Happy Holidays 2009!

This year’s Happy Holidays CD cover was designed by Bob Kolar, illustrator of Racer Dogs, Big Kicks, and the AlphaOops books. Track listing: 1. “If We Make it Through December” — Merle Haggard 2. “First Train Home” — Imogen Heap 3. “12 Days of Christmas” — Relient K 4. “Susie Snowflake” — Rosemary Clooney 5. “Christmas Gift” — Margie…

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Because We’re Insane

Eddie and I are in the Barnes & Noble at the Avenue. The weekend before Xmas. We came for the Starbucks & wifi. I’m going to download this Memorex Label Design Studio and print these labels if it kills me. (It just might kill me.) This would be SO freaking easy if the desktop weren’t dead. Did you know…

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What It Takes

It all started with an innocent Tweet, as many things this day and age do. After a long, magical weekend at Horrorfind, a group of us retired back to Kelli & Bob’s house. The weather was beautiful. Worn out as we were, we decided to just sprawl all over the front porch. There were no theatrics or rip-roaring conversations;…

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Magic in the Air

I had a very surreal moment on Sunday. It was one of those moments where you almost fall asleep, and then you open your eyes and think, “Wait…THIS is reality? Holy crap that’s AWESOME!” Living here in this house–this house with an Awesome Porch and a Snuggle Couch and a Needy Cat, two of which have their own Twitter…

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Southern Wedding

Once upon a time there were Three Musketeers who grew up: Me, Casey & Margo. Each of us had a little sister: Soteria (Sami), Darra Dane (Dee or Brat) and Alison (only one “l”). Last month, The Brat got married at the Lace House on the Governor’s Mansion grounds in Columbia, South Carolina. It was a perfect, gorgeous, sunny…

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Sometimes Seven

I would like to officially welcome you, one and all, to the brand-spanking shiny new website, and my brand-spanking shiny new life. One of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I realized that somewhere in the middle of living my life, I had stopped. I had followed…

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Happy Anniversary, Soteria & Charles!

Soteria & Charles have been married two years today — hooray! The rest of us remember what was one of the coolest weddings in history — held at the Charleston Aquarium, my father officiating, Soteria walking down the steps in her customized designer gown to a string-version of The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”, my nephew cracking us all…

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The Fairest of Them All

Dude…of course I’m totally talking about me. Yeah. That goober there in the picture with the chibi eyes and the face of a Muppet. The one and only Alethea Madeleine Kontis, a.k.a Princess Alethea. Moi. Yes, Alethea is my real, mom-and-dad given name. The Princess title was inevitable…like a freight train down the track, it was simply a long…

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Genre Chick Interview: Edmund Schubert

In October of 2005, Orson Scott Card launched Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show—an online magazine featuring spectacular science fiction and fantasy tales, gorgeous professional artwork, and an original story from Card’s Ender universe in every issue. Less than a year later, he named SF bad man Edmund Schubert editor of the now-quarterly ‘zine. A new anthology compiles a…

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