Deb, has anyone ever tried to play the MS card in promoting or reviewing your books? Something like "persevering through the hardships" and all that?

connie, nope. But I'm going to play it myself, I think, by writing a submission piece for "My Turn". And if we do this Morning Show thing, it'll get played, believe you me.

After the kind of meltdown my body went through last night, I figure I might as well exploit this fucking disease, since it's certainly exploiting me.

Deb, is your maiden name closer to the top of the alphabet? I was thinking about a middle name and maiden name, so it would still be your name on the book, just a different part of it.

(Also? Very good to see you here and typing).

At long last, an email from the editor of the "Clowns of the Apocalypse" story

'bout time... I was getting anxious for you!

I'm really pleased about my clown story. Because it's actually a nice sly pro-choice story

Late entry on the go deb front, but I just had to jump in... I love, love, love that story. Not sure if I should quote any of it here, so I will paraphrase that the line involving clutching the handle bars like a dying miser would his worldy wealth was just genius. Reading submissions for the CW journal right now and they've been fairly iffy... Your strong original writing (complete with plot! you wouldn't believe how many rambling excerpts we get!) replaced my nightcap and renewed my faith in the world for one night. With your permission might I read it to my grandma who's awaiting heart surgery in hospital right now? I think she'd get a huge bang out of it...

Cindy, nope; begins with an S.

Ironically - hoo, boy, is it ironic, to those who know why - the single most visible letter to the casual browser tends to be H.

Man. Nic would shoot me. I wouldn't blame him.

Brynn, you bet - just don't post any of it, since that would count as pre-published, and that would screw it up for me.

But yes indeed, make Grandmere giggle.

Yes, Nic would kill you, and although I wouldn't provide an alibi, I wouldn't blame him, either.

Surnames

A-G [link]

H-O [link]

In the H category, I like Halliday, Hammond, Hardcastle, and [redacted] (which I decided long ago, would be my pen name).

You could use Head, and pretend you were sharing a name with ASH, or Giles, just for the kick of it.

I had no idea that posting stuff counted that way, Deb. Obviously, as I post everything. Will have to watch that, in future, then. "I *forgot* that stealing was illegal." Duh.

It's not worth it, deb. In just the realm of memory, it would cause you as much or more pain as it would pleasure. When you factor in present consequences of hurting someone you love, one who loves you, and who is more understanding of wound-licking than any person I have ever known, it is not worth it. The Deborah Grabien I know does not hurt people when she has any way to avoid it, particularly for what is, at its bottom, no more than a very hollow and lonely sort of satisfaction. In fact, she usually has her crossbow at the ready to prevent just that sort of injury, particularly to those she loves.