I'm FINALLY On YouTube -- And Other Half-Vampire News

Monday was nearly as busy as yesterday was (yesterday involved a dentist appt., an MRI, and lots of x-rays).  After a doctor's appointment (he who ordered the MRI and x-rays), I drove out to a grade school in my district where a friend of mine teaches 6th grade to advanced students.  She had a classroom set of The Hobbit which she had never used, and she wanted to give it to me for my advanced 7th graders.  Naturally, I jumped at the chance.
And, even more naturally, I took her an autographed copy of Confessions of an Average Half-Vampire (with bookmark) for her class library.  I also made sure she knew where she could get more -- just in case the kids liked the book.  (Because a little cheap advertising never hurt a self-published author.....)  AND I told her I'd be HAPPY to come and meet her students next year if she wanted to offer a little after school thing next year sometime.  She perked up at that idea -- so I might get to do a school visit!  (I'm still hoping the librarian at Max's school might follow up on that as well -- maybe after All in the Half-Vampire Family is out next fall.)  But, at the very least, I have a copy of my book placed in yet another school.  This is good.
I then drove out to my own school (in the beastly heat) and tracked down our wonderful librarian (he who  put together everything for my book trailer last February).  He was a bit grumpy, as he's in the middle of moving everything out of the library so it can be re-carpeted, but he still took time to transfer my book trailer video from the school server onto my VERY OWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL!!!

I think it worked pasting in the video, but here's a youtube link, just in case.

The photos in the video are mine, the script is mine (except both the librarian and the narrator made a mistake in calling the close "the Flesh Market Close," when it's always called merely "Fleshmarket Close"), the music was downloaded off the Kevin MacLeod site for royalty free tunes, the idea of the trailer is mine, the librarian put it all together for me in return for my writing what he considered a nearly-perfect book to hook in junior high boys, and his son (who has drama experience and a good sense of humor) is the narrator (clearly with his father's permission).
Until now, the video has only been available at school and on my amazon author page, but I'm pleased to have it out there in the big cyber world now.

But this is still not all!
I returned home (after fixing my parents' computer later that afternoon) to an e-mail from Paige Shelton, awesome author of the Farmers' Market cozies and the Country Cooking School cozies.
Here's an excerpt:
I downloaded your book this morning and just finished the prologue – excellent! Love it so far. It takes me for-freaking-ever to read a book lately but I’m forgoing everything else I’ve started to read this one. Great,great beginning, Lisa. Can’t wait to read more. 


And later I got this:
 I read the first couple chapters while I biked at the gym and it is still excellent. I’ll let you know when I finish it, but it’s great work, Lisa.


Cool!  I am so pleased!

Plus, I've found some great new things for my Vampire Pinterest board, if you want to click through and have a look.
So, overall, if I could just get through all the medical stuff and finish up All in the Half-Vampire Family, things would be moving along just swimmingly for my lovely little half-vampire boy.

Springtime In The Rockies And Other Thoughts On Today

Yesterday at slightly after 4:00 PM, I got into my car, which had been sitting out in the sun for a couple of hours.  The car thermometer read 102, but it cooled to 97 as soon as I'd driven a few blocks.
Today at 4:11 PM, I got into my car, which had been sitting in the sun for several hours.  The car thermometer read 60, but, as soon as I got driving, it cooled to 52.  :)  (Unfortunately, within a couple of days, it's supposed to be scorching again.  And, even with the cool day, it still hasn't rained -- and we desperately need the rain.)

Getting an MRI and a series of x-rays on the same day when I'm really sleepy anyway makes it hard to stay awake.  My brain feels really fuzzy now.
Today's MRI was much more pleasant than the one I had half a dozen or so years ago.  Most of it was due to the nurse who ran the show.  Years ago, I had a real witch of a gal who refused to listen to me on where she should put the needle -- because, y'know, why would I know anything about my own circulatory system?  After she'd failed to find a vein that didn't roll in her preferred spots and caused me a good deal of pain while she prodded me, she was forced to admit I was right, which really pissed her off. Today's woman was nothing like that jezebel, and things wen't much better.  Plus, the machine was open at both ends and far less coffin-like than the older one.  And today's nurse piped in music via Pandora, so I got to listen to "Let It Be" and a few others while the machine roared its way through the imaging.
Much better.  :)

Then, in the parking lot, I passed a truck with the license plate that read: ZOMBKLR.  I smiled. :)

It's been a very long day, people, and I have a difficult few more days ahead.   I need sleep.

Photo Mysteries: A Writers' Game #22

Carmi's back with his weekly photo theme on Written Inc this week, so we can play our writers' game in the usual way.
Here's how it works: Carmi picks a theme for all those who participate in his photo sharing, then I pick a photo that fits his theme, add a title and a single line of flash fiction, then YOU add your own titles and single lines in the comments section -- all to fit the photo.
Here's one from earlier days so you can see how it works.
Ready?
Carmi's theme this week is "the natural world."
Here's my photo:

My title for the story inspired by the photo is: Thistles
My single line:  "Mom, what are these weird plants?  They weren't here last night," Dana said, as she looked out the screen door.

Your turn!  In the comments section, add your own title and single line of a story.  You don't have to be a writer to play a game with such short fiction.  Really.   Just try it; you'll like it.

Paige Shelton Promotes Her Series With A Cooking Class

How awesome is this?
Local author Paige Shelton gets to promote her Farm Fresh Murder book by working with a local chef to teach readers/cooks the recipes in the book!  What a great way to promote the book.
How fun.  :)

Natural Selection

In spite of all society's attempts to weaken the gene pool by preserving those who would have, in earlier times, not survived, natural selection still attempts to fight back.
Here's this week's prime example. (Note: natural selection did not win in this case, but it tried hard.)

Why I Proofread My Manuscripts So Many Times (#1)

Sentence just adjusted in the first draft of The (Dis)Appearance of Nerissa MacKay:

"All in all, he was not a bad option at all."

Of Doorknobs And Broomsticks

Today was my first day off school for the summer.  I spent it fighting off yet another migraine, planting the garden, cleaning up a bit in the house (not much, mind you; there's plenty left to do), and helping Dad fix the doorknob I took apart during one of the weirder episodes of my life.
I really should be working on finishing the first draft of The (Dis)Appearance of Nerissa MacKay.  But I'm not.  I'm off to get sucked into a good mystery novel.