Well, hell. If I’m not proof that moms read, you definitely need to stop in at Mommy’s Reading Too. Lots of proof there!

Join me, as blog owner Jennifer was kind enough to read the first three books in the Trevolution and share her thoughts about them. AND she interviewed me, as well.

Can’t beat THAT combination.

Can you tell I’ve been having fun with blog post headlines? Hope you’re having fun with them with me.

Anyway, the Three Way Tie I’m referring to is author Larissa Hinton’s blog, where I’ve dropped in with a guest post today. Stop in and say hi — Larissa is cool. I can’t wait to get to know her better.

Maybe you’ve heard about this already. Maybe not.

Either way, it’s still effing cool and right about now, I’m wishing I was a visual artist and not merely a writer. (Merely! Ha!)

A bunch of artists have gotten together and created art that, to them, represents Metallica songs. You’ve got to see some of the art that’s been made (scroll down). It’s wild. It’s cool. It’s out there.

You may even realize that some of these artists don’t usually make visual art. Some clownish types do.

At any rate, it’s cool. I wish I could see it in person. Heck, I wish I was visual enough to have been a contributor. But… I’m not. I’m just your basic writer (basic!) and Rock Fiction expert…

Maybe they’ll call on me to edit a short story anthology based on Metallica songs… Now, THAT would be cool.

You guys know I love the promo trail. Yesterday, I stopped in at Kati Lear’s blog, Jagged Edge, for an interview. I think there’s stuff in there I haven’t talked much about, if at all.

Stop in and let me know if you agree.

So you’ve been meaning to pick up the first two Demo Tapes books for your Kindle. But… well, other books have intruded on your search, and it was hard to resist.

I know. I have similar problems. I’m not here to fault you.

Instead, I’m here to tell you that Amazon’s decided to drop the price on Demo Tapes (Year 1) and Demo Tapes (Year 2) to 99c. Each.

Now’s the time. If you have friends who love Rock Fiction, if you have friends who used to watch music videos on MTV, if you have friends who still lust for men with long hair… why not gift ’em a book or two?

Really, guys. It doesn’t get any better than this. And with King Trevor set to be released on April 12, there’s no better time to join the Trevolution.

Is there?

Didn’t think so.

WAIT.

Are you a print lover???

Demo Tapes (Year 1), Demo Tapes (Year 2), AND Demo Tapes (Year 3) are STILL part of Amazon’s 4-for-3 promo. Maybe you’ve seen me Tweet about it. Maybe not.

At any rate, here’s the deal. You can buy all three Demo Tapes short story anthologies and spend MORE time with Trevor, Mitchell, and the gang. $29.97 for all three. AND then you can surf around and find something for FREE. (Sorry, but Trevor’s Song isn’t part of the promo. Bummer, huh?)

Like I said: King Trevor. April 12, 2012.

Join the Trevolution NOW.

(Demo Tapes — Year 1 in print)
(Demo Tapes — Year 2 in print)
(Demo Tapes — Year 3 in print)

How did we miss this one? I almost did, and that’d be a shame. I particularly like this guest blog post: it’s over at The Adolescent Muse. Yes, me, your favorite Rock Fiction writer and expert. Hangin’ at a joint with Adolescent in the title.

It’s all good. Trevor doesn’t make a single appearance to scare anyone off.

Instead, I’m talking about blog serials. How they’ve changed since I began blogging way back when in April of 2006, and what a good thing those changes are.

I even give some props to a good friend of ours here at West of Mars, so stop in and check it out.

I’m over at the #amwriting site today, with some Flash Fiction I wrote earlier in the week.

It’s Mitchell. It’s Daniel.

And it’s a hot dog.

I’ll leave you with a wink and see you over at Amwriting.

**If that link doesn’t work, let me know and check back later for one that does! I like this story and don’t want you to miss it.

Like me having chaos and insanity is anything new?

Come join me at Chaos and Insanity, the home blog of my Pink Snowbunnies in Hell co-contributor, Coral Moore. I’ve done an interview there and I suspect there are some tidbits of information about me that you just don’t know about yet…

I’m over at Thea Atkinson’s blog today, talking about how my background in the music business helps me create characters.

Stop in and see what’s up.

… and I’m spending the day over at the Independent Writers Association, with thoughts of what it takes to de-stress. Need a hint?

Nah. This is a no-spoilers blog.

Go see for yourself.

Again, I’m a day late with this, but here it is anyway: I’m over at Tilly Greene’s Hot Thoughts today, taking part in her Perfect Gift is a Book series.

Stop in and see what my Perfect Gift is. And why not pick up one of my own books when you pick up my Perfect Gift, as well?

Oh, and while you’re there, leave a comment to be entered into a prize drawing at the end for all sorts of Perfect Gifts. Tilly’s come up with some doozies!

Since RJ was visiting yesterday, I didn’t want to pre-empt him, so I’m telling you about this today.

While RJ was here, I was over at Suzan Harden’s Wild, Wicked, and Wacky blog. I’m talking about the shiny stuff that surrounds us during the Christmas season … and I’m drawing comparisons of it to another, special shiny in my life.

Stop in and say hi, whydon’tcha? Suzan’s cool. You’ll dig her.

Maybe I’ve been remiss in not adding my own two cents to the new collaboration between Lou Reed and my beloved Metallica.

That’s because I don’t like to be negative. Or to ride on bandwagons (usually. Some are worthwhile).

But here’s the thing: while I don’t like Lulu, in my eyes, it’s performance art. More power to Lou and Tallica for bringing performance art into realms it hasn’t previously gone. Or if it has, history’s erased it pretty quickly. Just the fact that this is Lou Reed and Metallica… yeah. Not fading into the archives so fast, you know? Even if it never meets with anything other than disdain and derision, it’s earned a spot in musical history.

Not helping the cause any is a recent interview Lou gave to The Telegraph. Really, really bad move here, Lou.

Saying you’re more literate than most people who interview you? That you made Lulu for literate people?

Dude. There aren’t many more literate than me. Or most of the people who read my blog. After all, literate means (according to Merriam-Webster online) Educated, cultured. A second entry says, “Versed in literature or creative writing.”

Nowhere in the definition does it talk about being a snob. Or a dick.

And I don’t care if you’re notoriously scary to interview, worse than my fictional Mitchell on his worst days (because, as many of you know, Mitchell’s merely putting on an act. Lou seems real.). Putting down the people who may get what you’ve tried to accomplish just isn’t very smart PR. Don’t alienate the people who’re going to spend money on you, Lou. Not in this economy.

Lou, every person who stops in here at West of Mars will probably shock you with their literacy levels. I doubt you made Lulu for a single one of us. Stop putting us down, stop looking down your nose at us because we don’t conform to your idea of what a literate person is.

And while you’re at it, get away from my Metallica boys. While I’m glad to see them stretching their musical chops and working with you, I don’t want to see what sort of ways in which you’re going to bring them down. Because after reading that article? I don’t see how anyone who spends any time around you can be anything BUT a downer.

Blech. I know people you can hang around. Better you than me, dude. I don’t have the time or energy for the lot of you.

Well, folks, on Wednesday, the announcement came out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, class of 2012.

Ready?

Beastie Boys
Donovan
Guns N’ Roses
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Small Faces/The Faces

WOW. I can’t argue against a single one of them. The Beastie Boys made it okay for White Jewish kids to rap, and they did it with a sense of mirth and joy. They broke at a time when rap was a ghetto thing, and there they were, looking absurd and gleeful. I doubt rap would have crossed over into the mainstream the way it did without them.

Donovan? He followed the Beatles across the pond but was a folkie. The first one to cross the drink — and not satisfied. His bio on the Hall of Fame website claims he single-handedly ignited the psychedelic movement. That alone makes him a worthy inductee.

Guns ‘n Roses… maybe their timing wasn’t the best, coming just as grunge broke, but they redefined Hair Metal, giving it a gritty (if a bit abusive and eccentric. Thanks, Axl!) edge that many, many bands remain influenced by even today. Maybe they’re not as relevant as they used to be; Hell, maybe Axl’s turned them into a sideshow, but you can’t deny what they did for Hair Metal. Or the long-form video. The videos that were spawned by Use Your Illusion (I and II) broke new ground. I miss those sorts of videos.

Hell, I miss videos.

Laura Nyro — she might be harder to justify, as I think you should only be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame if you’ve changed music in one form or another. Nyro’s contribution was simply in amazing songs. Yes, that’s less sexy than what Axl and company did, but it happened. She influenced everyone from Streisand to the 5th Dimension to Peter, Paul and Mary. I suppose you can argue that she gave a voice to the folk music of the 1960s. Which means including her in the Hall of Fame isn’t hard to justify, at all.

Chili Peppers — I will go to my grave at the ripe old age of 842 remembering the story of the night the Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage at Pittsburgh’s Electric Banana in nothing but tube socks… or tried to. Owner Johnny Zarra forced them, at gunpoint, to put more clothes on. I wasn’t there that night, but I’ve heard Johnny talk about it.

The Peppers have done more for rock music than engage in outrageous behavior. Just how they did it is rather difficult to define, but they sure did. Go back and listen to their old stuff (especially BloodSugarSexMagik) and you’ll get it.

Okay, you may not get their music, but you’ll get how they changed things.

The Small Faces/the Faces — Originally born at the time of The Who, The Rolling Stones, and the Beatles, I don’t know why the Small Faces (later reborn as The Faces) don’t get more attention. They “set the standard for Sixties soul-inflected pop and English psychedelic romanticism” (quote from their bio on the RRHOF site). It may not be your thing, but that’s okay. Rock and roll is big enough for all of us.

To the inductees, I say, “Well done!” and a huge, hearty “thank you.” Without these good (albeit a bit nuts) people leading the way, well… wow. That makes my brain hurt. The impact these people have had on the daily lives of every single person who turns on any sort of radio or iPod, or who even know who Lady Gaga is…

Rock and roll has been part of our culture since its inception in the 1950s. That’s a darn long time.

May it live on and on.

Yep, I’m out and about again, this time visiting with Dorothy Dreyer at We Do Write.

It’s an interview and you know what? I love giving interviews. Stop on in and see why.

Yep, I’ve been out and about of late — again. It’s becoming a constant thing, so come join me and meet some new bloggers and readers, whydon’tcha? It’s a big world. Come play in it.

Demo Tapes 3 has been featured over at i write indie books. There may not be anything you haven’t already seen about DT3, but stop in and check out the site anyway. Authors, drop a line and get your book featured! Readers, look for other great reads. (And buy a copy of DT3 for a Christmas present for a friend, whydon’tcha?)

And then you can read a guest blog post I did with the fabulous (and I’m not just saying that) Jason McIntyre over at The Farthest Reaches. Jason’s one of those fabulous writers I mention here from time to time, and he’s a cool dude.

Have I mentioned I love the name Jason? I’ll have to create a fictional Jason in tribute…

For my first Rocktober, I think it was a huge success. I got a lot of people talking about it, got a whole slew of reviews posted, and hopefully laid some groundwork for next year.

There were a couple moments that made all the work — and believe me, there was a LOT of work behind it! — worthwhile. Reviews of my books went up (and, as promised, those review writers have been asked if they’d like to be on the review team I’m working on building). Amazon put the print versions of ALL THREE Demo Tapes books on their 4-for-3 sale, where you pick four eligible books and get the most inexpensive one for free. That’s still going in, it looks like.

I know. It’d be a better deal if Trevor’s Song was in the mix. But… these things aren’t up to me, or it would be.

At any rate, to all who joined in to celebrate Rocktober, thank you. If all you did was hit a Retweet button, thank you. If you did more, put a post up, read a work of Rock Fiction… thank you.

Rock Fiction deserves to be its own genre.

Before I’m out of here and on to the next fun thing, let me tease you a bit… King Trevor, the follow-up to Trevor’s Song is currently scheduled for this year’s Susan’s Birthday Release. And I’d love to have Demo Tapes 4 out for you next Rocktober.

Keep on spreading the word…

Okay, so news of the passing of GWAR member Flattus Maximus broke six days ago. I haven’t mentioned it here yet because…

Well, I’m still reeling.

I probably never knew Cory Smoot. After all, my days hanging around GWAR happened back in the early 1990s (ouch. How’s THIS for dating myself?) and Cory had only been in the band since 2002. That’s a big time gap.

I’ve been fond of GWAR since I first heard of them. I mean, how can you NOT be a fan of a band where the members (heh) dress up in elaborate costumes that look like they were ripped off from Oakland Raiders football fans? Add in the blood, the pee, the … other male bodily fluids of questionable taste that would be spewed into the crowd, creating the world’s most slippery (heh) mosh pit and the only time tough guys would revel in wearing a pink t-shirt, and really. It didn’t matter what GWAR sounded like. They could have no clue what a guitar was and they’d still rule the Earth.

It was about attitude. Showmanship. Escape from reality.

And GWAR delivered.

I remember hanging out with Record Label Folk (back in the days when I aspired to be one. Along with a best-selling author. All at the same time). I can picture the dude at Metal Blade but darn if I can remember his name…

Even more important, I remember his story: Weeks after a GWAR show, he was wearing the leather jacket he’d worn that night. It was a rainy night. Rivulets of pink, remnants from the show, ran down him, alarming the people around him.

That is truly my favorite GWAR story. Even better than the night I hung at the converted roller rink and got to meet the men and women underneath the makeup and costumes. Even better than the fact that I may possibly own the only white GWAR t-shirt in existence.

Even better than the shows I was present for. And let me tell you, if you’ve never seen GWAR, check your sensibilities at the door, put your prude cap aside, and let yourself go. They are offensive, loud, in-your-face, wrong, shocking, horrifying… and so, so good.

So… we say goodbye and Godspeed to Cory Smoot, a guy who died before his time but at least got to live his dream.

May the rest of us be so lucky.

Yep, I’m keeping the promotion machine in high gear over here.

Come visit with me over at Working Writers, where I’ve done an interview that reveals some writing goals you all will be interested in.

And then stop in at Adopt An Indie Month, where I’ve written about my path to publication. Is Trevor Too Niche for New York?

Remember, if you’d like to host me for an interview or a guest blog post, I’d be honored and flattered.

Either way, be sure to stop in, see what I have to say, and meet some new folk. Who knows? You might meet a new best friend.

I hope I’ve made it clear that despite my best attempts, I am NOT a musician. I really am not. I wish I was, but … it’s not in the cards for me.

I’m usually at peace with this. But every now and then, a luxury item pops up and makes me wish things were different. Here’s one: it’s a line of guitar straps made for Kirk Hammett — you know: that Metallica dude — that look so lush and wonderful that I wish I had a reason to justify one. But… I don’t.

If you do, go for it. Me, I’ll stay over here and dream…