Kathryn Magendie's Blog: Lonely Woman's Guide to the Galaxy, page 19

Fairhope Trip: Random Photos, No Words Needed . . .

Girl's Night Out in Fairhope Alabama--Starting with the End & the Bloody Man Blues

Angie, Kat in middle, Alaine Angie, Kat middle, AlaineI'm beginning this Fairhope Trip at the end of our 10-day trip--the night before we left to go home: me to my cove, A&A to Louisiana.

When Angie, Alaine, and I headed out for a "girl's night out" in Fairhope, Alabama—which is a beautiful, clean, and friendly city. Where we went and where we ended up wasn't exactly as we first thought, because we just went on with the wind, and sometimes the best or at least more interesting stories come from that.


There's something to be said from sitting outside of a bar when you are not inebriated but have all your clear-headed faculties. My few drinks I consumed at an earlier establishment were long gone by time we ended up at a Fairhope Karaoke Bar, and how we arrived there was by chance meeting of two women around our age (actually, I may have been the oldest) who lived in Fairhope and were at the 2nd place we went to. But before I go into all that beginning of the night story in another post, I wanted to start near the end of the night while I had escaped the noise and smoke and sat outside the bar. The things you see and hear and have spoken to you are, well - I'll just put them here:

Guy: "Hey, there's the bloody man! Oh oh, he's getting into that car."

I see a shadowy figure getting into a car.

Other Guy: "Shouldna outta done that."

Guy Three: "Umm mmm - shouldn'tda oughta."

First Guy. "Oh well. Guess that's that." And they head back into the bar.

Me thinking: "That's what? What's going to happen to the bloody man and how'd he get bloody. ungh."

Few minutes later:

Different guys walk out of bar. One is very upset.

Upset Guy: "OH! Oh! Oh! OH! where is he? where is he?" Turns a panicked face this way and that.

Other Guy: "Now now. Don't get all upset."

Upset guy runs up to me where I'm perched by the door. "You seen a bloody guy?"

Me: "Um, well, I saw a shadowy figure over there," I point. "I think he got into someone's car. Some guys said he did anyway and I couldn't really tell too much."

Upset guy: "He got into a car?"

Me shrugging, "Um, Yeah."

Upset guy looks at other guy and shrugs. "Oh well. That's that."

Other guy. "Yup." And they go back into the bar.

Me thinking, "What? what's what? what's up with the bloody guy and why are they calling him Bloody Guy even though at least one of them seems to know who he is? ungh."

Bit later, guy strolls up to me from where he's come from somewhere. "Hey you! Hey! I saw you and your friends on the dance floor! You all dancing like Bee-Awnce-Say! Whooo." (Um, I will later tell about us girls, including this grammaw of Lil Boop, who did quite a bit of booty-shakin' and other such shenanigans to "Brick House" – aw lawd.)

Me: "huhn. Well. You know. Fun and all that."

Him: "Come on. Come dance with me."

Me: "nah."

Him: "aw come on ... come dance."

Me: "Nuh huh. Don't feel like it. I have a long drive back to NC tomorrow."

"Hey! Say - -you a cowgirl?"

"A what? Cowgirl?"

"A cowgirl." He points to my belt buckle, which looks like a bottle opener (see above).

I laugh, then, "Nope. not a cowgirl."

"Gimme a hug!"

"Look - Do you know I'm a 54 year old Grandmother?"

Looks me up and down. "Huh - you wearin' it weeee-eell. Huh. Just how old you think I am?"

Me: "Dunno." Shrug.

Takes out his driver's license and points to it.

Me: "I just told you I'm a grandmother- you think I can see that itty bitty writing. Huhn." I look out over the parking lot, wondering about Bloody Man.

Him: "Come dance with me."

"I told you no. Leave me be."

"Gimme a hug then. Come on." He reaches and hugs.

I pat his back motherly, as if I'm burping him. "There there now."

He grins at me, goes inside, sticks his head back out the door and says, "I ain't drinking you know. I don't drink." As if that explains everything.

Later a couple comes out and argues. She wants to stay. He wants to go home. He looks tired, fed up, as if he'd love to leave her there, as if this is a long-standing argument. He has gray threaded through his beard, she looks younger. Reaping what he sowed. Poor bastard. She wins. They go back inside.

Another guy comes out. "Wonder where the bloody guy went off to?"

Me: "Dunno."

"Bloody guy." Shakes his head.

I shake my head, shrug as if to say, "whaddya gonna to do?"

The moon is almost full and it shines down through the trees. The music inside becomes louder, the smoke heavier as it pours out the door each time it's opened. I long for my quiet cove. One of the women we met earlier comes out and is leaving. I say "I long for my quiet cove." She says, "Someone in there said you are a novelist - a writer - writers need experiences, don't they? Don't they need to see and do different things so they can write about them?" I smile, say, "True." But still. I long for the quiet. Or even to walk the pretty little downtown street of Fairhope. I take in some air and let it out slow. A young man walks out the door, smiles at me and says, "You okay?" I say, "Yeah. Just having a bit of quiet. Got a long ride tomorrow." He nods, "Yeah. Need that quiet sometimes." I smile, say, "Yup. For True. Nice City you have here." He smiles again, nods at me, look out into the night, then goes back inside.

And I still wonder about Bloody Man.


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The article I said I'd put here on "Writing a Life" by Darrelyn Saloom on Jane Friedman's Writer's Digest "There are no Rules" blog. R&T has a great mention and I'm called a "betty book look-a-like" *haw*
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Rose & Thorn, Joy, I was in my own Way

Hi Yawwwwl. The spring issue of Rose & Thorn Journal is now live! Take a break from your tax woes and angsts to waller in some great poetry, prose, art. Let the writers/poets/artist know what you think - let US know what you think.

While there, if you haven't signed up for the newsletter, which goes out quarterly the day we go live, please think about doing so.

Without our readers support, we are nothing. We need you. We want you. We love you. We adore you.

Now, back to my VK III manuscript - I had a breaththrough (oh, look what I wrote on accident! breath-through instead of break through!) and now the words and scenes and images are coming faster and faster and faster. This is the cool stage. This is what I've been waiting for. This is wonderful and exciting and how it always usually is - whatever had been stopping me from this stage has flown away--I WAS STOPPING ME FROM THIS STAGE! huhn.

my fave photo of me at conference :-D my dear  beautiful Angie
Alaine captured Joy
Have a great weekend. I'll be back to my mountain cove at Killian Knob on Sunday Evening. If you see my BoopMobile on the road, give me a honk and wave. By Monday, I should be back to my regular schedule of MWF posting and when I can, Sunday Blogwalking visiting. But, with VK III coming so fast and furious now, I need to put most all my attention on that. *MUWAH*

Coffee and Friends and Highlighted Hair

This morning, I'm sitting here with a cup of black coffee, posting on a Tuesday when I normally post on MWF schedule  -- oh! living on the edge (laughing).

Just a quick check in to say how much I am enjoying my time with my two good best friends here at the Secret Cottage. Soon as I am back home, I'll have some photos to share - like last night when Alaine lightly highlighted a bit of my hair with some carmel highlights - which had no color or highlights at all - it turned out purdy. We did something with Angie Gumbo Writer's hair too  --teehee :-D - lawd! Something unexpected and bold! Alaine and I did a green mask treatment on our face, but I want all three of us to so I can take our picture to laugh at later. We ate junk food for supper. And we've sat outside a lot, watching the wind and clouds and time go by.
this pic of Alaine sends me into gales of HAWs!
The conference was great. More on that later, too. Sometimes I'll say that "more on that later" and then never go back to it, such is my zippity do dah chaos . . . la tee dah!

I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit - between conference and writing and preparing the Rose & Thorn to go live on the 15th and girl-stuff and visiting Fairhope (such a cute town) and et cetera, I've not been a-blog walkin'

How're you?

Fairhope, Alabama - I wanna Gulf Coast Shrimp Poboy Please!

I'll be busy at The 2011 GCACWT Conference so putting this up to go live this morning.

This is the panel I'll be on:
4. "Magazine/Small Press Editors' Panel" (chair, Dominika Wrozynski, Apalachee Review; Katie Cortese, Southeast Review; Amanda McCormick, espresso ink & Apalachee Review; Jeff Grieneisen & Courtney Ruffner Grieneisen, Florida English; Jason Stuart, Burnt Bridge; Matt Roberts, The Normal School; Angie Ledbetter & Kat Magendie, Rose & Thorn)



The conference runs Friday and Saturday. Then! As I said below, my "Co" Editing Publisher of Rose & Thorn Angie Ledbetter, Alaine The Poet/Painter, and I will be staying on eight more days at a secret cottage to write, and write, and read, and eat, and nap, and maybe go to the beach a time or two, and eat lots of Gulf Seafood, and write, and read, and eat, and nap *laughing* I hope to have a completed strong first draft of Graces, Virginia Kate, III by then - a strong first draft, not some wimpy first draft :-D

Also at the Conference I will finally meet the wonderful Darrelyn Saloom. And also there my other Louisiana friends Poet Marilyn Shapley, who is on our Rose & Thorn Poetry Staff, and the wonderful Poet and our Managing Editor of Rose & Thorn, Cynthia Toups.

I hope to see others there who I'd love to meet.

Since I'll be away ten days, my schedule may be off during this time - especially with heavy writing of my fourth book! So bear with me, my friends, during this time while I am away and working very hard to make my deadline so my editor, the lovely and wonderful and talented Deb Smith, will love me.

Wave to the BoopMobile if you see me ... wheeeeeeeeeeee

[In Real Time, right this minute, I haven't even left my cove yet - my BoopMobile awaits - Not Quite Fat Dog is at my side --he knows when I am leaving -- GMR has made me some goodies to take with me. I'll be waving to the cove at Killian Knob and on my way Down South to the Gulf Coast. I'll miss the mountains and the mountains'll miss me--always hard to leave my mountains. By the time this post goes up, I will be Down South and I hope to have either already had a poboy or on my way to eating one :-D]

When anaerobic bacteria attack! & Away I'll be going in my BoopMobile!

Today's my usual "random links/photos/videos" day but I am so behind due to my own stubbornness that I'll have to do something quickly without linky love. Tomorrow I will be waving bye-bye to GMR, Not Quite Fat Dog and Psycho Cutie Girl, the little log house, the cove at Killian Knob, while I fly away in my BoopMobile. If you see me on the highway, give me a honk and a wave (and you'll know it's the BoopMobile when you see it *laugh*). I haven't even packed. I'll be gone ten days! Yes, I am also taking some time in a little hidden place with Angie Gumbo Writer and Alaine The Poet where we will be writing writing writing, reading, napping, eating, readying the Rose & Thorn for April 15 release, and et cetera!

I said my "stubbornness" has me behind. Going to make this as short as I can. I have learned that having a higher tolerance for pain is not always so great, and when you pair that with how I detest admitting weakness in myself, add a couple tablespoons of Stubborn, a few teaspoons of denial, a couple more of "just wait and it'll go away," and the apparent inability once I finally given in to all that to articulate to a doctor and a dentist just how much pain I am in and how it is manifesting itself.

Long story short: My first ever in my life abscess and it was misdiagnosed (when I finally traipsed myself to the dentist and then to the doctor) as "facial muscle spasms" when in fact it was a nasty vile infection. By time the dentist finally drilled a hole in the tooth, my face was swollen, my hair was half gone from me pulling it out in agony, I was sick, and, finally, my gums and tooth decided to get in on the act—for some reason, the tooth and gums didn't show a thing until after near two weeks of this ordeal *shrug* maybe that's normal or maybe not, like I said, this was my first abscess, and let me make this clear: I NEVER WANT ANOTHER ONE! *laughing*  I kept saying> "But . . . but . . . I am fanatical about caring for my teeth and gums!" The dentist said, "Doesn't matter - these things happen." But I kept saying, "But . . . But . . ." :-D

I put this pain in my top three, right up there with my ruptured disc and what I remember from giving birth, or maybe the appendicitis attack-maybe. Ungh. When the dentist drilled into the tooth, the most VILEST of things emerged and emerged and emerged—he said it was quite impressive *laugh* So, I won't go into anymore detail about that experience, but, if I were not so (see things about me above) I could have saved myself a whole lot of pain and feeling ill—although, on the bright side, the dentist did say how it worked actually worked to our advantage as far as pulling out a lot of the infection, so perhaps I'm really a genius *laughing*

Okay, here're a few quick things for you today.

I hope to see some of you at the Gulf Coast Creative Writing Association Conference this weekend.

This random video someone emailed me made me laugh, though even while laughing I had the sobering thought that the subject matter wasn't a laughing matter. I couldn't decide whether to post this, but, then decided it really does bring up some discussion.

For example: Did Ina Garten do something "wrong?" Are "celebrities/those in the public eye"  able to do it all for every request (and is a dying boy's wish ALWAYS a request someone should do, no matter how busy they are)? I know that anyone who is in the public eye receives SO many requests and it is difficult to juggle them all, but, are there some things that should always be honored? What do you think? Meanwhile, the video still made me laugh as long as I didn't think of that little boy (though he is getting what I think is a cooler wish! Good for him!) There's now a short 1-2 second commercial, then the video.



I'll be checking in, I hope, during my travels - but if you don't see me for a while, know that I am probably napping away, when I'm not writing the last stages of a good solid draft of Graces III!

When new socks change everything

(click on cartoon to make larger)

When I read this, I thought how it applies to the writing. When I change something, it can affect the entire novel. One little thing can cause a chain reaction to where next thing I know, I've cleaned and redecorated my entire manuscript! Weekend back? What about months back? *laughing*

I can only guess this has happened to you, right? In some way or another.

Friends, I missed my visiting this Sunday and I have such a good reason for my not getting around much on blogs, twitter, and Facebook. You may think I'm going to say I was so embroiled in the final Graces novel, but alas, no. I wish! It's rather a long story and later when I'm feeling better I will regale you with the vile details -- or at least an abbreviated version of them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will be resolved in time for my Gulf Coast Creative Writing Teachers Conference this weekend. My dentist says yes. My jaw and face say "We'll see." My positive strong self says, "I will be there!"

So, have you ever bought something new, or painted something, etc, that spurred off what Cathy did above?

Guess what I did: no words necessary

Join me at No Reason Whatsoever: Catherine's A Loooseeanner girl gone Caleefornia girl


My sweet Norah Kathryn Lil Boop is inspiration for me to be a better me in all I do  
























Hi Y'all - I'm still over at Catherine's Place "No Reason Whatsoever" talking about inspiration.

Says Catherine: In Louisiana (where I'm from), we tend to speak a little differently. Instead of saying we're doing something because 'I want to', you're more likely to hear 'oh, no reason', 'just because' or my favorite 'no reason whatsoever'. Or sometimes it's 'no earthly reason whatsoever'. In that case, I suppose there must be a heavenly reason... :) :) I love La.!!!





So, come join in over there and say hello to Catherine. Leave your own inspiration if you wish (and I've read every one of them in the post below - made me smile and feel happy!)

I'll be back on Wednesday . . .

Five Things Friday: Inspiration & Guest Author at No Reason Whatsoever

It's funny how this worked out: last week I wanted to make Five Things Friday about Inspiration. Yet when Cathryn Louis had asked me to be a guest at her No Reason Whatsoever blog, I didn't have a clue what I'd write about. I didn't even think about Inspiration. But what made the post happen was exactly that: I found inspiration in my mountain cove, in nature, as I many many times do.

The "Inspiration's Mystery" guest post begins: Every year the butterflies come. The very first time I saw them, I thought something was wrong, that somehow the butterflies were disoriented and ended up at the bottom of our gravel driveway by accident. But then, the next year they were back, and the next, and next. From what I can tell, they are Pipevine Swallowtails, a butterfly that frequents the mountains. Whatever kind they are is not as important to me as the butterfly's behavior and beauty and mystery . . . to read the rest, click GUEST AUTHOR POST CONT'D

Five Things I find Inspiration from - (and oh there are so many more!:

What is hidden in the hollows of a tree
the secret place I go where there are ancient rock's nooks & crannies & hollows
My tucked in little log house in the cove
My son & granddaughter (this was when she was itty bitty)
My mountain view
What brings you inspiration?