CLOUDS IN MY BACKYARD

TV Dallas once said hurricanes coming/Take shelter.

I watch tornadoes die in my backyard. They meant tornadoes. Dumb screenwriter. Dallas is too far from the coast.

Gray, black-tinged cotton, lowering heavy atmosphere ready to drop.

On me, not really so safe lying in the grass in my backyard. Watching. Eyes dazed even now by the sun hidden in there somewhere. I squint. Flinch with the first crack.

Thunder. It rolls over ground like bowling balls, knocking air out of its way. Wind assaults the dry grass, begging for water, and then whips my face red.

Cold, ice-laden in its thoughts if not in its stroke, it sandpapers me, then dies.

Too cold for tornadoes.

My backyard sky is an art gallery of clouds and of unmarred blue and of black menace hurtling down like the hawks that eye my cat as they float overhead.

And sometimes I can still see the sun set. Pink and orange and red, mostly hindered by my neighbor.

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset. Slow as slow until the end, then gone, then minute by minute more stars reveal themselves, and the moon, where she sometimes is.

Dying over living? Rest. It is over.

“That will do, pig.”

A very old poem of mine. Here is the cat 

THE GOODALL MUTINY is free on Smashwords for a short time. Check it out: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/620213

It should have been BILL OBERST JR. and then THE GOODALL MARAUDERS, but we hit a snag. THE GOODALL MARAUDERS appeared first. Then early last evening I got the notice that Emmy award-winning actor BILL OBERST JR.’s narration of my walking macadamia horror stories ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT has gone live on Audible. You really don’t want to miss this. Believe me, you don’t.

ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT is more funny than anything else (not counting quirky, and maybe macabre), and nobody could have done a better job on it than Bill. Although it is a horror collection about walking macadamia trees, I laughed myself silly. Couldn’t believe I’d written these hilarious stories. Couldn’t believe what this marvelous actor had done with them. He doesn’t just read them, he becomes them.

And the other news,

THE GOODALL MARAUDERS. I can’t stop humming, and sometimes singing the drunken sailor song.

What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?

Weigh heigh and up she rises. Weigh heigh and up she rises. Weigh heigh and up she rises, early in the morning.

Trust me. The above has a lot to do with my story, the third of the Goodall Mutiny series. Sends chills down my spine. Hey, the book went live a couple of days ago. My latest book is always my best book. I outdid myself with this story. The cover is by Streetlight Graphics.

Get the Audible file here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Ill-Met-by-Moonlight-Audiobook/B0744QRVDD

Get THE GOODALL MARAUDERS here: https://amzn.com/B0746QSXWQ

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris, The Resistance by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Delicious by Sherry Thomas.

My newest book’s cover. By Streetlight Graphics.

A poem.

Titled: Poem number Two.

Can I make a rhyme? Write a poem. Compose a song on paper that sings?

May I take the time? Light a fire under my butt (couldn’t think of a word that marches with poem at its side like a brother.) Repose from work and soar with ringing words?

Mine. Time is all I have. Read and write. Read and write. Better than watch and sleep. Watch and learn. Think and play. How come I can’t come up with more than four-letter words in scrabble?

Babble. A word a day keeps people at bay. Look at your short word poem here.

Pyanfar crying out for play. Py An Far. Space captain. Swaggering female.

Staggering with fumes. Drunk on neglect. See if I can make one sentence soar.

Here it comes.

Silver feline collapses in worshipful love between my feet, tripping me up in my own place, all that I will ever have is here in her magical eyes. Plus I have the books.

Here is Pyanfar.  

Coming soon: a fantastic narration of ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT by Emmy Award winning actor Bill Oberst Jr. (In about two weeks).

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  ARROYO by Gretchen Rix. THE RIVAL by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

FIND MY BOOKS AT: Bookpeople in Austin, Tx. Logos, Buffalo Clover, and Printing Solutions in Lockhart, TX. For the Nook at http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix For the Kindle at https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix For Itunes at http://smashwords.com/books/view/79235

Again, major and minor procrastination saves the day. My book is much better for it, not to mention different from what it would have been if I’d continued to write linearly.

It’s like taking a soothing bath and suddenly realizing who the murderer is in the book you’re writing. Something clicks on in your brain when you’re not looking.

I am in stage 2 of editing right now. One-third of the book to do. Then going into phase 3 editing. What fun! (Actually, for this book it is). 

On a different note, this just came in through the spam mail. Very inventive:

I’ll immediately clutch your rss as I can not find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please permit me recognize so that I may subscribe. Thanks.

LINKS TO MY KINDLE BOOKS https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: Hill Country Greed by Patrick Kelly. His at Night by Sherry Thomas. Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas. His Mysterious Lady by G.G. Vandagriff.

Almost done with the “rough draft” of my next book. From the list of books down at the bottom it would seem I’ve been reading too much instead. (I just moved the list up).

WHAT I READ THESE PAST WEEKS:  Angelique in Love by Sergeanne Golon. Dead On My Feet by J.A. Konrath. Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas. Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill. Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas. Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas. The Changeling by Kristin Kathryn Rusch. The Hidden Blade by Sherry Thomas. Insects by John Koloen.  

For the last week I’ve been watching naked guys on film. Sometimes half-naked guys on film. Started with the remake of Psycho. Went to Eastern Promises. Ended with The Legend of Tarzan. Between those three, plus the stills on the internet that went with them, I garnered a few details to add at the end of my work in progress.

You should have seen me, sitting on the couch by myself (actually, our dog Boomer was on the couch with me), a notepad on my lap, trying to take notes instead of getting caught up in the story. And pausing, running it back, pausing, running it back. Those guys just moved too fast for me to concentrate on what I wanted, which was shoulders, small of the back, forearms (and don’t ever Google “men’s forearms”).

I’m into writing that scene today. Probably tomorrow and Wednesday, too. Hope I can make it sing.

Apologies to the actors I’m using as guides, but they are the ones who signed up for nude scenes. And I did watch the whole movie. Each of them. Eastern Promises was a lot better than I remembered. And an incredible bit of acting from Viggo Mortensen as well. The remake of Psycho, not so much. The Legend of Tarzan held me enthralled. I almost forgot to take notes.

Name of my new book, already months late: THE GOODALL MARAUDERS.

My published books can be found here https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

Tomorrow night (June 2, 2017) is First Friday around the town square in Lockhart, Texas, which is also the barbecue capital of our state. First Friday is a promotional event for the stores. They stay open later. They sometimes have entertainment (music), wine, and tasty treats.

PRINTING SOLUTIONS will be featuring me GRETCHEN RIX (and someone else, I’m going to be surprised) at the book signing from 5 to 8 pm. I’ve got eleven books to show off. Normally costing $13.95, we’ll sell them to you for $10.00.  

Two are set in Lockhart.: the murder mysteries TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS and TEA WITH A DEAD GAL. The weird western (it’s a horror genre sub-category) ARROYO features a whole adventure in Lockhart at the time the Dr. Eugene Clark Library was being built.  THE COWBOY’S BABY and THE COWBOY’S BABY GOES TO HEAVEN is set in Central Texas, somewhere in the Kyle area. These two are romantic comedies. THE SAFARI BRIDE is set in Western Africa. My three short story collections are ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, TWISTED RIXTER, and BABY SINGS THE BOOS. Ill Met is a hoot. Twisted Rixter is… well, twisted. Baby Sings is funny, and about a bull and a dog. And then I’ve got science fiction. More like space opera. THE GOODALL MUTINY and THE GOODALL MANIFEST. If you like Star Trek you should like the Goodall series. If you want hard science, these aren’t for you. 

We’re bringing tiny bundt cakes. There should be wine. If  you want to talk writing, we’d love to.

SEE YOU THERE!

Hint from the writing trenches:

Procrastination can be a writer’s greatest friend.

It allows the story to percolate through your subconscious long enough to bring up the most unexpected plot twists. Be careful not to stall too long, though.

Deadlines is another nasty word that disguises its worth. Deadlines are a writer’s best friend, too. They take us away from NCIS New Orleans and put us in our writing chairs.

I’m working on THE GOODALL MARAUDERS, the third in my series of space opera short novels. And having a blast. (I guess when I get the third cover on here it will be double the size of the Manifest below)

For those of you who have NOOKS http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: American Caliphate by William Doonan. The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas.

AN ODE TO THE WAFFLE HOUSE

Retro/welcoming yellow banner instantly identifies it/cozy space/(some would say too small)/down-home waitresses/friendly to a fault/Coca-Cola, thank God. Fast, fast service/watch them cook (no, I don’t think so)/Margarine (or whatever serves for it now-a-days)/too bad it’s not real butter/hot butter/melted salt-laced butter. Oh, well. Would have eaten too many waffles if buttered/Waffles, waffles, waffles, of course. Unless it’s lunch time. Then patty melts/hash browns/more hash browns. Can’t believe I almost turned down the hash browns. You don’t remember anything until you’ve seen it eight times/They say/Thought I saw a Waffle House every other block down by the beach in Biloxi/Google says there were only eight./We ate there twice. Gulf Shores, Alabama. Baytown, Texas (hello Baytown!). Anyone other than me think of the movie Tin Cup when they see a Waffle House? How about Food, Glorious Food from Oliver?

We were on vacation.

You can find all my books on Amazon  https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Hill Country Rage by Patrick Kelly. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas.

NOTICE: I’m going to start with my romance novels. Does anyone want a free Audible copy of my light romantic comedy The Cowboy’s Baby Goes to Heaven? I have several to give away. The narrator Carol Herman has done a peachy-keen job on it. Just go to comments and tell me you want one. I’ll reply with the free code and instructions on how to download it. First come, first served. Like at the Waffle House.

I’m working on the third book in the Goodall series, which is basic science fiction adventure, or space opera, and this time I’m doing something different: getting the cover designed before I’ve even finished writing the book. You see, I know how this one ends. So I’ve been able to suggest a complimentary cover to the first two.

Here’s The Goodall Mutiny And here’s The Goodall Manifest  

The third book in the series will follow the design of the first more than the second, or so I’ve planned. Can’t wait to see it.

Should be writing it instead, right!

We had fun selling The Goodall Mutiny, The Goodall Manifest, and Ill Met By Moonlight April 8 at the 5th annual San Antonio Book Festival.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Pirate Captain’s Daughter by Lindsay Buroker. Evelyn Marsh by S.W. Clemens. Legend of the Dawn by J. R. Wright. Chirp by Ann Everett.

Find my books here http://amzn.com/B01I3DU7OE   https://www.amazon.com/Goodall-Mutiny-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B01CIQD61S/