Richard LeParmentier, in memoriam
Last Tuesday one of my dearest friends, Richard LeParmentier, passed away. He is best known for his role as Admiral Motti in Star Wars: A New Hope.
About an hour after I was informed of his passing, I sent my thoughts and feelings, such as they were to be posted on the BigShinyRobot memorial post Bryan Young was posting for him.
You can see it here: http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/50980
Then later that week, I commiserated with Bryan Young and Consetta Parker about our Richard memories on the podcast Full of Sith. You can listen to it here: http://fullofsith.com/archives/693
I meant to post my own blog entry about Richard and my memories of him much sooner, but I found that it was difficult for me. I couldn’t really think of what else to say. I feel like it’s been said so much better by everyone else at this point.
So I will say that when I met Richard 10 years ago (and yes, I was dressed as a Jedi), I had no idea I was making such a good friend, and that I would be blessed to have such a wonderful person as a part of my life.
He was the very first Star Wars actor I’d ever met. And he was gracious, gentlemanly, and oh so genuine.
When I first saw him at IQM2, I actually hovered away from his table for several minutes. Possibly as many as 30 trying to gather the courage to go introduce myself. Finally, as if sensing my shyness (which, anyone who knows me, knows I’m not shy normally), he called out “Hello, Gorgeous! I must say, you are the best looking Jedi I’ve ever seen.”
After that, Will and I introduced ourselves, we hung out with most of the guests that weekend (Nalini Krishan (Barriss Offee) was also there, as was Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett), and had a wonderful time.
Below are some of the pictures from that day, and I love them so much because that entire weekend is such a precious memory to me of Will, and now Richard. I would see Richard many times over the next 10 years, and we would talk often, but that first weekend, that will always be special to me.
Getting ready to head out to IQM2 with Podcasting’s Rich Sigfrit.
Will & I meeting our first Stormtroopers
Richard looooooved the 501st.
Richard choking Will.
The Usual Suspects: Austin, Will, Richard, me (a picture Richard posed & wanted)
Will lightsaber dueling with Richard’s son.
Motti, me, Piett.
People asked Richard if they could choke him all weekend (thanks to Vader), and he said no to all of them… until me. 🙂 I have no idea why this made me so happy (maybe because I love Vader so much & he let me pretend to be Vader)… or maybe it’s because at that point I realized that he’d decided I was a friend. And so here you go, a super silly picture of me & Richard choking each other. SEE WHAT YOU STARTED, VADER?
And I’ll close with a picture of Will from when he was that age – 13, because he loved Star Wars so much, and his meeting with Richard was one of the highlights of his too-short life. 🙂
And for those of you wondering who Will was to me, and why these memories are so important to me, here you go: https://ailionora.com/2012/03/26/why-i-wrote-war-of-the-seasons-happy-birthday-will-tk8432/
Ron is 40 & RavenCon 2013Wrap Up
First off today is my sweetie pie’s 40th birthday, so let’s all wish him a happy birthday, shall we?
On three…
One…
Two…
Two and a half…
THREE!
HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY RON-RON!!!
As many of you may or may not know, to celebrate his birthday Ron is running all 15 Disney races (that’s 18 medals). He’s about 1/2 way done (9 medals), and thus far appears to have had a great time!
We also celebrated by going dancing/ seeing the Jive Aces, one of our favorite swing bands play. Everyone wears yellow to their shows, so of course we did too. Though Ron had to kick the geek quotient up a bit with his yellow “The Wesely Crushers” shirt. 🙂
Don’t worry, I geeked it up too with a Wonder Woman Penny Blossom by BrightCopperPenny (Esty shop linked).
You may know her from her Tiny Princess Captain America costume…
This weekend was a lot of fun. We went to RavenCon & linked up with my dear friend Maggie Allen (previous guest post here). We had such a good time together and both read our upcoming short stories coming out this summer in various anthologies. Not only was it great to hang out/ spend the weekend with her, but also wonderful to be on panels with her/ play off of each other. She’s awesome. 🙂
Read More
Guest post by musician and author Maggie Allen
Maggie & I playing Beatles tunes on our guitars.
Many years ago when I was WAY into costumes (I still love costuming, but in 2005 I was obsessed) I stumbled across the website Padawansguide.com while researching a Star Wars costume I was working on. The owner/manager/creator/content EVERYTHING person was Maggie Allen and I sent her an email which she promptly answered. We went back and forth a few times and found we had a lot of common interests outside of Star Wars & costumes (like a love for the Beatles & flying). I was immediately struck with how multi-talented and intelligent Maggie was (and still is), but more importantly how genuine a person she was. She was (and still is) truly one of the kindest, nicest people I’d ever met, and I can honestly say that she has made me a better person just by knowing her. Oh, and I learned how to play guitar because of her.Â
So it’s with great excitement that introduce all of you to one of my very best friends, Maggie Allen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Music and Writing
A big thanks to Janine for letting me take over her blog for a guest post. Â Janine and I became friends because we both liked Star Wars, but the things that really bonded us after that were music (especially The Beatles) and writing.
We’ve both come a long way since we started writing silly stories and playing guitar together. It’s been really awesome for me to hear Janine say she was going to write a novel, and then watch her actually do it. And now, not only has she written a novel, she’s written several of them. And lots of short stories.
I’ve only just started taking my first forays into professional publishing.  I’ve got a short story coming out in an anthology this summer and a few others coming out through Silence in the Library Publishing, LLC’s future anthologies that I’m really excited about.
My biggest and most recent accomplishment has been the album of original songs that my band, Naked 
Singularity, just finished.
Writing songs is not dissimilar to writing stories.  Actually, it might be more similar to writing a specific type of poetry, like a sonnet.  Though not as strict in form, a song has a specific form of verses and choruses that ultimately tell a story or evoke an emotion.  And stories and songs also often start with a scary blank page that needs to be filled with words.  Like stories, songs have meaning, sometimes more than one. They’re open for interpretation.  And they’re transformed by the listener’s own unique point of view.  Of course, unlike stories, sometimes the lyrics of a song are put together the way they are simply because they rhyme.  That’s part of the challenge in a way, getting the words put together to have the rhythm you want, while still containing a meaning, even if it’s not the one you originally intended.
Songs are often taken literally, and I’ve had people actually ask me why I write the lyrics I do.  The truth is I’m happily married, so any so-called “unhappy relationship” songs aren’t drawn from my present – they’re either inspired by past experiences, or friend’s experiences, or even have hidden meanings. I went through a period where I was unhappy at my job, and I wrote a number of songs that I disguised as being about relationships.   And frankly, I think it’s easier to write songs about being insecure than it is about being happy.  But ultimately even the most confessional song can be a work of fiction. Which really doesn’t make writing one terribly different than telling a made-up story! It’s just a different form of story-telling!
If you’d like to check out our music, here’s our website: http://naked-singularity.com
 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bio: About the author: Maggie Allen is new to the publishing world, but not new to writing. By day, Maggie writes about non-fictional topics in astronomy and astrophysics – and at night, she spends time in other creative pursuits. These include running her popular costume websites (The Padawan’s Guide to Star Wars Costumes, The Costumer’s Guide to Movie Costumes), writing short stories, sewing 18th century gowns, and playing guitar in a rock band, which just came out with its first album of original music.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.
A bizarre feeling of sadness and loneliness that I’m kind of enjoying?
I just wrote the climax to book 3 in the War of the Seasons series and I find I am both relieved and extremely sad.
Like I want to cry.
I don’t know if I can fully explain this properly.
Songs of the Seasons #3: The World Spins Madly On
I know many of you were expecting the 3rd War of the Seasons book to come out this June, given that the first two books had June releases. Unfortunately my schedule has not allowed for such an aggresive publishing schedule (one full novel a year may not be aggressive for some, but most definitely is for me).
Never fear, I am writing War of the Seasons, book 3: The Hunter as fast as I can, and anticipate a December 21st, 2013 publication date (those of you following the series will know why this date is significant).
That said, if you need your War of the Seasons fix, I have a series of short stories (3 now) that take place in the War of the Seasons universe, with the third one, The World Spins Madly on (or as I like to call it, “Josh’s story”) out today.
Josh,
Surprise! I’m not dead. At least not at the moment, though not for lack of trying on a certain sadistic faerie prince’s part. But I digress – yes, I survived the fall, & injury free at that. I’m sorry for waiting so long to tell you, but believe me when I say this was literally the first chance I had to do so.
I know even if I tell you not to that you’ll still worry about me, so I won’t bother. That said, please know that as of this writing I’m alive & well, & more importantly, happier than I’ve been in a very long time. I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get back – it’s a pretty crazy story for sure.
Also, you’d better believe that as soon as I get back I’ll race you to the pond!
Love ya,
Story
Songs of the Seasons, Song Three: The World Spins Madly On
This is the third short story from the War of the Seasons world, written to give fans some insight to what happens to Josh after Story falls into the cave during War of the Seasons: The Human.
You can download it for $2.99 on your Nook or on your Kindle.
And if you haven’t had a chance to read the first two Songs of the Seasons, here they are:
A light knock sounded at the door. Anxiety and anticipation tore through Eilath. Ever since arriving at the queen’s island, the elf had been both dreading and hoping for this moment. When his eyes had first met hers across the marble hallway, so much had been communicated between the two of them. Yellow fear and orange shock on the queen’s part and, surprisingly enough, a swirl of hope.
What must she think of me? Coming back here to her island instead of his own family’s, especially after all this time away.
He rested his hand on the highly polished brass doorknob—a luxury in their metal deprived world—and took a deep breath.
He opened the door, and there she stood, nearly as tall as he, but vastly more elegant and beautiful. He knew in that moment that she still firmly possessed his heart.
Two lovers separated for a hundred years by their own selfish behavior. After all this time, can the queen and the minstrel make amends and reunite, or will their elvish pride keep them apart forever?
Songs of the Seasons, Song Two: White Flag
This is the second short story from the War of the Seasons world, written to give fans some back-story to two characters from War of the Seasons: The Human.
You can download it for $2.99 on your Nook or on your Kindle.
Milt knew better than to go spelunking alone in his favorite caving system. If anything happened to him, like falling down a deep shaft and breaking his leg, he’d probably die before anyone found him, and that suited him just fine. He expected to be thrilled, and he expected to have a great time. What he didn’t expect was to encounter a naked, half-drowned, red-headed woman making her way up to the main cavern entrance.
Songs of the Seasons, Song One: Girl
For those of you who need to read something from the War of the Seasons world to hold you over until The Hunter comes out in June 2012, this is just for you.
You can download it for $2.99 on your Nook, on your Kindle, and on iBook.
Stellarcon 2013 Wrap up
Short and sweet:
I got to spend some more good quality time with my family (I love the face the youngling is pulling).
I wrote two more chapters of War of the Seasons: The Hunter.
I got to judge the costume contest with 3 dear friends (and have a flamboyant gnome rip his shirt open), and see the youngling stride across the stage as “Nicki Fury”.
I got to catch up with several friends & spend lots of good time soaking in the hot tub in my Star Trek swim suit.
I learned a lot in Allen Wold’s writer’s workshop.
I made some new friends.
See y’all at RavenCon…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.
Shevacon 2013 wrap-up
2 weeks late, FAIL on my part. But those of your following my various social media outlets know how busy I’ve been… being on vacation at Walt Disney World with my family. 🙂
My post from last year is here, and as you can see, this year the con did NOT fall on our anniversary, but the weekend before it. Still, we took advantage of the weekend to have a mini “happy 12 years of marriage” celebration.
For me, the big highlight this year were two of the writer guests & a couple of my closest friends Bryan Young & Aaron Allston. The fact that both of these gentlemen were there made for not just a super fun con where many shenanigans ensued (be afraid, be very afraid), but a con that felt familiar, comfortable, & a bit like home. In addition there were many fantastic guests, like Gail Z. Martin, Robert West, Jim Bernheimer, Betty Cross, etc, that were so great to both see again & I was delighted to be on panels with them again.
Fiver’s Flamingos 2013
How does one start something like this? I guess you go back to the beginning, which in this case would be Mel, AKA Fiver, and we are her Flamingos.
Back in 2007, our friend Mel ( , AKA Fiver) was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Essentially, it causes all the motor neurons to shut down, gradually making the muscles unable to function. It’s very rare (1 in 1 Million) for someone who was only 34 years old to come down with this, as it mainly affects people between 50 and 70. Life expectancy is 3-5 years from diagnosis. The disease progressively takes away movement and coordination. In September 2007, she marched with fellow LotR fans in the annual DragonCon parade. Six months later, she was wheelchair bound, now has a permanent feeding tube, and can no longer talk or move outside of blinking her eyes.
To say that we all (Mel’s friends) felt more then a bit helpless would be an understatement. How do you fix something that can’t be fixed? The answer is, you can’t. But what you can do is take a page out of Mel’s book, slap a smile on your face, and always look on the funny side of life.
So 4 of us did something spur of the moment in 2009, when we got together to run the inaugural Disney Princess Half Marathon (13.1 miles) at Disney World. I threw together some team jerseys with iron on letters & princess stickers, and we dubbed ourselves “Fiver’s Flamingos” in honor of Mel, who loves both Flamingos and Disney more than anyone we know.
In 2010 we teamed up with The ALS Association of Georgia to help raise some money to find both a cure and treatments for ALS, as we ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon again that year, 2011, & 2012 with some new faces on the team.
ALS Research had a major breakthrough last year, as Northwestern University scientists discovered a common disease process for all of the types of ALS. This is a big step forward, and has helped researchers narrow down future studies in search of an effective treatment for ALS, and someday, a Cure. Your support has helped fund ALS Research projects like this, as well as directly helping the thousands of families affected by ALS in Georgia.
Right now, the ALS Association of Georgia is helping Melissa (Fiver) by providing a computer she can use just by moving her eyes.
Please, if you don’t mind, would you donate 1$ for every mile we are running? That would be 13.1 miles for $13.10. And even if all you have is $1 total to donate, every little bit helps. Just click here: http://support.ProjectFiver.com . If that site does not work for you, go here.
100% of your donation goes to the ALS Association of Georgia. Not one penny goes toward administering this group or paying race fees, etc. http://support.ProjectFiver.com
Thank you so much for your support!
You can find out more about Mel (and her amazing trip to New Zealand to be part of The Hobbit) here: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/12/23/67590-exclusive-concerning-hobbit-extras/ & http://support.ProjectFiver.com
You can find out more about The ALS Association of Georgia here: http://www.alsaga.org/
Fiver’s Flamingos also has a Facebook FAN PAGE!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fivers-Flamingos/254829158749
Meet our Team, Fiver’s Flamingos:
Terrence is the team’s mascot, and our very best runner. Rumor has it that he may show up at the race again this year…
THE NEXT BIG THING (yes, all caps)
A few weeks ago Tera Fulbright tagged me on her blog as part of a chain of authors (or creative people) recommendations called THE NEXT BIG THING. Given that I’ve been away on travel a lot & I found a free minute today, it’s my turn to reciprocate and to pass on the torch. I’m going to answer questions about my new project War of the Seasons, book 3: The Hunter. Then I’m going to tag five wonderful authors who will tell you about their Next Big Thing on… whenever they get a chance.
Read More