Leaving on a Jet Plane...aka Research...

While I promised myself that I would cut down on the amount of trips I took in order to be able to make more writing events, I find myself somehow preparing to leave for the lovely island of St. Martin, the Dutch side. However, it is not just coincidence that "Burned by the Sun" the novel I am currently working on takes place on the same island. I had been to St. Martin before and really adore the island. So, its going to work out perfectly. I'm going to carry my laptop with me, finish up the novel which only needs 3 more chapters and do a TON of background research...at the local bars.

Still, one day, I vow to hit a writers conference and while the massive RWA and RT are a bit pricey, con.txt is not really a writing con and I am still wary of Epic...and well in general kinda antisocial, I will make it to something with workshops on the use of commas, on the construction of believeable conflict in plots and how to plan a trilogy!!

I am sincerely thinking that maybe I should stick to something small though, like maybe my local chapter of RWA at least for 2009. I mean, taking a trip for research purposes for a novel has the same weight as social networking at a convention right?...Ok...so, really, I am going to try my damndest to make Balticon, it has a ton of writers activities.

And maybe next year for every two pleasure (writing and researching) trip I take, I'll take one convention trip (socializing, learning craft and maybe writing). Maybe...

Grinding and grinding...

I just got back from the post office, having mailed out all of the prizes from my recent 'Runaway' contest and am looking at several hours tonight spent on editing "A Guardian's Desire," which is slated for a July release...I have a self imposed completion date for "Burned By the Sun" of July 30, with a planned submission/fishing date in August. "Bulletproof," a gargoyle tale will be next on my list and then "The Petite Master" and then well...I'm grinding. I wish I could type a 100wpm, but I barely type 50 so I have to spend a lot of time in front of a keyboard, grinding. I suppose at some point I may need a newsletter and group, I may need to go to a conference or two and keep on expanding the back catalogue.

My point is that I don't know why other authors grind (churn out books at a fast pace) but my personal reasoning is this. At some point, I hereby vow that I will break into print, that I will get my name out into the public, that I will go to someone's pitching session and get an advance, that I will be able to comfortably put out one book instead of 3+ a year and will be able to quit my job and sell some movie rights.... [Ok, insert hysterical laughter here].

So, the odds are way stacked against me. While I may eventually have a back catalouge of over 20 pieces that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be writing for Kensington or Avon any day...but, one has to have goals doesn't one?

Like To Read? Love to Read.

A friend of mine at work told me about this online swapping community for books, called PaperBack Swap, where in for only the cost of postage, I could get rid of my books and get new ones for free. While the idea intrigued me for a while, it never dawned on me to try it out until last thursday night. So online I went with a box of unwanted Japanese Manga at my feet. It was insanely easy to populate my bookshelf (i.e. the books I'm offering to give). Using just the ISBN numbers, I had 23 books up for eager readers in less than a half an hour. NOTE: Only post as many books as you are willing to mail. You can buy postage online and they even give you the mailing wrappers for each book and recepient. Anyway, not soon after I finished posting did requests come in for 8 of my books. Pankicing because I didn't know the process would start so fast, I printed out labels and postage for all. (total=$25). The good thing however, is that soon books will be coming to me. (Richard Preston's 'Hot Zone'). I have started to request books, some that I actually want on my shelves and some that I just want to check out. If you are an avid reader or even collector, you definitely should check them out. It's cheaper than buying fresh paperbacks, and they also have a CD Swap and and DVD Swap :D

Beyond the Veil of Stars b. Robert Reed

For me there are two breeds of science fiction, cerebral and phyiscal. An example of cerebral science fiction would be 'Sunshine,' in which your brain can't completely wrap itself around the concepts given, but is stimulated nonetheless. An example of physical science fiction would be something like Aliens where the concept is simple, visceral and engaging on the endorphin level. There's not much to ponder in a physical sci-fi piece other than how hectic the adventure is. My latest read, by Robert Reed is "Beyond the Veil of Stars," and it definitely belongs to the cerebral category. This is not an adventure book at all, the climax is even a bit suspect but my brain actually liked this treat of a novel. It about the emotionally-defunct son of a UFO chaser and his contact with actual alien worlds after a world wide event that changes everything that everyone on earth believes...We are not alone...

This book kinda reminds me of X-Files, in that the concepts of aliens and travel and conciousness are spun completely on their heels. And just wait until you read about life on another world... The cover does nothing to hint at the complexity of existance (or the meaning of the book) and the ending is a bit blase and dry but I really did enjoy this.

The Incredible Hulk is fodder for...

Fanfic. It is. Unlike Iron Man, the new Hulk film is sexier than it should be. Either that or I really need to reconsider my current celibacy and get out and date... Ok, so I just got back from seeing the film and yes, Iron Man is the better film, but as sexy as Tony Stark is, the Hulk is sexier. I think what I liked most about Iron Man, was the growth of Tony Stark from an asshole to a hero. I also liked the comedy as well as the mayhem and machinery involved in Iron Man. The Hulk is a story of a man on the run. Bruce is a good guy from the start and to the end. The fight scenes are better in the Hulk, but I kept wanting more...ok, I'm a greedy action-whore. I felt like I was watching the Bourne Supremacy that just happened to have super-human characters in it. Even when Bruce (pretty hot Edward Norton) changed into the Omega hot Hulk, he still had that gorgeous brute that just wants to be left alone with Betty feeling. The scene where Betty is sitting with the Hulk and caressing his back, put bad ideas in my head...stretch pants and all...Anyway, if Iron Man is a B+, then the Hulk is definately a B. It was good. I enjoyed it, just not so much as an action movie.

BTW...if anyone knows of some Betty/Hulk fanfic, please drop me a line. I will not write...I swear.

Gasoline in $4.19 for Regular and I'm Curious...

I just saw a commercial on television for the video game "Brain Age," which is a nifty little thing that encourages learning and keeps the mind alert! I like problem solving, not math but the pursuit of creative solutions. Don't get me wrong, I like brute force, for fun and stupidity but not as a means of getting anything done. To get things done, I like slow and careful.

For example, our current gas and energy shortage, which I'm sure is unrelated to anything going on in the middle east...ok, sarcasm...but still, gas prices are shooting up and while there may be some relief in sight, it won't last long. Why? Because eventually our natural resources and reserves will be gone. Now, I don't know how to measure intelligence on a country-wide or even a planet wide scale, but I wonder-- Do world leaders have any access to scientists, reports, data? Didn't someone tell them that maybe finding alternative sources of energy, educating the public about energy conservation and constructing better forms of mass transit, would be good ideas? Hmm...I don't know, but then there's a lot I seem to be ignorant of? Why aren't guns illegal? Why do radicals care who sleeps with who? Why more money isn't spent in medical research and food production and why the space program has again taken a back seat...

Ok, so I think we should have pod cars that run off soy beans and electricity. I think we should have a space station worthy of docking craft and artificial gravity and asteroid detection equipment. I think we should have low cost, effective medicines and that all that money spent on military toys could have fed, clothed, educated AND housed several needy countries.

But then, if the leaders of the free world don't wonder about these things, maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe I should be thinking about how best to balance my budget or something.

Divine Inspiration of the Breed

I can honestly say that I had a pretty good notion that Clive Barker (Hellraiser) was gay way before he came out of the closet officially and while his book "The Imajica" only cemented that notion, I'll start off with how erotic I think that the scene between Boone and Peloquin is. Now that he IS out of the closet though, I wish he would would write some gay paranormal. Snippets and hints don't do much for me.

Anyway there may be those who have not seen the one movie that has inspired me SO MUCH it's not funny so I suppose I should dish about it some. Nightbreed is a movie about a guy named Boone, who dreams of the home where the monsters live. He thinks he is/maybe a monster (serial killer) and his psychiatrist believes that he is as well. Even his girlfriend starts to wonder. Well he believes that rather than rot in jail, or continue to be a danger to himself and others, that he will go to Median, i.e. home and sanctuary of monsters (awesome creature designs...aaaawwweeesome). He encounters Peloquin who tells him that not only is he no monster but that he is innocent meat. "Meat for the motherfuckin' beast!" ok, he didn't say it like that. Anyway, Peloquin turns Boone into Nightbreed and the ride just gets hotter and faster from there.

In this movie the real monsters are humans, and the freaks and the nightbreed are sympatetic and wondrous, but dangerous still...and the Berserkers...OMG they rocked! Later for Let loose the Kraken, Let loose the Berserkers!

Why it is that movies like "Don't Mess with Zohan" can be greenlighted but a remake and sequals of Nightbreed can't, is beyond me. Maybe there just aren't too many monster lovers out there(Cloverfield was not a monster movie) ... but the ending of Nightbreed screams loud and clear for a damn sequal! Boone's destiny has to be fufilled. Baphomet needs to be food, a new Median needs to be created....GRRRRRRRRR...Damn you FOX! I just hope its done in my lifetime. Clive isn't getting any younger for crying out loud...ok, I'll calm down and rent "Lord of Illusions" another of my favorite Clive Barker films.

Lastly, I have to give credit where it's due. The care and interest that Clive showed for paranormal creatures in "Nightbreed" is something I strive to show in my paranormals. I'll admitt that in my current catalogue, the breeds are pretty tame in comparison, but the one I intend to write about my werecroc is still coming....and you can thank Mr. Barker for that, muhuhahaha.

Heat...and not the sexy kind...

I don't like heat, not too particular about it at all... I become sluggish, moody, weak and can barely concentrate, more less write. Since the DMV area has reached the 90s, I have been miserable and my poor little AC is getting put to the test and is failing...

Having been to the islands several times on vacation, it seems that I enjoy the heat there, but then the AC inside the vacation rentals or there are tradewinds that ease the pressure of the heat.

In order to cope, I have decided to vampire it up. I woke up around 11pm and while it's not 60 degrees (my fav), I have been able to move around without wanting to faint, I have been able to sit at the computer even. Still feel sticky and damp though...Still something needs to be done.

We're in a recession, I know, but I choose AC over gasoline. I may need to invest in new AC. So if that means that I have to sacrifice road trips, I may have to...cause I hate heat. You can always put on more than you can take off. There are lots of drinks that can make you feel hot, but few that can really cool you off, not from the bones outward. Well, I just have to go on the hunt for a a system or make it to October, right?

Going Green and Stuff...

I won't say that I am the best at conserving energy, or that I am a champion of environmental saftey, but I like to think that I try sometimes. I'm sure that everyone knows about the compact flourescent light bulbs and how they are energy saving god sends and all that, but one thing I didn't know was that they contained mercury and that they could not be disposed of in the trash can.

There are recycling centers and programs that help you to properly deal with your used light bulbs. Hey, it's a start right? And well, until they can do something about how much power my computer and my air conditioner sucks up, then every little thing counts.



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My Personal Zombie Preparedness Plan...Seriously

Ok, I am a geek. You probably knew someone like me in high school, who played a lot of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Gurps and Vampire, some one who watches way too much Sci Fi Channel and has the entire Aliens Quadrilogy. Still, I have a plan...

In the horrible event that the dead should emerge from the grave, my meeting spot will be at the closest Walmart I can get to. Why? Because they have everything on my Zombie Preparation list. Later for scavenging. After I make it safely to my car, I am going pedal to the floor over to the convience store that has Everything. Now I thought hard about going to Lowe's and Home Depot...the nearest gun shops, etc... but I need to eat if I'm going to be burning massive calories, hauling ass and slaying zombies, so...Walmart sells food.

I'll also need the following supplies:

*Concrete, *Ply boards, * Propane, *Duct Tape, *Bike Helmet, *Chainsaw, * Nail Gun, *Bottled Water, * Car Battery, * Radio, * Computer, * Playing Cards, *Nyquil, * Lighter Wand, * Soap Powder, * Hair Spray, * Rope, * Heavy Jacket, * Several pairs of Pants, * Underwear, * Blow Torch, * Knife, *Super Soaker Gun, *Coffee, *Toothpaste, *Books, *Aspirin, *Antibiotics, *Gatorade, *Bleach, *Cigarettes, *Weed wacker, * Trash can, *Rain Boots, *Ramen and Hostess snack cakes.

Now providing that there is an army looking for survivors, I guarentee you that me and the other folk hanging out at the Walmart will be there for at least a month or two, holding out...It does depends on how many people there are in the store, but I swear, I am not the type that will knock someone off just because I want to preserve rations...really.

Thoughts on Contests

A friend asked me why I sponsored my own contests and why I did them at all. 'Shouldn't your publishing house do them,' she asked. My first thought was that a lot of writers do them as if there was some sort of invisible template which writers have to follow. Do I think they gain more readers? No. I have participated in reader contests where I've won prizes but never read or ever remembered the author's works. Do I think I will sell more books? Nope. Even gaining more exposure is not something that I anticipate gaining. So why do I really do it?
I do it, honestly, because its fun! I get a kick out of preparing gift baskets, and theme gift packs. I try to incorporate gifts that revolve around whatever book I am preparing at the time. If its a book about werewolves, then ^ plushie. I have a book about a vampire so I have Bat beanie babies! My next book is about a werewolf debutante ball of sorts...so Jewelry prizes will be given out and I will have so much fun making those gift packs. I know it! Ok, ok...so its a bizarre and maybe lame motivation, but its the truth. I hold contests because I'm a crafter and I like to go to the craft store and make goodie packs. I like to give them out too, but its the compiling that floats my boat :D

Reaper

There was no show that I enjoyed this season more than "Reaper!" I know folks like "Chuck" and well "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" was half decent but "Reaper" is a hilarious show about a guy whose parents sold his soul to the Devil. On his twenty-first birthday, he is charged with the job of serving as the Devil's bounty hunter. It's like "Clerks" but with a much deeper and somewhat serious plot. Every episode features a different escaped demon and the special device that can capture them (most memorable are the dust buster and the remote control car). It's a cute show with just the right amount of fun and ghouls and while the first season is done, they have a few episodes up on the CW site and I'm sure the dvd boxed season will be out soon. Check it out.