When Colleen asked me to guest blog for her this week, I was really surprised.  You won’t find my name on any bookshelves, and my personal blog has been collecting dust for quite a while.  However, books—the Harry Potter series to be specific–currently rule my life.

My name is Stephanie Anderson and I play in a Wizard Rock band.  Tonks & the Aurors has been going strong for 8 months now, and it’s been the greatest experience of my life.

I’ll be honest, I’ve written this blog like…. 3 times, and there’s so much I could cover, so instead of making this a blog of EPIC proportions, I’ll do this the easiest way I know how. 

Here’s a countdown of things you should know about Wizard Rock and/or things I’m asked most often.

1. The History If you want a way more thorough history, check out www.wizrocklopedia.com, but the first Wizard Rock band, Harry and the Potters, was created in 2002 by two brothers in Massachusetts.  In 2006 the genre exploded, and since the release of Deathly Hallows in 2007, the genre grew from 150 to 450 bands.

2. Literacy
Wizard Rockers aren’t making music to make millions of dollars or get signed to a major label.  Our number one goal is to keep kids reading and encourage literacy.  We play in libraries and bookstores and spout off slogans like “Fight Evil! Read Books!”

3. There’s an Audience for This Stuff?
Yes! And they’re incredible!  Harry Potter fans are crazy dedicated, and with fan fiction, discussion forums, fan art, and conferences already being embraced, Wizard Rock was screaming to be done.  There’s nothing cooler than performing for a sea of people in house colors, or spending time after shows discussing what house you’re in or your theory on Horcruxes.

4. Do-It-Yourself
Every Wizard Rock band is DIY.  There are no big budgets from record companies or fancy recording studios. What makes Wizard Rock such a brilliant movement is that as a musician I’m not stressing about whether what I’m doing is new, different, or marketable.  I’m making music that I want to make, not what the music industry is telling me to make.

5. Charity!
Charity is HUGE for us.  There are charity compilations constantly being organized and as a genre we are very socially aware.  Recently, JK Rowling even recognized the wizard rock based organization The Harry Potter Alliance as one of her favorite fan sites because of their mission to change the world and promote social justice.  We truly believe that “The weapon we have is love”

6. Where to Start
Once I tell people that there are now over 400 Wizard Rock bands, it’s hard to know where to start, so here are some of my recommendations on good albums to start with: Harry & the Potters’ “Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love”, The Whomping Willows “III”, The Remus Lupins’ “I was a Teenage Werewolf”, or Draco & the Malfoys “Party Like You’re Evil!”

7. Deathly Hallows = Death to Wizard Rock?
Many people were worried that with the release of the seventh book this would all die out, but clearly, that didn’t happen since the entire genre only grew with the book release!  There are HP conferences booked into 2011, and more and more conferences are embracing wizard rock. I will continue with Wizard Rock as long as it is still fun for me and as long as there’s still an audience.  I know most of the other bands feel the same way too, so we’re not going anywhere any time soon.

So, that’s your crash course in Wizard Rock!  If you want to check out my band, head over to The Tonks & the Aurors MySpace page. 

Also, if you’re looking for some cool events that are Wizard Rock based, there’s Wrockstock in St. Louis and the HP conference TERMINUS is hosting a 30 Band concert in August at the Chicago Hilton. 

The Wizard Rockumentary is also starting a national screening schedule, so if you can, you should go to one! Check their site for the screening schedule.

Oh, and Wizard Rock has opened the doors for even more bands about books and other fandoms like Star Wars, The Princess Diaries, and Twilight. 

Somebody needs to jump on a Gardella Band!

You know, vampires aren’t the only supernatural creatures that live indefinitely, hypnotize humans, and have pointy body parts. While Colleen is flitting around the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, I’m going to take the opportunity to introduce you to another denizen of paranormal fiction–elves.

Yes, elves. And I’m not talking about Harry Potter house elves, Keebler cookie-making elves, or Santa’s little helpers. I’m talking about sexy Tolkien-type elves, only living in your town. Well, my town, which is Boulder, Colorado. But you could move here and then it would be your town, and you could hypothetically hook up with an elf, which is what Erin in my new book, Bound to Love Her, does.

Let’s take a moment to compare and contrast the world of elves and vampires, shall we?

Vampires exist in a palette of red and black. Now, don’t get me wrong–these are usually my two favorite colors to wear. But now that spring is here, we can branch out a little into yielding, petal pinks and turgid, earthy browns *fans face*.

It’s true, when our human gal Erin first meets Galan, she wonders why he’s dressed like a refugee from the Renaissance Faire. (Huzzah!) Still, she can’t help but admire his tall, elegant build, exotic features, and long, fair hair.

Moving on…Vampires have pointy teeth. Elves have pointy ears.

Pointy teeth = snakes.

Pointy ears = bunny rabbits.

Which would you rather fondle? Which would you rather stake?

Your reading choice might boil down to what mood you’re in.

Fondling? Read me.

Staking? Read Colleen.

Between the two of us, there’s a book for every mood, or at least two moods – fondling and staking.

Vampires and elves both live until someone kills them. Who is killing them, in both cases? Humans! All right, so humans aren’t doing anyone any favors in my books. Basically, my elves live off the energy from wild lands, so humans are unknowingly driving them to extinction.

But in Bound to Love Her, Erin saves Galan from a traitor elf who is encouraging humans to develop land. Mysteriously, Galan starts getting his energy from Erin, so he has to stick close to her and learn that humans aren’t the bad guys after all. Isn’t that nice? What was my point again? Never mind.

Just like vampires, elves have the ability to hypnotize humans. It’s called glamouring, and they had it first.  Bram Stoker’s Dracula? Published in 1897. Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene? Published in 1590. Far be it from me to suggest that vampires are wannabe upstarts. I’m just pointing out some numbers that exist.

In conclusion, vampires aren’t the only woo-woo creature in Fictionland. Yes, I know there are werewolves, too. Okay, and demons and angels. Whatever.

Today we’re talking about elves. E. L. V. E. S. They’re lean, green, lovemaking machines, understand?

I’m glad we had this talk.

___________________ 

(Bound to Love Her is available as of May 6. You can find out more about Esri Rose and her elves at ElvesAmongUs.com.) 

Heading out the door in a few hours (see how devoted I am! Instead of packing, showering, or even writing, I'm blogging. What's wrong with me?) to head for Pittsburgh, PA, this year's home of the Romantic Times BookLovers Convention.

This is not to be confused with the Romance Writers of America Conference that I normally attend in the summer. This is a convention, and as such, it's more…conventiony.

For example. Yes, I will be speaking at a workshop (on Friday, I think–better check my schedule), and yes, I will be participating in the big author booksigning on Saturday morning/afternoon, but I will also be fan-girling over one of my all-time favorite authors, one of the grande dames of Romance–Roberta Gellis! *squee*

She's attending and is speaking at several workshops and I'm bringing my hardcover collection of her Roselynde Chronicles (that I had to haunt online used bookstores for forever to find) for her to sign.

Along with stalking meeting Ms. Gellis, and another of my all-time favorite authors, Bertrice Small (another grande dame, who, according to my friend Colette Gale, was a huuuge influence on her), I'll be attending several costume balls.

Wednesday night is the Golden Age of Hollywood Ball, and I will be there, dressed in a hot-melon-colored gown that would have done Jayne Mansfield proud. ($25 at a consignment shop. Yippee!)

Thursday night is the Under the Sea Faery Ball, and I will be there as well, dressed in a bridesmaid's gown (25 bucks, same consignment shop!) that's been transformed, thanks to yards and yards of ocean-colored tulle, into a Faery Queen's dress. I had a lot of fun putting that together (especially since I don't sew, and my six-almost-seven-year-old thinks she does). 

Friday night is the Blood & Steel Vampire Ball, where, stake in hand, I'll be garbed in more normal clothes, but will be wearing my fabulous SWAT [Slut With Taste] boots and a little black dress. (also from the consignment shop, but since I will be wearing both elsewhere [the boots rock, trust!], they cost more: $120 for the two).

And Saturday, there's a cover models dinner which I don't think I'll be attending, but you never know…Fabio will be there, and so will Adrian Paul, so who knows! But after is a shoe thing–something where you're supposed to wear uber cool shoes. I have to see what I have in my closet!

Anyway, much fun to come, I'm certain.

In the meantime…just so you won't be lonely (and get out of the habit of checking my blog), I've arranged for some guest bloggers to keep you company.

Starting tomorrow, please welcome a new visitor each day. Be nice and come out and play with them, and when I get back I'll draw a winner from all the comments on Wed, Thurs, Fri, for an ARC of When Twilight Burns (to be delivered when I actually get the ARCs) and a copy of Esri Rose's book (which she'll tell you about tomorrow).

Sound fair?

And when I get back, I'll post some pictures of the costume ball. If they turn out.

Okay. Have fun.

And if you're going to be in Pittsburgh…find me! 

So, as many of you know, I'm leaving tomorrow to head to Pittsburgh for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. (More on that later.)

I was sort of prepping my 6-almost-7 year-old daughter the other day, and I said, "So I'm going to be gone next week."

DAUGHTER #2: Oh, Mom, why do you have to go?

(I explain that it will be lots of work, that Mom will be very busy working very hard, etc., really, really hard) "And besides, you'll have so much fun with Daddy! You know how much fun you'll have with him."

D#2: No I won't.

ME: Why not? What do you mean? You and your daddy have so much fun.

D#2: But when you're gone, Daddy's…Daddy gets….

ME: Daddy gets what?

D#2: He gets like you!

ME: What? (Taken aback.) What do you mean? Like…strict?

D#2: Yeah. Like strict and mean.

So I'm torn between laughing my butt off (because that's so true that I'm the Bad Guy Mom and he's the Let's Have Fun and Stay Up Past Your Bedtimes and Eat Junk and Watch TV Dad) and being totally offended.

Sigh.

So later, we were at lunch and I told Music Man what she said, and he started laughing and said to her and her brother, "See, that's right. When Mom's around, she gets to be the Bad Guy and we can have fun, but when she's not, someone has to make sure stuff gets done." 

Gee, thanks, honey. 

So what's it like in your household? Mom's the bad guy, Dad's the fun guy? 

So I've been teasing you with a bit o' good news for awhile now, and I can at last share one thing. There is more to come, so stay tuned.

This week's good news is that a German publisher has bought the first three Gardella books and so they will be released in Germany in the next year or so. I don't have any other details at this time–it was a quick email from my agent, who is in London for the Spring Book Fair–but yay! If I knew how to say yippee in German, I would! (Anyone? Bueller? Jan???)

And since it's Friday, that means it's time to 'fess up!

Since Earth Day is coming upon us shortly, put on your Green Hats and 'fess up about what you do or don't do to help the environment. 

Today's topic is: recycling.

I must say, I am the Recycle Queen. For a family of five, we have very little garbage because I recycle everything I can, even stuff that our waste removal people don't pick up (we take it to a recycle center once every few months or so–like when the pile of pizza boxes in the garage gets out of control).

Each week, we roll our big garbage cart down to the road for pickup and it's usually barely half full. For a family of five!

Now it's your turn. 'Fess up, now! How often do you…

…recycle takeout boxes from restaurants?

…compost?

…recycle cereal, prepared food, pizza, tissue, etc., boxes?

…clean out your cans and remove labels when you recycle?