So Many Books, So Little Time

First of all, let's hear a round of wild applause for Daisy Whitney! She graciously led a beginner's YA class here, and I, for one, am much wiser for it. In addition to her instruction, she sent me five YA books to read:

The Opposite of Love and After You by Julie Bauxbaum; Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott, Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers, and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. As soon as I finish Allison Winn Scotch's Time of My Life and my own new YA novel, I'm going to dive in to these tasty gems headfirst.

THIS WEEK:
We actually played two "shows" (and I use the term "show" loosely) this week. The first was at my honey's work, and the second was last night when we had the good fortune to play the Diving Cat Studio & Gallery again. The picture on the left is me waiting for our roadies to come help haul in the equipment where my honey works. Oh, wait! I forgot. We are the roadies!

The other pics are from the Diving Cat. Have I told you how amazing that place is? I haven't? Well, it's amazing! We tried out some new/old songs like "Heaven" by the Psychedelic Furs and "Never Comes the Day" by the Moody Blues. Here I am with my friend, Joanne's cowboy hat. What do you think, should I move to Wyoming and buy a horse? No? You guys are smarter than I give you credit for.

IN OTHER NEWS...
I'm plowing through my YA novel at breakneck speed, however I'm up to a very delicate point in the story. The main character, who has a particular gift/power just found out her boyfriend has a power that could weaken or even kill her. She has to decide whether or not to go forward with the relationship and how to keep his power at bay. Plus, there's the matter of New Year's Eve and the Senior Prom. You have to have a date for things like that, right? Damn, life can get complicated! (Yup, that's my son, Ethan, and his beautiful girlfriend Meghan at their prom in May. Please don't ask me what was up with the Unibomber shades...)

IN EVEN MORE NEWS...
I'm heading to Denver on Tuesday for a whirlwind week with my family. I'll finally get to meet my new niece, Devyn Rae, and fawn all over her. I'm duly prepared with a few choice additions to her already Paris Hilton-rivaling wardrobe. Also, my family and I will be entertaining my parents on Saturday night at a party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The theme is the 1950's, so be prepared to see pics of me in a poodle skirt upon my return. (By "prepared," I mean you may want to slip something 40-proof in your coffee before viewing the pics. Don't say I didn't warn you.) I'll also be having lunch with some writing types including the woman who led a workshop at the Backspace Conference in May, my editor on a previous novel, and possibly an agent.

Also, I'm hoping to have another very special guest appearance on my blog in the next week or so, so stay tuned for that...

So, tell me, my friends, what books are you reading or looking forward to reading?

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Still No Video, But...

We just got back from another successful gig at the Diving Cat. Markels, the owner, had a beautiful spread of food, the crowd was consistent throughout the night, and the weather was beautiful right until we finished hauling all the equipment back into our car - then we got a massive downpour with the most spectacular lightening storm we've ever seen!

We also added a few songs to set list including "Air that I Breathe" by The Hollies, "Seasons of Wither" by Aerosmith, "Races are Run" by Stevie Nicks (from Buckingham Nicks) and "Man on the Moon" by REM.

Here's a picture of Markels creating a glass bead. She's SUCH an amazing artist!!! (This shot was taken through a glass window. Pretty cool, huh?)

Sorry, still no video, but here are a few more pics from the show:

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Diving Back In

It's true, the beautiful Markels (that's her with Chuck and I at our last gig) owner of the Diving Cat Studio and Gallery has lost her mind. The evidence? She's asked us to perform there again in honor of her buying the building the gallery's located in. Since we're idiots, we agreed. Why are we idiots some of you who are newer to this blog, and therefore, understandably more naive, may ask? Because I've not come up for air long enough to eat or take a shower in the past month due to insane editing, and Chuck's been crazy busy at his work as well. Therefore, no time to rehearse. When I mentioned this to my son, Ethan, he said, "What do you mean you have no time to rehearse? You guys have been practicing together for over 25 years!" Good point. From the mouths of babes, or in this case, a 17-year old genius. (Unbiased opinion from the genius's mom.)

So, here we go again, folks! Saturday night in downtown Phoenixville, PA, the one and only KARMA CHAIN will perform live at the Diving Cat Studio and Gallery. Come one, come all, and remember - the more you drink, the better we sound.;-)

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Ready to Rock!

OK, I know this sounds a bit crazy, but Chuck and I - collectivelly known as Karma Chain - are reincarnating our musical partnership. Hopefully, we were well-behaved enough in our past lives (NOT!) that we don't bomb miserably in this one. (uh-oh...) We'll be performing this coming Friday night at the Diving Cat Studio in Phoenixville, PA. The place is tres cool and the owner, Markels, is a brilliant artist. She makes jewelry, her own breathtaking glass beads, sculpts, and gives art classes. She's also a cat freak, which makes her especially cool.

Chuck and I have a small PA system and we're working on the set list. Back in "the day" that would have been 99.9% originals - we'd throw in a obscure song by X or Fleetwood Mac (yes, they have obscure songs - how many of you have heard Fireflies? And if you have, that means you're a hard-core Mac fan and I'm tres impressed!) However, for this special gig - and it is special - it's the studio's one-year anniversary at their killer location on Main Street, a place that has undergone a total facelift over the last few years - we will be playing about 1/3 originals and 2/3 covers. We're going to do a lot of Beatles, Fleetwood Mac (of course!), Wallflowers, Neil Young, and Cat Stevens, and a bunch of random songs we love: Shelter by Lone Justice; Why? by Christine McVie (pre-Stevie and Lindsey FM); I Need You by America; Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House; Lodi by CCR; Dead Flowers by The Rolling Stones; and Sullivan Street by the Counting Crows. Maybe later in the week I'll post the final set list, in case those of you living in say India, Canada, or Australia (you know who you are) might want to hop on cheaptickets.com and see what RT airfares are to Philly these days.

In the meantime, I hope your weekend is fun, cozy, and filled with great music!

Your ever-humble novelist/poetess/rock princess.... Debbie Schubert aka Jamie Keys!

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Universal Growth & Evolution

"Keep on rocking, baby girl!"

Who knew that would be part of the last line to my novel, "Sparks Fly Sometimes?" I sure didn't. But, there it is. The final word count is about 74K - my goal was 72.5. I am so thrilled to be done! Of course, I've already started re-editing, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how few changes I'm making. I have one question, which I'll probably discuss with any agents who are interested, regarding whether to keep or delete my second chapter highlighting my mc's days as a high-school cheerleader and losing her virginity. Although, it's one of my favorites, I'm not sure if it should remain as strictly back story. Any suggestions?

Hamsa
Last night Chuck and I went out with our dear friends, Keith and Joanne. After a delicious dinner of French crepes and Chilean Carmenere wine, we stopped in at an amazing shop in Phoenixville called The Diving Cat Studio, http://divingcatstudio.com/. As a gift for completing my book, Chuck bought me a silver bracelet with a Hamsa or Kabbalistic Hand on it representing a protective energy that attracts good luck, happiness, riches and good health. In the middle of the hand is a spiral reflecting universal growth and evolution. It is stunning in its simplicity and meaning. I will treasure it as a gift from my soul mate, and wear it as a way to attract good luck for my writing.

What are some of the rituals, superstitions or routines you do with regards to your writing?

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