Every time I think of you

Around the heyday of John Waite's "Missing You," I worked with him at Magic Mountain. Like David Lee Roth (see earlier entry), Waite had a completely overinflated ego. Before his big hit, he was in an English glam pop group called The Babys. They were fairly successful. One of their big hits was "Isn't it Time."

Anyway, first Mr. Waite refused to ride in our covered golf cart, he wanted the actual limo to drive through the narrow streets of Magic Mountain's backstage area. Don't get me wrong: He chatted me up quite nicely, asking if I would go on some roller coasters with him. We never got to the rides, though. He went from meh to douche in twenty minutes.

When we got to the his dressing room, he told me the drinks and food were "unacceptable." Oddly I had a highlighted copy of his rider (contract) in my briefcase. Everything he'd requested was iced and artfully displayed. I pointed all this out, only to hear him say, "Oh, I know, I just don't like it! I would like a steak instead." Hmm … Silently I talked myself out of giving him a major bitch slap and called the Mountain's Steakhouse, requesting they send over a nice steak dinner. (Which, incidentally, he never touched.)

The theater was full to capacity with some overflow in front of the backstage door, Every so often John would peek out the door just to get the girls to scream. He was getting on my last nerve. Just as he was about to go on stage, he turned to me and said, "Make sure those girls stay quiet."

Umm, rriiiiight jerkface.

Now I know what I did next was uncool on so many levels, but honestly I just couldn't think of anything else fast enough …

I leaned out the backstage door and shouted, "Hey, ladies—can I get your attention?" They all looked up at me. "Well, you see, it's like this … um, actually, Mr Waite is GAY … so you all are wasting your time. Might as well go home." Most of them boo'd me, but a few actually started to cry. I just didn't realize they would take it so hard. I felt bad for about ten seconds, til I saw his manager cracking up. Even he enjoyed it.

The rest of the evening went on with only minor douchebaggery.

However, when I was driving him out of the park, he looked at me and said, "I'm not gay, you know. I would be happy to prove it to you." I smiled sweetly, letting him out of the car. I looked up at his face and said, "John, I ain't missing you, no matter what I might say."
"Touché," he replied and walked off to his car and into the night.…

Drinking with Juliet Blackwell

Recently I added a new jewelry line to the Cemetery Cat family , and I am really excited about it. The inspiration came from a softer side of myself, and truthfully I was pretty surprised when it showed itself. I have had the pleasure of meeting Juliet a time or two and she is fantastic.

PS- she can hold her liquor too! you know that's a prerequisite...;)

So Juliet, I want to thank you for coming by. I am so excited to launch this line. My designs have taken a whole new direction because of your books.. It's pretty awesome.. Let's just dive into some questions shall we?

Who is Juliet Blackwell exactly?

Juliet Blackwell is an enigma. Actually an enigma wrapped in a conundrum, covered with chocolate sauce. Something like that.

Why mysteries? and what is a cozy mystery?

Mysteries are fun, that’s why. They give you a basic plot: someone’s dead, figure out how/why/who did it. But add the paranormal…? Then they get really juicy. They’re all about our deepest, darkest motivations, and the search for justice, and trying to put the world right again. To me, all those ideas work great with a witchcraft theme.

A “cozy” or traditional mystery is something you cuddle up with and read with a cup of tea at your side, a cat on your lap, a crocheted blanket around your shoulders. Or at a bar with a bottle of Jack at your elbow and a Marlboro hanging from your mouth. It’s, like, a book. Some are good, some bad. Mine’s good. Seriously, a “cozy” mystery is the kind of book that won’t make your mother keel over in disgust – there might be sex and violence, but it’s considered mild and/or takes place off-page.

How did the idea of incorporating occult ideas come about?

I’ve always been fascinated by witches. Unlike vampires or werewolves, witches are real people. Whether or not you believe in the actual magic of what they do, *they* believe it. That’s really fun. As a novelist, it means I get to go off and play with the ideas of the supernatural, but keep them grounded in reality. Plus, I get to hang around witches and hoodoo practitioners and folk healers all day, and call it work.

Tell us a little bit about Lily Ivory.

Lily is a natural born witch from a small West Texas town. She was rejected by her mother at an early age, went to live with the local curandera (a kind of Mexican folkhealer/witch) and then is finally run out of town at the age of seventeen. She’s been wandering the world for years, looking for a safe place to land, and finally finds it in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where she opens a vintage clothing store. Because if you’re a witch, you just might fit in down in the Haight. And if you want vintage clothing, that’s the neighborhood to visit.

Vodka or Gin?

Gin. Unless it’s a vodka night. Throw in a little single-malt scotch, maybe some tequila, and I’m all yours.

Do you write in silence or with music?

In silence, unless I’m copyediting. Then it’s Edith Piaf. Or Billy Idol. I’m moody.

What's next for Juliet?

More Witchcraft mysteries! The fourth, In a Witch’s Wardrobe, comes out June 2012. And in the meantime, Dead Bolt, second in my Haunted Home Renovation series will be released December 6 of this year.

Synde, thank you for having me! I looooove your jewelry designs! I don’t really believe in marriage, but I might want to marry them ;-) I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to have jewelry inspired by my books and characters. You’re my hero!

About Juliet!~

Nationally bestselling author Juliet Blackwell writes the Witchcraft Mystery series (Secondhand Spirits, 2009; A Cast-off Coven, 2010; Hexes and Hemlines, June 2011; Obsidian). If Walls Could Talk launched the Haunted Home Renovation series in 2010; Dead Bolt, the second in the series, comes out in December. As one-half of the sister duo dubbed Hailey Lind, Blackwell wrote the Art Lover’s Mystery Series--including Agatha-nominated Feint of Art and the most recent, Arsenic and Old Paint (September; Perseverance Press). A former anthropologist and social worker, Juliet has worked in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Italy, the Philippines, and France, and is now a painter in Oakland, California. She served two terms as president of NorCal Sisters in Crime.

You can visit Juliet at www.julietblackwell.net or on Twitter and Facebook!

Beer Break With Atticus O'Sullivan

In a completely unanticipated chain of events I recently was invited to sit down and have a beer with our favorite 2100 year old druid. We talked about a variety of subjects and enjoyed some fine drink.. As always it's wonderful to see him..

S: Hey Atticus..Thanks for the invite.

A: Happy to be here. The fish and chips are outstanding, by the way. Ever tried a Snakebite? That's Guinness and cider. The Guinness floats on top.

S- um no...that sounds er...interesting.
So first off how is having an apprentice after all these years without one?

Right now it's easy. Until she learns some languages there's not much else for me to do. Of course I'm nervous as all hell because I have to protect her until she can defend herself properly, so this will be twelve years of extreme paranoia.

S:Do you play a musical instrument? Sing?

I do both, actually. They're fallback positions for me when I'm on the run. If I need to disappear into a city and not use any magic for a while, then one of the best things you can do to blend in right away is join the music scene. It's fairly easy to get a gig at a bar when you know what you're doing. Just give them a name, audition, print up some flyers, and there you go. I'm an accomplished guitarist and I've played rhythm and lead in a few bands. Mostly I like playing small venues where it's just me. If I got into a band that became too popular I'd just have to leave again, so I always keep it local and short term.

S:What is your favorite location in the world? ( on this plane) why?

I will always love places that have been untouched by the industrial revolution. Places of wilderness you have to hike into, where there are no roads, the elementals are strong, and the earth sings of health. It's getting difficult to find those places anymore. There are a few lovely stretches like that in the Australian outback, though, and right now I'd say those are my favorites.

S: If you could sit down to dinner with 5 historical figures, living or dead who would they be.? Why...(and yes they can be ones you knew)

Ben Franklin. His image has been cleaned up by history, but damn, that guy knew how to party. Neil Gaiman, because, you know, I'm kind of a fanboy. Augustus Caesar—I have some pointed questions to ask him about his role in the systemic slaughter of the Druids and whether there were any vampires behind it. Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire, because he was clever and ambitious and therefore extremely dangerous. And then I'd like a ninja. Any ninja. Still haven't laid my eyes on one of them, and I'd like to know where they've been hiding.

S:what are you up to these days?

Getting ready to disappear off the map. Too many people know where to find me now. Granuaile needs a safe place to complete her training.

S:How is Oberon? I have been meaning to ask..how did you acquire him?

Oberon is just dandy. I found him on a rescue ranch in Massachusetts. His previous owners couldn't handle the responsibility that a big hound like him entails. And they didn't "get" him—he needed to go out and hunt, and they never let him do that, so he pretended their tan loveseat was a doe and tore it up, and you can imagine how pleased they were with that. Lots of Irish wolfhounds these days aren't as active as Oberon, and I could see how he'd be trouble if you couldn't talk to him.

S:Well Atticus thanks for inviting me to dinner.. It's been lovely.. I think I will have another whiskey and then toddle off..

~You can purchase Hounded, Hexed, and Hammered at the following~
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

and you can find Kevin here and Atticus here~
twitter- @Kevin Hearne
www.kevinhearne.com