Speaking of rock and roll (at least Jenna was yesterday)…

So I finally got to see the newsboys in concert! Ultimate Sportsfan and I drove to Austin to see the show. And USF, true to his name, listened to football about half the way. I had my ipod. Several weeks ago I researched the newsboys concert and was able to piece together the song line-up, so I listened to the “concert” on the way.

Yeah. I’m just a little bit psycho for the newsboys. I admit it.

USF and I checked into the hotel, and I made him take me to dinner at 5:45. I know! We’re not 80, but the show started at 7, people. We had to eat early to be there on time. I didn’t want to miss one second of the newboys.

We ate at this place called El Sol y El Luna, and it was okay. [Sidenote: What is it with Austin restaurants being so grungy? I didn’t care when I lived there in college, but now...eeew. Any reader from Austin who can explain this to me?]

But who cares about the ambiance at the restaurant, right? I was seeing the newsboys!

We finally got to the Erwin Center, made our way inside, and there it was…the one thing I’d been waiting for: the t-shirt sales stand. I’d been checking out the t-shirts for sale on newsboys.com, so I kind of had an idea which one I wanted (psycho, remember?). But when I got there, they had more than I’d seen on the website! Decisions, decisions! USF was very patient while I browsed and thought and pondered. Finally I picked out a cute bright pink shirt with song titles on it.

There were two opening acts, so USF and I sat through those. One, Kutless, was pretty good. Finally, finally, the newsboys came on. They started their set with “Shine,” my favorite song. I have to say the whole experience was truly awesome. The whole concert was so good. I think even USF had a little bit of fun.

I’m kind of sad now that it’s over. I was so looking forward to it. You know how that is—all the build up and then the letdown when it’s over.

Now I need something new to look forward to. What are you looking forward to?

P.S. If you want to see some highlights from the tour, go here and then click the yellow box that says “click here to watch highlights from the Go tour.”

About a month ago, El Guapo and I headed over to Peoria, IL to attend a concert. What concert did we go see? Why, The Pink Floyd Experience.

Okay, let me explain something. El Guapo loves Pink Floyd. And over time, he got me to the point where I loved Pink Floyd, too. Hearing Pink Floyd reminds me of lazy days in college before I moved to Seattle to be with him. I would come visit and hang out in his dorm room and we’d listen to Pink Floyd. “Comfortably Numb” is my favorite. So we have a Pink Floyd history, is what I’m saying.

The Pink Floyd Experience is a cover band. Pink Floyd isn’t exactly touring anymore (I had “High Hopes” after LiveAid a couple of years ago, but nothing came of it), so this is as good as it gets. And to be fair, they sound a lot like Pink Floyd. They have a David Gilmore guy and a Roger Waters guy who each sound remarkably like their person. And the back up band is excellent. So from an aural standpoint, it was a terrific experience.

But then there was the visual.

You see, Gilmore guy… he liked to wave his hands around. And point. And accentuate words by acting them out with his hands. I actually held my hand up to keep from seeing him during “Comfortably Numb” so that he wouldn’t ruin it for me.

I’ve been to several concerts, plus we have this awesome high def concert channel on our cable, so we watch concerts on our big screen, as well. And over the years, I have determined that there are some appropriate rock and roll hand gestures. Here are a few examples:

The Jesus Arm Spread – Think that poser from the Pearl Jam wannabe group, Creed. In almost every video, he stands on a mountaintop or stage or whatever and sort of leans back with his… um… Arms Wide Open. Cheesy, but it’s a rock and roll staple.

The Two Handed Microphone Grasp — This one is done by a real singer. Bono. It’s sometimes modified by adding a lean. So the singer stands further back and tips the microsoft while singing earnestly. Axyl Rose also made this move great.

The Turn Your Head and Cough — With this classic rock and roll move, the singer turns his head away from the mike and rocks out to the back up band. Usually there is head shaking.

The Get Real Close to the Guitar Player — The lead singer of the band pulls the mike off the stand and heads across the stage to stand near the guitarist and sing. A hair band staple.

The “Let’s Take It Down Now” — For ballads. Involves taking a seat on a high stool and maybe, just maybe, light caressing of the mike stand.

You see, all of these things are appropriate to a concert. They’re expected.

But the lead singer of The Pink Floyd Experience took it a bit too far. He pointed, people. Every time he said “you” (and with Pink FLoyd songs, there are lots of yous), he pointed at us in the audience. He pointed over his shoulder. He pantomimed actions in the songs. He… shudder… did this weird ‘flight attendent showing you the exits’ move.

It was very distracting.

Oh, by the way, I’m over at Dionne Galace’s blog today, as well, talking about the new HarperCollins author sites! Come by and give me your opinion for a chance to win prizes.

No intro necessary – It speaks for itself!

It’s starting to feel like Fall in Nebraska. The leaves are yellow and red. Some are even on the ground. I don’t know about you but when it gets to be this time of year I have my own way of welcoming in the change of seasons.

I clean my closet, removing the spring and summer clothes.(I can’t bear to wear turquoise and hot pink in October) I bring out my leaf tablerunner and pumpkin spice scented yankee candle. I begin drinking hot cocoa again. I change my screensaver to falling leaves.

I start eating different kinds of food–more comfort foods–and going to bed earlier. I read more books and watch more DVDs. I follow football on television and I rue the fact that this season–my favorite– won’t last nearly long enough.

How ’bout you? Do you have certain Fall rituals you observe??

Today we’re welcoming category superstar, Cindi Myers, who writes for nearly as many lines as I have quills. I’ve been told she’s going to tell us all about trying new things. I, myself, try new things all the time, why just yesterday…Alright, alright, not need to pinch me. Evidently this interview isn’t about me. *clears throat* Welcome, Cindi.

Thank you, Jaunty, for inviting me to be a guest blog today. It’s an honor to meet such an esteemed personage (porcupinage?) as yourself.

Glad you see my worth, some people around here fail to see my virtues. Please tell us about your upcoming book.

Marriage On Her Mind represents something new for me – my first Harlequin American Romance. It’s also something familiar for me – a return to romantic comedy. After writing a number of books for Harlequin Blaze, I wanted to tell a warm, humorous story similar to the ones I wrote for Flipside and Temptation. As an added bonus – for me and I hope for readers – Marriage On Her Mind is the start of a series of books set in Crested Butte, Colorado, featuring a cast of recurring characters. I looked at it sort of like writing a romantic sit-com, with the focus on a different couple each ‘episode’ or book.

Recurring characters, you say? Do you have any porcupines in this series?

Marriage On Her Mind is the story of a Chicago socialite, Casey Jernigan, who leaves her fiancee at the altar and arrives in Crested Butte, Colorado with a designer wedding dress and a determination to start her life over on her own terms. Her landlord and neighbor, Max Overbridge, is a self-described black sheep who prides himself on marching to his own beat and steering clear of marriage. In a town where each month brings a new off-beat celebration, and where everyone knows everyone else’s business, this former socialite and stubborn mountain man learn what a person wants in life, and what they get, isn’t always the same thing.

Black sheep? But no room for a porcupine. Interesting lesson though for your characters. What made you decide to set the book in such an interesting place?

While most of my books have been set in made-up towns or big cities, I took a chance here and set these books in a real place. Crested Butte is a quirky former mining town full of local characters and tourists. The town has a festival or party for everything under the sun, from Flauschink in April to ‘flush out’ winter, to Vinotok in the fall to say good-bye to summer. There are Arts and Film Festivals, a huge Wildflower Festival, Mardi Gras, events to celebrate skiing and the town’s mining heritage and many more. Every month and during some months every week has its own celebration complete with a theme, costumes, dances and parades. Of course I had to include those festivals in the book. I also use many real businesses as backdrops for the story, though all the people are purely from my imagination.

How have the people of Crested Butte taken to being in the limelight?

I haven’t gotten a lot of feedback from locals yet. The Gunnison County paper ran a nice article which was complimentary. One reviewer did say the setting was too over the top to be real. I guess this is one case of truth being stranger than fiction.

You’ve written for so many lines for Harlequin and you have more in the pipeline. Can you tell us a little about what’s coming up next for you?

While I’m still writing for Blaze (I’m putting the finishing touches on one now and my next Blaze, Wild Child, goes on sale in November.) it’s nice to branch out. I’m also writing for Super Romance now, which gives me a chance to tell a bigger, emotional story. I think one of the real challenges for me throughout my career is to stay fresh. One way to do that is by trying something new. Plus, I have so many different kinds of story ideas running through my head. Not all of them are right for one single type of book. I like to experiment with different things, though not all of them are successful. I recall a mystery I tried that I never could get right. One day I’d like to get back to writing historicals (my first seven books were western historicals written as Cynthia Sterling.) And I’d like to write more women’s fiction.

You say you have lots of ideas, any chance you’ll write a book with a porcupine hero?

Right now, I’m looking forward to my second Harlequin American, also set in Crested Butte. The Right Mr. Wrong goes on sale February 12, 2008.

Used to be, I thought watching baseball was a great time to read a book. I could enjoy my favorite author’s latest story and at the same time keep company with my husband. When he wanted to share something momentous that had occurred in the game, the increased volume from the crowd’s reaction would clue me in to look up and instant replay let me see the spectacular play. Many, many times. Then I’d go back to my book.

Basketball has the shot clock and football has the play clock, but there’s no pitch clock in baseball. A pitcher can take all the time he wants to adjust his uniform, scratch his nose (and other body parts) and stare menacingly at the batter over the top of his glove. He can do an extensive fidgety routine between each and every throw. And any given at-bat can last way longer than seven pitches (up to four balls and three strikes) because of all the foul balls that can be hit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love sports. My dad was an umpire and referee so the way to spend time with him was to go to his games. I’d hang out in the bleachers with a book, occasionally looking up and wondering why various spectators voiced the opinion that Dad needed glasses, and go back to reading, waiting for the drive home and one-on-one time with Dad.

Then I hit puberty. Did you know that football players wear really tight pants? And they bend over a lot. Basketball players wore (at the risk of dating myself) shorts that were — get this — actually short. And snug. Every play had the potential to become quite revealing. I cut back on reading and started watching more of the game. It was still mostly eye candy, though — didn’t really understand what was going on.

Then I noticed a quarterback from San Francisco with blue eyes and light brown hair who frequently threw the ball for a touchdown. Joe Montana (is that a great hero’s name, or what?) was as gracious in losing as he was winning — and the 49ers won often — and gave articulate interviews. His responses had actual content rather than mostly “yeah, no, but um, y’know…”

I started paying serious attention when Joe took to the field. That led to noticing who Joe threw the ball to or handed off (love the quarterback sneak), and of course noticing the opponents and their coaches. Pretty soon I could tell even before my husband that a player wasn’t really injured, the team was just taking a Buddy Ryan time-out. Ahh, those were the days. Now they just videotape each other’s signals.

That was football. Baseball remained a painfully slow game with boring uniforms and bad pacing. Nothing happening, nothing happening, sudden flurry of activity, then nothing again.

Sometime in the early ’90′s our local cable company added the Fox Sports Northwest channel and we could watch most Seattle Mariners games. They’re the closest pro baseball team to Portland, so I started looking up from my book to watch when “our” team was up at bat. As soon as the other team was up, I went back to reading.

Then I noticed pitcher Randy Johnson. At 6’10″, Randy is one of the tallest baseball players ever, nicknamed The Big Unit. And he’s left-handed. He can regularly throw a 98-mile-an-hour fastball. I haven’t even driven a car 98 miles an hour. Watching his long legs and arms in the wind-up and then the sudden spring of release, all that power focused on a small white ball, made me catch my breath. I understood the phrase “poetry in motion.” He broke records for strikeouts, his powerful delivery too fast over the plate for batters to hit. Early in his career he had some control problems –- you were never really sure where the ball would end up once it left his hand — though they stopped short of calling him Wild Thing.

Randy is the epitome of compelling. He’s not classically handsome like Joe Montana; in fact he’s got some serious acne scars and for many years wore his hair in an unfashionable (though flattering, imho) mullet, but you just can’t take your eyes off him. The ferocious way he looks at a batter over his glove, when you can only see those intense eyes, makes me glad I’ve never run into him in a dark alley. Yet like Joe, he’s gracious and articulate, and in interviews it’s obvious he has love and respect for the game, his wife and children, and God.

My husband soon recognized my interest in Randy and liked the way it expanded my interest in the game. When I returned home from the RWA National conference in Anaheim in July ’98, my husband’s greeting at the airport was not “Hi, honey,” or “I missed you,” but the dreaded words “They traded Randy.”

Yup, Seattle had traded The Big Unit to Houston. The next season he started playing for Arizona, where he was co-MVP of a World Series. Later he signed with the Yankees, for which I’ve almost forgiven him.

So, from thinking the game was boring to taking in interest in the sport, Joe and Randy have both had a strong influence on me.

Has anyone come along that made you change your mind?

Everybody’s got them. The things that we know we need to do, but it’s so … darned … hard.

Here are my top five daily challenges:

-> Disciplined writing until I achieve my page count goal each day.
-> Exercising enough.
-> Eating right.
-> Following up with boring details.
-> Housework.

OK, I’ve fessed up. Now you tell me about your daily challenges and we can commiserate together.

The Professor and I went to a movie a couple of weekends ago and we did something I’ve only done one other times, we walked out. Not because the movie wasn’t good, we were about 45 minutes into it and so far it was entertaining. But rather because it made me sick. No, it wasn’t overly graphic or bloody, it actually made me “car” sick. If that makes sense. There seems to be a new trend in some movies to shoot them with the cameraman IN the action rather than on a stable platform that rolls through the shot. And there have been a few other movies that have made me ill this way. The first was The Blair Witch Project and I only watched about 15 minutes of it before I had to lay back and close my eyes. It wasn’t a very scary movie with only the dialogue to keep me entertained. Then there were the second two Bourne movies, I could watch most of the 2nd one, but the 3rd, I missed almost the whole thing. And frankly there isn’t a whole lot of dialogue in action movies so I have no idea what happened in that one. But this most recent move, The Kingdom, I had been looking forward to for months so I was very disappointed to have to leave. We’ll just have to rent it so I can watch it on the small screen. So am I the only one? Anyone else get motion sickness from movies?

I got a new toy recently and I am totally in love. We have faux hard wood floors through most of our house and while I never would have picked out this particular color of wood (it’s very light and thus shows all the dirt and dust) they are rather attractive. But they have been the bane of my existence since we moved in. When you have two lovely kitties who are quite thorough at covering their business in their litter boxes, they tend to get little bits of litter caught in between their toes so that when they walk through the house they track it everywhere. And did I mention the cat hair? It’s everywhere. So I’ve swept, dry mopped, dry swiffered, wet swiffered and they just never look clean. Until I bought a Hoover FloorMate. This sucker (HA!) does it all. It’s specifically for hard floors (of any type, tile, wood, linoleum, etc.) and it dry vacuums, wet cleans and then wet vacuums so you don’t leave streaks. My floors have never been so clean and they look beautiful. So I’m telling you if you have hard floors in your house, do yourself a favor and get yourself one of these. They are well worth the expense and so easy to use.

I’ve been reading Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird lately and while I’ve had this book a while I’ve just never read it before. I’m not sure why, maybe it was because I needed to wait to read it now when everything feels so pertinant to my writing. I find myself nodding and laughing as I read her anecdotes because she just really nails the writer’s mind. So if you are interested in writing or struggling with the joy of writing (which tends to happen at some point) then I highly recommend this book.

Ever notice how much Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro look alike only Brad Pitt is cute and well, Benicio isn’t? Check it out…

How weird is that?

We’ve added a new poll feature to the site (points to the sidebar under the book spines). Just something small and fun that we’ll change periodically. I’ve included the first one below. Vote on the sidebar or below – either will count toward the total.

So what do you like best about Autumn? If it’s “Other”, please respond inside with what your “Other” is! Or if you like Autumn for multiple reasons, let us know that too! We can have a friendly fight inside.

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Maybe you’ve seen this … It’s been around awhile. But even as a rerun, it might put a smile on your face this lovely Sunday morning! Turn up your volume and enjoy!