Julie Anne Long

I know it’s been said many times, many ways, but POPpy Christmas, to you (and don’t touch me there…)

So my kittens, I was making toffee a short time ago, which requires lots of butter heated on high for a long time, and you have to stir it constantly and watch it like a hawk or it’ll burn. But my cell phone rang, and God only knew where it was (my coat pocket, as it turns out—and the coat was, of course, nowhere NEAR the kitchen). I thought I had time to run for it, but the butter began to burn, so I darted back to the butter.  I missed the phone call, but saved the batch of toffee. And as I did I thought, “Huh. I kind of I like the smell of burning butter.” And soon, because I end up turning everything into a song—I really can’t help it—I started singing “The SMELL of burning but-ter…” to the tune of that (hilarious and prurient) old song by the Bay Area’s own The Tubes: 

The smell of burning leather

As we hold each other tight

As our rivets rub together flashing sparks into the night

At this moment of surrender, darling, if you really care

Don’t touch me there!

“Don’t Touch me There,” is, of course, about the least Christmas-y song there is. But now it’s absolutely stuck in my head, and I’m trying desperately to dislodge it by listening to Johnny Mathis sung backed by a sort of celestial chorus. He’s singing about “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kid-dens.” I passionately love Johnny Mathis, especially at Christmas. He has the most aggressive enunciation of just about any singer I can think of.

To make up for the fact that I very likely got “Don’t Touch Me There” stuck in your head, here’s one of my top favorite Christmas songs. Vince Guaraldi is another San Francisco native, and all of his music is shot through with a sort of irresistible wistfulness. This song is beautiful, and I’m sure you’ve heard it three million times already this year, but click on these words and here it is.

Ah. Do we feel cleaner now?? LOL.

Are you going nuts, darlings, getting ready for the holidays? I’m writing (and writing and writing and writing), planning POP promotions, answering emails, baking, wrapping, attempting to coordinate holiday get-togethers, and trying to prevent my cat from printing endless test pages on my printer by planting his big furry orange butt on the test page button. I found five test pages yesterday, and solved the mystery today. I think the printer must be warm, hence its appeal. Also, it annoys me, which appeals to my cat, becuase he finds it hilarious when I'm annoyed.

Have I mentioned that I’ve seen my cover for The Dangers of Desire?? Do you remember the hyperbole I launched into when I saw the POP cover? Well, the DOD cover…I mean...holy cow. LOL. There are no words. Wait, maybe there are a few words: It’s incredibly beautiful. Soft and unbelievably sensual in warm reds and golds. A work of art. My heart about stopped. I’ll share it in due time -- when it's final. :)  But I’m feeling really blessed, I’ll tell you that much. And I’m absolutely loving DOD, the story, too. I think the cover really, really fits it.

          I feel blessed across the board right now: in covers, in my great publisher and editor and all talented staff at Avon, in my lovely agent and his great staff, in my wonderful friends and readers, in my fat orange cat. I'm thinking about you guys right now, and hoping your holiday is relaxing, safe, satiating, and occasionally hilarious. :) Wish me luck with the next batch of toffee. xo...julie

Barbara Vey of Publisher's Weekly loves POP!

Are you guys shivering in your neck of the woods?? I was when I first rolled out of bed this morning—it's brrrrrrrr! here in the city!!— then I got to the computer and learned that Publishers Weekly Contributing Editor Barbara Vey posted about POP at her Beyond Her Book blog — and she loved it!!  Check out the link to read what she has to say, because everything she had to say warmed me up quite nicely. Actually, it was probably the delighted little dance I did that warmed me up, but her blog caused the dance, so it's all the same. I think everyone should start the day with a bathrobe dance. :)

What else makes it a fab if freezing Friday?? I heard a rumor that Romantic Inks is giving away one of my books—Haven, if you're out there, can you substantiate,  my dear?? [OK, I heard from Haven over at MySpace, and they're giving away THREE of my books this weekend. LOL. Thanks, Haven!!]

Also, Circe Designs, the jewelry designer that designs the hoop and charm collections I give away on my website contests, will be doing a special POP collection in January!! I've seen a preview of the stuff, and I think it's stunning. Can't wait to show you!!  I think all their designs and materials are gorgeous, and their new website went live yesterday -- they're still tweaking a bit and adding items, stuff like that. The earring gemstone charm sets are really popular and adorable, but I have several of the necklaces, too, and love them. I think it has something to do with the materials and the handcraftsmanship -- just feels different. Anyway, I think it'll be a blast to have a whole POP collection.

Criminy -- I just realized I"m shivering again!! I better get up and dance a bit more, or at least put on a few more layers of clothing. On the Christmas list: woolly slippers that go up to my knees. :) How's your weather, everyone?? I like hearing from Kathy, because Canadians always make me feel like a big wuss, what with their 10 degree Farenheit temperatures. LOL. How's the shopping/baking going?? I have more baking to do, and I need to work on DOD (The Dangers of Desire, you see, which, given the scene I'm working on, also might warm me up nicely), so off I go for now...

Two dozen guitars, one hangover

So last night, in keeping with the journey through my past I seem to have undertaken lately (see the blog below about sorting, purging, and sneezing, etc.), I joined the singer for my first band and a few other guys, some I've known for years, others new to me (one of whom, in a pretty darn funny isn't-it-a-small world coincidence, is the son of my Junior High School Social Studies teacher), in a loud, messy, occasionally inspired, often hilarious (intentionally and otherwise) jam session on the mezzanine of a giant bicycle parts warehouse situated in an industrial part of the East Bay, near where I grew up. Now, if you've ever been in a band, I should tell you this is absolutely the dream rehearsal space. My second band rehearsed in a little honeycomb of mildewy spaces carved out of a decaying building which was apparently once the "Turko Persian Rug Factory" (if you went by the giant chipped and fading painted letters on the outside of the building). It was in the foggiest, foggiest part of San Francisco (and that's saying something), and we had to haul our heavy equipment up and down fetid cement steps, listen to bleed-through from the metal band in the space next to ours, and pay something like—$150? $300?— a month for the privilege. My amp smelled like the Turko Persian Rug Factory for years thereafter.

So to get to the bicycle warehouse mezzanine you had to go up a long ladder flush with the wall—seriously, about as perpendicular as any ladder can get—but I was equal to the challenge as Josh gallantly hauled my guitar up. It's a wonderland up there—cords and equipment everywhere. And there was like this laundry cart full of guitars. I mean—fabulous guitars. The world's best toybox for grownups. It took me back to music day in kindergarten, when we were allowed to poke through a box filled with triangles, sticks and blocks, jingle bells and tambourines. Picking one out always gave me a little thrill. LOL. I brought my '63 Epiphone Melody Maker with me, but I played one of Josh's guitars, a Gibson SG (see the guitar up in the left corner), perhaps most commonly known as the guitar preferred by Angus Young of AC/DC fame. :) And though I was tempted, no, I did not roll about on the carpet, bob my head frantically, or kick my legs about, a la Angus. I rocked with relative dignity. My preferred guitar sound is usually pretty clean and jangly—but last night, I confess, was primarily about crunch. Noise can be delicious.

I'm pretty bloody sedate these days. In fact, disappointing as this may seem, though I've had a lot of fun in my day, I've never been truly wild, band life notwithstanding. I mean someone had to be sober and organized to herd the hairy boys to the gigs, and that was usually me. Plus I usually  had some sort of intense corporate-esque job. Last night, overcome by the heady rock n' roll atmosphere, I drank two whole Miller Lites, which constitutes debauchery for me—I'm all about the Green Tea and Earl Grey. Today I actually have kind of a hangover, for which I've been soundly mocked by Josh Morgon, my singer/friend.

Speaking of Josh: entertaining runs in Josh's family, for sure. His uncle Tim Morgon (yep, Morgon is spelled with an "o" in their case)  was a famous folk singer in his day—people like Steve Martin, David Letterman and Lily Tomlin opened for him at Southern California clubs back in the day. Now, Steve Martin is on my (confusingly eclectic, or so I've been accused) hot guys list—he's handome, hilarious, cerebral, multi-talented and a wee bit tweaked in a pleasant and elegant way. And in Steve Martin's new book, Born Standing Up, he talks about his early days as a performer and mentions opening for a "charismatic, sandal-clad folk singer named Tim Morgon who was so popular that for several months in Southern California his record outsold The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night.”  He's got a lovely voice—if you check out that link, you can hear a little of his music.

And Josh's cousin is the hunky Ted McGinley. If you've ever watched TV in your life, he's kind of hard to miss. You've doubtless seen him on something—Happy Days, Married with Children, The West Wing, Hope & Faith, etc.

Pretty interesting, eh? Says something about genetics. Or something. Josh is a great singer, and his bro Eric is, too, and both are good musicians. Well, we're all decent musicians...in the loosest sense of the word. :) 

I'm  not about to hit the road and play music with any regularity again, or anything. I rather love my writing career, particularly the sitting, writing and drinking tea part of it. But playing music is undeniably fun, and guitars are gorgeous (and they smell good! Did you know guitars have a smell?? As do the men who play them. Ha!) and we're thinking we might record some stuff en masse, and Josh might videotape us. If we do, and it's not too humiliating, I'll post it here and on MySpace, etc. I'm into spreading the joy. Stay tuned! (<---ha! musician pun!). And now it's back to writing The Dangers of Desire. I'm just about to lead my hero and heroine into temptation...and that's some serious fun.