Ah, good reviews. Nice way to wake up after a gruesome night. From the Library Journal:

Grabien's Ringan Laine series is both unusual and entertaining in that she combines British folk music, British history, and the world of the modern recording star with paranormal elements. In this fourth entry (after Matty Groves ), musician/house restorer Ringan Laine is hired to make sure the Tudor-style house that lover Penny Wintercraft-Hawkes's brother wants to build on the Isle of Dogs is authentic. But Ringan begins to hear voices and have terrifying visions, leading him to call upon a group of outstanding historical researchers to help him investigate a 1540 murder. Grabien seamlessly weaves between time periods, making the reader believe in the possibility of the paranormal. As gentle as Barbara Michaels's paranormal suspense novels, Grabien's are also as downright frightening as Daniel Hecht's Cree Black thrillers. Grabien lives in San Francisco.

I'll take that.

Very very nice, deb!

I'm thrilled so far with the notes I have, there's a couple of difficult questions, but I'm treating it like the SATs and doing the easier stuff first. He asked, "[AU: Say more about your history, and how after all this you ended up as one of the biggest fandom gurus. Again, doesn’t need to be long, but just to make sure the reader has that set in their mind. "

This is a finger poking into my rib. Biggest fandom gurus? I need a bigger ego to answer that without laughing. I can't wait to crack into it, and wish I had taken the day off.

Allyson, I can't wait to read that particular addition. Question: does s/he want the historical bio stuff incorporated as part of the text, or as a separate essay/introduction?

Hee! Whoot, Allyson! I'm so excited for you.

I think we've decided that the title essay will be an introduction, and to make it a bit more explanatory about internet communities and fandom in case we strike oil and get some mainstream readers.

So the historical stuff will be incorporated into the title piece.

Allyson, that sounds exactly right for placement and continuity.

Can I read when done?

Please yes!

Yeah, I think that will work really, really well.

What It Takes

So you're tired, are you? You've been onstage two hours, playing in the band, and you're wiped, at the edge, stick a fork in you, you're done?

Arms in use, were they? Holding a Strat, a Paul, a P-bass, two hours, two-twenty, synching up with the rest of the band, drumsticks as extensions of your arms, twirling the mic, keeping your wrists arched above the piano keys?

Tired? Sure. I get it, baby, believe me.

But in the end, this is what you are, not only what you do. That joyous noise is what you flex; music is a muscle.

The deadline for submissions to Autumn Issue of "The November 3rd Club" is October 10th. Take a gander at our Submission Guidelines and keep us flush with things to read and (hopefully) publish.

The new issue goes life on or around Halloween -- just in time for the election!

As always, this issue of the "November 3rd Club" will be brought to you by your hardworking editors:

Victor D. Infante (editor in chief) Carlye Archibeque & Richard Modiano (nonfiction) Lenore Weiss & Steve Berman (fiction) Ray McNiece & Richard Beban (poetry) Sam Hamill (contributing editor)