Let the Knitting Begin!

OKay– first, for the goodreads.com feed… tomorrow IS June Second, Phonebook should be available from Dreamspinner tomorrow. “Phonebook” is actually a short story sequel to another short story. “Shirt” appeared in the Curious Anthology and featured two lovers–Scotty and Ryan– who had a rather surprising moment when Ryan got tangled up in his oxford shirt. It is still one of the DIRTIEST stories I’ve ever written– but also one of the funniest. “Phonebook” revisits Scotty and Ryan again–this time, Ryan’s on a business trip, he doesn’t like phone sex, and they run out of things to talk about. Like a lot of my stuff, this one was inspired by a couple of incidents. The first is that when my brother was in high school, he and his girlfriend once stayed up until three in the morning.

“Holy cats, Todd–what did you talk about?”

“Nothing. She read the phonebook to me.”

“WTF?”

“We ran out of things to talk about but we didn’t want to hang up!”

I thought this sounded like the most boring conversation EVER, and it stuck with me. A little after Keeping Promise Rock came out, not one but three people used the phrase, “I’d read the phonebook if you wrote it!” I was embarrassed–because, you know, NO ONE is THAT good–I felt like it was praise I didn’t deserve. I figured that the only way to make the phonebook interesting was to make it dirty, and, well, you know. Since Scotty and Ryan could take a plain blue shirt and sex it up… voila. “Phonebook”–if you read it, do let me know it doesn’t suck.

Omigod– I mean, it’a a knitting blog, sort of, right? Ive been knitting! I may or may not have mentioned (okay… no pictures–and I”m on my husbands computer so there isn’t going to be any. *hand to forehead* Wow. I’ve never actually GUARANTEED instant boredome before!) but I’ve got six socks on the needles and that doesn’t include the ones in the lost sock bag. (btw? Mate just ‘cleaned up’ my knitting area… I may or may not know where the lost sock bag is, guaranteeing that those socks are well and truly LOST! I can’t wait to excavate this place when I’m ninety. Even the cats will be laughing at me!)

Anyway–I’m working on a sweater for Zoomboy in this incredible cherry red from Cascade. The cool thing about this color (especially in Sacramento) is that it’s not GANGLAND red, it’s Cherry Red–it’s as innocent and sweet a red as I’ve ever seen, and I actually needed some blue colorwork (fucked up as usual) to butch it up a little. I’m working this one in the round, and it’s nice, but easy, and so for some interest, I’ve got some orgasmic water-colored malagrigo online for a scarf. PUUURRRRRRR… and I think the sweater at least will have some pictures. (Have you noticed we’ve SERIOUSLY lost the camera as a family? We’ve been relying on Chicken’s and on the photo booth op on my laptop, and they both SUCK for picture quality. I MISS the days of pictures on the damned blog!) Of course, the days of pictures on the damned blog were also the days before I was consumed by writing angst… I guess omething does give, doesn’t it? (Hmm… maybe more pictures, fewer blogs? But where’s the fun in that?)

So I’m knitting, and relaxing… I got my summer hair cut so I may dye it again… and I’m almost human.

Oh yeah– and we saw Prince of Persia yesterday. You know, it may have been Jake Gylenhall’s abs blinding me to the movies more subtle flaws, but I thought it was GRRRREEEAAAAATTTTTT!!!