From the AP:

HOLYHEAD, Wales - A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.

Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates’ Court.

He also whacked Jones’ 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said.

The two cousins and Barney Jones’ brother, Daniel, set up the Church of Jediism, Anglesey order, last year. Jedi is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the “Star Wars” films.

The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses “insight and knowledge” from the films as “a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life.”

“We all love the films and what they stand for. Obviously some people are going to laugh about it,” the Wales on Sunday newspaper quoted Barney Jones as saying last month. “But a lot of people do take it seriously.”

Unfortunately for Hughes, his March attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle.

“Darth Vader! Jedis!” Hughes shouted as he approached.

Hughes claimed he couldn’t remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon (10-liter) box of wine beforehand.

“He knows his behavior was wrong and didn’t want it to happen but he has no recollection of it,” said Hughes’ lawyer, Frances Jones.

District Judge Andrew Shaw sentenced Hughes to two months in jail but suspended the sentence for one year. He also ordered Hughes to pay $195 to each of his victims and $117 in court costs.

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

(Now ask me to spell Albuquerque without cheating. Yeah, right.)

First, I’m over at the Lyrical Press Blog today, announcing a call for subs.

Then I’ll be buried deep within the pre-production bunker. Send BTs. No lederhosen.

Tonight, I’ll be joining the Lyrical Press authors at 9pm ET for the Fallen Angels Reviews Chat.

Luckily, this is after David Cook, though I’ll be voting, chatting and obsessively checking DialIdol at the same time…

1. Editors have interesting senses of humor
2. Snow loses its kitsch after May 9th.
3. Mt. St. Laundry doesn’t care if it’s Mother’s Day.
4. The filing cabinet is not a safe hiding place for the chocolate stash.
5. Falling asleep before your nail polish is dry can have alarming consequences.

I woke up this morning, certain it was Wednesday.

It’s…not.

Wow, what a week. The Grand Opening has been great. And okay, so I spent most of it in the editing cave, but I hear the food was really good. Someone better save me some brownies. Just sayin’.

Have a good weekend. Throw some scraps into the cave if you get a chance.

And Happy Mother’s Day, too.

Join the Lyrical Press Yahoo! Group to get in on the loots…

And don’t forget we’ll be on the Joyfully Reviewed loop all day today so you can meet our authors and read excerpts.

Hope to see you there!

Three days. THREE DAYS!

After what feels like an age, Lyrical Press, Inc. will be opening its doors.

I’ve been pretty quiet about everything that’s gone on behind the scenes. Mostly because there’s been too much going on to stop and post about it but today, I’m taking the time to do some serious bragging about our opening line-up.

Afterward, I’ll be giving away a free download of one of my babies. All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment. Easy peasy.

Prey for Mercy
by AE Rought

[Click image or title for blurb
and link to excerpt. Click AE’s
name for a link to her site.

Links will open in new window.]

This book was love at first sight for me. From page one on, AE’s gift of infusing every single word with passion just knocked my socks off. Plus the two of us can carry on entire conversations done solely in movie quotes and lolcats. So we’ve got that going for us. Which iz nise.

NEW ICKFORD MANOR
by Anthony Stevens

[Click image or title for blurb
and link to excerpt. Click Anthony’s
name for a link to his site.

Links will open in new window]

Anthony, Anthony, Anthony… This man has quite possibly the wildest imagination in the world. I loved the concept behind this book, and even though he (not-so) secretly thinks I am teh evil, I can never wait to see what he’ll come up with next.

UNHOLY NIGHT
by Candice Gilmer

[Click image or title for blurb
and link to excerpt. Click Candice’s
name for a link to her site.

Links will open in new window]

All I can say is… It’s fun, it’s hot and I want the next installment of Templars right now. I will only have to wait a little while. Everyone else will have to wait until October. Behold my smugness.

THE ARRANGEMENT
by Cat Grant

[Click image or title for blurb
and link to excerpt. Click Cat’s
name for a link to her site.

Links will open in new window]

You should’ve seen me the day I found this one in the submission inbox… Whatever shame and dignity I ever pretended to possess flew the coop, and it took me less than a minute to say “gimme”. When you read it, you’ll know why — Excellent characterization, reads like buttah, and Cat does both humor and heat with an epic, lavish hand.

So there they are: our starting lineup. And now let’s all stop for a moment to admire Renee’s covers.

[reverant pause]

Okay. Comment away. I’ll leave the contest open over the weekend, and contact the winner either Sunday night or Monday morning.

Enjoy. I’m off to edit.

First song? Meh.

This one…not so bad.

(Though I was hoping to see him do something mad with Love on the Rocks )

At long last, The Living Legend releases in print today!

Revenge is a dish best served bold…

Patrick “Trick” Mancini wants revenge. Not only has he learned that his boss, William Ormond, might be implicated in his mother’s death, he’s just found out Ormond has sent assassins after him.

After sixteen years stealing for the good guys, Trick is prepared to turn bad if that means he can keep ahead of the assassins long enough to uncover some long-buried secrets.

Kate Crawford, Ormond’s niece, wants a normal life–not that she knows what ‘normal’ would feel like. When Trick drags her into his pursuit of the truth he threatens the last few things she still cares about. Forced to help him, she’s determined there are some secrets he won’t discover, including the real reason she was compelled to break up with him ten years ago.

Now Trick and Kate are racing against time to find out what’s hidden in Ormond’s black files, fighting a passion that never went away…and trying to stay alive.

Go forth, buy and enjoy!

I’ll be celebrating with line and copy edits, link-adjusting on the site and working on Alex if there’s time.

Please be more exciting than me today, or I shall be very disappointed.

1. It’s possible to get an inch of freezing rain and eight inches of snow the last weekend of April. (And if you say, “That’s what you get for living in Minnesota” I’ll…really not like you very much.)
2. Good reviews are fun.
3. Giving haircuts when you’re half dead of a cold isn’t the best idea ever.
4. Every character I like best in a series is doomed. (I just watched Serenity for the first time, and all I have to say is “But why is the Wash gone?” )