You Hear It First: Exciting News For BAAS Readers!!️

I’m going to throw in some vital news and updates up front here, but then the rest of this newsletter is a travelogue sharing my recent trip to LA. I’m only posting it here, for you my beloved newsletter readers

🎉First and most importantly, I can now announce that Blood Eternal has FINALLY been recorded in audiobook 🎉

Read again (and of course!) by Amber Benson. You guys are hearing it first! There will be more news about the audiobook in the coming weeks, but read the travelogue below to get the inside scoop…

The Sandu Xmas story is done in the first draft and just sent to the editor! I’m trying to get a cover happening while she does her thang…

I will be vending at the Pandemonium Holiday Faire On Sunday Dec 14

I’ll bring free hot chocolate and of course my red sharpie for signing your books ✒️ ⁠ If you are looking to shop local and indie, or just need to grab a few more items to check off your own Santa list, there will be unique vendors selling a variety of geeky wares: Illustrations, hand-made stuffed animals, bags, jewelry, dice, and so much more 🎁 ⁠ The faire will run from 12 PM to 5 PM. See you there! ✨

There are also freshly printed copies of That Lesbian Vampire Pirate Story (for those of you who somehow don’t have yours yet) so if you can come down and get it signed in person, I’ll be wearing my ugly Xmas sweater and serving up free hot cocoa!

If you live too far away, order your signed copies here and I will get them out to you ASAP. If you order in the next couple days there’s still time for books to get there to be under the tree or by the menorah, or wherever you pile your prezzies 🎁🎁🎁

Don’t forget, ebooks and audiobooks make great holiday gifts, and they don’t require worrying about shipping times. All my audiobooks are up on Audible, through your other preferred audiobook provider, or you can buy them directly from me to own without membership issues

Special LA Trip Travelogue—Ride Along With Raven As She Goes On An Author Adventure

📆 Friday 5^th

Flying out from BOS to LAX. Flight very full, but people are in good spirits and friendly, and it’s almost like the government shutdown didn’t wreck such disaster on commercial aviation just a few weeks ago.

Looking forward to six uninterrupted hours of editing the Sandu Xmas story…

Just woke up from an accidental three hour nap! I can’t ever sleep on planes, but I had packed myself a big container of Turkey Day leftovers, and apparently, enough tryptophan, carbs and fats will give me a case of “the itis” that will overcome even my discomfort in flying! Good to know for the future…but now I’m kinda annoyed I only got one hour of editing in

***

It was a really smooth flight, got my luggage with no problems, and now ensconced with my friend Mija in Long Beach. I love this town. I have been promised Mexican food every day I’m out here, to make up for the lack of it in MA. Tonight is tacos, baby! 🌮🌮

📆 Sat 6^th

Ugh, jet lag is horrible. Spending the day resting before having to be “on” in the evening.

Picked up by Lore to drive over to the movie viewings and dinner. We hold a business meeting through the infamous LA traffic. Very productive that way, at least!

***
Home, too tired to keep my eyes open. What an amazing evening! Met and chatted with some really fun and interesting people, doing cool projects. Watched two classic horror films (Equinox and The Blob) and learned about how they were made. Delicious mango sticky rice after dinner! And I got to ride a little train!

I was introduced tonight as “Raven Belasco—she’s an accomplished author,” so I’m going to need you all to add that to my name henceforth: “Raven Belasco—Accomplished Author”

(Very happy the little terrier in The Blob didn’t die! I was so worried about them! Was very glad to find out it ran away. I hope it ended up in a good place eventually. Also, possibly more worrying: does climate change mean that The Blob is going to eat us all?!)

📆 Sun 7^th

Heading to the studio shortly to do the final recordings for Blood Eternal. Excited to spend time with Amber, and finally meet our recording engineer par excellence, Eli, in person.

***
Exhausted, in bed. Can barely hold my eyes open, but want to get down these memories…

Today was one of the best days of my author career. Met Lore at the gorgeous little recording studio where Blood Eternal has been being recorded. Amber and Eli were already inside, starting the pickups. Came in, hugged people, got to work. It was so much fun, and so damn impressive, being there for the process and getting to help out a bit with the last tricky pronunciation issues.

Then, the part I’d had some butterflies for: me getting behind the mic myself, to record the opening and closing parts of the book.

Back in college, I’d had a radio show (the Indigo Hours, where I played jazz and blues) and in my previous job for the language course company I ended up in their recording studio a number of times. But it had been a hot minute since I was trying to sound all professional with a mic in hand.

I did my best, enjoyed myself, and they say I sounded good (I’ll find out soon enough if they were just being kind!) and that was a wrap on Blood Eternal!

We celebrated with a meal at an amazing café, and sat and talked into the afternoon. The café had these insane gluten free waffles, and a lavender matcha, and so my part of the discussion was very much powered by caffeine and sugar.

Lore and I wandered around a bit after that, having a roving business meeting that included wandering around The Ripped Bodice, and ending up in a boba joint.

I’d run out of spoons some time ago by that point, and getting back to Long Beach included a stop at the wonderful Mexican place from the other night and getting more delicious tacos and mango agua fresca.

Passing out now 😵

📆 Mon 8^th

The original plan for the day got rescheduled for a future trip, so today was a “free day,” and in discussion with Mija, I realized what I wanted most was to sit in a café and write. (Technically, edit, but since I love all the stages of writing that’s all good.) So she suggested an appropriate spot called The Library Coffee Shop and after brunch and a visit to the dog park with her fantastic pup, we finally found ourselves ensconced there with caffeine (I got a fantastic latte called the Vanilla Goddess, and which lived up to the name!) and our laptops open, as we sat and wrote together.

I really have the bestest friends 💖

Got almost all the edits in, and really enjoyed just sitting in a café and writing, which I never get to do back home because there isn’t a café in walking distance from my home now, and I really can’t see wasting the time driving to a café, when I could just get my computer fired up and get on with it. (Back when I lived in SF, I would walk Cairngorm down to the café to write—they adored him and made much of him—and after enough writing had occurred, I’d walk him home, thus getting both writing and walkies done in one swell foop.)

Anyway, since I was really wiped out from the previous two days, this was low-key day was just perfect.

It got even perfecter when some friends I hadn’t seen for too many years stopped by and we chatted for a couple hours like no time had passed at all.

Falling into bed so happy 😊

📆 Tues 9^th

One last thing to do, then I can go home to my Archie boy! Just “have to” have a brunch with the amazing Paulette Kennedy, whom I’ve been both idolizing and adoring from a distance, and now I can do so in the flesh!

We met for brunch at Lunetta and holy fuck, the food and drinks at that place are beyond perfect, and it was a beautiful place to sit and talk for a couple hours, about writing and personal stuff, and anything and everything.

I love talking with other authors. We can discuss the difficulties of dealing with Amazon or Ingram, the complexities of doing conventions, and all writer’s issues from which book layout software is best to laughing about our favorite bad reviews, and never get tired of these topics.

They say “never meet your heroes,” but sometimes it goes very right. I’ve met Jim Carrol and it was unforgettable, I met Samuel Delany and he was so kind to a star-struck college student who wanted to be a writer someday. And of course, Amber Benson! 💖 And today I met Paulette in person, and it was even better than our already wonderful online interactions 💝

At the airport, waiting for the redeye back to Boston, I got a killer massage and then finished up my leftover tacos and waffles while sitting at a nice table which charged my laptop.

Looking back over this trip, I feel so much gratitude. I have been taken care of by the kindest of friends. I have gotten to spend time with genuinely amazing people, having the best conversations. I’ve gotten to see my third “baby” Blood Eternal take the final step into being a Real Audiobook and be part of the process in the most fun way, and enjoyed networking and schmoozing like I was born to it. And I got to move the newest story along towards being ready to publish in my spare moments!

I love being a writer. I just want to do this for the rest of my life, please!

So that’s the story of the trip. Thank you for sharing that with me! 🥰 More news about the Blood Eternal audiobook forthcoming…

I will get out one more newsletter before the holidays descend upon us, to get you the link to the Sandu Xmas story ebook. Good luck with the holiday madness, and be good or be good at it!😘

💭 I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: drop me a note 📨

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