HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIO-- YOU DON'T LOOK A DAY OVER 68.....

Jeanne here-- Hope you all had a good holiday. I did. I spent it with some of my favorite people on earth--my critique group. Good food, good fun, good drink. Even the weather cooperated. Warm, not the oppressive heat we've been experiencing.




This afternoon (Thursday) I was interviewed by Christina Radish Celebrity Editor for MediaBlvd Magazine. We were on the phone for THREE hours. Christina not only works for the magazine, but she's a photographer with pretty impressive credentials (check out the website) and a novelist working on her first book. I think I asked her as many questions as she asked me. I look forward to spending time with her in person at Comic-Con in a few weeks and I'll let you know when the interview is posted.



And speaking of Comic-Con...Got $5,000 burning a hole in your pocket? If so, how about bidding on a dinner with Joss Whedon? From ComicBookResources.com : Whedon has joined with Dark Horse Comics and eBay to offer fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a private dinner with him at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month. Beginning on July 2nd and running through July 12th, fans will have a chance to bid on seats at his table. There will be additional offerings as well, including signed editions of Dark Horse’s upcoming "Serenity" hardcover collection. Full details can be found here. Current high bid: $4100.

And of course, while you’re in San Diego attending Comic-Con you can catch me on the Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Panel on Thursday, July 26, at 2 p.m. along with Laura Anne Gilman, Carrie Vaughn, Marjorie Liu and Samantha Sommersby, moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s illustrious MaryElizabeth Hart.

A few things from the newspaper—

Last week, a Boulder man fell 700 feet from a hot air balloon. Not clear yet is if it was an accident or suicide. What if the guy had been the pilot of the balloon and he invited four enemies and his cheating wife on an excursion only to take them 1000 feet into the air and then bail? What a way to get back at suspected enemies. Grist for a story if I ever heard it!

Another item from the fact is stranger than fiction file—There’s a frozen dead guy out in Nederland who since 1989, has been stored in a steel coffin packed in dry ice awaiting reanimation. The town even holds a celebration in his honor: “Frozen Dead Guy Days.” Frozen Dead Guy resides in shed next to his nephew’s home. Every month, a relative hauls 1,600 pounds of dry ice to keep the frozen dead guy frozen. With summer here and the cost of gasoline (not to mention dry ice) rising, volunteers are being sought to help defray costs. All that’s required is “a vehicle capable of carrying 2,000 pounds” and a “tolerance for cold and the dead.” Volunteers?

Pearl Buck’s manuscript for THE GOOD EARTH reported stolen more than thirty years ago, has been recovered. The manuscript showed up at the Samuel T. Freeman Co., an auction house. It bears hand written annotations in Buck’s hand and is considered priceless. The person who put the manuscript up for auction is not considered a suspect in the original theft. The administrator of Buck’s estate, her son Edgar S. Walsh, is expected to claim ownership. The full story can be seen here.

Another couple of good ol’vampire items. The Rocky Mountain News posted a “list of lists” on Saturday, June 30. Among them: 4 TV vampires that don’t suck. Want to guess who heads the list and who came in second? Here they are:

1. Spike
2. Angel
3. The Count (from Sesame Street)
4. Nick Knight (from Forever Knight)

I love that Spike came in first.




And if you happen to be looking for new digs—Transylvania’s Bram Castle is for sale. Its current owner, one of the Hapsburg’s, says he can’t afford to maintain it. This is the one time home of Vlad the Impaler, the medieval warlord who was said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Price has not yet been determined but take into consideration that gaming in Romania is legal and there’s a ski resort nearby. The possibilities are endless…

Mario and I will be mailing the FABULOUS cache of prizes to our contest winners next week. Gillian Taylor, we are still waiting to hear from you. Perhaps the idea of getting a devil duck of your very own isn’t appealing… No, that couldn’t be. You must be on vacation. On a sailboat. Somewhere out in the South Pacific. With no wireless access.

Lucky you.  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:07 PM