Best of Both Worlds

Hello, Younglings.

It was a very "Laura Jo" day. (Y'all know that's my name, right?)

June 8, 2018. A Friday. My favorite day of the week. And yes, it was a most excellent day. I'll have to explain it somewhat back to front and front to back, but I guess the best way to start is at the beginning.

The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. I engaged the snooze button at least three times. I heard "Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner. At another point in the morning routine I heard Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again." It's 2018, I'm pushing 50 and am still listening to the same songs I woke up to almost thirty years ago. On the same station, 98.1 out of Shreveport. I'll explain why this is important later.

At 6:37 a.m., as I was gathering up stuff to drop at the cleaners, I checked my Yahoo account on my phone and received the email that I'd been waiting for since 9 p.m. the night before:

"Congratulations, your book “Rockin' Heaven Down” is now live and available* for purchase in the Kindle Store!"

YES!!! The Book Formerly Known as "Rock Opus" Because I Couldn't Come Up With a Better Title is now LIVE on Amazon.

There's a lot of blah, blah, blah about this book, and you can find out what that is some other time, but I spent 26 years writing this thing and another 12 trying to publish it. And now here it is:

Rockin' Heaven Down

NOTE: Some of you are too young to read it. So wait until you're about....20 or so. Preferably before you get married. 

I was jumping up and down like a little girl. I stopped on the way to work and bought donuts for my co-workers because it was a day of great celebration. I also got a really nice message from my original publisher from Washington state about how great the cover looked. 

"Who wouldn't want to read that!" he said.

He also messaged me later to say that the description was very strong. That's so nice to hear from someone who knows the business of publishing, as well as music, and believed in my work enough before to include it in this publication:

Tribute to Orpheus

Now...what does this have to do with "best of both worlds?"

Well, the world I'm referring to here is the Land of Rock 'N Roll. Or Hair Metal, as it is referred to now. We didn't call it that at the time but that's ...what it is now. *big frown* Without this genre, I truly would not have had the career that I've had as a musician, or "local rock diva." I dove into that world at age 16 and that was that. I started writing the book at the same time and now that book is "out there."

Honestly, I don't care if it sells one download. That's not a source of income for me. I just wanted to "do it." So I did. I played the Spotify list I created for it all day today, as I took Jill the Cat to the vet, did a bit of shopping, and got a pedicure. Then I punched into hyperspace and went into the other galaxy far, far away.

I came out of the womb as a nerd. My first hero was Robin Hood. The Disney Robin Hood. Then I turned nine and saw this movie called "Star Wars."

This one you know about. We've all binge-watched the entire series AND The Clone Wars at The Plantation. You've all slept in the "Star Wars" room. It's why you're called "Younglings." (Duh...) And today, I saw "Solo."

I missed Opening Day, for something more important than movie-going, but I made it to Cinemark for the 4:15 show. I knew I had to go before it was pulled from the theater, knowing how quickly movies are yanked these days. Back in the Ancient Times (the 1970s and 80s), movies stayed on for MONTHS. Even YEARS. Not so anymore. It just wouldn't be right for me to NOT see a Star Wars film for the first time in a movie theater.

Especially this one, because it's about Han Solo. The only man for me pretty much until I was 16 and discovered those rocker guys I was talking about earlier. As usual, I was thinking "squeeeeeee" the whole two hours.

This day was all about me, and what defines me. Not what defines my life, but what defines me as I was growing up. The things I loved and enjoyed and made me happy. I wasn't an athlete. I wasn't a cheerleader. I wasn't a cool kid. I was a nerd long before it was popular. Even as a "rocker chick" I was different.

From the excitement of having my book published electronically so people might actually buy it to watching Han and Chewie fly the Millennium Falcon once again, it was quite a roller-coaster day, and I only had one thought as I climbed back into the ultra-cool Batmobile (the Crossfire) and headed to get sushi-to-go before I went home.

I owe a lot of thanks to Poppa Don.

This made me cry happy tears, because he loved and accepted me even though  silly things like space fantasy movies and eighties rock music are things that make me terribly happy. The stuff that people sometimes laughed at and made fun of me for, making me feel, at certain times, like I was too weird or kooky. He was out of town working (Pink Tomato Festival!!) and that's why I posted on social media a lot during the day so I could share it all with him when he got the chance to check his phone. 

I guess my point is this, Younglings: You don't have to give up the things you loved as a kid when you get older. And you don't have to be embarrassed by them or hide them from other people because it's not "cool." It's okay to YOU. It's okay to have the interests and hobbies you have. And find someone who loves you as you. 

Because someday you will. I promise.

May the Force Be With You. Rock on, Younglings!!