This Rough Magic

Shared by friend Alan Lee, here is a site with some truly disturbing images of period ventriloquism dummies. Now I am wanting a whole abandoned house of these things in book three of the trilogy. The plot has no need for such a thing, of course, but, lord, they need to live somewhere outside my head now...

I wish I hadn't looked, frankly. So, of course, I must share them. "Enjoy."

http://io9.com/5913114/vintage-ventriloquism-portraits-were-incredibly-unnerving

I rather like it when, out of the blue, someone discovers, on some dusty shelf, one of my older books and takes the time to say a few words about it. In a way, I think, it's more fun to find a book on your own, to have no preconceived notions, to have read no reviews, and then just fall into that world and make your own way through it. So...here's a loverly little review of Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters, a book I made with artist Brian Froud. It is a thing of mild madness. Truly. I remember the publisher telling us we had one dollar and ten cents to spend on "mechanicals" (all the little notes and flaps inside the book). A flap cost .07, an envelope cost .10, etc. Brian and I were in Los Angeles at the time. We went down to the stationary store and bought all these envelopes and card stock and began cutting it all up, scribbling all over everything. We planned out the whole interior of the book on my mother's kitchen table! There was wine involved, or was it tequila? I'll say no more.

Enjoy the new review...
http://creativesketchbook.blogspot.com/2012/05/bookshelf-lady-cottingtons-pressed.html

...and, if you like, a little more about this book may be found here:
http://www.ariberk.com/cottingtonletters.html

Hello everyone,

I am home, but I am sick with a stomach virus of sorts. Hooray?

On Blooddrop Etsy, I have marked down my ready to ship Luna corsets $100 off each, the jewelry has been marked down by 50%, the duvet covers by $100 off each (except the Mucha, which has been marked down $75) and I have added a new Mystery Perfume listing for 10 perfumes at $49.99. The sales will be available through the 31st. If you purchase for OVER $250 worth of goods and contact me before hand AND live in the USA, I will offer free shipping.Please contact me PRIOR to making your purchase. Thanks every one and have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

xoxo,
Astrid

http://blooddrop.etsy.com/

On Blooddrop Etsy, I have marked down my ready to ship Luna corsets $100 off each, the jewelry has been marked down by 50%, the duvet covers by $100 off each (except the Mucha, which has been marked down $75) and I have added a new Mystery Perfume listing for 10 perfumes at $49.99. The sales will be available through the 31st. If you purchase for OVER $250 worth of goods and contact me before hand AND live in the USA, I will offer free shipping.Please contact me PRIOR to making your purchase. Thanks every one and have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

xoxo,
Astrid

http://blooddrop.etsy.com/

Cover art for my novelette "Faster Gun,"  (Working title: "John Henry Holliday is Sick of the These Time-Traveling Assholes") forthcoming on Tor.com this summer.

The artist is Richard Anderson.

Hi. I have been having a very up and down time of it. Work is really hard right now, with moments of sheer awesomeness that keep me going. A has almost completed his first year of preschool, and he loves it. Our coffee shop continues to be fabulous. M's back is being evil.

I have nineteen end of year reports to write in the next month. A smart Miep would start now, wouldn't she? Sigh.

I think smoothies will have to be tomorrow's breakfast. And maybe lunch. Therre ad five very ripe bananas in the bowl on the table.

Outside there is thunder and lightning. Big lightning. The sky lights up all purple.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

I'm working on "The Deeps of the Sky" tonight, and generating a regular festival of Words Word Don't Know:

luminesced, tropopause, sheeny, thicks, unnavigable, dartlike,

Meanwhile, I had a little argument with myself on twitter as to whether I should use some modestly bogus science to create a cool special effect. I went with it. ;-) Now I'm stopping because I have to figure out how the protagonist intervenes to stop the Bad Thing from happening, or how he mops up afterward...

Oh, I might have just done so. Woot!

This is absolutely wonderful. I am pretty sure this is how my son feels everyday when the school day ends. I sure did when I was his age...

Hello everyone,
I am home, but I am sick with a stomach virus of sorts. Hooray?

Just an FYI: there will be a POC dinner at WisCon again this year. The reason I haven’t announced it officially yet is that we’re still nailing down a venue. We’re trying to find a place that can accept 50+ people, is close enough to the hotel that people will walk to it, and is inexpensive. Triangulating this has proved very complex :)

However, the general plan is for the event to happen during the sinner space in programming and before the opening ceremonies. We hope to get GOH Andrea Hairston and Mary Anne Mohanraj to attend, even if just for the beginning since they’ll need to leave early.

After the dinner, those of you who do not want to go to the opening ceremonies can join me in the POC Safer Space to talk about how folks can and should use the room during the con.

Comments | Permalink