Posting Bail

If anyone out there knows how to post bail, I'd appreciate an email. You see, I'm afraid that one day I'm going to need the knowledge to bail out certain members of my family. Read this email I received from a reader and you'll understand why - and probably have a good laugh:

"I just wanted to let you know how much I liked your book. I was a Wal Mart one day looking for a new book and a man walked up and ask me what kind of books I liked to read, then he started telling me his daughter just wrote her first book and showed me where it was and gave me a bookmark, I would have never even picked it up because of the cover(I don't know why but I wouldn't have] anyway please tell him thank you . I really look forward to another book from you. "

So I guess you've gotten the gist of it - my dad has been out hardselling my book in the local (and sometimes unlocal) Walmarts. He's also done it at B&N and he's not alone. My husband and brother have done the same thing.

Not that I'm complaining - heck they're gaining me readers and people who even like the book enough to write and tell me about it (and thank my dad, no less). But one of these days, I'm certain one of them will talk to the wrong woman and she's going to file a harassment charge.

That's where the posting bail part comes in.

The Best of the Best

When I finally decided to come to life again on Sunday, Another 48 Hours was showing on one of the cable channels and I caught myself watching it again. Which then go me to thinking about how much I love Eddie Murphy, but not so much now, as Eddie Murphy then. Which then led me to thinking that for everyone I really like (singers, actors, etc) there is that one thing they did which I always think of as their "best."

So for Eddie, it's 48 Hours. Sorry, Eddie, I know you did the movie when you were like, 21 and you're much older now, but there's something about that movie that caught me and always will. It's the combination of the classy criminal versus the sorta white-trash policeman. The combo of Eddie and Nick Nolte was perfect. It MADE the movie great. Sure, Beverly Hills Cop was a great movie, but it still wasn't 48 Hours.

An actor who reminds me a lot of early Eddie Murphy is Will Smith. Now, granted, he's the much more polished version of Eddie, but it's the expressions on their faces when faced with the indignencies of the situations they're in that creates the same emotion in me - usually laughter. They both do it so well and no one else has ever done it like them. At least not according to me. Take Eddie in The Golden Child, all hacked off that he's been called to save humanity - facing death at almost every turn but still ripping out lines like "now, someone turn on the mother-f'ing lights." (If you remember the movie, you'll get it) Then take Will Smith in Independence Day when he's dragging the alien body in his parachute across the desert and yells "What is that smell?" and starts kicking the thing again. These men are funny. They are both able to convince me that given extraordinary situations, even faced with death, they still have the ability to make a joke. And they pull it off. Now that's comedic talent.

Then there's the books. I was a huge Stephen King fan from junior high through college, but there is one SK book that always stands out among King fans and that's The Stand. Now, my understanding is that SK finds it a bit depressing that people think his best book was written like 20 years ago, but c'mon, I bet if Tolkien was still alive he wouldn't be bitching about The Lord of the Rings.

Which then, of course, begs the question for every writer - how do I find that best of the best in me? Or (god forbid) what if I already wrote it and everything else will pale in comparison. I'm sure M. Night Shamalyn and Quinten Tarentino thought they were going to have glowing and illustrious careers after The Sixth Sense and Pulp Fiction, but has anything else they've done even come close to living up to those two works?

So who's your best of the best - actor or writer - and why.

The Weekend CliffNotes

The weekend was great and I'm exhausted. Everyone seemed to have a good time at the book launch party. I sold fifty books and signed about 80 altogether, so that's a few people reading Rumble, which is great news. Also, several of the attendees told me it is sold out in some of the places they went looking, so that is good news also. The food was good (thank God, because cheap certainly didn't enter into the equation), and the room was very nice. My mom and I did the table decorations with a Mardi Gras color theme for the whole Louisiana effect. It turned out quite nice.

The literacy signing on Sunday seemed to go well. I don't know how much money was raised, but the attendees seemed to enjoy the event. Again, the food was great, the speakers entertaining and most left with some books in hand. Hopefully, it was a good enough turnout for the event to continue.

I went home after the literacy signing, ate pizza and fell asleep in my chair. I had a million things I needed to do, but didn't get a darn one done.

I think I've washed the same load of laundry five times now. One of these days, I'm going to remember to hang it up or put it in the dryer. (sigh)

But it's a new week and I have three days of opportunity to get it done as I leave Thursday evening for Louisiana for a book signing (Saturday) back in my hometown.

Busy Weekend Ahead

So it's Friday and normally I would be shouting Yeah! even though I haven't had a true weekend off since, well, since I don't know when. But this weekend is even busier than usual.

Tomorrow morning I have to wake up bright and early, take care of all errands, then head out with my mom, dad and hubby to start decorating a room at a local convention centre for my book launch party. The party starts at 7:30, but we don't know how much decor the room will take, so we have to start early in case we need to buy more. It's a two-stage decorating process. I'm really looking forward to the party as I will get to see some relatives I haven't seen in forever and all my friends will be there to celebrate the launch. Altogether, I'm figuring on about a hundred people. At least, I hope it's only a hundred as that's what I catered for :)

Then Sunday, I do my first official booksigning event. It's called Buns & Roses and it's a tea and booksigning with the proceeds going to charity. Check out the website. A bunch of great authors will be there and I'm really excited about doing something like this. Even though I will NOT be wearing a hat.

When all that excitement is over, I have a mere three days to get myself together to go out of town the following Thursday night to stay with my parents, then head out the next day to Louisiana, where I'll be doing a booksigning in Lake Charles (nearest town with a bookstore to my hometown of Carlyss). It will be at the Books-A-Million starting at noon, so come out and join me if you're in the area.

And of course, at some point and time in this whirlwind, I kinda need to write my next book - you know, the one I accepted a contract on. But don't worry, Leah (my awesome editor who lurks on my blog), UNLUCKY will be on time and fabulous. I'm telling myself that at least fifty tmes a day. :)

Have a great weekend, all!!!!