New book, new review, and new chords (Yay!)

Yep, I called this one just right: Touched made it through the Smashwords queue this morning. So, for those of you who still haven't read any of my vampire stories, they're all out of the archives now. The order of the vampire stories is:

Touched

Redemption Lost (Crossover title)

Blood Relations

A Phone Man Visits the Vampires

Job Interview With a Vampire

Stark Raving Bonkers

Most of the Mystical World Wars series is up now, except for Erick's Journey and Shadow Walker. They'll be out soon enough, but I'm getting in some regular daily editing work starting this week and won't have as much free time for conversions. If this new job works out, I could have regular pay for a few months, enough to pay off our taxes, buy some gadgets, and even have money left over for my growing Chupa Chup addiction. And since you folks are not yet populous enough to support me, I have no choice but to sing a familiar refrain: I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.

In slightly related writing news, last night I got TWO 5-star reviews on My Gay Sparkly Vampire Romance: A Twilight Parody. This also follows a great review of Confessions of a Zombie Lover, which already had two good reviews last week. Now, I just need to convince more of y'all to pick up Sandy Morrison's book and give her some review love.

Actually, I want to take a paragraph to nag about this. Apparently, some of you decided that since I slapped a YA label on Sandy Morrison & the Pack of Pussies, it's not worth your time. Fair enough, but let me assure you that if you like my dark stuff, you'll like my lighter stuff. The book is reasonably priced for a short novel of 75K, and it is guaranteed to be very different from anything else you may have read with werecats this year. (Possibly even last year.) Plus, it will give you something to read until The Life and Death of a Sex Doll ships later this month. (Please, buy a copy. Push your friends to buy copies. Threaten to shoot your relatives if they don't buy copies…okay, threaten to maim your in-laws, at least. [I didn't say you had to offer them a book as an ultimatum, either. Go ahead and threaten them either way. It's cathartic.])

I know some of you wish I wouldn't nag about feedback, but let's face it; the squeaky wheel gets oiled. So again, remember: I have multiple sclerosis and I work at home trying to peddle my writing or my editing to earn a living. If you want me to shut up on this stuff, more of you have to be talking up my stories. Otherwise, you aren't talking, and I'm not talking. So who's going to find out about my books if nobody is talking about them?

Now, guitar news: Yesterday, I practiced a lot. No, a lot. I had three really long sessions spread throughout the day to give my right hand time to rest. During the first, I was still struggling with barre chords, but during the second and third, I was able to form a passable barre E, and then an A, and finally a C. But they all hurt a lot, and I still can't get enough pressure on my index finger for more than two or three strums before I get a fret buzz or a dead string. Obviously, this means more practice is required.

The third session wasn't supposed to happen. I'd already bagged the guitar, and I was TIRED after working all day on writing, editing, gardening, cooking, and guitar practice. I just sat down to watch some YouTube videos, and that rat bastard Peter Vogl had some "real simple scales" that he wanted to teach me. And the next thing I knew, it was 2 AM, and I was strumming through an improvised chord progression based on a four-finger G chord. And, I wasn't tired. My fingers and my right hand were sore, but I just wanted to keep playing until I could work the transition naturally without raising my root fingers.

And while I'm talking badly about Peter, have you seen this guy's instructional videos? He's got a mullet. He's worked with Michael Bolton, and is actually proud to admit it. When he looks up at the camera in early videos, he blinks with almost every word he enunciates, making him look like he has eye problems. (He's not so bad in later videos with the blinking, and he's lost the mullet. He is, however, still proud to be associated with Michael Bolton. So there is that.)

In his videos, Peter plays really complex stuff slow, and he makes it sounds all studenty and amateur. And then he plays the song at normal speed with some "phrasing" added, and suddenly I want to throw my wet panties at him. I don't know how that works. "Oh, look at that loser with the guitar. He's so…so…dear god, that is a beautiful song! I want to have his babies!"

So, yeah, I kinda like music, a bit.