B.A. Tortuga's Blog, page 114

Contest!

I have a Christmas stocking from the central Texas area that needs a home.

You have a favorite holiday song to share with my bad self.

Why a holiday song, you ask? Y'all…

I'm a music whore. I admit it. I had to buy a separate hard drive just for iTunes music. No, really. I have 455 Christmas songs and I'm always looking for that new favorite arrangement.

Now, I can tell you that Mahalia Jackson's version of Go Tell It on the Mountain is my eternal favorite. My mom had this album when I was little (yes, kiddies, once upon a time, people had these magical machines called record players and they played these circles called record albums. They were a little twitchy and, in my recollection, if you made your daddy have to replace the needle, you weren't allowed to put the records on yourself. Also, playing Angry Gorilla next to the record player was bad.) At any rate, this album was a double and the cover opened to a pop up Christmas scene complete with baby Jesus and gigantic dangling star hanging over hippie Mary. I loved it.

Loved it.

It had Andy Williams and Steve and Edie. Bing Crosby. But for me, it was Mahalia Jackson. That voice meant Christmas.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't love the newer stuff. Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen, Oklahoma Christmas by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles. This year it's the Baby It's Cold Outside arrangement from Glee.

So, tell me your favorite. I want to know, and I might need to hear it.

I'll let Julia pick a random number to win ye olde Christmas sock.

It's December the what-th?

Lord, where did the month go?

I can remember being a kid and waiting for school to end, for Santa to come and it took forever. FOREVER, damn it.

Now? Right.

Now I still have a load of presents sitting on the table to be wrapped and mailed to family all over the country. (I do get bonus points for having all the internationals sent last week.) I have to buy bottles of wine for all the people that I know that I want to give something to, but that we don't exchange gifts really. I have to go buy gift cards for my younger siblings who are still in that 'please just send money' phase of life (there is 24 years between the oldest and the youngest child in my family, so we're all in different places). I haven't made cookies (and probably won't at this point). I haven't finished either the scarf that goes to my high school best friend or the quilt that goes to the brother-in-law (waves to Julia's brother).

We do have a tree up. And the yard's decorated. Christmas cards were made (not sent yet – shut up). Julia and I had our annual ornament making party and I made both a fabulous Kahlua dark chocolate pound cake and a cheesecake of joy.

Still, it's the 13th and I'm still busy.

And I haven't watched White Christmas yet.

Looking for a party recipe (preferably gluten free) for tomorrow's party

Julia and I have been invited to a party tomorrow night and we're supposed to bring a treat to share. We're both gluten-free and, honestly, bored.

Anyone have a tried-and-true party recipe we can whip up tomorrow?

Busy-ness abound.

I *will* be more on it, soon.

I swear.

Really.

Contest coming soon.

Oh, wow. Y'all! Look!

*blushes happily*

Not that I'm one to toot my own horn... Wait. That's not true. I'm a tooter, but still. Look!

Delane has some lovely things to say about me and some fab tips for my reading list and I couldn't be more tickled.

Y'all know I have a deep and abiding personal relationship with my Kindle, right? We're very close. Now Delane's given me some more ideas about books to fill her up.

If y'all get a chance, pop over and look. It's pretty damned cool.

There's a contest coming Monday, btw, stop back by and see. ;-)

Lord have mercy!

Busy chasing deadline -- like y'all wouldn't believe. Have two guys fighting on a cruise ship right now... O.o

A Christmas Wren out in time for Thanksgiving!

Oh, y'all! This is one of my favorite holiday stories I've ever done!

Robin and Wren are dear, hot, and it's a quick read. I wrote it one week when the cold weather hadn't come to Texas and I was missing the Colorado mountains. Miss Wren came to me in a rush and I couldn't stop 'til her story was done.

I'd love it if you'd give them a peek.

Book available here.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

When did Christmas start the day after Halloween?

Aren't we supposed to get until Thanksgiving?

I mean, honestly. Julia and I went shopping today for Thanksgiving stuff (we have 15 people coming -- 15. OMG.), and the whole world is yuled. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the presents, the basic goofiness, but I have another 3 weeks, right?

Right?

Now, I did get this amazingly neat 3 crockpot crockpot deal for Thanksgiving and, because Julia and I are having an ornament making party on the 5th, we did buy supplies for that. Oh, and Hallmark ornaments for our goddaughter, because we do that every year. And the goofy Christmas t-shirts that were $5...

But, still!

What was I ranting about?

Huh.

Did I mention we stopped for chocolate pie and coffee?

I like pie.

Dreamed about the weirdest thing last night

And no, not Petula Clark.

I had this *weird* dream about these three people and their Native American werewolf neighbors who were professional stickfighters and then the community was protesting because there were lots of naked butts and loin cloths and shamans blowing rainbow colored smoke at great big birds...

Yeah.

Weird.

Interview with Julia Talbot

Hey, y'all! I thought it would be fun to start doing some author interviews here, introduce y'all to some folks and who else would I start with but my partner in all things, Julia Talbot?

*grins*

I have to tell y'all. It's so easy to interview across a desk.

What's your favorite time of day to write?

I love it early in the morning, actually. It's quiet, I don't feel pressure to do other work, and I have coffee. It's a perfect situation.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Well, when I was five I wanted to be a cowboy or a firefighter. Or a ballerina. By the time I was twelve, though, I gave up being a veterinarian and went to writing ;)

[image error]

What's your biggest influence?

Stuff I see and hear, I think. I eavesdrop, I watch people, I wonder how someone else would deal with the email I just got...

What kills the writing mood (so we know not to do it)?

Huge amounts of repetitive noise (think a basset hound who wants bacon), lots of stress, a lack of chocolate.

If you had a choice between sleeping with George W. Bush or an undead monkey, which would you choose?

An undead monkey, no contest

[image error]

What's the last thing you do before bed at night?

Usually play a few rounds of Angry Birds on my Ipod. That's after reading and scritching my basset

Do you have a book you wish you could go back and rewrite?

Oh, god yes. Most of them, in fact. If I'm rushing to hit a deadline it's worse. I feel like I could do them more justice.

10 songs in your ultimate writing playlist:

Losing My Religion by REM

Misguided Angel - Cowboy Junkies

Carrying Your Love With Me - George Strait

Why- Jason Aldean

Real Good Man - Tim Mcgraw

Closer to Fine - Indigo Girls

Low- Flow Rida

Anything by Weird Al

Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Flat and Scruggs

Add it Up - Violent Femmes

[image error]

Favorite piece of clothing:

my brand new sweater dress from Old Navy-- gray with cables

Favorite thing to do when you're on vacation:

I love to go and see. Doc Holiday's grave? Sure. Cappucin crypt in Rome? Heck yeah. Cafe in the Crypt in London? Absolutely. I love weird sights.

Thanks so much for having me, hon!

You can see Julia here or at her blog here.