Psycho Kiddies, Qu’est-ce que c’est

Pop quiz: Who besides me remembers Talking Heads as one of the better groups from the 80’s?

Yeah, I’m old, and their lyrics were bizarre, but they were so damned much fun to listen to. They inspired a lot of car dancing in my day, including their song Psycho Killer.  (How’s that for the name of a bubbly pop song, huh?) When the conversation arose surrounding the photos below, we were cracking wise about how the crazy half-sisters were so attuned, hence “Psycho Kiddies” in my title.

I swiped these pictures from FB today. My younger daughter just dyed her hair red. Her natural color already has a lot of red in it – think it would be considered strawberry blond – so this isn’t a stretch for her. Then her half sister posted – she lives in the next state and had just done the same dye job. My daughter on the right, her half-sis (by their dad) on the left.

My daughter looks younger imho but in fact she’s the older of the two, by I think six years. (My kid’s 33 this year.)

The half-sis was pulling a face, but it’s still obvious these two are related. The family joke is she’s actually her mom’s kid and mine, that I’m the daddy. The half-sis has been known to call me “dad” on principle, lol. We all think it’s hysterical, but we’re easily amused.

I’d hoped to go on a picture taking expedition today. That’s been pushed back to maybe tomorrow. So you get FB selfies of the kids today, with a wait-and-see approach to anything I take.

However, I am hoping to hear back from another photographer who captured a killer shot I want to use as the book cover for Ghosts of Atlantis. (Re-titled from The Atlantis Affair.) I’d like to show you, but given I’m working to license it I’m trying to be extra-conscious of copyrights. The second I buy the rights to do so I’m sharing that puppy because it was a mind-blowing capture on the part of the photographer. This is my working cover, and I’m not overjoyed by it but so far haven’t found anything else that works better for me, until the new one which I may or may not be able to license. (Click on any of the images for bigger versions.)

The blurb on the back cover (edited since this jpg snapshot was saved), so you get a sense of what I’m going for:

Finding Atlantis should be the discovery of the century; instead, it carries a curse that could wipe out humanity.

When American archaeologist Piper de Miguel is called in to restore order to a dig site on a remote Mediterranean island, she plans a no-nonsense approach. She’s clawed her way to the top by working twice as hard as anyone else. The last thing she needs is to let superstitions get the best of her.

Chris Woltjer is her Dutch counterpart. Like Piper, he’s a serious scientist. Unlike Piper, he’s seen ghosts on the island and knows how deadly it can be to dismiss them.

Pitted in a race for time to recover priceless artifacts from the ancient past, Piper and Chris must fend off mercenaries, tomb robbers, and the unwelcome spectral visitors. Working in the shadow of an active volcano, there’s no time to spare before the island is destroyed again. If they’re not careful, this time they could get swallowed up like the legends they’re studying.

I asked the photo guru to reach out to me about licensing, and just got a preliminary response from him. I don’t know whether or not we can negotiate a deal, but at least he messaged me back and expressed interest. Keep your fingers crossed!

Mother Nature had been stingy with the rain this year – up until last night, when at midnight-ish she decided to drench the area with 3-4 inches of rain all at once. Which, if you know the area at all, you know meant road closures, parking lots and streets were lakes, and houses and apartments got flooded. And naturally, snapped power lines and other fun.

It’s insanely humid tonight and the NOAA site shows stuff’s building up and heading our way. Sounds like more fun ahead.