Carrie Fisher

It seems as if 2016 has been a terrible year for celebrity deaths.  The expected, the sad, and the sudden.  They were all sad and they touched many people in different ways.  My younger brother visited the memorial outside David Bowie's New York home multiple times.

But, the ones that touched me the most were that of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds a day later.  To lose our princess and rebel was sad enough.  But to lose her mother so soon afterward was heartbreaking.  The upcoming Bright Lights details their bond that was so strong not even death could break it.

When I was a freshman in high school one of our first writing assignments in English class was to write a fan letter.  Prior to this I had never written one or even considered it.  Being the Star Wars fan/classic movie fan that I was I went with Carrie Fisher.  I knew of her career beyond Star Wars and had read Postcards from the Edge.

By the time summer rolled around I had more or less forgotten about the letter.  Then, one day I received a rigid envelope in the mail:

There was no note but that didn't matter.  It was an actual signed photograph - no printed card.  We had kept track of which celebrities sent replies to our letters in class.  I knew very few had received anything.  So, to get this photo in the mail meant a lot to me.

Flash forward 15 years or so.  Wishful Drinking opens on Broadway at Studio 54.  I had a second row center ticket to one of the first shows after opening night.  Apparently, I had missed her mother by about a day.

The show was great and I hope everyone gets the chance to see the HBO special.  There were things I had already known about (Debbie Reynolds being pregnant with Carrie during filming of Bundle of Joy) and things I didn't know (Reynolds was also pregnant with Carrie during Tammy and the Bachelor).

Afterward I made my way to the stage door.  Meeting someone I had admired for so long was an exciting moment for me.  There was a decent sized crowd at the stage door but it dwindled the longer we waited.  People left in anger.  I'll never understand that.  Being a little disappointed is okay but to be angry seems a bit overboard.  Carrie didn't owe any of us more than a great show.  And we got that.

Finally, the reason for her tardiness was discovered.  She had a guest.  The doors opened and out came Dustin Hoffman.  Some people tried to get him to stop.  Others ignored him as if he weren't a two-time Oscar winner.  I did neither.  As he passed me I said, "Hi".  He stopped, looked at me, and said "Hi".  Then he was gone.  Not the most exciting Dustin Hoffman story but it's certainly better than having none at all.

Shortly after Dustin left the guard informed us Carrie would not be posing for pictures nor signing anything other than Wishful Drinking items.  Which was understandable.  The number of people looking to make a buck off her signature must be astronomical.

She finally emerged and started signing and kvetching.  Carrie being Carrie.  When she got to me we chatted a little about the show and I let her know I had enjoyed it.  Then, it went a little something like this:

"You were my first fan letter."

"Did you get anything back?"

"Yes, a signed photo."

"When?"

"1993/1994."

"Oh, my mother handled it back then."

So, it was her mother who made sure I got my signed picture.  Another actress I had grown up admiring.  The knowledge added a little something extra special to the signed picture I had received in high school.  A picture I will always cherish.  More so now.

If someone you know is mourning one of these celebrities don't mock them. Don't roll your eyes. We're all fighting invisible battles. If something one of these people said/did/wrote helped them during a dark hour that is to be honored. Not maligned.

Rock of Ages

Just giving everyone a heads up that from now until Friday, December 9 there's a $0.99 sale over at Seasoned Romances.  It's a great opportunity to get to know 24 authors whose books are simply waiting for you.

Take a peek at all these great buys!

Somebody's Watching Me (Giveaway)

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

I've been promising a Victoria Wyngate giveaway for some time now and it's finally here!

From now until Wednesday you can enter for multiple chances to win signed copies of Hidden Angels: Wildfire Lake Book One and Scattered Secrets: Wildfire Lake Book Two as well as Long Road Home by Derek Keeling!  Also featured are a canvas tote bag from Darling Designs and a bookmark handcrafted by me!

Enter below and good luck!

Entry-Form

Ricochet

Over the weekend I was pondering the state of my blog.  Where is started, where it is now, and where it's going.

I started this blog over two years ago as a way to detail my journey through the query trenches.  The ups of requests and the downs of rejection.  But, along the way something changed.  My world changed.

Thanks to Pitch Wars, WFWA, and Book Splash my world suddenly became a lot larger.  I wasn't fighting in the trenches alone anymore.  Suddenly, I had a whole tribe that I didn't realized I'd been needing for a long time.

As that tribe grew my need to help them grew as well.  Giveaways and promos started working their way into my blogs and twitter.  It became a little less about me and what I was up to.  And that's fine.  If we don't grow and shift then we became stagnant.  Who wants stagnant people?

I don't know how the blog's going to grow going forward.  You'll find out as I do and I'm looking forward to discovering what's just over the next crest.  2016 has been a year of great change for me.  Over the summer I became co-guardian to my handicapped sister.  My role in her life hasn't changed but I can now legally make medical and legal decisions for her.  I've also been working on pushing out a lot of the old - both physical and less so.  I've also made decisions on how to deal with the negative in my life.  We'll see how that last one goes.

In the meantime I do have a giveaway coming up - I just don't have all the deets yet.  Hopefully in the next week or so.  I'm thinking about doing it the rafflecopter-ish way where every like/follow is an entry.  So, keep your eyes open for that.

Let's see where the world ricochets us today.

Shout

Just a few shout outs for today:

My friend Cristin launched The Notable Woman - a blog and podcast "for women who are making big impacts through volunteering, education, art, science, religion, civil rights".  Have something to say?  Get with Cristin!  I met Cristin when we both worked in the theatre's scene shop at Cedar Crest College!  A few years back she was presented with Cedar Crest's alumni volunteering award (I may have nominated her) thanks to her work for Superstorm Sandy victims.

Cristin's husband has launched The Actor CEO Podcast which features interviews from industry pros.  If you're an actor or just writing a book about one be sure to check it out.

If you're looking for something more about the issues be sure to check out The Ty Johnson Show over on Soundcloud.  Ty is the husband of a former middle/high school classmate of mine.  

In a few weeks time Victoria Wyngate will have a few new releases and I'm hoping to have something here to celebrate it.  Stay tuned!

Let it Go

On Friday, July 1 I decided I was going to get ahead of the curve.  Shortly after arriving home after work I started the laundry in the hopes of getting it done early.  Enjoying the three day weekend was a priority.  

As soon as I opened the door to the basement I knew something was wrong.  It smelled hot and damp.  The further down I went the more humid the room became.  I started to wonder if a Hellmouth had formed down there and I'd need my own Scooby Gang.  Finally, I found the culprit - the water heater was spewing water.  Puddles of it were forming on the concrete floor and condensation was dripping from the air ducts.  I don't know how long it had been ejecting its water but it couldn't have been too long since I'd been down there Thursday evening..

Keep in mind this was Friday evening before a three day weekend.  We were able to get someone out to stop the leaking and drain the tank.  But, a new tank wasn't going to happen until Tuesday, July 5.  No hot water until then.  Fun.

But, we survived and on Tuesday someone came out to install the new water heater.  Everything was going well until the dishwasher was turned on.  Sadly, the nineteen-year-old dishwasher had joined the water heater in Silicon Heaven.  Annoying and expensive but no big deal.

Upon hearing about the second mishap my coworker commented on how things happen in threes.  Well, I wish I could things didn't happen in threes.  But, they did.

On Wednesday our neighbor was home having a new fence installed.  When I got home from work it was off to Lowe's to find a new dishwasher.  Everything was okay until the phone rang.  It was our neighbor.  The AC unit was on fire.  Yup, FIRE.  If he hadn't been outside who knows what would have happened.  Along with an electrician who just happened to be in the neighborhood they managed to put the fire out with a garden hose.  It was contained to inside the unit and there wasn't even a mark on the siding.

We managed to get someone out the next day but it took them until Monday to finish the job.  Sometimes we had AC - sometimes we didn't.  A lot of time was spent out of the house (with PLENTY of water left for the cats).

All of this forced me into clean up mode.  Stuff had gotten wet or knocked over in the basement.  Some stuff was tossed but I decided I needed to give online yard sales a try.  

Slowly, I started listing various items on Letgo and Facebook and I've had some success.  So much success that I was able to replace the laptop that fell on the floor last year.  Entirely paid for with yard sale money.

Also, I've come across an interesting cast of characters.  People always looking for a deal.  Scammers.  Crazies.  Of course all of these people led to something else - PLOT BUNNY!  

Not only have I been able to start unburdening myself of clutter and the past but there's a new manuscript in the works thanks to all of this.  

Bad things may happen in threes but the silver linings come in sixes.

Beautiful

Recently a member of the book community said this to a fan:

"you should go eat your last Dairy Queen Blizzard and then hang yourself in the closet".

Just no.  Absolutely no.  He made this comment to a woman because he felt she was overweight.  And, it was his place to say so in the most disgusting way possible.  I won't say his name because he has gotten enough attention at this point.  And, his career is circling the bowl thanks to this comment and the many that followed.

The rest of the community could not stand by and let this happen.  Blogs were written, people offered their services for free to erase this man's presence from any upcoming releases, and Harper Sloan and Felicia Lynn even had an "Ice Cream Social" at their local Dairy Queen.

Out of all of this madness Blizzards Against Bullies was born.  Founded by author C. L. Champlain the group's goal is to get Dairy Queen to take a public stance on the issue of bullying through a petition.  The movement is growing every day with people reaching out to authors with larger followings and celebrities.

We all live in glasses houses - every single one of us.  No one is perfect.  So, to stand back and suggest someone take their own life because they don't fit your idea of beauty is horrific.  Suicide shouldn't be offered as an option.

I was thirteen when my cousin took his own life after battling with manic depression for twenty-three years.  I saw the ripple it sent through my family.  The son of my godparents.  The godson of my mother.  Anyone who has been touched by suicide can tell you what it's like to try to pick up the pieces later.  The pain.  The questions.

To suggest it so cavalierly boggles my mind.  There's enough ugliness in the world.  Let's not add to it.