not based on a true story So I read more fiction than non-fiction. It’s a moral failing, I know: I prefer the make-believe. Too, though, I mean I write fiction. Makes sense to read it, yeah? Where else am I going to learn technique, cue into little narrative shuffles this or that writer pulled off, […]
In Five Words or Less: Boring title, good movie. In More than Five Words, with / without spoilers: In 1998, Sam Raimi adapted Scott Smith’s debut sensation A Simple Plan (1993) for us, and, though a lot of the narrator’s nuances were lost in the compression, still, Smith had written a strong enough dramatic spine
AVATAR 3D in IMAX, wow. it’s SCANNER DARKLY and FERN GULLY and BRAVEHEART as percolated up through DANCES WITH WOLVES and POCAHONTAS. loved it in spite of those last two, even. and, though I can’t find it in his bibliography now, I was pretty sure I’d read a Samuel Delaney book/story about wearing bodies like
which is what Bo and Luke used to always do, once the day’s chases and jumps and explosive archery fun was over. but, for me, “Jukin” is having another story in the cool JUKED. “Wolf Island.” completely safe for work, unless you work at a pet store.
new (old) story, “The Many Stages of Grief” (one of my maybe four favorites ever. of mine, I mean. which, yeah, that’s like 180th in the Great List of Stories I Love). the debut issue of PALIMPSEST. Also, a short story “Girls” (only a third as good as the Crue song, yeah) and an essay,
New interview. All kinds of fun, as always. If I remember correctly, too, that pic there, the shirt I’m wearing, I borrowed it from somebody in the driveway of the photographer’s. Had a red outline of the state of Arkansas, I think. Kind of liked it, but then he wanted it back. People (okay: one
Especial for Halloweentime, “The Ones That Got Away,” the somewhat-title story from the new collection and proud participant in Paul Tremblay and Sean Wallace’s Phantom: Going Beyond the Scare.
One of the big axioms of storytelling is that you know a character best by the decisions he or she makes under extreme circumstances. It’s why you push your characters out into the street, see how they react when traffic’s slamming in from all sides at once. Granted, you can rig your story so that
Got an article/review/essay (‘response?’) up for it over at Popmatters. Kind of wanted to call it Geppetto mon Amour, but figured that might show my roots too much. Those being all in France, yes. The LINK. Would slap some cool images up here, too, but the guys who do the art over at Popmatters have
I read this review then, no lie, went upstairs, found some shrimp on the counter, ate them. which, for those in the know [see below], kind of matters. too, I’ve noticed my blog posts in here lately are more ‘blog’ posts, as in, they take the space where a blog post would go, but, really,
“In the Beginning” and “The Wages: an Argument,” over at the brand-new shiny sparkly SpringGun Press. Really strange that they posted this morning, though — or, that that Wages-one’s real now anyway. Because I just now started the already-excellent Pontypool Changes Everything, which opens like this: That night I had terrible dreams I was killing
One of my favorite Bowie songs, sure, but, too, the name of a story of mine up over at Everyday Genius today.
Iron Horse 11.3‘s out in the world now — in my mailbox anyway — and it’s got one of my favorite stories I’ve written in it, “Little Lambs.” Also a self-interview (it involved telepathic dogs, possibly aliens — the usual?). Too, it’s the alumni issue, so it’s especially cool to me, being in this with
Readercon report: got to sit down with Ellen Datlow, got to shake hands with Peter Straub, got to listen to Samuel Delaney and Gene Wolf talk, got to be on a panel with John Crowley, got to hang with friends new and old — Paul Tremblay, Laird Barron, Michael Cisco — bought so many Weird
Which is to say, three new stories, “Piano Theif” and “Because My Therapist Asked Me to Tell a Story Using Hamsters,” each over at the July Hobart, and “Close Encounters,” up now at 365 Tomorrows. Also, “Endless Buffets” is in the current Western Humanities Review. And, hitting the shelves at Readercon in a week here,
First story, “Monsters,” with Niteblade. A nice little ‘What I did this summer’-story. Or, ‘What I did this summer and who-all died,’ kind of, I suppose. Second story, in the “Broken Clocks” issue of ColoredChalk, “Good Times.” It goes maybe three hunrdred words? Not even that, likely. Things take a pretty sharp turn down some
Looks like The Long Trial of Nolan Dugatti‘s up for a Shirley Jackson award (!, yep). Here’s the field: NOVELLA Disquiet, Julia Leigh, (Penguin/ Hamish Hamilton) “Dormitory,” Yoko Ogawa (The Diving Pool, Picador) Living With the Dead, Darrell Schweitzer (PS Publishing) The Long Trial of Nolan Dugatti, Stephen Graham Jones (Chiasmus Press) “N,” Stephen King,
Got a new story up over there, “How Billy Hansen Destroyed the Planet Earth, and Everyone on It.” A happy little piece. Only six or seven billion people die, I mean. So, click here to get there.
From the Trenches: Preliminary Kindle 2 Report, or, ‘My Ansible and Me’ Before I offer anything like a review, a quick sketch about where I’m coming from with regards to all this : Even though Tofu for Mac is great, still, I absolutely despise reading on-screen — CRT, flat, whatever else there is (though I
My write-up for My Bloody Valentine‘s finally up. Links to a couple of other reviews in the post below this. Hitting Friday the 13th today, in Chicago. Even brought my mask.
— my AWP Chicago events this week (two readings, one panel, a meet-up*, one screening**) : Wednesday the 11th, 6:00, Chiasmus Press Reading and Party , Barbara’s Bookstore, 1218 South Halsted Street; no clue what I’ll read, but likely something from Dugatti Thursday the 12th, 7:00, FC2 Reading and Reception, Curtiss Hall, 10th floor of
http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2009offsite.php (W & Th nights) http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2009schedFri.php (12:00 – 1:15 Friday) Twin Wells
Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m a fool for an animated feature film. Cars, Wall*E, Bolt. Monsters, Inc, the Shreks, the Toy Storys. Flushed Away, Ratatouillie. Anxiously awaiting Aliens vs. Monsters. Have never quite gotten all the way over the brilliance of Hoodwinked. So, yeah, was expecting The Tale of Despereaux to be another sure
