My fucked Up Affair - a novel

Synopsis: my fucked up love affair

Joey is dying. No one knows, neither the local kids who come help out around the cabin in the mountains, nor the one sweet lover of over forty years. Ellie. Joey spends the last days sitting on the deck , reliving an amazing affair with her, and their travels with and away from each other. Their tale is full of loving and hating the other in equal measure. They found each other in Guatemala, Alaska, Russia, Spain, and all over the States, always ready to love, to fight and to leave once again. An impressive life and a love affair that almost killed one of them..

Excerpt: 

CHAPTER TWELVE

I fire up the truck. I’ve decided to drive over the mountain to spend the morning with Paula. Mike died a few years ago. She’s on her own, still in the place they built together so long ago. The kids? Maggie is near by; maybe I’ll look for her tomorrow? A visit per day? That sounds kinda nice to me. The boys left town, with Charlie in California and Mikey, well, Mike now, he lives in Europe last I heard. He’ll be back. It’s about that time. Every few years he comes back to say hello. He and I fought last time though, not a pretty argument. I’d like to talk to him, clear the air between us.

My truck is left over from the eighties, a white Toyota four by four pick-up. The body is rusted out but the engine is solid. It helps that I left the country so often and it got to rest up, waiting for me from its space at Paula’s place. As I get ready to leave for the day, I check on the water bowls for Fred and the cats. All looks good. I carry in a handful of kindling and set the fire for when I get home.
Might snow tonight. Each day is different. Remember that winter about four years ago? The snowstorm hit so hard and fast that we were all trapped for a week. Over three or four feet in one night. I’d been home. Had no idea. I woke, wanted to go outside to pee, and couldn’t. The door was jammed with snow. There I was, at seventy something, climbing out the kitchen window, slipping face first into the drifts. And getting deeper and deeper when I tried to get out and stand up, only to have Fred jump out and land on top of me. I laughed so hard that I peed myself! Anyone had seen me, I’d never had heard the end of it. Lucky I live alone, eh?

I’m about to get in the truck, when it occurs to me: what am I thinking? It’s too early to go visiting. Not that Paula will be sleeping, but it just feels too early. Seven maybe? Did I eat yet? I don’t think so. I had some coffee. That part I remember. So I turn off the engine. At least I know it works still! It’s been a week since I last drove anywhere. Well now. Food? Or a walk? Or both? Yeah, both.
I put the sausages on to cook slowly, and then whistle for my pets. Yep, all of them like to walk with me. The boy cat leads the way, up the path and across the ridge. It used to be Fred up front, but he’s at my pace these days. The girl cat comes along, but to be honest, I think she’d like me to carry her on my shoulders. Such a princess, eh?
It’s chilly but not bad. I look out west and see the beginning wisps of snow clouds. I can’t smell them yet. Did you know you could smell snow coming? It’s subtle, but a definite hint in the air, in the nostrils. Takes practice, that’s all, practice to slow down and notice.
I follow Kit-kit and we amble through the pinion and the junipers, past some cholla cactus. The grass shivers in silvery waves as the wind begins to pick up. I believe snow is truly coming this way. The golden sky lights up the mountains behind. Funny how I ended up on what I consider Paula’s mountains. The south side of the Ortiz, that’s where you’ll find my land. Forty acres of untouched ridge top. I look out west and northwest. Huge open mesas and valleys fill the landscape, until the Jemez Mountains block the horizon beyond. A flat mesa divides the land and drops off suddenly, leading into the pueblos at the Rio Grande. It’s a glorious place to live, and I am blessed to have my own little home within it. No wonder I kept coming back. How many years now? How many times did I leave?
Well, there was that first time I met Ellie. I left shortly afterwards. California that time. You see, I’ve lived here in spurts, short bursts of settling. Short meaning four or five years at a time. Build a home, settle in, try to love someone that isn’t Ellie, and then? Then I’d leave again. I’d cut my hair off and leave again.
Let’s see, where to? Well, all over the place. Europe mostly, Europe and the Americas. And then I’d come back again. Paula and family take me in. I start all over again. Bump into Ellie and, well, you get the idea. Off I go. Went. Now though, I stay. This is home. Ellie be damned.

Writing atlast!

The first of November and i wake to a coffee in bed, the laptop plugged in and a story flowing out. Not easily described, but the process is one of just letting the words come out. I have no idea where these characters are taking me, but Joey has a story to tell and outloud he says it. 

And for me?

Words put directly into the computer. That's different for me. I usually hand write and then transcribe. Now though, i'm fluent enough to put pens away but for the notebook in back pocket. I had talked to a few friends last night and they were all incredibly happy to hear i'm writing again. It's been many a year since new words came out in this format. It's an amazingly freeing experience for me. Joey. Ellie. David. New Mexico. It's all there. New friends and an old story of love lost and then re-found. I'll share it once the month is done and the novel completed.

New projects!

I'm turning away from producing shows for a few months. Admittedly i have one next weekend as K. Suave for the Talk Show. I'm excited about this one too, its come together really sweetly. Lots of new material for me to try out. I love coming up with ideas and then just doing it and seeing what works and listen to feedback. Talking of which, the Reporter interviewed me again yesterday about the Talk show. Come on out for the last chance to see me on stage till next spring. 

Anyway, I'm writing to say that its time for a break. I'm starting a new writing project, writing another novel in a month. Did it once, about ten years ago when i lived in a buddhist centre in England, worked the daytimes and wrote in the evenings. I'm looking forward to the challenge. 

I'm also working on co-creating a new non-profit organisation for performing artists in Madrid and Cerrillos, NM. We have the basics and now its time for the legal structures and making a board of directors etc. I have a contact for a lawyer who might help us out, putting it all together. 

Less public time. More self time. 

Madrid's He-She Bang 2009

05 Oct, 2009

Madrid’s He-She Bang a Roaring Success

Posted by: Charlotte In: Culture| Events| Everything

On Friday, Oct. 2, the Mine Shaft Tavern hosted the annual He-She Bang, which could be called the biggest event in Madrid all year. The Bang, traditionally a mix of variety show, talent show and drag show, invites the eternally creative residents of Madrid to come out and perform to benefit charity. This year’s proceeds from the event’s $20 tickets went to the Madrid Emergency Medical/Dental Fund (in lieu of that healthcare reform we’ve all been waiting on). The evening was organized and hosted by Sleam.

SFR was there to capture the event; check out the Flickr slide show below, and past the jump are videos of some of the best acts.

So, wrote Charlotte Jusinski from the Santa Fe Reporter Oct 5th. She loved it, took great photos and video clips. Thanks to all who made the best party of the year. A sold-out show, crammed inside the MineShaft, amazing feedback of 'awesome' and 'fucking awesome'. yep. What a night! 

Thanks again.

http://www.sfreeper.com/2009/10/05/madrids-he-she-bang-a-roaring-success/

A Random Life!

A Random Life by Sleam

A synopsis!

 A RANDOM LIFE is a collection of essays, anecdotes, and monologues, written whilst exploring differing countries, cultures, and lifestyles. The rambling conversations follow the years Sarah Leamy spent traveling both alone, and sometimes with Daisy (the Duchess of a dog, a slightly overweight Border Collie).

Sarah Leamy has a history of traveling across the States and Europe on her own, talking to and living with the locals in small communities, but she’d put all that aside in her thirties to follow a dream of building herself a straw-bale home in Northern New Mexico. A few years into the hands-on messiness of building adobe bricks one by one, working as a landscaper by day, and with very little by the way of adventures, all that changed suddenly.  A dramatic ending to her relationship forced Sarah to face the loss of this dream.

A year later, she met Athena, and a mutual fiery crush lit up between them, both energized by stories of their creative lives. With Athena’s inspiration, Sarah woke up to herself as once again being spontaneous, adventurous and playful. The home front was still painful, with rage and rocks thrown at her by the ex and Sarah had been drained by the drama. So with a crush in her heart, off she went with her faithful dog Daisy, the slightly overweight Border Collie, and drove up to Southern Colorado and into the amazingly beautiful rugged national forest roads. Whilst camping out of her truck with Daisy, Sarah remembered some of the lovers come and gone, seeing clearly finally the patterns and roles of each. Lighthearted she returned briefly to her home in Ojo Caliente, before once again setting out, this time on her 1976 Honda 750cc motorbike. She took the back roads across to northern Michigan, stopping on the way in Madison, Wisconsin, where she had once stayed those first months from England.

During that summer’s travels across to festivals, mountains, and lakes, Sarah understood more and more the meaning of creativity and community in her life. The stories reflect an intense curiosity in how others live and an openness to experience that with them. She offers random memories of living and studying in Germany, clubbing in Russia, hitchhiking and the various motorcycle rides taken on her own in Europe. It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but after some years back and forth between the two continents, she applied for a green card, only to be deported a few months later. Her humorous accounts of the immigration confusions she’d experienced over the years comes out in a chapter written whilst living in an Anarchist commune in mid-Tennessee! In North Carolina too, Sarah found more communities to live amongst. She was still trying to come to terms with the loss of the home she had built by hand, and she discovered again the freedom of traveling, performing, observing, and then writing, and how it gave back her laughter and curiosity.

After months on the road, she returned to New Mexico, this time laying down her roots in Madrid, a small artist town south of Santa Fe, a place she had lived once before. Living in a converted green 1948 school bus in the mountains healed her heart, and gave her the strength to follow a little acknowledged dream, to become a professional clown. She traveled to Guatemala with a small case of props and costumes, clowned around with the Mayan kids and worked in a small village store to pay her way for those five months. A year later, Sarah moved to San Francisco, and started studying at the only yearlong professional clown school. She turned 40 years old the month she graduated as a certified fool. 

A RANDOM LIFE follows her journeys, internal and external, that brought Sarah from small town England to the mountains of New Mexico, and the communities she connected with on the way. 

Writers Literary Agency, New York represents this manuscript.

Testimonials include the following;

• "A RANDOM LIFE is a very marketable story.  It has all of the necessary elements:  good characterization; interesting (and well-described) settings; authentic-sounding dialogue." Writers  Publishing Company.
• "Clowning around in Central America is very moving and very readable." Carol Carpenter (English Professor at the College of Santa Fe, Author of five young adult novels, screenplays and numerous articles.) 
• "I very much enjoyed your article on “Clowning Around in Central America.” What a wonderful thing you are doing for the people, especially children, of the world. My hat (don’t have a top hat at this point!) is off to you. Thank you for the work/play you do. It is an important contribution to the challenging world we find ourselves in today."  Barbara Doern Drew (Editor at the Eldorado Sun).

K.Suave's Talk Show!

I have been pulling together another night's entertainment, along the lines of an old school Talk Show and a Vaudeville show combined. I am going to host the evening as K.Suave, and perform my magic, mind-reading, juggling and the such in fifteen minute segments. I have four special guests from Santa Fe and Madrid who want to come and be interviewed about their upcoming creative projects and then each person/ group has 10-15 minutes to perform. So far, I have three out four special guests definitely lined up, which includes Zirkus Erotique dance and burlesque troupe, Jasmine Quinsier with a comic clown bellydance act, and Chicks With Chainsaws, a drag performance troupe from Madrid. Possibly Alan Kapulski from Ethnosphere Music Lab will bring some of their musicians from the non-profit organisation. Wenda Watch is interested too. If possible, and it goes well, I'd like it to be a regular event for various projects to come show and tell what they are offering on stage. I've had a great response from people when i've brought up the idea, so i think we'd pull in a lot of folks. Are you interested? The first time this is happening is Saturday 7th November, at Back Road on Second Street in Santa Fe, NM. $5 at 7:30 pm for showtime!