Thank you again to Delilah Marvelle for spending time with us last week and for giving away two copies of her book, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE!

The two winners, chosen by Delilah, are:

Serena Robar and Stacy Tucker!

Congratulations, Ladies! Please send me your snail mail address to my personal email: kelli(at)kelliestes(dot)com. I'll get the books to you right away.

I am so excited to share with you my recent interview with author Delilah Marvelle whose debut book, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE, is at your bookstore right now. You can even win a copy right here! That's right, I have TWO copies of MISTRESS OF PLEASURE to give away to two lucky blog readers. All you have to do is leave a comment about something discussed in the interview no later than 5:00pm PST, Thursday, November 20th. Winners will be chosen by Delilah.

I recently read MISTRESS OF PLEASURE and came to the realization, about halfway through, that this book was probably ruining all other Regency-set romances for me. This book has everything about the Regency world that is familiar (ballgowns, calling cards, the TON, etc.) but with such a unique twist (a school to teach men the art of seduction and a heroine who couldn't care one whip about propriety!) that you'll never be able to read a regular Regency again. Heck, even if you've never read a Regency in your life, you'll still love this book. I'm confident of that.

Delilah Marvelle is not only a gifted writer but one of the most generous, thoughtful people I know. In fact, I first met her when she helped me and some friends find our way from the Atlanta airport to the RWA hotel downtown via the train. It was on that train ride that I knew she was a person I would call my friend. As luck would have it, we are both from the Pacific Northwest! Another example of Delilah's generosity: I sent her a long list of questions and asked her to pick a few for this blog interview...and she answered all of them! So, rather than deprive you of her, I'm going to include them all. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win a free copy of MISTRESS OF PLEASURE!

And now, on with the interview...

Kelli Estes (KE): Tell us about your journey to becoming a published author.

Delilah Marvelle (DM): It was a long road, to say the least. I read somewhere that on average it takes an author 10 years to get published with a New York Publisher. And I was the average. It took me a total of almost 11 years of trying to get published. By the time I finally sold, I had over 40 manuscripts written, over 200 rejections (one from my own editor, LOL) and had gone through three other agents. It wasn't until I finaled in the Golden Heart in 2005 and 2007 that things started to look up. Even then, life has a strange way of asking you how badly you want certain things. I won't go into too much detail, but my husband almost died and it changed my priorities big time. I even gave up writing and went back to school because I realized I couldn't possibly support my family on an income of zero and no publication in sight. Halfway through school, I found out I was a Golden Heart finalist. My husband had me enter the contest as one last go at writing, seeing I was giving it up. When I finaled, I was sucked back into a world I loved and missed so much. I didn't win the Golden Heart, but being surrounded by the people I loved and missed turned out to be a blessing. And it led to a fellow Golden Heart finalist and winner, Victoria Dahl who ended up pitching me to her editor. Not even a week later, I sold.

KE: Is there any certain thing(s) you can point to that made the difference in finally selling a manuscript and getting "the call"? Did something change in your writing? Were there changes in the market? Pure luck? Perfect timing? Did you identify and overcome a weakness in your writing that finally made the difference? Etc.

DM: I have to say so many things go into getting the call. Luck, the market, the editor, and yes, your writing. My writing is ever evolving. It is still evolving, but I definitely felt different about the manuscript that had sold. I connected with the humor, the characters and with the idea and had more fun writing it than I had any other manuscript to date. And that's something I definitely noted when it sold. It felt different when it came out. I had found my calling, my voice and I was fortunate that someone understood my calling and my voice. For the longest time people have been saying that the historical market was dead and perhaps that didn't help, but I stuck with writing historicals and so when the market swung back up, I was still there to swing with it.

KE: What does a typical day in your life look like?

DM: I get up as early as 4:30 a.m. and write until my kids need to get up for school. Then I throw myself back into writing until 2 p.m. I'm the sort of writer that it takes me two hours just to get started, which is why I start as early as I do. I also need to be alone in the house as I have a horrible tendency to talk aloud with my characters and take on voices of my characters and can't have anyone listening, LOL.

KE: I know you are a trained chef. What is your favorite thing to cook? What is a cooking tip you wish more people knew?

DM: My favorite thing to cook is anything with a sauce. I've become obsessed with sauces. Everything needs a sauce... even cakes (berry and chocolate sauces, though). A cooking tip? That you don't have to be a chef to cook amazing meals. Most of the chefs you see on television never even went to school for it. It's all about learning and spending time with it. And trying new things.

KE: Do you have any books planned that will put to use your culinary skills and knowledge?

DM: I really would love to do a historical with cooking in it, but Sherry Thomas already beat me to it with Delicious. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't get around to eventually doing it. The advantage that I have over the fabulous Sherry Thomas is that I actually went to culinary school, LOL.

KE: Mistress of Pleasure is a very sexy book (which I loved!!!). What do you say to people who are hesitant to read books with hot scenes like those in your books?

DM: Thank you, Kelli!!! Sadly, women have been taught to shy away from sex since the beginning of humanity. So it's no surprise that women feel ashamed to read sexy stuff. I say, every woman should give it a go once, if it's not her thing, she'll know. And if it is her thing, girl, you go!

KE: I learned from you that items we think of as recent inventions, such as the dildo, were actually invented hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. Did you stick strictly to historical accuracy while writing Mistress of Pleasure and the next four books in the series, or did you/will you use creative license to stray a bit for a better story? Example?

DM: I have to say that when it comes to writing for the modern audience, you can't write a "true" historical or they'll fall asleep. They wouldn't understand words and they wouldn't understand protocol and why things were done a certain way. So I simplified it. It's interesting because people have this warped perception of thinking that dukes and duchessses were all proper and could never think outside the box or be anything other than their heritage. That they couldn't possibly be snubbed by society when they have money and power. Here's the thing on that. I write fiction, not non-fiction and I write about characters who don't fit into stereotypes. If you dig through history, however, you find that no person who ever made history fell into their expected role. I do a lot of research but there's only so much you can put in before people start thinking you're droning. So I toss in the dildo (which the oldest dildo known to man is 28,000 years old) and other little tid bits that people are likely to think isn't historically accurate because we think sex is more of a modern invention.

KE: I love how you got the idea for the series and The School of Gallantry. Can you tell us the story?

DM: I do a lot of research and own a lot of out of print books. And I accidentally came across the name Ninon de L'Enclos. She was a 17th century courtesan and led an amazing life. What she did that sparked my interest was that she opened up her bedroom to aristocratic men to discuss topics like love, sex, philosophies. Like a class. She was way ahead of her time in both her thinking and the men adored her. There was a story in which a particular gent wanted to bed her so badly, but she refused him and told him, "When I am eighty." He showed up on her door on her 80th birthday. She was so amused, she ended up bedding him after all. Ninon and her philosophies pushed me in the direction of creating a real school. At the same time my grandmother, who after almost 30 years of silnce reappeared in my life (that's a whole other story in and of itself). She is an elderly but beautiful woman who is also a retired opera singer. And spoke with an accent and walked with a sashay and called sex, "Poom-poom." She amused me so much so, that I morphed Ninon de L'Enclos with my grandmother and created Madame de Maietnon/ And the rest, as they say, is history (yes, pun intended).

KE: Speaking of The School of Gallantry, men today could probably benefit from such training. Does anything like that exist in today's world?

DM: You know, I don't know, but I'm sure Dr. Ruth and many other people out there have classes that help men with their understanding toward sex. Or at least I hope there are classes!!! Or the women in our society are screwed...and not in a good way, LOL

KE: Your biography says that you spent your youth studying various languages...what languages do you know?

DM: Polish is my first language. I speak it fluently as I am first generation. English is my second language. French is my third language (although I am tres, tres rusty because even though I took 4 years of it, if you're not surrounded by the French, you lose it)

KE: If you could be anything and do anything (and you can't say author or chef, since you are already those), what would you do and why?

DM: A race car driver. Without a doubt. I love driving fast and I love cars and I love a good phyical challenge.

KE: Please tell us about your upcoming books.

DM: The rest of the books in the series is what I am finishing up on.
Book 2, Lord of Pleasure comes out August 4, 2009. I'm excited about this book because you get to meet all of Hawksford's five sisters. My favorite being Mary, a 12 year old 1830 goth girl who is forever obsessed with death. I had a lot of fun incorporating Hawksford into the school and why he ended up in it. Book 3, Moment of Pleasure, features Caldwell and someone unexpected (I won't give it away). Book 4, One Night of Pleasure, features Banfield, who can't bed his wife and so he enrolls thinking he's the problem when in the end, his wife is the problem...of course. Book 5, Master of Pleasure, features Brayton. He's a retired assassin and a virgin. And I can't WAIT to start writing his book!

KE: What unique challenges do you face when writing five books that happen simultaneously?

DM: Great question. Every time a character does something in one book two things happen. 1.) The character has to justify why they did a particular something in the next book 2.) The author is screwed with whatever that character did for the rest of the books. So there is a narrowing of creativity but I love a good challenge and plan to work my way through it.

KE: If you can identify it, what is your "thing" -- that thing that sets you apart and makes your stories ones that can only come from you; your recurring themes; the message or "take away" you want for your readers; what are you best at writing; what lights the fire in your gut and keeps you writing book after book; etc.?

DM: That being naughty is fun and that when you are madly in love with someone, nothing is off limits. Not your body, not your mind, not your soul.

KE: I've heard that much about success as an author is knowing the rules, and knowing when to break them. What, if anything, is something you do in your writing or your writing process that goes against what we're typically taught in workshops and craft books?

DM: I break sentences up in places that people think may make them sound choppy. When I am in a person's head, I know that most people don't think in full sentences. It is choppy being in a person's head. So I would say my English teacher would have a fit, but I'm just being a realist.

KE: Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?

DM: Yes. Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER give up on your writing or your dream. The moment you do, your dream is over and there is no one to blame for it but you.

KE: How can readers find you (blog, web site, MySpace, Facebook, etc.)?

DM: I have a Sex Throughout History blog www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com
Myspace at www.myspace.com/DelilahMarvelle and my website www.DelilahMarvelle.com

KE: Any last words before we let you return to writing your fabulous stories?

DM: Yes. Thank you Kelli for always being so generous toward me! I know I'll be having you on my blog quite soon talking about your published book!!!

Thank you for being here with us, Delilah! And thank you for donating two copies of MISTRESS OF PLEASURE for two lucky readers!

Don't forget to leave a comment by 5PM 11/20/08. Winners will be announced next Friday, November 21st.

Wow! Author Emily Bryan loves my blog! That is so cool! Thanks, Emily! She sent me the "I heart Your Blog" award and now I get to pass it on to seven of my favorite blogs.

Emily Bryan is a member of my local chapter, even though she has moved across the country and found fame as a published historical romance author. This summer I got to spend some time with her at the Pacific Northwest Writers' Conference and enjoyed every minute of it. She is one smart, funny, caring, (I could go on and on..) woman. Her blog is one of my favorites, too. Plus, she recently started a group author blog with six other historical romance authors called The Chatelaines. Go check it out. It's rapidly becoming another "must read" for me! You may recognize Emily from her guest blog in August, which you can find here.

The rules of accepting the "I heart Your Blog" award are as follows:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog (check)
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you (check)
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (see below)
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog (see below)
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog (will get to that)

So, are you dying of curiosity? I thought so. To ease your pain, I'll get right to it. Here are my current seven favorite blogs, in no particular order:

1. http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/ This is the blog of actor Jorge Garcia, or for you fellow LOST fans, his name is Hurley. Jorge surprises his readers with a variety of topics from pictures of himself with supermodels in Monaco to the numerous and very artistic carved pumpkins he and his girlfriend made last month. My favorites are the blog entries where he discusses filming of the show, which by now you know is my favorite and only must-see show on TV.

2. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ Postsecret is a site where people mail in their anonymous postcards revealing their secrets, which are then posted every Sunday. My husband doesn't understand my fascination with this blog because he feels it's voyeuristic to read other people's secrets. I feel it's a place where we can all see that we are all very much the same, with the same heartaches and joys as everyone else. If nothing else, this site is also a great starting point for story ideas.

3. http://blog.spafinder.com/ I admit, the SpaFinder blog doesn't appeal to everyone since not everyone likes spas (which I'm struggling to understand, but to each her own. LOL!). I, however, love the spa industry and find reading about it fascinating and informative. I read this blog regularly and think that if you like spas at all, you should give it a try. Today, for instance, Susie Ellis tells us why the terms "masseuse" and "masseur" are insulting to a massage practitioner.

4. http://www.janeporter.com/janeblog/ Author Jane Porter's blog captivates me. Jane shares so much of herself and her inner heart on her blog. I strive to have her courage. But, really, it's more than that. Jane has such a way with words that I often think, while reading her blog, things like "that's exactly how I feel but couldn't find the right words!" If you haven't read her books, or even if you have, go check out her blog. You'll be glad you did.

5. http://jillshalvis.com/blog/ Author Jill Shalvis updates her blog daily. Yes, daily. That alone is impressive for a busy writer and mother of three teenagers. But, what I really love about her blog is how each entry is short so I can fit it in no matter what else I'm doing in my day, and it is entertaining. Talk about having a way with words, this woman can find humor in any situation. We readers are lucky she shares her escapades so we can laugh, too.

6. http://yawriters.blogspot.com/ The Books, Boys, Buzz blog is where seven Young Adult authors (Dona Sarkar, Heather Davis, Marley Gibson, Simone Elkeles, Stephanie Hale, Tina Ferraro, and Tera Lynn Childs) share stories and glimpses into their lives with all of us. Even though I'm not a teenager (obviously), and I don't write YA, I find the topics discussed entertaining and interesting. I started reading the blog because a few of the authors are friends of mine. I continued reading, and consider it one of my favorites, because these ladies do a fabulous job.

7. Number seven is very difficult for me because I want to include everyone. So, I'm going to cheat and ask you to click on all of the links I've provided on my left sidebar. There are too many entertaining and interesting people out there to narrow it down and have to exclude anyone. In the same vein, I'd love to find some new favorites. If you have a blog, or know of one, that you think I'll like, please let us know in the comments below!

I've been known to say I can't write if there's music playing. I get easily distracted by the lyrics and influenced by the emotion of the songs. I've since learned that it's all in the music I choose.

While writing Hush, my last manuscript which is set in a spa and yoga studio, I got in the habit of listening to meditation and yoga CDs, primarily to drown out the noises my kids were making in the other room. Then, it got to the point where even if the house was silent, I still played those CDs to evoke the mood of my story.

I've since moved onto other music. Even music with lyrics (gasp!), though I still can't handle anything with much of a beat because I find myself losing the story I'm writing to follow the story of the lyrics. Lately I've been listening to the soundtrack from the movie P.S. I Love You (yes, I'm still hooked on this movie).

And then a whole new world opened up to me when my husband introduced me to Pandora.com. It's a free Internet-based radio service that lets you tailor the kind of music you want it to play. I created my own "P.S. I Love You" radio station by plugging in my favorite songs from the sound track. It is then able to provide me with hours of perfect music, some songs I recognize from the sound track, most not, but similar. If a song is played that you don't like, you can give it a thumbs-down and the service knows to not play those types of songs any more. If you love a song, give it a thumbs-up and more will be played. You've got to try it.

Today I was listening to my personalized Pandora radio station and came across a very cool rendition of my favorite song, Pachelbel's Canon. It was "Pachelbel Meets U2" by Jon Schmidt from the album Winter Serenade. Listen to a sample here.

And then, because I love Pachelbel's Canon with absolute passion, I had to go to YouTube and find more versions. Oh my goodness, if you love this song even half as much as I do, you've got to go check out all the different versions. Not all hit me in the gut like the original composition which, for whatever reason, represents for me a perfect life with all it's highs and lows which then ends long and gracefully.

This version is a beautiful, meditative version with video of the ocean. Perfect when you need a moment of peace.


This version is a fun, upbeat, modern rendition of the classic. It even includes an entertaining cartoon video. Click on it to watch just a few minutes if that's all the time you have. It's the first time I've considered dancing to Canon!


What is your all-time favorite song? I want to know!

The pumpkins are carved...bring on the candy!

Happy Autumn Everyone!


Yes, I am a week behind in blogging, but I had two reasons for the delay. Number One, I love Cherry so much I thought it wouldn't hurt to let you all see her picture for two weeks running. Number Two, my husband came up with an idea for a guest blog that I thought he'd have finished long before now, but no such luck. Stay tuned for that, though, because it's going to be hilarious!

I've had a busy couple of weeks. My husband and I got to spend a weekend away from the kids for the second time ever. We went to Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie, Washington which is East of Seattle. We arrived mid-morning to this fabulous view of the Snoqualmie Falls with mist hanging in the air and the sun working to break through.


After lunch we indulged in a Fireside Hot Stone Massage for Two. It wasn't the best hot stone massage I've ever had (Oasis Spa and Salon in Woodinville gets that credit, still), but it was still relaxing. The best part was hearing the crackle and snap of the wood fire. Wonderful! The rest of the weekend was spent eating lots of delicious food (Salish Lodge is worth the trip just to eat, it was so good!) and relaxing without the kids. We both got to sleep in! That never happens.

Salish Lodge is perched at the top of Snoqualmie Falls and, if you look closely, you can see it here in this picture through the fog. It's not the building at the center (that's part of the buildings for the dam at the top), but the building to the left.


We'd hoped to hike down the mountain to the base of the falls the next morning, but we woke up to fog so thick we couldn't even see across the river. Instead we headed to Bellevue to do some shopping and more eating before returning home to the boys we were starting to miss.

Besides that fabulous weekend (that must be repeated again soon), we've been enjoying the fall colors. If you know me, you know I don't enjoy this time of year, typically. I'm a summer girl, so to me Fall is nothing more than the end of my favorite time of year. It's depressing. But this year I'm feeling different. We've been having a ton of sunshine which isn't typical in the Seattle area, and the colors are gorgeous. Don't believe me? Check this out:


And who can stay grumpy when it's pumpkin patch season? My boys and I headed out to a local farm to hike through the corn maze (wearing jeans and t-shirts!!) and choose our pumpkins that we still need to carve before Friday.


We also got to chat with this cute little guy. I'm not sure if he's a llama or an alpaca (what's the difference?), but we thought he looked like Cusco from The Emporer's New Groove, so llama he is.

Have you ever had someone believe in you and your dreams so much it blew you away? I mean REALLY believe in you in a way that not only surprises you and humbles you, but brings you to tears?

That was me yesterday.

First, a little background: New York Times Bestselling Author Cherry Adair is a member of my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. I've known Cherry for years, but never really knew if she knew me. I'm just a nobody, unpublished author, after all. For the last three years Cherry has hosted what is fondly called the "Cherry Adair Write the Damn Book Challenge". On the last day of the Emerald City Writer's Conference she hands out certificates and pins to everyone who wrote that damn book they said they would over the past year, and a few lucky winners win fabulous prizes such as paid conference fees and critiques.

At the 2007 conference Cherry pulled me aside and told me she believes in me and she sees fabulous things in my future. I was humbled and honored, yet a tiny voice in my head wondered if she had me confused with someone else. Still, I didn't want to let her down so I knuckled down and wrote like mad.

At the 2008 conference, this past weekend, I wasn't sure if I had completed her challenge or not. You see, I wrote a book (a book I love that is getting agent and editor interest!), but I stupidly wrote on my goal that I would write two books. I was confused…was the challenge to finish a book or to meet my self-imposed goal, whatever it might be?

So there I was yesterday at the Emerald City conference, wondering if I'd completed the challenge or not, when it got to the portion of the ceremony where Cherry draws names of winners of the special prizes I mentioned earlier. Cherry is so generous that, despite the efforts of her publicist and assistant, she gave away more than her budget probably called for. There was Theresa, her publicist, holding the bucket of names trying to keep it out of Cherry's reach, and there was Cherry, sliding her hand inside to grab a few more slips of paper. She gave away 4 first chapter and synopsis critiques (not the two she was supposed to give), 2 or 3 Emerald City conference fees, 2 or 3 RWA National dues paid for a year, and then she got to the big one: two all-expenses-paid trips to the 2009 RWA National conference to be held in Washington D.C.

She drew my name.

Oh. My. God.

I stood up to accept the award, all while wondering if I really deserved it or not. Did I or did I not win the challenge? I still didn't know.

After everyone left, I went up to Cherry and laid it all out there. I told her exactly what I did accomplish over the past year (wrote one book) and what I did not (write the second book). She hugged me, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "You did it. You wrote the book." And I started crying. Then she went on to tell me again that she believes in me and sees great things in my future, and I bawled like a baby.

It's not often we hear those words. Certainly not often we hear them from someone we like and admire and don't even know if they know who we are. To have someone believe in me like that brings me to my knees.

Cherry Adair is awesome. She's more than that, but my still-emotional brain can't come up with the words to come even close to an adequate description of how I feel about her. If not for Cherry I would wonder if anyone but my husband and a few close friends really believe I can make a career out of writing books. Cherry believes in me and that's enough.

So if you don't see me around much in the coming months, don't worry. I'm going to be at home working my ass off to "write the [next] damn book!"

And if you're going to be at the RWA National conference next summer…I'll see you there. Thanks to Cherry.

Have you read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon? I could go on and on about how much I love the first few books (I admit I haven't read books 5 and 6 because book 4 was a struggle to get through, but I did read the Outlandish Companion. The first three are a MUST read!) but I'll save that for another time. If you have read any of the books, then you know Jamie and Claire Fraser. Heck, even my husband knows who I'm referring to when I say, "Jamie and Claire" as though they live down the street from us.

Quick, think of Jamie. What does he look like in your mind?

Now, click on this link to see what the author, Diana Gabaldon, thinks he looks like:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v514/aag567/Role%20Playing/?action=view¤t=Jamie7.jpg

I'll add a thumbnail here, but you really should see the larger image. Diana talks about the image and the woman who created it for her here.


I don't know about you, but that Jamie is nothing like the Jamie I pictured and fell in love with while reading the books. Heck, I'm still in love with the Scot in my head! The guy in the picture looks too young and weak to be MY Jamie. LOL!

Some authors have characters come to life completely in their minds while others, like me, need visual inspiration. I almost always start creating a character first by their personality traits and second by physical traits. By the time I need to figure out what a character looks like, I already have an actor or actress in my mind that fits my character well.

For instance, my most recent manuscript, HUSH, is the story of three women: Paige Timmer, her sister Kimberly, and their friend Anna Nielson. Paige falls for Cannon Williams. Below are pictures of my cast of characters as I saw them. The beauty of books is that you can have whomever you want in mind while you're reading!

Here is Paige Timmer (aka Adi Amar from Yogatoday.com):



Kimberly Timmer unfortunately, does not have a picture because my inspiration was an old friend from college with long, naturally curly blonde hair.

Here is Anna Nielson (aka Selma Hayek):


And finally, here is Cannon Williams (aka Michael Weatherly):


Who are the people populating your stories? I'm going to try to turn comments back on, so leave me a comment and tell me!

Note: if comments are disabled still, it's because the spammers still aren't leaving me alone. Check back later. Thanks!

I've started and stopped this blog entry a number of times, deleting what I've written and sitting with my fingers on the keyboard searching my mind for the right words. I've been doing that often lately -- searching for words. It's like I used them all up, or left my brain in San Francisco this summer at the RWA conference. I have a list in front of me full of names of people I need to email or call as a follow-up to something we talked about this summer, and yet I can't bring myself to do it, no matter how urgent it may seem. I have friends who haven't heard from me in weeks and I don't have the energy to compose an email reply. I'm not depressed, just tired and distracted. I'm happy and content in all ways except when it comes to interacting with other people. When I leave the house and interact with the world, I function, I'm fine, but I return home exhausted. I know if I open my mouth, the wrong thing will come out...so I keep it closed.

And I know I'm not the only one. Recently I have ventured communications enough to hear from at least two other people that they, too, are battling the blues, or a feeling of bleh. Is it the change of the seasons? The pressures of new school/work schedules? The alignment of the planets?

I have a conference this coming weekend and I'm facing it with trepidation. Too many people all talking at once. The need to present my best self, but lacking the energy. Workshops too long for my distracted mind.

Now I hesitate and want to delete the words above. Too depressing. Too whiny. But I refrain. I'll post this entry and hope my next will be cheerful and fun...and that you'll have patience with me. Maybe you can even relate?

Life is about ebb and flow, highs and lows, right? It's up from here.

(Unfortunately, comments are still disabled. Spam. Ugh.)

Thanks to being attacked by spam, I have to disable comments for a time. You'll still be able to read blog entries and I'll add new ones at least weekly, you just won't be able to leave a comment for now.

If you'd like to contact me, or comment on an entry, please email me at kelli @ kelliestes . com (but with no spaces).

Thank you for your patience. Check back soon!

Thanks,
Kelli

I admit, I have a bit of an obsession with Facebook. I love reading everyone's status everyday and sharing my own one-liners. As I've mentioned before, Facebook has even been the avenue of reconnecting with old friends. Yes, it's a total time-suck, but I'm hooked (despite the awful new interface)!

Here is the background to some of my recent Facebook status lines:

Kelli Estes is...

...still singing along to The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. I went last Saturday to see the matinee performance of this classic at The Paramount Theater in Seattle. I probably wouldn't have bothered to go if my sister, niece and nephew hadn't decided to visit for the weekend and take in the show. I am so thrilled they talked me into going with them! Oh. My. Goodness! I've been to a number of musicals and stage productions (Les Miserables, West Side Story, Peter and the Wolf, Cabaret, Into the Woods, etc.) and now can say, without a shred of a doubt, that Phantom blows them all away. I'm not even embarrassed to admit that I cried at the end. That poor tortured soul! Sigh. If I could talk my husband into it, I'd go back this weekend to see the show again before it leaves town!

...is all fan-girl for Gerard Butler. Gerard was out of my radar until I watched the movie, P.S. I Love You, and completely fell in love with everything about this movie. It's impossible to watch Gerard onscreen and not fall a little in love with him. He has the kind of eyes you could sink right into. And then, in preparation for seeing Phantom on stage, I rented the movie starring Gerard and, of course, it was all over. He is masterful as The Phantom. And, what a voice! In fact, check this out:


...is sitting at soccer practice. My 6-year-old is getting back into soccer and has declared it to be his favorite sport. My poor dad had to drive me into town (30 minutes each way), twice a week when I was a kid for gymnastics. I guess it's my turn to be the chauffeur for the next several years.

...loves ibuprofen. I've been having headaches a lot lately. Not fun.

...is getting it in gear. Along with the headaches, I've been scatter-brained. I'm working hard to get myself in gear despite the fog.

...is caring for hermit crabs. I think this one deserves an entire post of it's own, complete with pictures. Look for this soon.

...really wants to be scrapbooking right now. See the above about headaches and foggy-brain and you won't be surprised to learn I haven't done any scrapbooking or much else that is productive. I'm way behind on both my boys' albums, but I'll get them done eventually.

That is my recent life in a nutshell. Friend me on Facebook to see what's next and be sure to keep updating your status lines because I read them and love them!

Usually September brings to me a sense of starting anew. It's always felt like more of a new year to me than January 1st; probably caused by the conditioning of school starting this time of year.

But this year I find I can't let go of summer. I’m holding onto it as if the weather isn't really turning cold and the leaves aren't actually falling off the trees outside my window. If I bury my head and pretend, the warmth will still be there, right? If I dress in tank tops and flip flops the weather will cooperate, right?

Unfortunately, no. So, here I go, kicking and whining, into autumn.

Help cheer me up...What are some of the things you like about autumn?

Garrison Bay from English Camp on San Juan Island, Washington State

For all you history buffs, read about the reason English troops made camp here during a time in U.S. history referred to as the Pig War. You never knew we almost went to war with England over the shooting of a pig did you?

Last week, out of the blue, an old friend from high school whom I haven't seen in at least twelve years contacted me. This was huge because I don't keep in touch with anyone from that time in my life (except family, of course). Not that high school or college was tragic or embarrassing; I'm just a very different person today than I was then. A lot has happened. I'm sure a lot has happened to her, too.

The minute I walked in the door of the restaurant and saw her sitting there waiting for me, the years and distance dropped away and we were 18 again. For the next three hours we talked non-stop. We both look the same but our voices sound different – isn't that weird? She told me I was one of the "normal" ones in school and it surprised me because I've been thinking all these years that I was a nut job in high school. We agreed that high school sucked, big time.

And yet, as I looked through some old pictures to find one of us to show you here, I found myself reliving some good times with her. I met her in the first grade, so you can imagine how many memories we have together. The sleepovers and Campfire meetings and camps. The drill or cheer camps. Basketball games, football games, state championships. Boyfriends. She was one of the friends who was always there, solid and true. If there's anything I regret it was undervaluing her friendship.

Ever since saying goodbye that evening, I've been thinking of all sorts of questions to ask her or things to tell her and I can't wait to see her again. I guess that's a sign of a great friend, isn't it? Through time, distance, hurt feelings…we still feel good being around each other.

Here's to old friends and big hair! (Sorry about the poor picture quality, I had to take a picture of a picture.)

1. I still have a secret love of Sir Mix-a-Lot and Queensryche.

2. I really am a Sci-Fi Geek.

3. Serenity t-shirts look cool, but I really want a Firefly one.

4. Seattle loves Jimi Hendrix. Me? Not so much.

5. Guitar music makes little kids giggle.

6. I wish I had musical talent.

7. Whether it's E.T. or Yoda, seeing it life-size is a bit intimidating to a 6-year-old. Not at all to a 3-year-old.

8. Frank O. Gehry has vision. Incredibly twisted, yet cool, vision.

I learned all of this at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum. Good times, good times.