DIARY OF A GIRL-NEXT-DOOR HEAVY METAL NOVELIST

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May 23, 2006
Yay! Money is starting to come in for the American Cancer Society. I'm amazed at the folks who are afraid to use the online contribution form, but I'm banking on the fact that their technofear will keep them from reading of my dismay on my blog.

I received a once in a lifetime opportunity that I had to turn down this week. An exec from the KISS world asked me if I had plans to attend their show in Vegas this Thursday. "No," I said. "I have a professional commitment that day that I couldn't pass up." "Too bad," he replied. "I was going to give you tickets to sit in the pit."

The pit!!! That's where the press sit so they can be IN FRONT OF THE FRONT ROW SEATS!!! Aw, man. That was huge. It was one of those moments that made me wonder how I went from mild mannered College Woman who dreamed of nothing better than the front row at a fake KISS tribute to Pit Woman!!! Here's the thing, though. I really love being College Woman who just happens to like a certain band more than I would want to be KISS Woman who just happens to have a day job. My time will come.

May 26, 2006
Happy birthday to my #1 fan, Mike "the Wildman" Nichols! Mike is the only person I know who not only bought the "Living the Fantasy" DVD, but memorized it! He's been a longtime supporter of the KISSfiction project, and I always look forward to seeing him at shows. Mark your calendar for the Baltimore KISS Expo on October 7 if you want to meet the Wildman yourself. Mike, if you're reading this, can you send me a picture I could post?

Last night, KISS rocked Vegas sans this fan, but I've gotta tell you I was pleasantly tuckered out. Instead, I reminisced about some other concert experiences. In my youth, there were only two groups I was willing to sacrifice precious babysitting earning to see more than once. One was Air Supply. The other still rocks hard. On Wednesday of this week, I saw Prince twice on VH1 Classic, and I was reminded of how dang ol' talented he is. That night, I tuned in for my favorite show of the year: the American Idol finale. It was chock full of the stuff I love: cheezy medleys, the old gang of contestants I fell in love with, ...and Prince!!! Shame on you, purple one, for not performing with one of the fresh-faced newbies, but thanks for showing up, looking great, and bringing your game. I missed KISS, but I still had a sweet memory this Memorial Day weekend.

May 29, 2006
One year ago, I visited Upstate New York to attend a high school class reunion. As part of my trip, I spent a day at my alma mater talking to students about the power of writing. A couple weeks ago, I found this article from their school newsletter online. At the time, Won't Get Fooled Again was fresh off the press, and I was about to launch into a new part of my life. One year later, here I am living in Upstate New York and starting another completely new chapter.

But...thank goodness of the old stuff. Tomorrow, I'm heading back to Pennsylvania to wrap up a consulting job I began in January. I'm excited about seeing my former supervisor for dinner and catching up. A year ago, I never thought I'd be visiting PA as a nostalgia trip. As the article I found said, I suppose if you follow your dreams, anything truly is possible.

My dude and I are so close to hitting our Relay for Life goal, I can barely stand it. My next trip to PA will be to hike around the track until I reunite with the calluses I recall from last year. That's a bittersweet nostalgia trip that will remind me of how much I love my family & friends and hate cancer.

May 30, 2006
As a writer, I occasionally read something so cleverly written it paralyzes me. I love Won't Get Fooled Again, and I'm proud to promote it, but then I read Mark Twain, and I have to spend a bit of time reminding myself that even though I'll never be that talented, I still have something to say. All too rarely, I read something that makes be believe I have failed because I haven't written enough. Dorothy Parker. She stirs up voices I rarely hear: "Keep writing!" "Being smart is sexy!" "Why aren't you keeping your literary voice alive?" Strangely, I became a fan the same year KISS made its power known to me. Both are provocative, and both inspired me to explore different sides of myself. I've been listening to some of her short stories on my trip, and I swear you would think they'd been written for Rolling Stone in 2006 instead of the New Yorker in the 20s and 30s. I think I can mimic her wit at times, but not her courage -- at least not yet. Her scathing but hilarious takes on the mundane make you wonder whether she's sometimes scrutinizing her own character along with the clueless elite she skewers.

I can't wait to get home so I can return to work on my second novel. I just have to make sure I don't read anything uninspiringly fantastic before I get there.

May 31, 2006
Shhhh. Don't tell KISS, but I missed their induction into the VH1 Hall of Fame tonight. I'm in PA, and I had a chance to go out with my favorite friend, Mike Horn. I love KISS, but since I can catch at least one of their shows in the umpteen repeats VH1 will show, I didn't feel too guilty about hanging with arguably the nicest man in the world. (Don't worry. My man knows about Mr. Horn, and he would agree with my assessment.)

I'm almost done with my consulting gig here. I just have to finish my report and meet with the folks who hired me for a wrap-up in the morning. As luck would have it, I got a call today for a similar job later this summer. I love these ad hoc assignments, but sleeping on the floor of my old condo isn't very glamorous. I'm ready to sign up with a group who will fly me in on a private jet and put me up in the Presidential Suite of the Ritz. This next job is with a public university. I might get to meet with the president, and I promise to act sweet, but the deluxe hotel spread is probably a few gigs away. Dang.

I've been typing my blog updates more frequently than I had been for months, but I haven't been able to get an internet connection since last week. How will the world survive without KISSfiction news? Oh, I don't think I'll get many complaints. I'm more concerned that I'll lapse into withdrawal from my daily ego-affirmation known as the Yahoo crossword puzzle. The chess game on my laptop is giving me low self-esteem.

June 4, 2006
It's been a cool KISSfiction week. Last night, my man and I went to see Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee. It was a good movie, but I went with an alterior motive - to see the Documan's name in lights. Randy Wilkins was the director of the film I produced, Living the Fantasy. After we worked together, he met Spike Lee and followed the famous director's path to NYU film school. I knew that I'd see Randy make it huge, and I'm thrilled to see his progress. If you can see Inside Man, I'm glad to say I loved it and I hope you will, too.

Today, I got to see the Vegas show KISS put on last week. VH1 aired its Hall of Fame show. I'm not sure why the KISS segment received less time than the other honorees', but they pack their 20 minutes with gold. The musicians who came together to play a tribute rocked hard. Scott Ian, Slash, and TOMMY LEE. He was playing with sticks identical to the pair I acquired last year. It was hot. Add to that the surprise addition of Ace Frehley, and I was back in my old idealistic fan mode. Man, I love when I can just enjoy the moment. Thank you KISS!

All I think about right now is writing. I have a feeling I need to have more structure in my life before I finish my second novel, but the material in my right brain is percolating, and I'm afraid that if I don't let it out with my fingers, it will ooze out my ears. What a waste of fine literature that would be. It's ironic that I think I need a day job to keep me fulfilled both professionally and creatively, but I suppose there's some healthy symmetry in that realization.

June 5, 2006
I forgot to mention that I got a book signing gig for October. It's about an hour from where I used to live in PA, and also the place where I've found the cheapest gasoline in the state. Hooray. It's not until mid-October. Maybe that should be my deadline for completing the first draft of my second novel. Speaking of which, I have a deadline this week for completing my final report for the consulting work I've been doing. Gotta jet.

June 6, 2006
Is there life after rock? Well, for this old rock broad there is.

About a week and a half ago, I turned down an offer for some hot KISS tickets in order to go to a job interview. Yep. I'm eager to go back to workin' for the man. In this case, though, there are fewer men, and the ones who are there are pretty open minded. Anyway, it was the job I'd really been hoping for in this search. When I hadn't heard anything by last Friday, I was a little blue. I had other interviews pending, but none that ranked as dream jobs.

Me of little faith... I got it! I start next month.

Will a day job kill my writing and rocking? Hell no! I think it will actually relight my fire so I can finish my second book and pump my fist proudly in the air. Being a starving artist is all well and good until you can't afford concert tickets, right?

Viva la Day Job!

June 7, 2006
Okay, now that I have a day job, I need to refocus on my philanthropic efforts. There are only two more days left until the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It's not too late for you to make a donation! If nothing else, check out the cute picture of my man and me on our fundraising page. We can't help that we're so adorable, but we can help make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Good thing I'm a college administrator/celebrity novelist wannabe. My next option was corny caption auteur. Just remember, my cheeziness is for a good cause.

June 12, 2006
Well, my feet are a little sore and I'm moving a bit slower than usual, but Relay for Life was a great experience. It's not too late for you to make an online donation if you'd like to contribute. Thanks to everybody who already gave! We blew past our goal and can't wait to walk our butts off in 2007.

June 16, 2006
I received my new contract in the mail this week. I can't believe I'm so excited about routine, but even in my months of touring and promoting I was pretty regimented about building and completing To Do lists. The first task they've sent me so far is a personality/work style inventory that indicates that I'm in love with ideas. I have to be honest, that there weren't many questions about Paul Stanley on the quiz, or I'm sure the results would have been different.

June 19, 2006
I'm getting excited about the start of my new day job in two weeks. I've almost finished reading the book about my work style strenghts. In response to 4 of my 5 dominant characteristics, the book recommends that I go into writing. The 5th one says I'm good at acting on my strengths before I learn about them in a book.

June 21, 2006
Sales at Amazon are cracking this week. I'm not sure what the boost came from, but I'm grateful. I swear, I stare at the ceiling at night and in the morning, thinking about writing writing writing. I just can't seem to put pen to paper. I know the new day job will help, so I'm not beating myself up. Yet.

I've got a scheme going that may end up being one of the most exciting rock & roll fantasies of my life. I called my sister/editor this afternoon to make sure I didn't talk myself out of the adventure. I think I need a good old fashioned pep talk like she used to give me when my logic threatened to sabotage my passion.

June 22, 2006
I just got a call from my realtor. Hooray! Someone made a very attractive on my old condo. I was thrilled with the news, but I also had a terrible pain in my gut. That condo was not only a character in my life, it was the setting of Suzanne Curtis's home in Won't Get Fooled Again. I know it's going to be sad saying goodbye to that old friend, but I can at least say that I have one of the few homes that has been immortalized.

To ease my grief, I think I should spend a little time with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

No, really.

June 23, 2006
Dangity dang. The bidder on my condo backed out. Little does she know how special that place is. To ease my disappointment, I think I should spend a little time with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

No, really.

June 26, 2006
I'm heading out for a couple days of adventure.If I'm successful, I'll return on Wednesday with a prize beyond my dreams. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

* *

My flight arrived at 2:00 a.m. My clothes are soaked from sitting outside on a baggage cart in the rain while my plane was delayed. But, I'm psyched. Who cares if I smell like mildew when I see Gene & Paul? It's all about getting a good picture.

June 27, 2006
Three hours ago:

Me: How was Superman? You're the only person I know who's seen it.

Paul Stanley: It was great. It was a take-off on the elements of the previous two.

Well, there's more, but that was pretty cool, wasn't it?

Right now, I'm soaked like a merchant marine, I smell like a linebacker, I look like a raccoon, and I have coffee breath. Only for KISS, baby... (continue)