Once is Spooky, but Twice...?

Okay, the Universe is really, really trying to make sure that I understand that part of how I practice Witchcraft is through writing because...

So there I am at the keyboard yesterday afternoon writing the bit in HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD where Sebastian explains that, well, see, he's got this stalker who's convinced that he's part of the Illuminati because he's rich (at least that was my original idea, anyway).

Just guess where the historical Illuminati started?

That's right, Bavaria, which at various points of its history mingled with what is now Austria.

Is it just me, or is it magic in here?

Resolved: Write Every Day

That was my blog title over at Something Wicked this morning, and it pretty much sums up everything I really ought to have said on the subject (but, of course, I blathered on for several paragraphs.)

In other news, I finally decided on a character to be my Empress card for my Marvel (tm) tarot. Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans (and mother of Crystal, I believe.) She seemed like a good pick. I drew out the card, but my digital camera has now decided to go on the fritz. Hopefully, I can get it taken care of in a few days. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Medusa, which I cribbed from that Internets all you kids are using.

I need to search for one of those graphic/bar thingies that shows my daily progress on the novel. It might be a good kick in the pants to have to upload my word count every day.

Did I mention I have a lot of writing to do this year??

Bringing in the New Year Right

I faxed off the corrections for DEAD IF I DO today, and, last night, as I was reading them I had an epiphany about the book I'm working on now, HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD. I realized that, in many ways DEAD IF I DO is about the trauma of GETTING married, and that HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD should be about the trauma of BEING married.

Except, of course, with ghouls and goblins and zombies, as usual.

Cap as Justice

I'll be honest. I'm not terribly happy with this one which is why it's still in sketch form. After the cool action-y pose of Iron Man, Cap is kind of a let down (and you KNOW he's my favorite Marvel superhero these days.)

But, technically, Justice is the 11th card and so I kind of skipped ahead mostly because, after drawing Iron Man, my fingers itched to do Captain America.

I think I may have settled on a subject for the Empress card, however. Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans. She's both sexy and a mother, and she rules over more than just a family (as Sue Richards does for the FF.) Plus, there's something in the Rider-Waite deck that I noticed that I'd love to include in my own... that is that the Empress sits at the edge of a cultivated field and the wilderness can be seen behind her, as though she marks or defends the end of civilization. As the Inhumans are on the moon, it would be easy to show Medusa sitting somewhere near a window that shows the moonscape behind her. Just a thought. I'll see how it all works out when I actually try to sketch it.

Do You Believe In Magic?

I was once on a panel with Neil Gaiman about... actually I can't remember what it was about exactly because I was awfully busy being awed by being in the presence of Neil, but I do remember that we touched on the fact that sometimes writers access synchronicity with a skill that's akin to magic. For example, you start thinking about a certain subject, say, alchemy and you decide -- totally randomly -- to make your vampire an alchemist from Vienna, Austria, then later, say, like yesterday, you're at Border's and you see a "Idiot's Guide to Alchemy" and you think, "Damn, you know, I know almost nothing about alchemy really, I should buy that so I can do some research and make Sebastian's alchemy more 'real.'"

So you open the book up to the introduction this morning over your bowl of Corn Flakes, and read this:

"Four hundred years earlier, Vienna and nearby Prague were the heart of European alchemy, and hundreds of alchemists flocked to the area to study."

Hairs rise on the back of your neck, and you say, "Holy coincidence, Batman. That's freaky."

I can't remember entirely the story that Neil told about his magical moment of research other than it had to do with his book American Gods, which at the time he hadn't quite finished. I just know that it's absolutely true. This isn't the first time something like this has happened to me, but it's still always so startling.

It's a Monday

Made obvious by the fact that a few seconds ago I posted a blank blog. WTF? Somehow I fumbled the keyboard. Yeah, it's Monday, all right.

Plus, as I wrote over at the Something Wicked Blog, I woke up this morning with a headache and an impending sense of doom. The headache I mostly blame on the weather. Here in Minnesota it's been warmish (for winter, with temps in the 20s and 30s F), which always gives my sinuses a workout. The impending sense of doom, however, has more to do with the fact that APPARENTLY 2008 is almost over.

How did that happen?

I feel like this entire year has been moving at super-sonic speeds. I have no idea where all my time went, though at least I appear to have some things to show for it. ROMANCING THE DEAD came out this year, and I finished DEAD IF I DO at some point. I'm only certain of this because I'm looking at a set of reader's proofs that are due back at the publisher at the beginning of next year --- a matter of days, actually. The good news there is that I'm half way done reviewing it, and I can fax back the pages that need corrections.

But what the hey? Why do I only have fifty pages on the next book done? What have I been doing with my time?

Oh, yeah, watching HELLBOY 2 and drawing Marvel (tm) tarot cards. I should really try to develop a bit more focus for the new year. Ah! A resolution! Hooray, something accomplished already.

Iron Man as Emperor

This one may look a little blurry, but that's because I decided to do it all in colored pencil without any "inking." I should note that I stole/redesigned the pose from the cover of IRON MAN CIVIL WAR.

Here's what I said about it in my tarot journal:

I skipped the Empress because I'm not quite sure who best fits that card in the Marvel Universe (tm). I'd originally thought Sue Richards/Invisible Woman because she is one of the few heroes who is actually also a mother, but, after meditating on the card, I'm not sure she's quite sexy enough.

The Emperor as Iron Man seemed a much more obvious choice. In this card, I put him in a "ready for action" pose, and in full armor because the Emperor shows no mercy to his enemies (even if they were once friends, ala Cap and the Civil War storyline.)

He is ready to lead and shoulder all the responsibility that entails. He follows the law. As Emperor Iron Man is the apologist for his government. He will explain the law to his subjects and lead those who enforce it. He will, in effect, represent the law (regardless of any misgivings.)

The only nods I gave to the traditional images (besides the armor) is the bleak, orange background and the ram's head on the gargoyle.

Happy Yule

My family and I had a wonderful Yule. I wrote a little about it over at Something Wicked, but I just wanted to wish everyone out here a happy return of the Sun.

Storm as High Priestess

So in my continued Marvel (tm) super-hero tarot deck, I have this new beauty to add:

Here's what I wrote about it in my tarot journal:

I'm pleased with this one, even though it ended up quite differently from my original vision. Though I always pictured Storm sitting much as she is, I'd initially thought to show her inside a ruined/collapsed Egyptian tomb (even though she's claustrophobic) -- I'd been planning to show an opening above, symbolizing salvation, "reaching beyond the veil," etc.

But this image, with the open air and pyramid behind her, just sort of came out instead, as did the finger to her lips -- as if she's saying "no talking. Time to listen to your heart." or "I've got a secret." Both of which I feel suit this card pretty well.

I gave her a crystal ball, but she's not gazing into it. This high priestess has access to divinary power, but doesn't need to use it. Similarly the "Tora" scroll is there, but not in her lap. She already has that information -- hence the slight smile that says she knows it too.

My other nods to tradition are the black and white columns. I made these Egyptian with the lotus blossom motif to reflect the general setting.

I also gave Storm her punk outfit and hair because, IMHO, she really came into her own during those (Chris Claremont?) years. She lost her elemental powers, but gained belief in her own, inner strength. Her fierce independence during this era seems, to me, to fit this card very well.

Here's a close-up:

Dash, dot, dot,dash!

"Dash, dot, dot, dash. Ampersand!" is how my son Mason swears. He gets it from comic strips mostly, where the author/artist will replace choice words with dingbats. But, since he likes the sound of dash and dot, it sounds a bit like he's cursing in Morse code. (Although I have no idea what "dash, dot, dot, dash." would work out to be.)

Today, I am swearing because my dash-dot-dot car is on the blink. Actually, it decided to throw a starter wire, which is, at least, blessedly simple (I hope) to fix. It's at the garage right now, though it took some monumental effort to get it there last night. (Many calls to Triple-A, much waiting and pacing in the 4 degree weather, lots and lots of "dash, dot, dot"s from me.)

Also because Minneapolis/St. Paul has a pretty lame public transportation system, I walked about three miles this morning (uphill both ways!) But seriously, after one of Mason's school friend's parents dropped me off at my coffee shop this morning, I decided to start hoofing it down Grand toward our service station. I'm glad I did, because I was able to show the mechanic exactly which wire was the problem. As I jostled the wire, a big chunk of it actually broke off. We looked at each other for a moment. Then the mechanic says (completely deadpan,) "Yeah, that could be a problem."

Sometimes I love Minnesotans.

More Tarot Images

I ended up not very happy with my first attempt, which you can see here. Though the image remains much the same in the second attempt (below). Here's what I wrote in my tarot journal after I finished this:

"I'm not sure how much I like it, because I'd originally imagined the lab/background a lot more science-y and full of tools the Adept had already brought into fruition. I changed Reed's costume somewhat because I wanted the symbolism of white/the uncarved block/limitless potential in the Magician's hands. There is nothing this guy can't build or produce; his understanding of physics, engineering, and mechanics is so powerful. He has so conquered the intellectual world, he doesn't even notice he's casually defying the laws of physics by levitating the gizmo/wand."

"That's not the usual image (levitating), and goes a bit against the idea of the Magician as firmly grasping the wand/his tools, but he is still the conduit of the creative force, the lightening bolt of higher consciousness."

"Reed gazes at the tools of the magical realm with a cool, logical, dispassionate eye. He hasn't quite mastered magic yet, so it needs further study. All the colors (except those of the tools themselves) are "cold" colors, because I wanted to make the connection that the Magician is incomplete -- he is too much intellect and not enough heart."

"The spiral shaped doo-hickey behind Reed's right, downward pointing shoulder is meant to be the closed portal to the Negative Zone. If the card were reversed, the Negative Zone would be in the foreground, replacing the Arcane tools. To me, the Negative Zone represents genius in the service of darkness -- Reed's intellectual folly/moral blindness, intellect misused. Because Reed allowed (encouraged?) Stark Industries to imprison heroes in the Negative Zone during the Civil War (which he did because of a social political formula which predicted the future), it symbolizes genius without heart -- with dark, perhaps even evil, intent -- even though it might appear to have the best intentions."

"If I re-drew this, I might try putting Reed in a lab coat and obscuring his role as a hero, because in his lab -- Reed focuses solely on creation rather than being part of a team. Also, I am considering choosing the title ADEPT instead of MAGICIAN because Mr. Fantastic more fully embodies that term, IMHO."

And here's my second attempt:

I like this one a little better, but I'm still not fully satisfied. I do like that the infinity symbol is now part of the machinery that Mr. Fantastic has built and is almost unnoticeable, as is the fact that he's defied gravity with the gizmo. I added more cool colors to the Arcane symbols on the table as well, and this time the Negative Zone is shown open.

What do you think?

What's on Your List?

My family celebrates both the pagan/Wiccan Yule/Solstice and Christmas. On Yule, we traditionally give each other gifts that are sentimental in value, rather than commercial. It's the time for handmade gifts or coupons that say, "Good for one day to sleep in until 10 am!"

This year, the present I'm MOST hoping for for Yule is a new journal. I'm one of those writers who LOVES all the accouterments that go along with being a writer... I love pens with smooth action, notebooks without lines (so I can sketch and doodle), and anything like that. I would probably be happiest if all I got for Yule/Christmas was six or seven different kinds of pens and notebooks and journals and colored pencils. (I'm also pretty fond of crayons, too, but I currently have a lot in the house thanks to having a five year old at home.)

So what about you? What present are you most hoping for this season (and, yes, feel free to say more books by your favorite author!!)

In Support of "Day Without A Gay"

In support of yesterday's "Day Without a Gay," I didn't write. That hurt you, didn't it?

Uh, hello?

Honestly, I have to say I love this idea, but it does have some obvious drawbacks. For one, no one even noticed my feeble attempt to strike a blow for my GLBT brothers and sisters. Secondly, in this economy? Seems a bit risky to "call in gay" to work. The unemployment line looms large for many of us.

In other news, I got an "A" on my tarot test for "Tarot 101" at WitchSchool.com. So that's something positive, at least.

Plus our plumber came right on time day-before-yesterday and the water is back on to our house. I shall now repeat this mantra: "Never try to fix plumbing yourself... always hire a professional. Never try to fix plumbing yourself...."

Tarot 101 Test Today...

Today, the test for Tarot 101 opened up. I'm going to review my materials and take it. Given that I've started drawing my own Tarot, you'd think I'd get an "A," but that's the biggest draw back of doing all this stuff on-line. It's not terribly easy to contact the instructor and get a sense of what anyone else might be doing. Ah well. I'll let you know how it goes. Personally, I expect it'll be yet another "B."

Also, does anyone out there know if Mercury is retrograde? There've been a number of minor breakages/emergencies in my family as well as with other people I know. Seems like there may be an astrological cause looming out there!

Spidey-Fool Card

Well, I found some time to draw my vision for the Spider-Man as Fool card last night after all. I apologize that the photograph is a bit dark. My scanner died sometime ago and I've been compensating by taking digital pictures of my artwork. When the light is good, that works. When it's not....

Anyway, here's Spidey as the Fool (please note, any Marvel representatives out there, this is not intended for sale, only for personal pleasure.) I've drawn him leaping off to some new "cosmic fiesta," but with one foot still safely on the window ledge of his Manhattan apartment. On the ledge is a potted plant (the white rose of innocence, which he leaves blithely behind) in Mary Jane's care. She replaces the loyal faithful canine companion (no literary illusion implied.) Her expression is a bit wistful, because she worries that Peter has too much confidence in the face of adversary.

The cityscape is obviously an imaginary New York, with the Hudson River running through it. The river is there to symbolize the unconscious and the city scape itself is dark (though it grows lighter) to represent the subconscious. The sun is shown rising on a new day, a new adventure.

Peter is still unmasked because the Fool is not YET a full hero. He's not gone through his initiation yet, but is ready to. Peter's hand is reaching to pull on his mask (his persona). His other fingers lightly touch the fire escape, which replaces the wand (and because of that I've colored it brown, for wood, and added an ivy vine to show that the wood is living/imbued with magical energy.)

I colored the interior of the apartment black for balance, though I considered leaving it white for innocence and an unpainted canvass, which is left behind in the search for the higher self. The pot the rose grows in is lavender-purple, for psychic energy.

It's been a LONG time since I've done any real drawing, so please excuse my clumsy sense of perspective, etc. But otherwise, what do you think?

Marvel (tm) Tarot

I started thinking about how easily some Marvel (tm) superheroes would work as archtypes for the Major Arcana of the Tarot, and Shawn and I even started assigning roles for each of the 22 cards. I wrote a long, involved post about my picks at my alter-ego's livejournal. I even started drawing THE FOOL card this morning (Spider-Man, of course). When I finish the first image, I'll post it here for your amusement.

Now, after a quick, little lunch, I'm off to go write. I fell behind again because I got stymied by a sex scene in HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD. I had to... ehm, do a little research first. :-)

An Aquarists Nightmare...

My partner found this article over at Boing-Boing, but it made me laugh out loud:

Bored Octopus Wrecks Havoc

My favorite quote? "Once we found him juggling the hermit crabs..."

OMG. I bet they wish they'd gotten a shot of that for YouTube, eh?

The House is a Mess

And I'm probably about to get up and take care of that... yeah, any moment now.

My Life and Stuff

By chance today I was looking through my electronic copy of Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, and I stumbled across an anthology that's looking for Biblically themed horror. When I saw that, I was so excited, I nearly peed. Thing is, I've got this "trunk" story called "Jawbone of an Ass." It's a story I wrote many years ago specifically for a Biblical horror anthology, which for reasons yet unknown to me (the fools!), they passed on it.

I love this story, though. I chose the topic by thumbing through the Old Testament and randomly putting my finger down on a passage. No, surprise, it's a bit obscure. I ended up in a story I knew only a little about, that is Samson. Not the more famous one of Samson and Delilah, but of Samson's first wife, a woman from the rival tribe that really kind of gets screwed by Samson and his people. Anyway, I thought that story would make a great horror story if you made it from her perspective, rather than that of Samson's.

I also ended up making other changes. "Jawbone" is completely removed from ancient Israel. I thought it would have more modern resonnance if it were retold in a similar kind of religoius battleground, so I set it in 1980s Northern Ireland. Samson is now an IRA man (with God on his side) and the unnammed wife a Protestant.

And then her life just sort of unravels, as told in the Bible. I actually follow the scripture's plot (which, honestly, makes it that much more surreal) up to the point Samson ties a bunch of foxes together and lights their tails on fire -- I made that a dream. But, if I do say so myself, I always thought that successful or not in terms of a Biblical retelling, the story is one of the most poetic/literary/atmospheric stories I've ever written, and thus I've always wanted a bigger audience for it.

But try selling an obscure Biblical retelling to a mundane audience. Suffice to say, the only place it ever saw print was in the Wyrdsmith's chapbook. I came clean about that pub to the editor of this new anthology, but I hope he won't hold that against the story.

Cross your fingers. Wish me luck!

Dead If I Do Available for Pre-Order

Just in time for Solstice! You can now pre-order your very own copy of DEAD IF I DO from Amazon.com. The book isn't out until May, but I have recently updated my web site so that you can read an excerpt of the first chapter. Try before you buy! Satisfaction guaranteed.