Crow Dreams

So as you might guess from the title, my book Crow's Rest features crows. (And some not-crows, too, but you'd have to read the book to get that reference).

In early October, I happened to be in Target, lured by their ad with a motion-activated crow Halloween decoration. They were out of those, but they did have this cool stuff:

I love the lanterns (with LED flickering candles) and will probably use those year round. And the  tablecloths!

The plan was to buy more plates, napkins, and serving bowls on clearance after Halloween, but they were out of a lot of that stuff by the time I got there (15 minutes after they opened on Nov. 1). I did find some really cool wall decals that I hadn't seen before, and I nabbed some of the crow's feet servers and snack bowls.

In my opinion, those crow decals were just what this wall needed:

Too bad they didn't like sticking to the textured wall and started to peel off almost immediately. But I do have mirrored closet doors in my office and I think they'll stick nicely there.

Even though I will get use out of these items in my home, what I really have in mind for them is to use at a book launch or book signing for Crow's Rest. Especially those tablecloths--so different! And even though an event is in the unknown future, I love feeling like the possibility is real by stockpiling this kind of stuff.

What about you? Do you have any "must-have" items in mind for when you do an in-person event for your book(s)? 

Bonus photo: My mom collects owls, and I have long since given in to enabling her addiction. This is the stuff I found for her while shopping the clearance aisles:

A Neurotic's New Year's Eve

Having previously offered a glimpse into how my mind works/dreams, I thought I'd offer up what keeps me awake at night. You know, like on New Year's Eve when I got woken at midnight by neighborhood revelers (after not even attempting to stay up past our Long-Married Couple's Customary Bedtime) and then couldn't get back to sleep right away.

Here is what I thought about:

Remember that episode of "Friends" where you have a list of 10 celebrities that you can sleep with if given the opportunity, without it being cheating on your partner? So what if I ever did get the opportunity to sleep with Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, or Vampire Bill Compton (uh huh, fictional characters totally count) and they're in a relationship?

What if I'm not on their list? Would it be considered stalking behavior or charming behavior if I sent them a tweet right now that says, "I will rock your world, or at least skew it slightly. Add me to your list RIGHT NOW." I'm kind of afraid I'd end up on some kind of banned list instead.

And then I did get back to sleep, only to be woken later by a slithering sensation across my feet--exactly like a giant centipede would feel if it was step-step-stepping across them. I sat bolt upright in bed, to see my bleary-eyed cat stretched full length (he is approx. 3 ft. long in that position) across the foot of the bed, with his front paws over my feet.

Whew, it's just the cat. I can lay back down and go to sleep. But then it occurred to me, what if it really was a giant centipede and the cat's paws were over my feet because he'd sleepily batted at its retreating pincers? And what if the centipede is just waiting for me to drop my guard so it can lay eggs in my belly button?

I tell you, a writer's imagination is truly a blessing and a curse.

How My Mind Works (or Doesn't Work, You Be the Judge)

I had a conversation last week with some friends about emergency food stores, and at the time I realized that I might need to pay special attention to having staples on hand since my food allergies wouldn't let me just go loot some Doritos at the end of days.

Didn't think anything more of it, until I had a dream last night. A dream where the zombies were coming (old-school slow, shuffling zombies) and we were going to have to pack up the car and hightail it to the desert or some other unpopulated place. So I'm running around searching the cupboards, and a whole army of the living dead is coming up the street. At one point, there is an old man trying to chomp my arm through my sweater, and I'm yelling to my husband, "All we have is applesauce! And garbanzo beans!"

Horrifying! Especially because I hate garbanzos--applesauce is all right though. And zombies are bad, of course.