trip, here's some pics. Keep in mind some were shot at 75+ mph. If you click through them really fast, you, too, can experience the train ride.

My letter to Amtrak will be between me and the powers that be at Amtrak. No need to air the dirty laundry, especially when the storm that caused the issues wasn't their fault... the ensuing other stuff, however, was.

In other news... I've been doing some more work on Etsy merch. See some yummies below:

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade Xirconnia.etsy.com

Over the last few weeks I haven't had a particularly easy time of sleeping, writing, and what-have-you. This weekend I'll be traveling to the mountains for some R&R (I hope). Next week finds me once more in Philadelphia. Strange how much has changed there since I moved.

And today, mark it down, I actually felt GOOD. Content, even. I was making myself a cup of tea, and I just stopped and looked around me at the kitchen, the backyard, the dining room and felt at peace.

There's a dogwood tree outside the kitchen window, with pink flowers on it. It had just rained, so the trunk and limbs were black with rain, and those flowers just popped. Everything in the yard popped today. The green was so green, pinks were just stunningly pink, and I felt fantastically optimistic.

Book sales are picking up amongst the Kindle crowd on Amazon. If so inclined to purchase an actual physical copy of my novels, you can snag them here.

And I've even started doing the Twitter thing.

For excitement beyond compare, feel free to follow me @Xirconnia.