What I'm ... (May 24, 2013)

Reading:

I’ve been on a “dirty realism” kick this month: Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye, a bunch of Ray Carver short stories, and The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake. I’ve long been a fan of grit -- as any oyster can tell you it’s the only way to get a pearl – and stories of doggedness.  Life’s default is “not pretty and generally unsatisfying.” Happy endings and happiness itself are fleeting.  We can learn a lot from fiction that refuses to sugarcoat that, while still revealing the pearls -- the shiny bits that make it worth the work.

I picked up Michael Chabon’s The Wonderboys for $1 at the supermarket donation bin the other day. So far, so good.

I also received my contributor copy of Something Wicked Vol. 2. It looks good and, may I say, there’s something mightily satisfying about seeing your name in an other-published book. You can get the ebook (published by Random House Struik) on Amazon  or preorder the paperback via Barnes & Noble. I haven’t read it yet, but I have looked at the pictures. Did I mention every story has an illustration?

Writing:

I’m still punching and scraping my way through the latest revisions of Leaving Home. I have vowed not to write anything new until I get that together, revise the synopsis, and get the book back into the ring. You can do it, Rock!

Listening to: 

George Jones.

The new Bowie album.

A chum recommended the new Daft Punk, but I gave up on it and listened to Parliament instead.

Watching:

Batman Beyond … In the future, Batman is still around, but he’s a kid in high school. Great visual style plus crusty, old Bruce Wayne.

Drinking:

HiCu – Magic Hat’s cucumber/hibiscus ale. In a summer variety pack near you. Light and weird.

What I'm ... May 2, 2013

Reading:

Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston. — This is the fourth book in Huston’s hard-boiled vampire series, featuring undead tough guy Joe Pitt. Half-life ain’t getting any easier for Joe, and, early in the book, a cranky old bat chews his eye out.

The Promise of Water by Andrea Crossley Spencer — This is a work-in-progress by a schoolmate about a man with a dark secret and a missing sister. Feels like you’re going to see this one in the bookstore someday.

Fiction Vortex  — A brand new sci-fi e-zine that picked up my short story, A Feeble Gleam of Stars, for mid-June publication.

Writing:

I’m about 150 pages into the latest revision of Leaving Home. Having a good time ripping, shredding, and rebuilding … but I’m kind of a masochist.

Listening to: 

I don’t even know. Music, possibly static. My brain hurts. But I’m intrigued by the new Snoop Lion disk.

Watching:

Doctor Who, the back half of Series Seven — I’ve been a fan of the Doctor since high school, and was part of a startup fan club in 1988. The last few episodes … how can I say this gently … kind of bite. The new companion is fine but Matt Smith seems to be thinking about something else. Plus, the scripts suck eggs.

Defiance — Siffy went back to science-fiction, and I kind of like it. There’s a lot of potential here, if they can stop lifting ideas from everything else. Confession: When I first heard the title, I secretly hoped it was a Deep Space Nine spin-off.

Drinking:

A lot of water — My classroom gets north of 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons. Gotta hydrate.

What I'm ... (April 4, 2013)

Reading:

The Disaster Diaries: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Apocalypse by Sam Sheridan — The closest thing to a real Doc Savage talks about how he got apoca-paranoid when he son was born and what he did to prepare for the worst. Each chapter starts with a doomsday scenario, which is followed by a how-to for surviving it. Powerlift your way out of an earthquake!

Publish This Book: The Unbelievable True Story of How I Wrote, Sold, and Published This Very Book by Stephen Markley — A tongue-in-cheek but true(?) tale of one man’s journey to write and publish the very book he’s writing about writing and publishing the very book he’s writing.

Writing:

Finishing up a short story about a boy, an old man, and a snowplow.

Poised to rip the top off my novel Leaving Home and plunge my hands into its steaming guts.

Listening to: 

Lincoln: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Williams — Nicely orchestrated, mostly classical. I haven’t seen the movie, but I kind of like the music.

Dusty in Memphis by Dusty Springfield — Makes me want to be THE son of a preacher man.

Watching:

House Hunters International — Because I live in New Hampshire, and it’s fricking cold.

Community, Season 1 — It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but now it’s like potato chips. I can’t keep the bag closed.

Drinking:

Labatt Blue – Way good when its cold.

Coffee -- A friend brought me a can of the good stuff back from Puerto Rico in return for not letting his cats die.

What I’m ... (March 21, 2013)

 Reading:

Superheroes  -- A collection of superhero short stories, but not your usual “kapow.” Subtle, nuanced, and from interesting POVs and characters. Features work by Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) and Hugo winner James Patrick Kelly.

Amoskeag Journal proofs – Southern New Hampshire University’s venerable (thirty years old next month) literature journal is due out on paper, Kindle, and Nook round about April 19. It features contest winners, National Endowment of the Arts favorites, and Peabody nominees, to name a few, and I get to catch the typos.

Listening to:

The New York Times’ Book Review podcast  -- Voices and journalists made for print interview authors, talk about trends, and tell you what’s going to be on the cover of the New York Times Book Review.  It’s a great way to learn about new authors without taking your hands off the wheel.

Same Trailer, Different Park by Kacey Musgraves – This is who I hoped Taylor Swift would become in her twenties.  Life issues, poverty, sadness, and sweetness … almost real country music.

Watching:

Green Lantern: The Animated Series  on the Cartoon Network   -- What the movie should have been. Captures the cosmic feel of the Green Lantern and his Corp.  Number three in my top three of DC Nation shows that should not have been canceled (Batman: Brave and the Bold, Young Justice and …)

Californication, Season One – In another universe, I am someone more like Hank Moody. I’m just glad it’s not this one.

Drinking:

Chocolate stout from Milly’s Tavern.

Jameson’s Irish Whiskey leftover from St. Patrick’s Day.