Writer's block meets Prison Break

This is hilarious and really, really clever!

Update: Just realized that unlike You Tube videos, this one doesn't have a link back to the original site - it's from The Atlantic. Because credit where credit is due is important.

A day at the Arboretum

Last week Mom and I hit the Arboretum in Arcadia for the first time in a long time. We got there kind of late in the afternoon, but still had about an hour to stroll around and sneaky-feed the critters. I put a couple of the pics up on my Instagram account, and they were pretty popular, so I decided to post more of them here.

Black bamboo.

Bun buns. They're in there, you just have to look.

The ducks are pretty much my favorites.

Wood duck. So very pretty.

This is called an elephant-foot tree, for reasons that should be pretty obvious.

The geese are Mom's favorite, but they're awful aggressive, so I prefer the duckies.

Peacock. Amazing in real life. Pics don't do them justice.

Peacock on a table. They have run of the place and aren't shy about using it.

Just me, or does this remind anyone else of a Hitchcock movie?

Pretty, pretty peacock.

Queen Anne Cottage.

Mom heading up to the cottage.

The sign below explains why this happened.

Silver lining: This.

SQUIRREL!!!

The Los Angeles County Arboretum is an oasis in our bustling and often crazy community. Check it out if/when this rain ever lets up.

We have pre-order and can now share cover art!!!

Just got the email that LAst Resort, the newest anthology from Sisters in Crime Los Angeles (and my first time being published) is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

We were sent the cover art some time ago but were asked to keep it under wraps until SinC LA made the pre-order announcement.

The anthology, with an introduction by Michael Connelly, will be released on April 17. You will also be able to purchase it from SinC LA's booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books April 22-23, 2017.

It's so weird - and wonderful - to see my name on an Amazon page!

A Cure for Sophie

We all know there is no cure for the adorbs.

Side effects include: purring, irresistibility, tummy rubs
and napping in front of a fireplace for hours.

But you can get a cure for yourself at Take the Cure.

Still stoked about A Cure For Wellness, and it's almost here.  I can't remember the last time I saw a first-run film in a theater - usually I wait until they hit cable and Netflix - but I will probably make an exception for this one.

They said I could be anything...

Seriously, how cool would that be?

When you're worried that your idea isn't good enough

Not only that, it paid off.

Oxygen rebranding as crime network for women

I've been a big fan of Oxygen Network's Snapped forever. The only downside to watching hours of Snapped is having to sit through commercials for their obnoxious women-behaving-badly reality series. So you can imagine how happy I was to read this: Oxygen To Rebrand As Crime Network.

From the linked article, here's the good news:

Oxygen Media will complete its transformation into a crime-themed cable network this summer when it will be officially rebranded as a crime destination network for women with an all-crime programming slate.

And as if that wasn't enough:

The current Oxygen series that do not fall into the crime theme, including longtime staple Bad Girls Club, Sisterhood of Hip-Hop and the upcoming Battle of the Ex Besties, will not continue after the channel's identity changes in the summer.

The new programming sounds fantastic. Really looking forward to the new Oxygen.

Writing humor

That's the hard part 😃

January Words of Wisdom

I'll read my books, and I'll drink my coffee and I'll listen to music, and I'll bolt the door. --J.D. Salinger

You are not a mess. You are a feeling person in a messy world. --Glennon Doyle Melton

Some people only hate you because of the way other people love you. --Unknown

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better person. --Benjamin Franklin

The smallest feline is a masterpiece. --Leonardo da Vinci

Avoid the base hypocrisy of condemning in one man what you pass over in silence when committed by another. --Theodore Roosevelt

Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably. --C.S. Lewis

Sometimes he sits at you feet looking into your face with an expression so gentle and caressing that the depth of his gaze startles you. --Theophile Gautier

If you only walk on sunny days you'll never reach your destination. --Paulo Coelho

I'm learning everyday to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be, to inspire and not terrify me. --Tracee Ellis Ross

I am asking you to dream big, bold and daring things for your family and for your country. --President Donald J. Trump

I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game's winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that's why I succeed. --Michael Jordan

Being a little weird is just a natural side-effect of being totally awesome. --Unknown

If you don't leave the past in the past, it will destroy your future. Look what's in front of you, not what yesterday took away. The best is yet to come. --George Strait

Hold the door, say please, say thank you. Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie. I know you got mountains to climb but always stay humble and kind. --Tim McGraw

It is time to believe in the future. It is time to believe in each other. It is time to believe in America. --President Donald J. Trump

To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid. --Unknown

The horse. Nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity. A willing servant, yet never a slave. --Ronald Duncan

When life throws a curve ball, say thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow. --Michelle Maros

An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one. --Charles Horton Cooley

The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

For civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized. --Rod Serling

The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind. --Humphrey Bogart

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence. --Charles Bukowski

We don't always have to agree with one another but it's important that we learn to respect each other. --Rubyanne

People have to pretend you're a bad person so they don't feel guilty about the things they did to you. God forbid they be accountable for their own bullshit. --Unknown

I think celebrities should basically shut their pieholes and do what they do best: act, sing, tap dance, juggle balls and do all that kind of stuff. --Gene Simmons

Be silly. Be fun. Be different. Be crazy. Be you, because life is too short to be anything but happy. --Unknown

I knew I had matured when I realized that every situation doesn't need a reaction. Sometimes you've just got to let people get on with the lame shit that they do. --Unknown

Put your ass where your heart wants to be. By that, I simply mean if you want to paint, put your body in front of an easel. If you want to write, sit in front of a keyboard. --Steven Pressfield

Get emotionally connected to your story so you can deliver it. You know, if you can't deliver the emotions to your script there's no point to your story. --Robert Redford

The harder you work as a writer, the better you get at it. It's like anything else. It's a muscle you have to exercise. --Ron White

Do not be afraid to dream big. Work hard for what you want. Follow your passion and never give up. --Unknown

When you're a writer sometimes you have to spend time poking at part of yourself that normal, sane people leave alone. --Vikram Chandra

Life is too short to waste time on people who don't deserve to be an issue in your life. --Steve Wentworth

Always trust your gut instincts. If you genuinely feel in your heart that something is wrong, it usually is. --Unknown

A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world. --Unknown

Never give up on your dreams. The waiting can seem painful, but the regret of not going for it will be even more painful. --Steve Aitchison

Awful news

During All-Star weekend here in Los Angeles, L.A. Kings announcer Bob Miller, who missed part of last season after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery, fell ill and was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, it appears he suffered a minor stroke.

I hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad feeling that this will signal Miller's retirement from the broadcast booth. He's 78 years old - pushing 80 - and may decide it's in his and his family's best interest to hang them up. I wouldn't blame him, but I hope not. I'd be grateful if he just called home games in the future. If not, the guy has earned his retirement, but it's going to be a body blow to Kings Nation to lose him.

I just stumbled across this late at night and it really caught me off guard.

Best Trump parody video so far

Sorry Accordion Trump, this is the greatest Trump video so far. It's true.

This was produced by a Dutch comedy satire show and I think they knocked it out of the park. Between the catchphrases, little asides and the voice over actor doing a spot-on imitation of the President, it's just perfect. <Trump voice> It's a great video. It's absolutely fantastic. </Trump voice>

When the PR gods smile on you

So in case you haven't heard, a Fed Ex deliveryman became very famous all of a sudden when he took exception to some assholes who thought burning the American flag would be a good way to win friends and influence people.

Fed-Ex employee Matt Uhrin used a fire extinguisher from his truck to put out the flames and it made him an instant internet star, with most people applauding his actions. Apparently a few were not impressed, but it doesn't matter: Fed-Ex has reviewed the matter and Matt will be keeping his job.

My favorite part of the linked article - that a couple of the "protestors" are being charged with violating the local public burn ordinance. I hope they make them do time. If those flags had really flared up, they could have done some serious harm or damage. I'm pretty sure these pinheads didn't think that through.

All of which led to this popping up on my Twitter feed:

What a stud.

Because yeah, you can't buy publicity like this.