All things Rockabilly…

So as you all know by now my main female character in the new Celestial Blues series, Katherine "Kit" Craig, is a woman who lives the rockabilly lifestyle in earnest. She dresses only in vintage midcentury clothing – actually, anything cute from the pinup period of the 40's through the Mad Men cocktail culture of the '60's – and her belongings are equally curated, from her vintage bar cart to her convertible car. She swing dances and goes thrifting and attends car parks and tiki conventions. She lives nostalgically and is always and ever era appropriate.

A bit different from my previous protag, Joanna Archer, isn't she?

Anyway, I want to introduce her to you a bit more in the future, but right now I'm focused on her rockabilly lifestyle because, frankly, it was the most fun I've ever had researching a subject for a book — and the strangest thing is that while I was exerting my influence and thoughts on THE TAKEN, my subject matter was also influencing me. Now I don't have the dedication to be able to commit in such an extreme way to an alternative lifestyle, and I think that's why I admire those who do, but rockabilly is so tactile and fun and alive that its influence has stayed with me, broadened my life, and taught me even more about the human condition. That's absolute manna for me, folks.

Anyway, that's why I'm so excited about the annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender being held today through Sunday here in Las Vegas. It's all rockabilly, all the time – and up on the to-do list for me is big bands, swing dancing, burlesque shows, car shows, vintage shopping, and people watching (the very best part, IMHO).

There will be pictures.

For now, here's me at the Rockabilly Weekender last year, doing research (koff) for THE TAKEN. As I said, the people-watching was the best part, and I wanted to see what it was like for those women – like my girl, Kit – who do participate full-time in this lifestyle. So I took a series of pics of my transformation from normal ol' me into a rockabilly chick. To start, nobody even noticed me as I arrived looking like plain Jane – no hair, makeup, or period clothing. I grabbed a Pabst Blue Ribbon, though, and immediately started feeling it:

And I just had to take this woman's picture (below). She was so perfect, from the Betty bangs to the bamboo earrings to the hairnet and umbrella – accessories are everything:

How on earth do you compete with that sort of extreme glamour?

Well, I started by heading to the Stop Staring vendor booth, where the owner, Alicia Estrada, quickly hooked me up with some sweet dresses (plural because I couldn't stop at one. So sue me for the girly moment). Here's my purchase, step 2 (after the Pabst) in the transformation:

In retrospect, I'm not curvy enough for a wiggle dress … so the swing dress I also bought should come in handy this year.

Up next, makeup. No pics of that as I had to do it myself, and – I should get my showgirl card taken away for this – but I didn't have pancake makeup. A major faux pas in the show and rockabilly world. I did have red lips, though, and – hey, man – any excuse to don lashes again. Writing is fulfilling, but a bit lacking on the glamour side ifyaknowwhaddImean.

On to hair…

They have on-site styling, and believe me, these girls are always busy. So what did I choose for my first-ever rockabilly hairstyle? Victory rolls, of course!

Almost there…bought me some shoes, 40′s style, and now I was getting some traction, and feeling like I was starting to fit in:

Now obviously living the rockabilly lifestyle is about far more than playing dress up, but I did it for a day, and one thing that astounded me was the attention I received outside of the Viva con. Inside, I was just another rockabilly girl, and it felt good to be included, if only for a night. Again, the lifestyle is edgy and vibrant and alive, and I'm so lucky to get to play with it for three whole books.

But the hubs and I later decided to check out the chandelier bar at the Cosmopolitan so as I wore victory rolls out into Vegas, and around girls dressed in the tightest, shortest, stretchiest fabric possible – like a Snooki or a Fauxdashian – I was startled by the attention I received. I got the second glance, yeah, but moreover I was treated like a lady. (It reminded me of the famous Edith Head quote: "Your dresses should be tight enough to show you're a woman, and loose enough to show you're a lady." Rock on, Edith.

And as the woman I interviewed about the rockabilly lifestyle for THE TAKEN said, "I don't know of anyone who learns about rockabilly and doesn't think it's cool. And if you pair any woman with beautiful hair, pancake makeup, fake eyelashes, and red lips, you end up with this super fem glamour – it almost makes you Everywoman."

Everywoman, huh?

Maybe my girl, Kit, isn't so unlike Joanna Archer after all.

Later, gators. Off to find a Pabst.