Tuesday Musings...The Dance

How To Deal...Bellyance Drama

Bellydance has meant so many different things to me over the years.
The first time I saw it, I was a little girl hanging out (or so I thought...turns out I had a really cool babysitter) with a friend of my Mom's who just happened to teach bellydance at the college while she was in classes herself.  I loved the smiles on the ladies faces, and the fact that I was allowed to dance with them?  Wowsa. 
Thus began my love affair with the dance...
Years later, I had almost forgotten my love affair.  Life had gotten in the way, and I had forgotten that side of me that longed to create and enjoy myself.  Until a friend begged me to take a class at a local rec center.
It felt like I woke up and became me again.  (Now, don't get me wrong.  I've done theater, which was one of the best times of my life.  I have skills - you should see me paint a set floor or carve a carousel horse of of foam - and friends for life, but that too ran it's course.) 
To me, bellydance has meant women coming together in support of one another (try shimmying for the first time...it will get you giggling with the girls, trust me!) in a safe place, appreciating their bodies, and one another.  Bringing together a sense of community (sounds strange, right?) by sharing the dance not only for joy but helping others.  Bellydancers love fundraising events.  And then there is the art itself, and sharing that with others.
I didn't become a bellydancer to become famous, which I am so not.  The reason I mention this is that it reflects my agenda, if you will.  I want to dance with my "sisters," teach, and make myself the best I can be.  And enjoy, laugh, and create!
Suddenly, this beautiful art form has become stressful.  Sadly, and I won't go into many details, there is an element that has reared it's oddly uncomfortable head. 
What kind of shows we perform at, and what we do and why.
The feeling at the heart of our dance, since the beginning, has coincided with my feelings of the dance.  This is why I dance with the ladies, but...new members bring in new energies.  That I'm not exactly comfortable with, and not sure how to deal with.  Everyone takes something different from their experiences, and I'm trying to remember that. 
Instead of flying of the immediate handle (I've raged in my mind...it's like my baby, you know?), I've decided to channel that into creation.
New choreo, here I come.  I hope you're ready for me...

Tuesday Musings...Lucky

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you," he whispered.
"Lucky them."

Darkest Mercy, Melissa Marr

Without a doubt, Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series is a favorite...

Five Things I Love About Comic Con

I admit it, I've spent most of this past weekend either pouting like the sad little fan girl/geeky mess I am over not being at Comic Con this year.  But, thanks partially to twitter (um, Wil Wheaton and his gorgeous wife, Aspen Comics, the Nerdist, Felicia Day, and many, many others!!) I at least felt like maybe, just maybe I could have been a somewhat blind and semi-deaf fly on the wall.
Especially considering that the Whedonverse opened its loving arms to the ten year anniversary of Firefly...

So, in lovingly somewhat pouting deference to all things Comic Con, here's Five Things I Love...Comic Con style.

1.) Costumes.  The best (or at least most memorable for me!) group I ever had the pleasure of experiencing happened just as I was entering my first San Diego Comic Con.  What could be better than a whole family making their way in, complete with Imperial Soldiers, a Jedi Knight, and...wait for it...two little Jawas!!!  I squealed and knew, one day, that this had to happen for me.  (Second was the actual life size Wolverine.)  Sadly, I  missed the picture opportunity.

2.)  This is my most favorite experience.  Ever.  Chicago Wizard World a few years back...the panels were all sold out (free tickets, but you get the picture), but my husband, being the awesomeness that made me marry him (and give him grief when I feel the situation is dire!), snuck us in to a Joss Whedon panel just in time to hear the unaired episode story that to this day, makes  me tear up.  Let's just say it involves Buffy, some gorgeous leather boots, Willow...and Tara.  Oh, and saving the world.

3,) Done the Impossible...the DVD that chronicles not only Serenity's fan driven passionate following of all things shiny, but documented the fact that I was, in fact, at San Diego Comic Con,  Right behind Joss Whedon.  (I'm in there somewhere...giggle.)  This leads me add the whole fact that geeks (this is a complimentary word, I assure you) can gather and feel totally amped about a cancelled show.

4.)  This year, it was the Firefly Ten Year Anniversary panel...and the tweets that allowed me to sniff back those tears along with the rest of you...

5.)  Being able to geek out with your favorite artist/creator/geek/actor.  Connection on a level that only happens when the Comic Con beckons.

This list is far from complete, and I'm sure I could add more, but I forced myself to pick five.  For now...

New Review! The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter

From Amazon.com:
Possessed by the demon of Promiscuity, immortal warrior Paris is irresistibly seductive—but his potent allure comes at a terrible price. Every night he must bed someone new, or weaken and die. And the woman he craves above all others is the one woman he'd thought was forever beyond his reach…until now.
Newly possessed by the demon of Wrath, Sienna Blackstone is racked by a ruthless need to punish those around her. Yet in Paris's arms, the vulnerable beauty finds soul-searing passion and incredible peace. Until a blood feud between ancient enemies heats up.
Will the battle against gods, angels and creatures of the night bind them eternally—or tear them apart?

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The first time I picked up a Gena Showalter book, I was hooked.  Sexy demon possessed misunderstood yumminess combined with female characters that lead the way for strong not to be afraid of who they are awesomeness.  (Yep, gushing.  Unabashedly.)  With each and every turn of the page, each new installment, the addiction rooted itself deeper into my hot little hands.  Add to this that each Lord of the Underworld has their own demon that makes each and every one of them memorable and incredibly sexy as well as unique.  Recipe for a fabulous book vacation.
And who did we all want to see more than anyone get his own book?  Paris, the keeper of promiscuity.  The one whose story threaded its way through each and every installment, from the tiniest glimpses, to the heartbreak and loss of Sienna.
Enter The Darkest Seduction....
Admittedly, when Sienna first entered the picture early on, it was not entirely unexpected.  Serious face, the enemy would be the one that Paris' demon would allow in for seconds...thirds...you get the picture. 
The chance to finally get Paris his own novel...sigh.
Without a doubt, it's a wonderful thing to get to revisit with old friends.  Catch up with what's been happening in their lives.  You know, your friends get married, hook up, start having lil demons.  The get togethers become less frequent...so, it's great when something happens to throw you all together again to catch up!
Even if your buddy has a new girl (you think) who is dead, possessed by Wrath, has wings, and just may be the end of all things you know.  (And don't forget the pregnant with twins mama, due at any moment, the new found female with her need to see herself everywhere, and we still have some questions about William.  Like, what's in that awesome conditioner, and where do I buy it?)
The hardest thing to digest about The Darkest Seduction?  Honestly, the being stuck down there for most of the story with the gang or up there (I hesitate to name either!) for a quick drink or two made this installment feel different from the rest of the Lord's stories.  Sienna is at once hard to like yet there is something about her that you love.  She knows she's done wrong, and switched sides when she finally knows the truth.  The Lords and their demons aren't responsible for the human races problems; they may just be holding on and helping keep somethings to a minimum.  Humans, just like the Lords and Gods/Goddesses, are each responsible in some way for their actions.
Hardest for me to get through, however, were her wings (the logistics kept getting in the way of my imagination.  Or maybe because of it!) and her invisibility (once again, logistics.  Yep, she's dead, but she has Wrath and those wings...and Paris looks crazy like that guy who wears his blue tooth, but you don't know he's wearing it?).   The prophecies always seemed to have loopholes, but everyone sees those differently and therefore reacts differently. 
Loved seeing everyone come together, and these scenes were actually my favorite...the Lords are so easily distinguishable from one another and memorable that you don't need a refresher to remind yourself who they are.  And their females?  The best girl's night out you could possibly imagine....Magi Mike, anyone?
While it wasn't my favorite novel of the Lords of the Underworld, I wouldn't kick out of bed for eating crackers.  And the conclusion of The Darkest Seduction was satisfying yet kept me wanting more...plus, who wouldn't love another reunion?

Tuesday Musings...Afraid of the Dark?

"I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses."

Nietzsche

(Photo by Pixie Vision, featuring Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes, and Mardi Love.  Not owned by blogger, but adored not only for the art that it is, but the gorgeous bellydancers within.)



Cover Reveal! The Artist's Inheritance by Juli D. Revezzo

The Artist's Inheritance

When Caitlin and Trevor settle into their new home, strange changes come over Trevor. He grows obsessed with a beautiful chair he’s carving.

Then nightmares deepen and ghostly manifestations call to Caitlin. She knows something’s not right, and not just her new found precognitive abilities. It’s the damned chair, she’s sure. Is it merely a mundane piece of furniture? If so, why is it attracting dark forces—forces brought about by an ancestral curse? The same dark forces that drove Trevor’s siblings to insanity and suicide.

Before Trevor's obsession leads to something far more deadly, Caitlin must convince him to sell the chair. But armed with only a handful of allies, and little experience of the supernatural, she must proceed with caution against the gathering hellish forces. If she succeeds, she will break their family’s ancestral curse. If she fails, she may lose forever the one person she cares about most: her beloved Trevor.

To check out Julianne's Amazon page, click here.

Other ways to find her (or as I like to say, stalk *wink*):
Twitter @juliannewrites
Site: http://harshadpassion.wordpress.com/
Book Blog: http://tarnishedgaslamps.wordpress.com/
tumblir: http://jdrevezzo.tumblr.com/

A self publishing author (an incredibly daunting task!), I'm so excited to follow Julianne's journey and share it with you! Look out for it in Mid-August!

Tuesdays Musings...Learning to Fly

A sentimental favorite, and so smart for a lil guy.

"The more you try, the more you fly, and that's what really counts."

                                                                                                        Roo from Winnie the Pooh