Ziggy, Labrador Messiah    It’s a sad day for many of us, learning of David Bowie’s death.  He not only created incredible music, incredible characters, incredible art, he also inspired many of us who walk on the edge of things to keep on walking.      I’m one of those he inspired, in many ways.     When I was first writing the books that feature Jaguar Addams his edgy honesty, combined with his chameleon complexity opened the door  into a room where I could say, to her and myself, “See who you are.  Be what you see.”   I make soundtracks for my novels, and Bowie features prominently on hers.  Maybe not the usual hits, but songs like ‘Sons of the Silent Age’ (they search through their one inch thoughts and decide it couldn’t be done - what a line!)  and songs like Scary Monsters, and Moonage Daydreams all were part of the force and the cadence that become 8 novels so far.     He also makes a brief appearance in my novel, The Amber, where the male protagonist, Nick Vecchio, is described thus, when he first meets the female protagonist, Stacey V. :            At her side was a tall, lean man in jeans and an impeccably tailored black silk shirt. She squinted at him.  He looked like a younger, dark haired version of David Bowie.  He had the same sharp nose and carved jawline, the same crooked grin.  And he had bi-colored eyes, one almost black and the other a greenish hazel.     “I’ll be damned,”  she whispered.     “Maybe you will, but not quite yet,”  he replied.  He lifted his hand to the bartender.  “I’ll get this one,” he said, and she was relieved that he didn’t have a British accent.
     Beyond my writing, he also inspired the name for my yellow lab, who is Ziggy Stardust.  And oh, is he ever.  Ziggy ate the world, chowing down with Weird and Gilly, and the kitties from Mars. . . .   As my nephew, talented musician Mark Shook says, he is the Labrador Messiah.     All this, and then, when Bowie played The Goblin King in Labyrinth, he inspired girls around the world to look at fearful sights and say, “You have no power over me.”       Yeah.   He did all that.   The Man    And all that brings me to my real point.   I think Mr. Bowie would have us imagine that we can also rock our world.  In fact, we can best carry on a legacy like his by doing what he did, what Jaguar suggests - see who you are, be what you see.  No matter how much of a Space Oddity you are.  As writers, performers, teachers, and general human beings, if we do that, honestly and with love, that will inspire others to reach for their own strange stars.       Not too long ago I got an email from a reader who said something I wrote saved her life.  Literally, kept her alive.  I could hardly take that in, because it meant so much to me.  I’ve always said that I tell stories for the same reason Scheherezade did - to save my sister’s lives.   And here was a sister, telling me I’d actually done that.   It was just one person, and the good goddess she knows I don’t have the fame or the fortune of someone like Bowie - well, not yet anyway - but it doesn’t matter.   What matters is I did my job, exactly as I am, exactly as I was meant to, and it worked.       So for those of us who are in mourning for the passing of a truly great artist, who walked the edge of all that’s strange, let’s honor him with continuing our work, strange and true.         Rock the Beyond, David Bowie.   Your work will continue to make us better human beings.   And may ours do the same.  
If you want to read more on the edge Jaguar Addams occupies, you can go to Wildside Press.   If you’d like to find out what happens in The Amber , you can check it out on Amazon.
        And here’s some comfort food, to get you through the day.  I suggest you make it, turn on Labyrinth, and settle in for a good cry.  
CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD PUDDINGI chose this because it’s both comforting and because it says pudding when it’s really not exactly that, is vaguely British.  
INGREDIENTS1 (1-pound) loaf French bread, Italian bread, challah or brioche, cubed3 cups milk1 cup sugar1/2 cup cocoa powder1 cup GOOD mini chocolate chips4 eggs, lightly beaten  (If you have duck eggs, now is the time to use them)1 cup cherry preservesWhipped cream or vanilla ice creamCinnamon and crushed walnuts  (This also optional, if you want something cinnamony and something crunchy in the mix because you know the rule:  PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!)
DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Comfort Food for a Sad DayLightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and place the bread in the dish. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over them, distributing evenly.   In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cocoa powder and sugar.  Heat the milk in a pot on medium, until just before it boils.  Gradually add some of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly.   Then add that mix back into the milk, continuing to whisk constantly.  (This process is called ‘tempering’ something which all artists know.  It’s about getting the eggs used to the heat, so they create something smooth and creamy rather than scrambled and unpalatable) 
Pour the mixture over the cubed bread in the pan. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally for approximately 20 minutes or until bread absorbs most of the milk mixture. (Because it takes time for your art to be absorbed and appreciated)  
Bake pudding for 1 hour or until set. Check pudding by inserting a knife through the middle and it should come out clean.

Smear and dollop the cherry preserves over the top.  Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.