Thursday Thirteen: Trevor’s Favorite Foods

 fiction, Thursday Thirteen, Trevor  20 Responses »
Apr 292009
 

I honestly can’t say what inspired me to think of Trevor’s favorite foods, but here you go… In no order, until the last one, which truly is Trevor’s #1.

13. bacon (see Trev wax vaguely poetic about bacon here)

12. Pickles, the sour kind that make your mouth pucker. Best when given to Mitchell right before he takes the stage. Or maybe in the middle of the set, but you’d better be ready to run really fast afterward.

11. M&Ms. Fun to pop in your mouth. Gives an idea of what it might be like to be a stereotypic rock star who pops drugs like they’re candy.

10. Pot roast. Whenever Mitchell’s mom says she’s making this for dinner, Trevor shows up. He even showers first.

9. cookies. Sonya sends the guys care packages from time to time, but every now and then, a store-bought cookie hits the spot.

8. Bananas. This is Trevor we’re talking about, after all. Same thing with uncut cucumbers and zucchini. Hey, no one ever said the boy WAS original. Just that he IS an original.

7. Which explains why he’ll occasionally suck a lemon. Trevor likes the lemony fresh smell (so much better than the fake smell in all those cleaners promoters like to use in their dressing rooms) and besides, the rest of the guys shudder when he does it. He’s been known to chase it with a spoonful of sugar and a big drink of water. Dissected Lemonade, he calls it.

6. Corn on the cob. Unless some idiot promoter has hired a caterer who’s turned it into mush. Corn on the cob should be firm. You should be able to sink your teeth into it, slobber all over it, lick the salt and butter off your hands, and wind up with a naked cob at the end.

The sexual innuendo you’re seeing in all that is entirely your own. This is about food, people. Not rock stars and their sex and drugs. (Well, except for the M&Ms)

5. Pancakes. A favored breakfast of the entire band. Trevor used to thoroughly douse them in store-bought syrup until Eric one day made him try the real stuff. For once, Eric was right.

4. Pizza’s always good, but free pizza? Even better. (Beware if you use this link; it’ll put you smack in the middle of Green Hair Week. You may feel lost. If so, read the entire sequence.)

3. Ice Cream — before the band gets too big (and even a little bit after), before the fans find out (and even sometimes after), Trevor likes to talk the tour bus driver into stopping at an ice cream store for a cone before they hit the road. He waxes poetic about it here. One day, I’ll write the scene where he and Mitchell dress up in trench coats and convince Kerri to be their Bond girl…

2. Root beer. Way better than the stuff the rest of the band drinks. AND it doesn’t make Trevor turn into Hank.

And the granddaddy of Trevor’s diet:
1. Meatball subs from Harry’s Hoagies. ‘Nuff said.

 Posted by at 8:39 pm

Byline: Chelle LaFleur — Following

 Chelle LaFleur, fiction  9 Responses »
Apr 262009
 

Now, you all just follow along with old Chelle here and no one’s gonna get hurt. Hear me on this?

‘Cause, in case you’re livin’ under a rock or some such, followin’s the big trend these days. Follow me here, there, everywhere. You be a good person and you follow along. You’re even better a person if you got lots of followers.

Follow, follow, follow.

Where are the freaky-cool trend-setters? What happened to the people who’re worthy of being followed because there’s something there that pulled you to them? Why do we gotta follow someone simply ’cause it’s cool to do so? Is this now a world where we’re all valuable just ’cause we get people followin’ us? Where we’re better people ’cause we got lots of followers?

Mr. Rogers would be so proud of us.

You gotta stop and think, boys and girls, about what all this followin’ means. Does it mean steppin’ away from your precious computer for a few hours and goin’ to see that band who’s in town special, just to play for all their local followers, the people declarin’ eternal love and devotion in a sentence or less? Does it mean downloadin’ that new song, buyin’ that new t-shirt, and braggin’ about your love for those music-makers on your chest?

It sure used to.

And because of that, bands, they did well. They made a buck or two, could afford their practice spaces and gas for tourin’ and maybe if they’d made it to a major record label, there’d be videos and other goodies like that.

But now, an indie band plays their music for free over a website or two that ain’t even theirs; it belongs to some big corporation that takes all the money while the band gets squat. Fans follow what the dudes and chicks who make the music gotta say, but they ain’t ponying up for tickets so fast. Not unless that band we be talkin’ about is a big band. Been around for years band. One-a them bands that’ll do okay just ’cause of who they are. Heck, even Deadly Metal Hatchet t-shirts are still sellin’ like hotcakes. Chelle knows. She bought two last week, all by her lonesome.

It’s the new guys, bands like Temple of the Book (read more about them here), who need yourself, in person, in front of their stage. Buy their EP. Wear their shirts. Talk about ‘em to your followers. Spread the gospel; I know the readers of this here Trumpet newspaper are smart enough to know what to do.

You heard it first, and you heard it here: If you gonna follow, do it right. Do it so it makes a difference. ‘Cause if we don’t change, all we gonna get to hear is Golden Oldies. And it scares Chelle to think of ShapeShifter as a Golden Oldie. Not in this lifetime.

A Sunday Scribblings for you, more directly related to the prompt than usual for me.

 Posted by at 11:02 am

Only the Good Friday: Book Sale Haul

 Susan's Book Talk  8 Responses »
Apr 242009
 

I know, I know. As an author, I ought to be THE BIGGEST advocate of buying books new, as soon as they’re released. I get the whole economics of how the industry has changed, just in the eight years since I created ShapeShifter. I get it.

But as a reader, just like almost every other reader out there, my finances are limited. I can spend $27 and change for a new hardback every so often, or I can support my local libraries and see how many of the 1800+ books on my wishlist (you think I’m kidding about that number???) I can find for a buck or two apiece.

More books = more book talks from me. In theory, anyway; a girl’s gotta sit and READ those puppies!

Instead, let me gush about them some more. For now, anyway.

Even though it made the barest of dents in my wishlist, I came away from the sale yesterday with ten nice new friends. I’m proud of restraining myself to ONLY what was on my wishlist; it wasn’t easy. And since 1800+ books is, let’s face it, a lot, I’m sure there were books I overlooked, too.

Still, ten’s a nice, round number. Ten books make me happy.

Here’s what they are. The buy links will take you to Powells.com, since I’m all about buying from the independents.

George D. Shuman — 18 Seconds
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child — The Wheel of Darkness
Christina Dodd — Scent of Darkness
Jonathan Kellerman — Gone
Harlan Coben — Hold Tight
Lorna Landvik — The View from Mount Joy
Lisa Unger — Sliver of Truth
Jonathan Kellerman (again) — Compulsion
Peter Blauner — Slipping into Darkness

And…

The prize.

The book that, if I’d had to choose ONE book, I’d have chosen…

Dalia Sofer — The Septembers of Shiraz

One of these days, I’ll write more about why it is I’m such a big advocate of buying used and online book trading. One of these days… *sigh*

Happy Reading, everyone! And check out the other Only the Good stuff out there, too.

 Posted by at 2:00 pm

Thursday Thirteen: Weddings, ShapeShifter Style

 fiction, Thursday Thirteen  23 Responses »
Apr 222009
 

Last week, Janet and Megan took the suggestion of blogger Chanda and asked if we’d like to make a Thirteen about weddings.

My thirteen was already done, so I decided to hold off on the prompt until this week. I figured it’d be a good one to ask the ShapeShifter boys about, since it’s been awhile since we last heard from them and I know you’ve missed them as much as I have.

So…

Thirteen things about Weddings, ShapeShifter Style

1. Trevor’s opposed to weddings and anything related to them. After all, weddings are the gateway to monogamy — according to him.

2. Daniel, on the other hand, dreams of marrying Val. Properly — in a church, even though he’s never set foot in one. And her in a long white gown with a train and veil that trail halfway up the aisle. The problem is, Val doesn’t share this dream. Never has.

3. Eric creates a third factor in this equation. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he grew up believing in marriage, life-long marriage. He’s watched his parents weather some tough spots and is committed to finding the woman who can do the same with him.

4. Add in Mitchell, who never thought one way or another about marriage. Yeah, both his older sisters were married by the time he met Kerri. Yeah, his parents have a great marriage. But for him? He’d thought it would never happen, so why dwell on it?

5. Back to Trevor, who also thinks marriage is a way to hold yourself down. When there’s someone else to consider, life isn’t as much fun.

6. Look at Daniel, Trevor will say. He missed how many nights with the rest of the band, hanging at Roach’s, because Val was *insert whine here* tired and wanted to go home?

7. And then there’s the arrangement Daniel and Val have. Since Val doesn’t like being on tour with the band, she gives Daniel some freedom. So long as he doesn’t get their names, or see them again.

8. Eric takes a different approach to the women he meets on the road: they become friends, for as long as the relationship can be sustained.

9. Trevor can’t stand this, of course. Girls aren’t to be friends with. They’re to love and leave.

10. Val’s opposition to marrying Daniel means that Mitchell is the first band member to get married. He does that during Trevor’s Song.

11. Needless to say, Trevor’s not happy about this. About the marriage. About the choice of women. About losing his best friend and partner in crime.

12. Eric and Daniel think it’s great that Mitchell found Kerri. Eric’s dad performed the ceremony, which was held in Daniel and Val’s back yard. The reception was a lot of fun, too.

13. Don’t even bring up the idea of kids around Trevor. Just … don’t… go … there.

 Posted by at 8:55 pm

Roadie Poet: New Guy

 fiction, Roadie Poet  10 Responses »
Apr 192009
 

New guy came on last night.
Must be someone’s boy toy
Or something.

Ironed t-shirts.
Not a pair of work gloves in sight.
Over-eager.
Desperate to be one of the gang.

And like all newbies,
Doesn’t get the language,
The code
The speak.

The road’s its own beast
You gotta learn it from the ground up
This kid,
He’s got a long way to go
Just to get started.

Everyone laughs,
Snickers
Sneers

Don’t know why I do it,
There ain’t glory in it for me,
Just a lot of ribbing for being a softie.
But

I take the new kid under my wing.
Hand over a spare pair of gloves;
I’ve got three more.

Start with a shadow.
Hand him a broom.
Point.
Use the right language.

He may not make it
But it’s not him people are watching.

It’s me.

Ahh, it’s nice when both the Sunday Scribblings and the Monday Poetry Train overlap. I’d like to do some commentary about this over at my Red Room page, but don’t know if I’ll get the time. We shall see… and of course, if I make the time, you’ll hear about it.

… and that was fast! Go read it…

 Posted by at 5:06 pm
 Older Entries
© 2012 West of Mars Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha