About The
Ruth Rymer (From the Author’s website):

An early women’s rights scholar, Ruth Rymer practiced Family Law and lectured on “Women and the Law” in California before retiring to write. She holds a Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems from The Fielding Institute and wrote her dissertation on the historical, sociological, and psychological aspects of divorce.

Dr. Rymer, listed in Best Lawyers in America 1988-2000, is Past President of both Queen’s Bench (Bay Area women attorneys) and the Northern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

The author lives in the Bay Area with her husband. Susannah is her second book.

It's been forever since I've posted here, but I certainly hope you're over at my other sites for regular, current posts, info, reviews and more!

Lots has happened in the past seven or so months, and I'm sure it's the same in your neck of the woods.  As it stands, Lyrique Tragedy Reviews will begin displaying reviews of contributors I've gathered from across the globe (truly) and hopefully will be going through a short revamping period.  As one reviewer it becomes overwhelming when you have a stack of books glaring at you, tickets for events mocking you, and all of the ideas and concepts for what you want the site to be just standing tapping their proverbial feet in your direction simply because you have to make a living.  Shocking, I know. 

So I'll be posting some updates soon regarding the individuals who are gearing up to contribute.  If you'd like to do so, please take a look at the site, read the reviews and articles (contributors may be posting both!), and get a feel for the general tone of Lyrique Tragedy Reviews.  If you'd like to be a part, email me and we'll talk!  I'll likely want to see an example review, but that should be cake, right?  ;)

Also, for those of you more interested in rants and raves and the antics of one of the Pittsburgh Blogging crowd, don't forget to head over to Reality 101.  I'm handing out creativity homework, so don't be late!  :)  The homework is real, but it's more about waking up the muses and rolling around in creativity than anything else.  It's been great fun, and a lot of folks have contributed their additions that still make me smile when I see the thought that goes in to them.  Hell, come on over just for WTF?! Wednesdays if you want... It's always nice to see folks from all the different networking sites.

For those of you from Pittsburgh, or who used to live in Pittsburgh but miss the Burgh, check out OMGPittsburgh.com. It's a phenomenal project that I'm proud to be a part of.  Share your thoughts.

So, I miss y'all... come on over and visit!

Hi y'all!

I know it's been a while since I posted here, but there's plenty of good reason for that.  I've got quite a few projects going on, and now that I have anchored myself at DawnPapuga.com, It would be silly to post here and there and on every other social networking site there is.  I love the feedback and discussions this blog generated, and I miss hearing from y'all!  I'd love to hear your comments over on my site, and like I mentioned before, you're able to receive the posts in the reader of your choice, via email, or just by checking in.  So if you would like to continue our interaction, please head over that way and subscribe!

Also, I'd like to post an RSS feed of that blog to this one (post in one place and it shows up in others ideas here.  FaceBook allows it, so why can't MySpace?).  I haven't had much luck finding a way to do that.  Any suggestions?  Has anyone managed to accomplish this magic?  Let me know!

Hope to hear from you soon!

~Dawn

Hi everyone!

For those of you in Pittsburgh, I’m hoping your sense of Pittsburgh Pride will kick in here. For those of you not in the Burgh, let’s just say it’s a favor for me, hmm?

Today, we learned that STBD, one of the longest web series online and based, filmed, performed, and produced right here in Pittsburgh, has been selected as one of 5 nominees by Yahoo for "Best Series" in their 2008 Yahoo Video Awards! This could be big, since it’s a chance to bring a lot of world-wide attention to a Pittsburgh-based creation!

STBD is one of five nominees, so please go take two or three seconds to place your VOTE! (pretty please? ;) )

Thanks for all your help!

~Dawn

PS:  Check out the show at Something to be Desired and here on myspace at http://www. myspace. com/stbd

PPS: I totally spelled "bulletin" wrong in the one that went out.  Whoops! Lo Siento!

There are a few things that can cause an uproar in the literary community—the death of an author, the discovery of a fake "memoir," and the controversy surrounding an author's work. All three have happened (sometimes in multiples) over the past few weeks, and each deserves its own discussion. A more detailed conversation regarding the "fake memoirs," the industry that allowed their publication, and the audiences buying them will be posted later. What I'm most interested in at the moment is the comment Anne Rice made to Time magazine regarding her return to the much beloved Vampire Chronicles after having turned her back on them in 2002.

People are entitled to their personal systems of belief, of course. I'm not criticizing Rice's decision to reenter the Catholic faith with gusto. That's her business. What concerns me most is her public declaration to the industry and her fans of the abandonment of her work, as though it was somehow "wrong" or "tainted." After her return to the church, she claimed that her future work would be only be in the service of god. In an interview with Christianity Today, Rice reflected on her decision to abandon her previous journey with the Vampire Chronicles: "I would never go back, not even if they say, 'You will be financially ruined; you've got to write another vampire book.' I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that."

Her vehemence is admirable. It also leaves the fans that she had accumulated over the decades who were (and still are) enthralled by the spiritual and moral conflicts of her characters, confused and lost.

(MORE)

As always, comments are welcome here and on the main blog!  Enjoy!

~Dawn

Just popping in for a few quick housekeeping updates:

1.  I have a lot of writing that needs to be posted on a number of sites, so keep an eye out for the avalanche of reviews that will start soon.  I also have a post for LTR regarding the recent wave of fake memoirs, and one about Anne Rice's possible "decision" to return to her Vampire Chronicles.  Keep your eyes peeled here and at Lyrique Tragedy Reviews.  Because everything won't be posted here, if you don't want to miss anything over there, add LTR to your RSS feed!  I don't think you can do that with this blog (honestly, I never checked so I may be wrong).

2.  I've taken on NaBloPoMo this month.  For those of you who don't know, NaBloPoMo is a spin off of NaNoWriMo, but concerns posting at least once a day on your blog.  The theme for March is "lists" and I am all about lists!  I'm also using this to prepare for the next round of NaNoWriMo, which life seemed to interupt this past year.  I'm a few days behind, but I'll be RetConning the first three days this weekend.  Check it out at my central site HERE.  You can add that to an RSS feed or have it emailed to you if you choose.  See how easy I make things? 

3.  There are some great events coming up in Pittsburgh, and I'll have to throw up a post about them soon.  The Creative Treehouse is doing an Invisible Children's screening and benefit on March 9th, the ITPittsburgh Connector is coming up on March 13th at Altar starting during happy hour, and Cathy Day will be doing a reading in South Side for her new book Comeback Season at the end of the month that you would be silly to miss. 

4.  I've decided to grab my digital camera and start photographing the stained glass in the churches in Pittsburgh.  I'd love to take a weekend and head to Chicago to visit the Stained glass museum, but we'll see when I can make that happen.  As you see, there's lots going on here, but I am feeling the incredible need to get away for a bit and I love Chicago.  If I can actually accomplish this, I'll post some of the gems here.  The idea started over the past two weeks, really, and while I was searching for images to use on the new site, I realized I'd just have to take pictures and photoshop them myself. 

So there you have it!  There will be lots to read in lots of different places, so catch me if you can!  Ciao!

Write well,

~Dawn

When you spend a lot of time thinking, strange things happen.  For many people thinking drives them inward to some form of soul searching or life evaluation.  You take stock, you weigh the good and the bad, the pros and the cons, and you may even make a list if major decisions are involved.  But for most people, that thinking stops right there--with themselves and whatever immediate problem or change in their lives drove them to stop and think in the first place.

I'm not really like that.  I mean, yes, I make lists. I do the whole "what is it that I really want out of life, a career, a partner, a friend, a relationship, a hobby, and even a pair of shoes" thing.  I think everyone does in some way.  But because I don't know everything (I know, I know, pick up your jaws...) I often dissociate myself from the rest of the world as I amble through and look at how everyone else deals with various things.  Who knows, maybe I can get some clues.  Many times I witness incredible conflicts in what someone says and what they do, and other times I'm pleasantly surprised by the genuine nature of people individually and in a social circle.  You gain incredible insight on the way people think when you remove yourself emotionally and psychologically.  Step back and just look at the people around you from a sterile, almost experimental point of view, and I'd wager you'd be surprised by what you saw.  I've been doing this all my life, though I only really recognized what it was I had been doing all my life when I began doing it as a criminal and abnormal psych major.  Some people can't understand this means of thinking from a distance, mostly because they've never had to do it themselves.  Maybe it began as a defense mechanism.  Maybe it's an enlightened way of seeing the world.  And maybe I somehow found the cheat code to make me think in a different way.  I don't know.

But none of that is really the point. 

While doing my latest round of thinking, I noticed a few things.  Today was beautiful and I spent one of my breaks outside.  In the early spring-like weather I noticed just how much the Strip reminds me of Tuscaloosa.  If I closed my eyes, or even just squinted a bit and imagined some trees lining the road, I could almost feel as if I were back there.  While sitting in the sun, letting it burn off the "winter blahs," I noticed over the course of 15 minutes some odd behavior in the cars that were driving by.  There were a few beeps and then a few cars that slowed down in the middle of the street to look and wave.  I didn't know a single one of the individuals who did this, mind you.  From a very unscientific, small number poll I took following the experience, I gather that it's not all that terribly uncommon.  The funny thing is, I never noticed it before (this won't surprise some of you a single bit--I'm notoriously blind to things like this even though I try not to be).

My question is what compels a complete stranger to do any of these things?  I don't ever recall beeping at anyone unless they were doing something heinous in traffic, or if I knew someone on the street.  I mean, what could ever come from beeping at a total stranger on the street?  Maybe you make them smile.  Okay, some might say that's enough.  But what happens in some one's head while they're driving to compel them to do one of these things in the first place?  Mr. Man is driving along, sees a girl on the street, notices her for whatever reason..... and then what?  Does he think, "Hey, if I beep at her, she'll rush over to the car and give me her number?" or is it the driving equivalent of a bad pick up line?  Unless Mr. Man decides to stop, pull over, get out of the car, and talk directly to the woman they're beeping at, it's pointless.

Even worse is the "slow down in traffic and wave" technique.  On one hand, Mr. Man is brave enough to slow down so you can actually see him.  On the other hand, he doesn't have the gumption to pull over and get out of his car.  Again, what are they thinking?  "Look, a woman standing there!  Let me slow down and ogle her, smile, and wave!  By slowing down in traffic and stopping the cars behind me, I'll impress her by inciting the ire of the drivers behind me and she'll think that's cool!"  Uhm, no.  Again, it'll likely make her smile as long as you aren't a creepy, stalkerish looking guy leering like you want to wear her skin.  But it won't come to anything.  You see, there is no actual communication there--just feather preening, attention getting behavior on a very basic level. 

Still... I just don't understand the synapses that fire that cause this behavior.  It's the same thing as "cat calling," which I don't understand either.  Do women actually respond to these means of communication?  Are there women out there who would have run from the sidewalk to talk to these drivers?  Would they quickly scan for a licence plate number to track down Mr. Beeping Man?  Are you kidding me?  What would Mr. Man do if a woman did approach his car after beeping?

I mean, this kind of interaction is a step away from punching the pretty girl in the arm and running, or standing across the playground with a group of your girlfriends, giggling as one of you yell the name of the "cute" boy across the way so he looks.  You would imagine we'd be beyond that, but maybe I expect too much.  I mean, these weren't young boys, high school kids, or college boys, either.  They were professional men, in suits, driving respectable cars.  I don't get it. 

I've always said that I was born in the wrong century.  What ever happened to just talking to a person?  Even still, I somehow believe that were I were sitting on a veranda or balcony in the Early Modern or Victorian period, there would be carriages slowing down on the street below.  It would, of course, make things slightly more difficult for Mr. Man, as the horses wouldn't quite be able to get the get-up-and-go it takes to speed away after the "slow down and wave" technique.  And what, would they have jingled a bell?  It's laughable when you consider it. 

And before anyone gets all huffy with me, women do it too.  I know.  I've seen it.  I've actually been  riding shotgun in a car that went through both incidents, and I was forced to slink down as far as possible to avoid humiliation or ever being recognized.  Her response?  "Oh, you take things too seriously!  Have a little fun!"  I can't argue with her; I do take things too seriously a  lot of the time, but I also don't think drive by beepings are in my line of "fun." 

Thoughts?  Answers?

~Dawn

I love to fall into stories.

That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me, or to anyone who reads this or any of my blogs.  Stories have a clearly recognizable structure.  They have order (even Tarantino films have a recognizably messed up narrative). By dropping yourself into a story you can find some order in what can often be a chaotic world. Stories have their own way of creeping into your life when you least expect it.  Stories can make you realize things you never knew about yourself or others, and they can help you find answers to questions you didn't know you ever had. 

Tragedies can help you appreciate the more meaningful, intangible interactions between people, and at the same time help you to see that even though you might be going through a tough spot in life, someone had it far worse than you.  Comedies may seem trite, but they have to be held in balance with the tragedies.  I prefer tragedies because I prefer walking away from a story with a greater appreciation for those meaningful things.  Those things may have been ripped from the hero, but the beauty of it is that they--and I--recognized the importance of it.  Love, honor, nobility, selflessness, companionship, camaraderie, family, loyalty, and trust all stand out like beacons in tragedies because much of the time the hero sacrifices something for one of those Ideas knowing full well that it will likely bring his or her downfall, and they do it anyway.  It's sad, yes.  But bearing witness to a story like that can buoy the spirit.  There are people out there who choose to do the right thing, and that can lead to the paradox of tragedies being uplifting.

But there is a reason that theatre masks have a Comedy and Tragedy mask.  The seriousness and harsh reflection that Tragedies can offer need a buffer.  Life, contrary to many brooding artists, is not all doom and gloom.  It's simple to see the darkness lurking in every corner and behind every door.  We live in a difficult world politically and socially.  That shouldn't be surprising.  But comedies offer some respite for that.  Comedies often help diffuse the horribly embarrassing moments we all experience.  Comedies take situations that are typically mundane and shine a light on the... well... comedy of errors that our lives can be.  It's okay to be clumsy.  It's okay to not always say the right thing.  It's okay to be horribly unlucky.  It's okay to be imperfect.  And, most importantly, you need to laugh.

They're not so different, comedies and tragedies, really.  Both help you take stock of your world and shine a big fat spotlight on things most people fear on some level or another.  And it doesn't matter what form those stories come in, either, regardless of genre.  I love the theatre.  I love film.  I love novels.  When I'm not feeling well, at least one of these is likely to enter my world.  Today, while curled up on the couch when I wasn't being sick and my fever decided to take a break, I managed to read a novel and watch a film.  I'll post my review of the novel hopefully by the weekend. 

But the movies... oh, the movies! 

I watched American Gangster finally, and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed.  I enjoyed the film, and I'll likely buy it to add to my collection, but it felt like something was missing.  Perhaps it was because of all the hype I had heard prior to me seeing it.  Perhaps it's that I had to watch it over the course of three days because I kept falling asleep (this, by the way, is not entirely the fault of the film--I have been groggy for the past few days of being ill).  To be fair, I think I need to watch it again in one sitting before I enter my judgment in stone.

On the other hand, I watched 3:10 to Yuma and was blown away.  I have a special place in my heart for the Western, and I was worried that because I liked the original I wouldn't like this remake.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  It was beautifully filmed, the acting was fantastic, and all of the things you want most in an escapist story were there in spades.  I want more westerns!  I don't know if it's the simplicity of life--good guys vs. bad guys, raise a good family, do what's right even when it's wrong--or the open spaces and gunfights and action, but I love them.  Truth be told, 3:10 to Yuma has all of these things but is far more three dimensional than that.  The complexity of characters and the personal conflicts each experience might easily slide this film next to Tombstone on my shelf of favorites.

It might be strange that I find comfort in mafia films and westerns, but I'm a sucker for redemption stories--especially when I'm not feeling well.  They may not be your traditional story book happy endings, but they touch something real and they offer hope. 

~D

I needed to clear my head today.  I needed to be able to go to a quiet place, a place of healing, a place where I felt comfortable and confidant that my deep introspection wouldn't be looked at strangely.  There are plenty of places that I could have gone--most of them were either plane rides or hours away--and the others just weren't feasible with the time I did have for my serious thinking.  There were no libraries nearby, which likely would have been my natural instinct, but I'm sure it wouldn't have helped.  I find incredible comfort in a library and being surrounded by books.  I can't really explain it.  But libraries are full of answers from other people, and they can be oppressive.  So much knowledge and so very many books looming around you can make your thoughts isolated and closed in.  When you're looking for your own answers about yourself it's hard to take the words of mostly dead authors seriously sometimes.  I needed a place that was wide and open, somewhere that would allow me to open up my thoughts and let them sort themselves out without any particular order or Library of Congress system to try and force them into a logic that doesn't quite fit.

And as soon as I realized that, I knew where I had to go.  There is a beautiful cathedral across the street from where I work, and I've stopped in before to glance around and take everything in.  I lit a few candles, had some honest conversations, and genuinely felt better after leaving.  When I lived in Alabama I had  some difficulty finding a Catholic Church, but find one I did, and went through the same process when I was faced with issues bigger than myself, or decisions I had to make.  I didn't attend masses, but being in the church always made me feel better for some inexplicable reason.  While in college I spend a lot of time in Heinz Chapel just thinking.  And growing up, regardless of the spiritual conflict I have always had, being in my own Church always helped me feel like things would be okay, and helped me to think more clearly.  In fact, I often envision the area of the church dedicated to St. Catherine when I'm meditating.  It became clear as day to me where I needed to go.  So I crossed the street, marched up to the doors of that church and.... nothing.  The doors were not only locked, but chained shut.  The doors to a church.  I was dumbfounded. 

Since when do churches keep hours?  Growing up church doors were open late into the night and earlier than I had ever seen anyone use a key.  They were open for people to drop in and make an offering, say a prayer, or seek guidance.  I even remember driving by churches with my parents, marveling at the way the light from the offering candles brought the stained glass to life.  But not anymore apparently.  I can't help but think that's just wrong.  What if someone needed to confess?  What if someone needed to seek guidance before they did something stupid, and went there for help?  All I could think about was "What if I needed to declare Sanctuary?"  The Hunchback of Notre Dame would have met a much timelier end had the Cathedral closed its doors on weekdays except for masses and special holidays.  Needless to say, I was sad. 

I came home, having left work early because I developed a fever (why, I have no idea), but I'm going to see if the church I grew up in is open during the day.  Maybe that's exactly where I should have gone to begin with.

And were I more in sorts, I would have come up with  great segue here, but I'm having trouble even focusing on this medicine, so you're lucky to get even this...

Apparently, Anne Rice will write one more book about everyone's favorite spiritually and historically tortured vampire, Lestat.  After Blood Canticle, her fans were left wondering about the fate of Lestat and the Mayfair crew.  When I read the book, I didn't have a clue that it was supposed to be the last one, and I raced to her site to find out when the release date would be for the next installment.  She left it wide open, just as she did with every other book in the series, implying there would be a sequel.  But no.  She had found God.  Again.

Rice claimed that she would never write those characters again after turning her attentions to her last release, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.  She has a new book in the Christ the Lord series appearing this March (Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, due out March 4, 2008).  When Kelly sent me the Rice update, I had to find out more--so I went to the source.  This is what Anne Rice had to say about her comments to Time magazine:

A CHRISTIAN LESTAT NOVEL INVOLVING THE TALAMASCA?

Or

KEEPING MY PROMISE TO THE LORD

Well, guys, a casual remark I made in an interview with TIME.com a few days ago has brought more reaction than I ever dreamed it would and so it seems I must clarify what I said. Yes, I am contemplating one last novel involving the Vampire Lestat, and the Talamasca, the fictional organization I created years ago in the Vampire novels. The novel, if ever written, would be entirely Christian in framework and would involve Redemption. It would affirm my dedication to Christ and my belief in Him and my commitment to write only for Him.

Such a novel would probably not appeal to the old Goth readers who want to see the vampires continue in their old ways. But it might very much appeal to readers of the old books who saw them as spiritual works about the search for salvation. They might welcome it as a Christian conclusion to the saga I abandoned in 2002. In fact, emails have been flowing in for the last few days expressing great enthusiasm for a Christian novel with the vampire Lestat.

Let me affirm: the book --- if ever written --- would reflect my commitment to the Lord to write for Him and for Him alone. The novel is still in the idea stage, and represents an attempt to bring my deep Christian commitment to my old hero and bring my old hero to my Christian commitment. The novel would only be written if and when I find a space to do it that does not interfere with my writing of Jesus' life on earth in the Christ the Lord series.

Yes, I did famously say I would never write about those old characters again, and I meant it when I said it because I could not then envision a redemptive novel with Lestat. I had attempted redemptive novels with him like Memnoch the Devil and Blood Canticle and they had not entirely succeeded. Also my new vocation, to write directly for Christ, became the dominant theme of my entire life. And it still is the dominant theme of my entire life.

Have I changed my mind about the old characters? Yes. And No.

Three years have passed since the publication of Christ the Lord, Our of Egypt, and I have been besieged with emails asking me to write about Lestat again, and more than once the suggestion has come up that a novel about him could be redemptive, could be Christian, could be reflective of my new found faith. During these three years I've contemplated this in depth, and I do see some real possibility there. So I made a mention of this in my interview with Time.com. In other words, I have changed my mind about Lestat, but about Christ I have not changed my mind at all!

I'm seeing something new, and something that could be powerful and Christian and deeply meaningful for many readers. Maybe it will happen; maybe it won't.

But let me assure you -- all of you out there, Christian or non-Christian -- that my consecration to Christ as a writer remains the same. The Lord has given me the strength to maintain that commitment, and I find writing for Him and about Him to be the most challenging and wondrous part of my entire life.

There is no possibility for me to return to writing about the vampires as heroes of a dark realm in which they are the only authority on their actions. There will be no more rip roaring adventures for the godless Lestat. That is dead and gone. I found the light in Christ for which my old characters were always searching. The question is: can I bring my Christian faith back to one of those old characters in a meaningful and deeply religious way.

If this new novel is written – and it may never be --- it will be about the question of Lestat's salvation and it would, as I said, have to reflect in depth my Christian view of the world and my Christian values.

It's worth noting that the original idea for this book was actually developed in 1998, with the tentative title of Angel Time. It never got written, and I think I know why. I wasn't ready to write it. I wasn't ready to bring Lestat into an embracing Christian faith. But now perhaps I am ready and able to do this, and the novel might reach a great many readers of the earlier books who have been reluctant to accept books about Jesus Christ.

There are no immediate plans to start on this book about Lestat and the Talamasca.

To repeat: My novels about Jesus come first. Two of a projected four in the series have been completed and I am now a work on the third.

I thank you for reading this, and for allowing me to clarify what is developing in the blogosphere as a real misunderstanding.

I've always been completely honest with my readers about my plans and about my thoughts and feelings. And my novels have always reflected my current struggles and beliefs and commitments. I'm being completely honest with my readers now about envisioning this exceptional book which might somehow link my old work and new work in a profound Christian way.

Christ the Lord, the Road to Cana, will be released in a matter of days, and I welcome response to this book. I am also deeply involved in the third novel about Our Lord's life on Earth, involving His ministry and the miracle of the raising of Lazarus. Tentative title: Christ the Lord, The Kingdom of Heaven.

As for Lestat, he'll have to wait in the wings for a while. And he may never make another appearance. Prayer, meditation, deep contemplation of all the elements involved, will have to precede any return to the old character and his old struggle.

Let me add one more important observation. Americans think about money a lot. They think about what people will do for money or will not do for money. They are accustomed to discussing authors in terms of money quite casually and sometimes without much factual information to back up their cynical observations.

I'm in the fortunate position to assure my readers that my new books dedicated to Christ have done surprisingly well. I see no financial advantage to returning to Lestat in any form, including that of a Christian novel. If I do write this book, it will be because I feel that I ought to write it, that it is in me waiting to be written and demanding to be written. I'm blessed in that financial considerations simply are not involved.

And once again, let me say, my consecration to Christ remains as strong as ever, thanks to His mercy and His grace.

Anne Rice
February 25th, 2008