To Lamardeuse – who is brilliant, funny, a wonderful writer and photographer.

May your day be as fabulous as you are.

So, Saturday – I had a book signing in Fredericksburg, VA – about 45 miles from where I live.

Not too bad – book signing is at 2:00. I figure I can leave by 12:30 and get there in plenty of time. Not so much.

Even though I’d been warned about I95 South traffic, (and I allowed myself extra time on top of the extra time) – I was still a half hour late. 95 was bumper-to-bumper for the majority of the trip. A 50 minute trip took more than 2 hours. YUCK!

That said, the bookstore made up for it. Although I wasn’t doing a reading/signing, but just a signing (where they put a table out in the middle of the store) – I still did pretty well.

One of Charlaine’s fans came specifically to meet me, because he’d seen her blurb on my book cover (Thanks, Charlaine!!). Several other stopped to chat, including an adorable 16 year old boy, who writes every chance he gets and wanted to talk about writing. He bought a book, too.

Most of the folks that came up to me were guys, and every single one of them bought a book. A few folks were from Texas (a LOT of us in this area, it seems!) I thoroughly enjoyed the signing. The store was incredibly busy – long lines of people buying books; entire *families* in the store, buying, reading, browsing. Chris, the manager, told me that their store was one of the top stores in the region.

I guess folks in and around Fredericksburg, VA read. Yay for them!

The trip back was uneventful, except I made a mistake and took the open HOV lanes – mistake because there is no exit for me, so I took an earlier one (after I realized that) and got lost in Springfield. Thanks to my GPS and a Rite Aid store manager, I blundered my way back to 395. ::g::

When I got home, I found a lovely fan email, which is something that always brings me great joy. I *love* hearing that someone read my book and fell in love with my characters. I’m totally in love with them, so I’m glad that other people are, too. Best author perk, EVER!!

Sunday was utterly a day of rest. I woke up early, watched a movie (Catch & Release) then promptly fell asleep on the recliner, only to wake when a thunderstorm hit. It was so dreary out, I spent a great deal of the day napping.

The nifty news portion of this post:
My wonderful cousin, Jeff Mariotte, was awarded two Scribe awards this weekend at ComicCon.
• Speculative Fiction, Best Novel Original—30 Days of Night: Rumors of
the Undead by Stephen Niles and Jeff Mariotte
• Best Novel Original—Las Vegas: High Stakes by Jeff Mariotte

The awards are given by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. Jeff is a brilliant writer and utterly deserves this recognition. So YAY, Cousin Jeff!!!

After the work week I just had, today is a day for starting over…as in, I’m trying to not obsess on work stuff that I can’t control.

Got up at 7ish, did some writing on Blood Bargain (up to 24K with at least 10K still waiting in the wings to be revised).

Updated my Web site with additions to my signing schedule.

Off in about an hour to Fredericksburg, VA for my signing at Borders.

I’ve been told it’s a great location for signings, as they get a lot of traffic. Here’s hoping that’s true. ::g::

After yesterday’s sucktastic work stuff, I get up early this morning to find this news tidbit.

When I was 12, Dark Shadows was my raison d’être. Every single weekday, we’d rush home from school to catch the show. A neighbor kid, Anne, met my sister and me at our house, because her mom didn’t allow her to watch. My mom didn’t censor. ::g::

I fell in LOVE with the creepy, dark gothic cheesiness of it all. In many ways, as a kid growing up in the US, Dark Shadows was my Doctor Who.

I collected the tie in books. I read teen mags *endlessly* and mooned after Barnabas, Quentin and Angelique.

I am highly amused that Johnny Depp is also obsessed with the show. I think this will be insanely fabulous.

(today @ work is still going to suck, however…and not in the good way)

Had a fabulous dinner last night with Jan Burke and Donna Andrews. Jan is in town for a conference, so after work, I met up with her and Donna and we hit the Lebanese Taverna. Yummy food and great company. Yummy lamb chops, grilled veg and a great deal of fun conversation – everything from forensics to iPhones.

Book signing:
If any of you are in the area (DC ish) – I’m signing on Saturday, July 28 (this weekend) at Borders in Fredericksburg, VA.

Starts @ 2:00 p.m.
1220 Carl D. Silver Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Would love to see some of you all there!

If you know you’d like to be there, e-me and perhaps we can meet up for lunch first. I’m actually looking for someone to ride down there with me.

UPS did not come this a.m., and I decided to not wait, so ran out to the nearby Borders around 1:00 p.m.

I’m done. It’s done. What a long strange trip it’s been. ::g::

I was supposed to go to a client/friend’s husband’s 40th b’day party today, but still fighting the dregs of the virus from hell.

I think I’m going to go watch Eureka now (just got my season 1 DVDs).

So, yeah, I know it’s coincidence, but hey, totally funny.

This morning’s twitter (well, actually from late last night) from the Hewlett:

David Hewlett: Flanigan has an iPhone…I hate him…the first film he’s watching on it…A Dog’s Breakfast! I hate him marginally less now

Uhm.

I has iPhone.

The first movie I put on it: A Dog’s Breakfast.

::chickwriter turns around and looks for Rod Serling::

Yes, this amuses me highly.

PS: I now have appropriate icon.

PPS: the reason I asked for updated contact info, besides the mundane reasons of well, you know, sending people stuff, was so I could actually have contacts in my Address Book. You are all now on my iPhone with appropriate images representing you. I totally went to each of your LJs and snagged the icon that most represented you.

Geek = me.

So, this evening, just before we (co-worker T and I) leave to go see HP:OOP, I posted to Twitter that I was eating a Luna bar and about to go to the movie.

A few posts below mine…David Hewlett, posting how he’s at home washing windows and they (he and Jane) are going to go see HP:OOP tonight.

Sometimes, the synchronicity of these kinds of things really freaks me out…and amuses.

Hmm, I need an appropriate icon for these kinds of things…something like Rodney saying “huh”…wherein “huh” approaches the value of “a bit o’the weird”.

Re: OOP – really enjoyed it. Casting was most excellent.

In any case, still unspoiled for Deathly Hallows. Hope to remain that way.

I had to do this:

Which lolcat are you?

I know nothing in advance.
I want to know nothing in advance.
I do not want spoilers…even though they have been offered.

I await Saturday and my copy of Deathly Hallows.

That is all.

I have not yet seen OOP, but intend to do so tomorrow – movie spoilers I’m okay with b/c hey, I read the book. ::g::