You going to see my favorite real-life band tonight? You people in Grand Rapids (Michigan, for those you more geographically-challenged) are in for a treat.

Remember THIS Roadie Poet piece? (Holy smoke, it’s from 2007!)

If you’re too lazy to click through and read it, well, shame on you. At least open the link in a new tab so you can read it after you read this post. For you lazy-asses, here’s the lowdown: Roadies wear black. Someone’s girl shows up in pink. Scandal!

Tonight in Grand Rapids, roughly 90 members of the local crew who’ll be working the Metallica show will be in pink shirts instead of the traditional black. Yep, it’s a breast cancer awareness thing, which Trevor’s fully in favor of. (Healthy breasts are his favorite kind, don’tchaknow. And he’ll be glad to help you examine yours!)

(Uhh, women only, please. But men, remember, you CAN get breast cancer, too!)

I wish Roadie and I could be there to see this sight. I might have even put those pink stripes back in my hair for the occasion.

1. Trevor wanted me to tell you
2. That this week’s Thirteen
3. Is going to be lame.

4. That’s because
5. I spent the day
6. Working on the follow-up
7. To Trevor’s Song,
8. the novel all about him.
(and it’s ALL about Trevor!)

9. When I finish this draft
10. Of the follow-up,
11. I will bring you
12. Trevor’s Song
13. In print and digital versions.
(At least, that’s the plan)

Ever wonder what West of Mars means? Why I spend precious hours a day working on Win a Book?

All that and more (but not why I’m about to launch a third blog) can be found at the Self-Publishing Review.

So put on your Martian antennae (read the interview!) and say it’s your costume when you drop on in.

As I ramp up to bring you even more bloggish bookishness, it dawns on me that I talk a lot about books, but my characters? Are books important in my fictional world?

Let’s take a look and see.

1. Trevor famously said: “I tried to read the set list once.”

2. The truth is that he might read something short. If it would hold his interest. (Believe it or not, but erotica would NOT. Why read about something you should be doing?)

3. Mitchell loves his guitar magazines.

4. He’ll also collect coffee table books about guitars, musicians he likes, or almost anything having to do with music.

5. He also reads Sports Illustrated and mountain bike magazines.

6. Daniel’s the reader in the band. Particularly current event non-fiction. Or history. (I have an outtake saved up about this last one)

7. Eric will read. He likes science fiction and military novels. Spy. Espionage. What’s often called MAN fiction.

8. Kerri likes art books. (You’ll actually see this book again. Stay tuned.)

9. Kerri will read women’s fiction, but her real love is stuff like Christopher Moore or Brian Wiprud. Comedy. Satire.

10. Sometimes, the band will pass those books around. You gotta fill those empty hours on the bus or at the venue somehow.

11. Val loves a good romance, or any tear-jerker.

12. Chelle LaFleur doesn’t have much of a life beyond her local music scene and the Trumpet newspaper she writes for. She’s well known at her local library branch.

13. The Deadly Metal Hatchet guys? They’re another Thirteen all their own…

Sometimes, you meet someone — in real life, online; doesn’t really matter — and you just get each other. I think in this case, it’s the music connection.

Ri at Music Savvy Mom got the shuffle I sent her Thursday night. A young woman went missing on the 17th, down in Virginia. While my favorite real-life band took the stage, Morgan Dana Harrington left behind her car, her purse, and her cell phone.

And vanished. No word of her since.

Her family’s offered a $100,000 reward for information to help bring her home. There are Facebook groups devoted to her. There’s a flyer.

And now, over at Music Savvy Mom, there’s a shuffle. I made it Thursday night, pulling songs that I love to work out to, songs that just seemed to fit. As I worked on it, I realized it wasn’t just a message for Morgan to stay strong and come home. I realized it was every bit as much for her parents.

Go see. And please, help spread the word. I’ve never met Morgan. Probably never will. But as a Metallica fan, she’s part of my community.

And so, I care.

Well, so far it hasn’t been a great reading year for me. Between Win a Book, my own books, this place, and life in general, reading has taken a back seat. Bummer.

1. In 2005, I read 147 books. I did not finish 54 of them.

2. In 2006, I read exactly the same number of books. Holy smoke. I did not finish 48 of them.

3. No wonder my TBR mountain range numbers hover around the 550 mark (counting what’s on my nightstand and held aside for my book club to read). I brought a LOT of books into my house during those two years. I’m still trying to read most of them, too.

4. In 2007, I snapped out of my writing funk and sprang into motion. That was the year the agent offered representation on Trevor’s Song — and vanished. I read 97 books — and considered myself a slacker.

5. In 2008, with the first Demo Tapes book published in November, I read 87 books by others. A full 21 of them did not get finished.

6. Yes, it’s true. If a book doesn’t grab me, I don’t force myself to finish it. I had a writing professor in college who encouraged me to follow this practice. Reg was awesome. I listened to more than those words of wisdom.

7. This year, 2009, I have two books in print. Two books to promote. I’m getting ready to start Demo Tapes 3, and I’ve promised myself that when I finish writing the first draft of the follow-up to Trevor’s Song, I’ll make you guys happy. Plus I’m working on another manuscript, too.

8. So far in 2009, I’ve read 68 books, 18 of which I haven’t finished.

9. I see a trend here. Do you?

10. However, I continue to lust for books written by others. My wish list (which doesn’t include most of the list I kept in graduate school and for the first few years right after) has over 1900 books on it.

11. 1,921, to be precise.

12. Nope, I don’t expect to read them all. I figure at this point, it’s serendipity. The books I’m meant to read will find me.

13. I hope my books find you.

Yep, it’s supposed to snow this week here at West of Mars. Well, outside the house with the purple trim, that is. It darn well better not snow INSIDE.

Snow’s on my mind. So’s my fiction. One plus one equals… thirteen!

1. Since everybody’s favorite fictional band, ShapeShifter, is from a mythical part of the West Coast, they didn’t grow up the way I did: with snowy winters.

2. All four boys (uhh, that’s Mitchell, Trevor, Eric, and Daniel for those of you new around here) didn’t see snow until they were on their first tour.

3. Mitchell and Trevor immediately became experts at the Art of Snowball Bombing. You know: when the person you nail isn’t expecting it.

4. Snow on the head and dripping down the back of a neck loses something when the person you’ve just bombed has long hair. The boys figured out pretty quick that nailing each other in the nuts was way more fun.

5. On the other hand, despite taking many snowballs all over his body, Eric prefers building snowmen.

6. Kerri, who grew up in a snowier climate, isn’t as enthused as the boys in the band are. Not about playing in the snow.

7. But warming up afterward? With someone like Mitchell? Hoo boy. Yeah.

8. Val, Daniel’s longtime love, hates the snow. She hates the bulky winter clothes. Hates lug tread on snowboots. Hates anything not sleek and sexy.

9. But shearling lined boots and gloves and fur coats… now, if you’ve GOT to be somewhere cold, that’s the only way to go.

10. Even being caught in a blizzard isn’t enough to dampen the boys’ love of snow. They were in Denver, where they’re used to snow. No big deal, they were told.

11. They played to a full house that night. No big deal, indeed.

12. Until THEY tried to leave, anyway.

13. Maybe one day I’ll write that story. In the meantime, leave lots of comments so I can return all your visits. Maybe all the typing I’ll have to do will keep my poor fingers warm.

Ahh, autumn. She’s arrived, in all of her colorful glory and gale-force winds. Not to mention crisp air and clear, cold nights that make hot chocolate taste that much better.

Other things to love about autumn:
1. The boys in the bands don’t swelter in their leather jackets.
2. Some of them put their summer-weight denim vests over their leathers altogether.
3. They don’t look dorky for wearing jeans All. The. Time.
4. Mitchell begins insisting the band be booked in hotels with indoor pools. As the band gets more popular and able to afford these hotels anyway, he has to switch gears and demand outdoor pools during the warmer months.
5. The guys don’t swelter under their long hair.
6. There’s always one night when one of the ShapeShifter guys says, “Remember the night we played that bonfire in the woods?”
7. Since it rarely snows in Riverview, autumn means that snow’s coming. Which means the boys will have a snowball fight or two.
8. Or ten.
9. Autumn is when the invitations to the summer festivals begin rolling in.
10. Every now and then, the promoter will serve chili or stew for dinner.
11. Halloween and its costumes.
12. Halloween and its candy.
13. And one thing not to love — a lot of the girls cover up those gorgeous, long legs for the season

Well, it was overdue, I suppose. But the quietest book release in the world is finally starting to pick up some steam — and attention. I really think The Demo Tapes: Year 2 is better than Year 1. You should read them and see for yourself.

Holly Christine, over at the Pittsburgh Books Examiner, had a few things to say.

With the drop of a puck last night, my Pittsburgh Penguins went from being the Stanley Cup champions to being the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Get the distinction? I sure do.

I’ll be brave and come out and say it: although I had goosebumps last night when those white curtains dropped and there sat Lord Stanley’s Cup at center ice (an iconic spot in and of itself), so long as the Penguins bring me entertaining hockey, I don’t care if they repeat.

However, entertaining hockey usually involves a win for my team.

Think about that, too. *wink*

(For you people reading me via your feed readers, you may want to click through and check the sticky post about the 10% sale on Demo Tapes. I’ve widened the offer!)

First off, open this link in a new tab. I’m guest blogging over at Beth’s Book Review Blog. And yep, a lucky commenter will win a free digital download (that’s an e-book) from Smashwords.com.

If you’re an old-timer around here, you might recognize some of these places in my fictional city of Riverview, USA. I’ve had to create some new places of late for some bigger stuff I’ve been working on, so I thought I’d share.

1. Java Bird — this is Lyric’s favorite coffee shop. It’s in walking distance from her shop (which you should all know about by now!) and she’s hooked. Addicted.

2. Fit Riverview — the city’s best chain of exclusive, yuppie, snotty health clubs. A number of the Riverview Otters belong there. There are four around the city, and each one is host to the city’s best after-work basketball team.

3. Baked With Love — corny name, great croissants.

4. Riverview Central Municipal Library — created for our Thirteen friend Celtic Librarian. Wait until you hear the story behind this place… you’ll have to wait until it figures into a longer piece, sad to say. (for you. And me, who needs the time to create it!)

5. Arts Unlimited — the arts supply store near Lyric’s shop. Kerri often shops there; in fact, most of the students at the Riverview Art Academy shop there. Sergei, the owner, gives nice discounts to long-time shoppers.

6. The Old-Fashioned Dime Shop — Just what it’s name says it is. If you can’t find it here, it doesn’t exist. Or else it costs a fortune. Because of their proximity to Lyric’s shop (next door!), they do a hefty business in batteries.

7. The Rocket Theater — the former drag queen only club, it’s slowly being converted into a venue for live rock music. If you’ve been to The Fillmore in San Francisco, you get an idea of what the concert hall is like. Complete with chandeliers.

8. Vic’s Vinyl — a record store that Mitchell used to hang out in. Vic, the owner, is one cool chick: half her face has a tattoo of a butterfly on it. A black, purple, blue, and magenta butterfly that’s angry and evil. Vic is a punk through-and-through, but her store’s as diverse as the rest of Riverview. (I have yet to do anything with this place except create it, but won’t it be fun to play with?)

9. All Access — You know those clubs that are guaranteed to have the cops show up? The ones that smell so badly of every bodily fluid imaginable (and some you haven’t thought of), of smoke, of beer — yeah, All Access smells so bad, you can smell it outside. People die inside All Access. It only holds about 200 people — 250 on a good night — but playing a show there gets you all the bragging rights you could want.

10. Elite Threads — a designer men’s clothing store. Our ShapeShifter boys shop there. Sometimes. (They do NOT do Trevor’s leather pants) It’s a bit too business-oriented, a bit too yuppie. Eric often finds clothes to wear to his father’s church there. Since, you know. Dad doesn’t appreciate ShapeShifter t-shirts on a Sunday morning.

11. I can’t let the opportunity go by without mentioning one of my favorite places in Riverview: Big Buck’s Best Barbecue. His Bodacious Sauce is legendary.

12. Zuckerman’s Famous Pig — Yeah, I might get sued for that one, but c’mon. What ELSE would you call a kosher deli????

13. The Slaughterhouse. More on this one to come. Much, much more.

Whee! I was named one of the Editor’s Picks in the new EasyStreet Prompts Carnival of Writing and Art. They were kind enough to send me a lovely image, so I’ll have the Tour Manager get that up. In the meantime, though, check out what else made the cut. Think about submitting something yourself, why don’t you?

The piece I won the praise for was Robin Hood, featuring Lyric and the dude in green. If you missed it, be sure to check it out. I think it’s going to launch a new feature around here: Lyric’s Customers. But first, I need the time to write this new series.

Also, if you missed me last week at Savvy Verse and Wit, go see what I have to say about size mattering. And yeah, we’re not letting Trevor put his two cents in (because we all know what he’d say. Admit it.). And yep, you can enter to win a digital download of either Demo Tapes book.

And lastly, tomorrow (Wednesday), be sure to stop by Beth’s Book Review Blog. I’m guest posting about … something. Yep, this is way too close to the wire for my liking. You’ll like it. AND have another chance to win a digital copy of either Demo Tapes book!

And with that, I’m out of here. I, umm, have a guest post to write!

I’ve gotta give props to the guys at Metal Sucks. They sure get their hands on cool stuff, that I can then share with you guys.

So I do.

And I am.

This latest is … I don’t know. Musically, it sort of reminds me of Iron Maiden. I suppose if I were a proper metalhead, I’d snicker at the penchant of the band to dress in period clothes.

Or maybe dressing in period clothes is VERY metal and I’m cool enough to admit it.

Whatever. The simple fact is that this band — the Metal Shakespeare Company — has set the works of the much-lauded William Shakespeare to metal music.

The more complex fact (as opposed to the simple fact in the last paragraph) reads like this (lifted shamelessly from their website):

A Metal Shakespeare Company show is about 70% metal and 30% theater. In addition to guitar harmonies, there are duels. With swords. Audience participation has included public readings of the bard and public executions.

By all that’s holy, this is one band I’ve GOT to see. Let me know if you manage to beat me to them.

And while we’re on the subject of cool shit, let me add this cool coloring book to the mix. The Indie Rock Coloring Book, that is. Thanks to Lindsay for showing it to me, so I can show it to you. It’s the same price as the Demo Tapes, you’ll notice. So if you want to get me a present and you’ve already bought multiple copies of The Demo Tapes (truly the best present you can give me), grab one of these. Or two and keep one for yourself. Or three. I’ll swap you a copy of The Demo Tapes (autographed!) for one.

I have all sorts of other cool stuff to share with you, and I will. But first:

Visit with me over at Savvy Verse and Wit today. Size doesn’t matter to THIS girl. Good thing; I know what Trevor looks like inside those leathers of his. The rest of the band, too, come to think of it.

And what’s that??? A PICTURE?? Of SUSAN????

Well, I wish I could say it was someone I paid to sit at my desk. Look carefully for the cat; he’s, of course, there. Hard to see, but in the picture nonetheless. (Yes, look at the cat. Not at me.)

I’ll be giving away a free digital copy of The Demo Tapes. You can pick if you’d like Year 1 or Year 2.

And for those of you with a quiet Friday night (at least Friday night Eastern Time), come join me tonight on Book Chatter!

I’ve never done this, either. I’ve done radio before; I’m licensed by the FCC, in fact. (My license was granted December 24, 19xx. I always figured if I celebrated Christmas, that was an unbeatable present) But to call in and talk about my books?

New ground.

Come join me. I really hate talking to myself.

In honor of the number seven…

1. It’s the minimum number of times Mitchell drops the f-bomb during a concert.

2. It’s the maximum number of times Mitchell calls the crowd pussies.

3. If you cloned the guys, you’d get seven. That’s because Trevor’s such an original, they truly broke the mode. He’s un-clone-able. So we’d have two of everyone else… and still too much of the one and only Trevor F. Wolff.

4. It’s the number of basses Trevor owns.

5. It’s the number of months Trevor spent rebuilding his Vincent (that’s a motorcycle, folks).

6. It’s the number of continents. However, no one’s played Antarctica, so it’s NOT the number of continents that ShapeShifter’s played.

7. Seven is a prime number. Believed by many to be lucky. We’ll leave this one as is.

8. It’s the number of drum sticks, on average, Daniel breaks during one week of recording.

9. It’s the minimum number of friends in the dressing room before it’s a true after-show party.

10. Seven pieces of ShapeShifter lore:
The Wall of Fame (bras)
Band going for ice cream after a show
Steal the guys’ undies!
The parties. Oh, the parties.
and the hangovers. Nothing’s more exquisite.
Who’ll do more than sign underneath your bra, ifyougetwhatImean.
Mitchell is unable to smile. (So says the lore.)

11. It’s the number of hits you get out of one of Eric’s hand-rolled beauties.

12. It’s the number of ShapeShifter albums on the Discography page.

13. It’s… it’s… it’s personal. And it’s good. Seven. Hot damn.

Please bear with me, guys. I’ve got a ton of stuff to tell you about.

First off, today was the Bridgewater Book Fest. What a well-run, well-attended event! Thanks to organizers Val and Cassie Brkich for a great afternoon. I got to hang out with my friend Holly Christine and her awesome husband as we chatted with the attendees. Be sure to check Holly out, if you haven’t already. She rocks.

HUGE thanks from me to the Tour Manager, who got up at 6AM with me on a Saturday morning (earlier than we usually get up). To his parents, who invited our kids into their house for a sleepover. To MY parents, who came down to the event to see me, and to my best friend Bridget, who I can always count on to take care of me. I was especially touched that my dad came with his camera and bought Holly’s book. (Holly’s mom bought a copy of Demo Tapes: Year 1 from me. Cool, huh?)

Also a big thanks and a big plug to Annette Dashofy and the lovely Pennwriters who were hanging with her. Annette and I had each other’s promo material and were helping steer traffic to each other. That’s the sign of a classy writer’s group. Even if you’re not in Pennsylvania, you can be a Pennwriter.

NOW. Onto more good stuff. (Whee!)

1. Demo Tapes 2 is now available at Lulu.com. In fact, if you’d like to buy a copy from them (a sales contest is now going on), here’s a 10% off coupon for you to use: Click “Buy” and enter code ‘LULUBOOK’ at checkout.

(If you’d rather save the postage ’cause Lulu charges a lot, and let me get a higher royalty rate at the same time, drop me an e-mail. I can autograph books, too!)

2. Calling all e-book/digital readers! I’m now on Smashwords! You can download BOTH Demo Tapes books in a variety of formats, including for the Kindle.

3. Demo Tapes: Year 2 is NOT available in the Kindle store yet. Hopefully this week.

4. Want a review copy of either Demo Tapes book? If you’ll read a digital copy, holler. I currently have no money to send out print copies.

5. Not helping the royalty/money situation, but definitely good for the karma and the “do the right thing” standpoint, Smashwords has begun an Operation eBook Drop for deployed servicemen and -women. The agreement is that we authors send the servicemen a coupon for a free copy of our books and they… read our books on their digital devices. If you’ve got a Smashwords account, or have the ability to make your book available through Smashwords, please join in. Readers are precious people and our servicefolk are even more precious. I don’t have to get all patriotic and political here, do I?

Whew. I think that’s it. I’ll be back soon with this week’s Sunday Scribblings, which is TATTOO. Tailor made for this rocker chick, huh? (and nope, no pictures of mine!)

Ever notice how you can pick out a friend’s back across a crowded room, even if everyone in the room’s wearing the same uniform?

It’s the hair

Color

Style

Their posture

Shoulders up, chest lifted

Shoulders in

Hips canted to one side

The set of the jaw, or the jawline itself

Do they talk with their hands?

Do they fidget?

Favor one leg?

If they’re wearing heels, do they rock one foot forward and anchor that heel into the ground?

Attitude.

Think about it. What makes you recognize someone? What lets your friends recognize you?

Hey, guys, once you’ve gotten your fill of Trevor, Mitchell, Amy, and the contents of Mitchell’s suitcase (and if you missed Trevor’s Word of the Moment earlier this week, you might want to go catch up and weigh in with your thoughts), be sure to stop over at Alice’s Restaurant.

Yep, I’m hanging with my good friend Alice Audrey today. Come join us.

1. 3 PM.

2. Time for my daily bike ride.

3. I’m coming down the street toward a stop sign.

4. Car coming the other way. We both slow. He stops. I don’t have to. Yet. Don’t want to, really.

5. I’m wearing a light blue jersey. Black shorts.

6. My bike’s red. Pink handlebar tape.

7. Nothing metal about me.

8. The guy in the white car sticks a hand out his window.

9. “Uh-oh,” I think. “Here it comes.”

10. Because every bicyclist has tales of encountering assholes.

(not that we’re all perfect, ourselves.)

11. He leans toward his open window as he drives past.

12. Yells, “Slayer!”

13. The only thing I can think is, “Dude, if you only knew!”

Does my voice here remind anyone of a certain Roadie Poet? Wild.

I found this great post and since The Demo Tapes: Year 2 is coming out on September 12, I thought I’d call your attention to it.

I’d change one thing, though and that’s Point #3. Yeah, it’s great if you take the ISBN number from either book of mine and carry it to your nearest bookstore and order it. That’s a great way to make a bookseller aware of me and the Trevolution. You might make new fans along the way, and that’s always a good thing.

BUT. Here’s the thing. My royalty rate slides. If you buy the books directly from me, I get the most moolah. That’s helpful because I have to front the cash to buy the books — which eats into my profits. Plus, you can get an autograph.

If you buy the books from Lulu.com, I get the next-highest royalty. The payment on the download is higher than on the print copy. I think Smashwords, once I get the store open, will fall into this next area, as well.

And finally, there’s what I get from bookstores. Ready? For Demo Tapes 1, I get sixty-six cents. For Demo Tapes 2, I get fifty cents. PER BOOK.

So… something to keep in mind.

Now, books published by the big publishing houses don’t follow these royalty rates. These numbers are unique to people like me, people off the mainstream radar.

But it’s something to keep in mind when you buy books. As is the rest of that post. If you love an author, there are easy things you can do to help him/her/me out. We’d love it if you’d try.