BRAINPAN LEAKAGE

Okay, faithful readers of my ramblings, time for another episode of Just the FAQ’s, with your host…Me!

(Aren’t you just all atwitter?)

So, let’s just jump right into it…

The first letter reads: Dear MR. I recently broke up with my girlfriend and now I really want to get back together with her. I just know that if she heard “Witchy Woman” on your show with a dedication from me, that she would take me back with open arms and let bygones be bygones. I would be forever grateful if you could do that for me. Signed, Heartbroken in Hoboken…

All right, H in H, let me see if I can help you out here…Our first long distance dedication is…

Had ya’ goin’ there for a minute, didn’t I? (Oh, come on, humor me…)

So, anyway, on to the FAQ’s!

1) Every time I log on to Myspace you are online. Are you addicted or what? Shouldn’t you be writing or something?

No, I’m not addicted, and me being continuously online is nothing more than a cruel illusion. Remember, I used to be a computer guru before I became a scary writer guy for a living. I have way too many computers around here, and at any given time during the day I might check in on Myspace using any one of them, depending on what room I happen to be in at the time. But, also remember that I am old, so sometimes I forget to log out. Actually, most of the time I forget to log out…Soooo, it’s not unusual for at least one computer here in the house to be logged into the account 24/7, thereby creating the illusion that I need neither sleep, nor time to do anything else.

And, yes, I should be writing or something…

2) Who is the leggy babe on your myspace backgrounds? Can I get her number?

The “leggy babe” (and yes, I agree, she is a leggy babe, which is probably why her legs are featured prominently in most of the backgrounds where she appears) …Anyway, said “leather clad vixen” is a friend and part-time model by the name of Wendi O’Brien. She posed for the covers of Love Is The Bond and All Acts Of Pleasure, as well as the promotional posters for both books. There is actually an article about the LITB photo shoot and an interview with the cover artist, Johnathan Minton, in one of my earlier snail-mail newsletters.

And, no, you may not have her number. Not from me at any rate. Besides, you don’t really want it, trust me. She’s even meaner than she looks.

On an interesting note: In keeping with the theme of the trilogy, the cover of The End Of Desire will also feature Miranda as its focal point, however, Wendi will not be modeling for that photo this time. Reknowned Pagan Artist, Mickie Mueller has been retained to actually pose for it, and the photo session is occuring later this month (Feb 2007). As usual, well known (and very bizarre) graphic artist, Johnathan Minton, owner of Woodblock Graphic Design, is producing the artwork for the cover and will be directing the photo shoot.

3) Do you listen to music when you write, and if so what do you listen to?

That largely depends on what I am writing. Sometimes I do the quiet thing, other times I have music blaring. However, I actually do have music playing most of the time. My selections are usually directly relative to the type of scene I am writing–for instance, when writing some of the more intense stuff I might be listening to such artists as Black Sabbath or Metallica. If the passage/chapter I am working on is a bit more mellow then you might find Enya or Loreena McKennitt in the CD Tray.

4) What does the M. R. stand for?

Mister.

Well, not really, but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so best we leave it at that. Suffice it to say, my name actually ends in a Jr. My father was, of course, Sr. Soooo, there were two of us hung with the name.

5) Out of all of your books, which one is your favorite?

The one I am working on at the time. Really. Truth is they are all a labor of love, and in a sense that question is almost like asking a parent which of their children they love the most. Even so, as much as I am fond of all of my books, my favorite is always the one I am working on at the time.

6) What brand of cigars do you smoke?

The same brand as Rowan. CAO’s preferably the MX2, but I’ll set fire to, and puff on, just about anything CAO produces. I also enjoy Santa Damiana’s, Cruz Real’s, and Arturo Fuente’s among others.

As to any other specifics, I am a fan of Maduro wrappers and a fairly good size ring gauge (52 and above), although I definitely won’t turn down smaller gauges, or EMS wrappers. Hell, I won’t turn down a free cigar at all…

Okee-dokee…there you have it for this episode…Hope it was enlightening, and if not, at least mildly entertaining.

MR

Yeah, I want a Tour Bus. I’ve been inside a couple, not to mention the ones I’ve seen on TV, and they are way cool. While I’m not about to be all about living out of a bus per se, it seems like it would be a lot nicer way to travel. I do a lot of airplane, but I also do a hefty share of my touring in a car (rental), or my truck. (Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a bitchin’ truck…2004 GMC Sierra 1500, extended cab, short bed, with all the bells and whistles…But, hey, if I had a bus and someone else was driving I could get up and walk around.)

Some of you may remember the “Humor in Uniform” section of Reader’s Digest…(it may still exist…I haven’t had my hands on a Readers’ Digest in a while)…Either way there was a particular joke that has always stuck with me. It was an anecdote where a fighter pilot was talking to the captain of a refueling plane via radio while in flight. He was bragging about how he could do all these maneuvers and such since his smaller, faster jet was more nimble than the lumbering refueling behemoth. The captain replied that he could do something the fighter couldn’t, so just watch. After several minutes of simply flying along the captain came back on the radio and said something like, “How was that.” The fighter pilot replied, “What do you mean? I didn’t see you do anything.” The captain of the refueling plane came back with, “Well, I just got up and stretched my legs. Walked around for a bit. Got a cup of coffee, and had a chat with my navigator.”

I’m sure that loses something in the translation, especially since I am drawing it from memory, but it has always struck me as not only funny, but kind of cool. I would love to be able to get up, stretch my legs, yadda yadda, while traveling, all without losing any time. I think that would be a pretty neat way to get from point A to point B.

But then, I suppose it doesn’t take much to amuse me.

Of course, these days, with gas prices the way they are, I guess having a tour bus is better left to the “Want/Dream” realm…

Anyhow…raining here. Cold. Supposed to snow tomorrow. Not much, but enough to stick to the grass. That’ll be great. I love snow, so it’s really my kind of weather. Right now I really should be writing. I have a ton of stuff to get done and probably shouldn’t be running off at the mouth here about nonsenical things…

Sooooo, that’s it for now!

MR