I probably ought not be posting at 3 am, as I was in what Mr. Wood might call “a mood” all day today. (Y’know one of those scenes where it’s like one long string of shatterkissed stubbed fingers from morning ’til night? Like that.)

(Whatever, it’s over.)

So, Lindsay Miller is a talented photographer and beautiful soul living in Tucson, AZ, which is where all the cool peeps seem to be living these days. (Waitaminute - what am I talking about? My peeps been there for years. Oh yeah, 3 a.m.)

Lindsay has been working her way through portrait-ing nearly all of Kendall’s new certified coaches, because we all love her and she is just “wicked good,” as we say up North (i.e., nowhere near Arizona). So when I was in Tucson a few weeks ago, I dropped by her studio for new Marketing Goddess shots…

I did not, however, make it over to Endicott West. BAH. Better planning next time. (No worries - at least 2 visits to Tucson in the offing in 2010, so there.)

Photo shoots are interesting. I was telling Seth last week that once upon a time (think 2001, 2002), I had the magic touch, shall we say, for hold-the-camera-out-in-front-of-you-style Internet shots. (You know, the kind that end up on a Warren Ellis message board.) Somewhere along the line, however - I think it may have been shortly before or after I quit my soul-sucking job - such photos sunk into the unflattering depths.

Vestiges of the descent can still be found on my Flickr feed here and there, though I made most of them private and deleted a bunch of others. Now, when I want to mark time, I have the professionals do it.

Anyway, back to “interesting.” When Lindsay’s shots came in, I sent them around to several trusted advisers for their learned opinions. I received about a zillion opinions. There was no consistent thread to said opinions at all. My favorite is actually this one, which I think one other person liked. (Okay, maybe two.)

One of the “gorgeous coaches” said I looked wistful. I don’t get that at all. I’m just marveling at how Lindsay managed to capture that expression, when I don’t think anyone else ever has, ever. Go, Lindsay.

On my personal agenda for 2010: headshots with Peter Hurley.

Wow. I do believe that these past 2 months is The Longest I’ve Gone Without Posting since starting my blogging back in (meep!) 2002. (First with Livejournal, then at the now-defunct support-your-local-busker.com, and now here.)

The radio silence has been quite deliberate. For one thing, things always start to feel a little crufty around the edges when my Wordpress install gets outdated, as it is now. (As it becomes approximately 5 minutes after I update the damn thing - like I can ever win this one.)

For another, let’s just say that there’s a part of me that just wants to wipe the whole blogging slate clean and start over. That’s a reflection of how I feel on the inside these days.

Clean, that is. Free of various and sundry head trash that had been cluttering up the joint.

This clean feeling is a good thing. But oddly, whenever it goes down, I tend to want to write less. About myself, anyway.

Anyway. Coming out of self-imposed hibernation, maintenant. To celebrate, we took some new pictures at church last week (a.k.a. The New York Public Library’s 42nd Street branch). Here’s one - click to see it bigger:

More here. (By Seth Kushner, but of course, who is up to some lovely things - check out his blog.)

“Where do I go to write a story? I don’t. I just sit here, waiting and waiting and waiting til the story begins to come to me. Then I sit very, very, very still and try not to scare it off. If I grab at it, it might run under the sofa and hide, or escape entirely. Stories are like feral kittens. You have to be very patient and careful and quiet and put out little bits of chicken on the floor.”

If you’ve hung around me for any length of time (reading this blog counts) and we’ve talked about story (ditto), you’ve undoubtedly heard me use the feral kitten metaphor at least once - it’s one of my favorites.

Well, yesterday, while on a “thinking walk” (or “writing walk,” depending on my mood) in Prospect Park, I saw a real feral kitten.

Truth be told, she probably wasn’t feral - not completely. Yet. More like just abandoned. But she was TINY. I’m no kitten expert, but from her size, I’d say she couldn’t have been more than 6 weeks old. And she looked at me with a kind of quiet resignation that contained either the will to survive, or a will that had given up. (I couldn’t tell which.)

Of course, I wanted to catch her.

We started with the stare down, which quickly grew boring for both of us. Not having any chicken, I held out my hand and made those annoying clucking sounds, which all animals know really means, “Come here, so I can have my way with you.”

She wasn’t having any of it. She sat comfortably on a log about 10 feet away, a barrier of green bush and brush between us, staring blankly (with a side of victory).

After another stare down (in which my mind turns this feral-kitten-catching thing into a test, like the kind given by researchers who have something to prove, and frantically searches for answers) I decide that there are only two possibilities. Either she runs deeper into the woods or I can maneuver her into running out onto the asphalt footpath, where I might have a fighting chance.

5 minutes later, she is gone, and I am calling Leland to tell him that I have ruined a perfectly good pair of yoga pants.

Maybe I’ll bring chicken next time. Or maybe not. Perhaps feral kittens choose us, in that divinely inspired way, not the other way around.

I think stories are kind of like that.

Picture is from The Cat Connection - i.e., NOT the feral kitten I saw (I didn’t have my camera with me).

There’s this…

Esoteric New York City—Madame Blavatsky’s New York
Michael Gomes
In 1875, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky brought together the occultists, kabbalists, esotericists and spiritualists of New York to form the Theosophical Society to recover the mysteries of antiquity. Theosophical historian Michael Gomes will speak on Blavatsky’s New York, identifying the individuals involved, our spiritual ancestors, as well as providing some of Blavatsky’s untranslated Russian writings on life in New York at the time, including her predictions for the potential future of Thomas Edison’s new invention, the phonograph.

And this…

Esoteric New York City—Occult New York
Mitch Horowitz
Join us for a discussion of the esoteric personas and unusual episodes in New York history that shaped the nation’s alternative spiritual culture. Topics include the Russian mage and one-time New Yorker Helena Petrovna Blavatsky; eighteenth-century spirit medium Jemima Wilkinson, who rose to prominence as the nation’s first female religious leader in 1776; the “Poughkeepsie Seer,” Andrew Jackson Davis, who popularized Mesmerism, or hypnotism, in the 1840s; and the enormously influential mystical thinker Mother Ann Lee, who founded the Shakers in upstate New York at the dawn of the American revolution.

Then THIS (!!)…

Esoteric New York City Walking Tour
Mitch Horowitz
Here is a unique opportunity to discover little-known highlights of New York City’s underground spiritual legacy. Sites of interest include: a Swedenborgian church that was a wellspring of mystical ideas in America in the mid-19th century; the Masonic Hall where Civil War colonel Henry Steel Olcott presided over a controversial “pagan funeral”; The Lamasery, which housed the famed salon of the Theosophical Society; Grand Central Station, a virtual temple of occult imagery; and Pershing Square, named after the World War I general who patronized the works of Manly P. Hall. This tour offers a lively and up-close overview of the “secret history” found right in our own neighborhoods.

Leland: “Sweetheart, that’s the weekend you’re at Kendall’s thing.”
Me: “Don’t you DARE harsh my mellow…”

Close call.

Of course, I’d already pre-ordered this:

I think I might pass out.

Also, I’d just like to point out that Mr. Horowitz’s Success Classics series include New Thought entrepreneurial faves Think And Grow Rich, The Science Of Getting Rich and The Master Key System, among others. (See? My worlds collide yet again.)

(I should also probably note that I have NOT pre-ordered the latest Dan Brown…)

She was referring to Kris’ celebrated and bestselling Book Of Goddesses, which then became her celebrated and bestselling Goddess Tarot. While of course I’d been feeling the stirrings and hearing the call for years, I still had yet to really dive into my study of Western esoteric traditions.

Shortly after that reading, I bought Kris’ book. I can tell you exactly where I was and how I felt when I flipped through - okay, devoured - her gorgeous images for the first time. Little did I know that years later I would be giving readings with her deck in her own studio. (Somebody pinch me!)

Now, Kris is celebrating the release of her bestselling Goddess Tarot as an iPhone application. I’m grateful that she took a little time out to answer a few questions for me. (Artists and writers, take notes on question #2.)

I’m always fascinated by how other artists come to their craft. How did you get started drawing, painting, art-making?

For as long as I can remember I’ve liked to write, draw, and make things. I have a memory of myself as a five-year-old attempting to set type with a typewriter — I was distressed that I couldn’t make it look like the printed text in a book. So that was my first lesson in font design. Around that same time, I was gifted with a wonderful Golden Book edition of King Arthur illustrated by Gustaf Tengren; this served for many hours of inspiration. My local library also held an annual contest where children drew posters of their favorite books. I made one for The Wizard of Oz and, to my delight, won second prize. I suppose that could be considered my start as an illustrator.

You know I’m a big admirer of your art-as-a-business savvy. What advice would you give to someone who wants to make a great living doing their work?

Thank you, Elizabeth! The short version: Treat your art as a business, and your business as an art. I’ve learned over the years that building a financially viable business can be an incredibly creative act. [Amen to that! -EG] My experience has been that many artists fear that they need to sell their souls to become financially successful; unfortunately, the archetype of the starving artist in the garret still holds a lot of sway. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

What has helped me is to have a business/vision plan which includes short- and long-term goals. I update it about every six months or so. Use this list to break down big goals into realistic actions that are appropriate to the marketplace, as well as to your level of professional expertise. It helps to keep you on track, even if you may need to meander somewhat to reach your destination.

For example, I began my career as a children’s book illustrator and designer. But, much as I love picture books, my “big picture” goal was to create elaborately illustrated gift books and products. However, as an artist fresh out of art school, (a) my skill set wasn’t up to it yet and (b) the market was booming for picture books — but not so much for gift books. By working as a children’s book illustrator and designer, I was able to learn a lot, work on some great books, and make professional connections. Ultimately this enabled me to crossover into creating The Book of Goddesses and other publications.

it’s also important for artists to make technology their friend — to find opportunities within it from a creative and business standpoint. When I first created The Goddess Tarot I could not have predicted that publishing would move into this digital age of Kindles and iPhones. But now that it has, I’m very excited by the possibilities.

When you’re short on energy or inspiration, how do you refill the well?

That’s an important question. Sometimes I find switching art forms really helps; for example, when I’m tired of painting, I’ll write. I also play the cello in a community orchestra, which is good because it’s not a solitary activity — while artists need time alone, it’s important to be with other creative people. I also think it’s important to find inspiration from sources outside ourselves — go to a museum, read a great book, or listen to music. Besides helping to refill the well, they also remind an artist why we do what we do. None of us creates from a vacuum.

Me with Kris (right) and our mutual pal, Tarot artist Lisa Hunt in Kris’ Brooklyn studio

What was your initial inspiration to do The Goddess Tarot?

I’ve been fascinated by tarot ever since I saw my first deck as a small child — the cards seemed so mysterious and beautiful. When I went to college, I began working with tarot, mainly reading for myself and close friends. It was around this time that I began to think about creating my own deck — one which would contain the elements that I wanted: beauty, feminine strength, creative empowerment. I did make several drawings for it, but became deterred by the amount of work involved. Later, when I created The Book of Goddesses, I noticed that each of the goddesses I painted seemed to correspond to a tarot trump. From there, The Goddess Tarot came into being in a very organic way.

Do you have a favorite Goddess Tarot card? If so, which one and why?

Hmmm, I fear to upset the goddesses by playing favorites. [Very wise. -EG] So I’ll mention the Goddess Tarot cards which seem the most apropos to my life right now.

Lately, I seem to be choosing the Two of Pentacles and Ten of Staves a lot. I have so many ideas for my art and business that I’d like to implement that it’s a bit overwhelming — it’s easy for me to get burned out with too much inspiration and not enough time. On top of that, I’m juggling being a mother and a wife as well. It’s an intense time for sure, though it’s all good!

To learn more & purchase the Goddess Tarot iPhone app, visit GoddessTarot.com.

So we go. And the movie is simply stunning, a brilliant piece of storytelling from start to finish. No, it was not without its gargantuan plot holes - which, by the way, you won’t notice until after your popcorn is gone. But if I may borrow from Demosthenes, you only have to see it once.

I say this entirely matter-of-factly. I have no interest in whether you see the movie or not. As a storyteller (if you are one), as thinking person who cares about the world and what goes on in it (if you are one), you can’t help but be mesmerized by this film. And you leave emotionally wiped out, like you’ve just spent the past 16 hours a life-and-death argument with a lover who has been on your scene for a long, long time.

The next day, we go to the Brandywine Museum. Getting the ZipCar pisses me off (in my defense, it was a complete pain in the butt). The drive pisses me off. Every time I open my mouth, either vitriol is flying out or Krispy Kremes are going in. The gorgeous Brandywine river doesn’t help. Getting my Howard Pyle on doesn’t help. Our favorite N.C. Wyeth doesn’t help. When Leland takes off for the gift shop and doesn’t tell me where he’s going, a simple request turns catty, elevates to bitchy, and ends with smoke coming out of my ears.

Finally we sit down in front of the big picture windows overlooking the river and he says, “What’s going on here?”

And after a little thought, it was so obvious. “You know, I think that movie really affected me.”

Back when Sami and I were working on Blue, our editor, Joe Pruett, offered us some extra pages in the back of the book for more short stories or whatever. I float the idea by Sami, and to his ridiculous amount of credit, he says, “Girl, you don’t need to write another story. You need to make THIS story better.”

“What do you mean?” I say.

“This ending kind of sucks. It’s like… big deal, you know?”

He was referring to the distinct lack of anything truly impactful and also to its distinct lack of awfulness - a bit of an oversight for a serial killer story. Not gore, mind, but awful, twisted… whatever. So I went back and wrote more, and Sami redrew 14 pages or something. But not before some research and a few sleepless nights.

One of the things that entrepreneurs must do is learn to manage their inner state. The mindset of business owner is much different than that of a freelancer. One of the first things business coaches and mentors will tell you is, “Turn off the television. Turn off the radio. Turn off the news.” My mentors didn’t need to tell me this, though, because I’ve shut myself off from certain forms of input for years.

Why? Because it really affects me. (Of course, some of the best storytelling of the past 10 years has come from television. But I digress.)

I used to get all beat-up-myself about this. Politically minded and righteously angry old flames brought on the self-examination, big time. Shutting out the realities of the world, Elizabeth? So uncool. And here you thought you had a heart and a brain and all. Then I realized that I don’t do anyone a lick of good when I’m a depressed basket case.

We all have our work to do in the world. My particular kind of transformation is personal, one-on-one; it tends to not involve challenging Governments, Corporations, Institutions, The Status Quo, or The Man. I can’t do what I was put here to do without putting up certain boundaries. I’m fine with it. Except…

…except when we’re talking about stories.

The District 9 emotional fallout was a painful reminder of a problem I have yet to find a workable solution for. Namely, how in the hell am I supposed to go to some of these places when going there totally disrupts, well, the rest of my life, including my ability to get key pieces of my work done?

Constructive suggestions welcome.

If you’re in Brooklyn tomorrow night, and you’re looking for a comics-related good time, Rocketship is hosting the release party for Awesome 2: Awesomer, the latest & greatest anthology from the Indie Spinner Rack fellahs and Top Shelf:

Leland and I should be there, though we’re driving back from The Brandywine Museum in honor of Leland’s birthday (yippee!), so there’s the off chance that shenanigans may ensue. (Because as everyone knows, “Brandywine School” is synonymous with “shenanigans” - oh, never mind.)

The book looks just elegant, as you might expect. Here’s a snippit from my story, “Good As New,” drawn by the ever-lovely Kevin Colden:

My apologies that the dialogue is unreadable in this scan. (Pick up the book! )

Party starts at 8. Bergen Street stop on the F. Directions n’ stuff here.

A picture of Barron Storey sketching, courtesy of Dave McKean. If you’re a Dave McKean nerd (ok, who reading this isn’t?), you’ll want to watch his Twitpic stream for all those fun, cool pictures he’s been posting, including one of the rattlesnake that happened by while he was sketching a few days ago (somewhere in California, I believe - I’ll let you find that one, it’s a screen or two back).

Speaking of fun and cool, our friend Simon made a splash in the Scottish Daily Record:

You’ll notice that his Scottishness is not in question.

Beautiful Creatures is a Southern Gothic YA paranormal romance that will be out next year. It’s quite good. (I know this because I have an ARC. So there. ) Authors Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia survived their SDCC maiden voyage; here’s some evidence:

BC Highlights Part 1
BC Highlights Part 2

Patiently awaiting Parker’s con report. (I hope he does one this year.)

Last for the moment but by certainly no means least, Tim’s Fahrenheit 451 has landed and it’s so beautiful, it makes me weep tears of joy. Interview with Tim for Seth’s NYC Graphic project here.

(There’s some Bradbury at SDCC in Dave McKean’s Twitpix.)

Rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me because I’m interested in seeing what books my friends choose.

15 Books That Will Always Stick With Me
(WARNING: I will cheat a little. Notes below.)

In no particular order:

A Ring Of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
Women Of The Golden Dawn: Rebels & Priestesses, Mary K. Greer
Goddesses In Everywoman, Jean Shinoda Bolen
Industrial Gothic, Ted McKeever
The New Psycho-Cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz & Dan S. Kennedy
Think And Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
Highways Of The Mind: The Art & History Of Pathworking, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki
East Of The Sun & West Of The Moon, Mercer Mayer (also, the version illustrated by P.J. Lynch)
Dove Isabeau, Jane Yolen
Lammas Night, Katherine Kurtz
Vox, Leland Purvis
The Science Of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles
Time-Life’s Enchanted World series (Really 22 volumes - told you there would be cheating! - and yes, I have them all)
The Tarot, Robert M. Place
It’s hard to pick just one from the Endicott crew, so let’s just say The Essential Bordertown

Funny, I would have included more comics and graphic novels if more had immediately come to mind. (Of course, I could make an entirely separate list of 15 graphic novels/miniseries/what-have-you.)

Tipping my hand with Industrial Gothic, there. Told Mr. McKeever it’s an Influence, which I tend not to reveal.

(And yes, I know it’s technically a miniseries. Quit yer quibbling. )

If you happen to see Mr. McKeever at #SDCC, tell him I said hi…

(Cross-posting this to a Facebook note so I can tag some peeps.)

Looks like Comic Book Tattoo won the Eisner for Best Anthology!

That’s pretty fun. Congrats to everyone involved. (All 90 of us!)

Other giddy wins include The Creepy Archives (yay Shawna!) Lynda Berry’s What It Is, Speed’s Finder, and Eleanor Davis.

Entire list here.