DIARY OF A GIRL-NEXT-DOOR HEAVY METAL NOVELIST

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September 2, 2005
Tomorrow will be the first time I fly to a KISS expo with my sales gear. My kinda town? I sure hope so. Packing has come down to some excrutiating decisions about priorities. Here's what I've narrowed it down to:

Fishnets? Check.

Copies of Won't Get Fooled Again? Check.

Airplane tickets? Check.

Okay, maybe not in that order.

September 4, 2005
Chicago was a blur. The expo was smaller than expected, but the entertainment was explosive. I fell in love with a 9-year-old drummer named Angelo Coppola, and the Black Diamond Girls renewed my faith in women and tribute bands in general.After the expo, I shared a dinner with KISS Magazine editor-in-chief Warren Lapine. We literally shared a meal that could only be ordered for two. He tells me he's given a copy of Won't Get Fooled Again to a reviewer for use in an upcoming issue of the magazine. After pulling an all-nighter in order to travel, I was ready to snooze after gorging myself.

Pictures:
Colette with Angelo Coppola

Colette with the Goddess of Thunder from the Black Diamond Girls

Dinner (really - it's a picture of my dinner)

Thanks to my pal Tony for the pictures!

September 5, 2005
It had to happen sooner or later. Last night, on my MySpace account, a student from my former day job sent an invitation to "chat." Egad - albeit flattering.

Don't forget to tune in to RockLandWorldRadio.com for my quickie interview Tuesday the 6th at 8:30 p.m.

September 6, 2005
Huge thanks to Erik and Dave, the hosts of the Big E show at Rockland World Radio. They almost coaxed some super-personal information out of me! If you missed the show, you can listen to the archived recording later this week.

I got an email from my little friend Angelo Coppola today just in time to get me psyched for my first wind ensemble rehearsal of the year. He said he would cherish the picture I sent him. I swear, if that kid were 20 years older...

September 7, 2005
Guess who got an email from Tommy Thayer today! His mom? Perhaps, but also yours truly. This week, Tommy joined me in the world of higher education. He's been appointed to the Board of Trustees at Pacific University. That could be a figurehead position, if the college just wants to get into TT's wallet, but I wrote to him to ask that he please be vocal about the core values of the liberal arts - integrity and learning. I felt a little weird using my dean jargon on him, but I hope he knows my message came from the heart. He sent a quick note of appreciation, but he didn't mention whether or not he intended to review the out-of-class curriculum at PU in order to assess the University's commitment to cognitive learning theories. One can dream...

September 8, 2005
I had my first Spinal Tap moment:

http://canaseraga-fest.tripod.com

Lucky for my agent, I got top billing --- but just barely.

September 11, 2005
KISS played a show in Ohio last night. Now that I have no day job, a tribute band fit my budget better. KISSteria took my blues away.

Today, I hit a national record collectors show that's held monthly right here in my hometown. I was scouting to see if it might be a good place to set up a table to sell books. While I was poking through some CDs, I heard someone say my name, and sure enough someone recognized me! It was very cool. He introduced me to the organizer of the show, and now I'm going to be a celebrity guest at an upcoming expo. They didn't mention whether puppets would be included.

September 12, 2005
While there's something glamorous about saying I wrote my entire novel while decked out in my pajamas and curled up in my canopy bed, the truth is, that's where my cable modem was. As of tonight, I am a wireless goddess. Goodbye pegnoir and ethernet cord; hello kitchen table and bathtub!

To replace the glamour I may have lost, I just found out that an upcoming presentation I assumed I was giving pro-bono is going to be very lucrative! I'm still on track to reach my goal of paying off my mortgage. After that, the dream life of the luxury RV will come back into color. Hey, I'm wireless now and ready to travel! (continue)