God made me a Browns fan.
What the FUCK did I ever do to God?!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
3 Months On, Something Good
So October is the designated month for Freaking Out.
Back in July, when we found out we were to lose our jobs by inches, the first thing I did was look at a calender. If I hadn't found other employment in my new field by October, three months later, then I would begin freaking out and applying to everything and anything.
Yesterday was three months on the nose.
And the freaking out is commencing. Or it was.
Because a funny thing happened yesterday, or rather four funny things (and no, they did not include getting my dream job at CBS or optioning my screenplay. Funny would not be the word for those things. Miraculous, more like.)
First, the songwriter got tickets to Spike's Scream Awards on Saturday, the only place where genre and comic books get any televised love. In attendance will be Hugh Jackman, Megan Fox, Michael Sheen (swoon!!) and announced yesterday . . .
Keith. Fucking. Richards.
Oh yes, kittens, the great undead rock guitarist, the original resurrected man. I got to tell the songwriter, who screamed and ran around the apartment. So that will, most likely, rule.
Second, we also got last minute fill-in tickets for Family Guy Live, filming today. The songwriter has an unabashed man-crush on Seth MacFarlane, and after seeing how deliciously wicked Alex Borstein was on Inside the Actor's Studio, we both have crushes on her too.
We get to dress up in cocktail attire and laugh our asses off. Both of these things will be good for my soul - we clean up like nobody's business, a rare thing for a couple of writers!
Third, with his temp job over, the songwriter has been at loose ends. But he got a call yesterday for a job interview Monday! Woo-hoo!
And lastly, I got a call yesterday too. From a very nice, Harvard-educated development guy. He works for an actor's new production company, ensconced on a studio lot. I had submitted a resume for some script analyst work, and he was calling me. Me!
And after a great chat, and explaining what kinds of things the actor was looking for, he sent me a script and some sample coverage, which I can turn around by Monday. It's low-status and no-pay (for now), but it's the first glimmer I've gotten. And it came as my finger hesitated over the panic button. In other words, just when I needed it.
Back in July, when we found out we were to lose our jobs by inches, the first thing I did was look at a calender. If I hadn't found other employment in my new field by October, three months later, then I would begin freaking out and applying to everything and anything.
Yesterday was three months on the nose.
And the freaking out is commencing. Or it was.
Because a funny thing happened yesterday, or rather four funny things (and no, they did not include getting my dream job at CBS or optioning my screenplay. Funny would not be the word for those things. Miraculous, more like.)
First, the songwriter got tickets to Spike's Scream Awards on Saturday, the only place where genre and comic books get any televised love. In attendance will be Hugh Jackman, Megan Fox, Michael Sheen (swoon!!) and announced yesterday . . .
Keith. Fucking. Richards.
Oh yes, kittens, the great undead rock guitarist, the original resurrected man. I got to tell the songwriter, who screamed and ran around the apartment. So that will, most likely, rule.
Second, we also got last minute fill-in tickets for Family Guy Live, filming today. The songwriter has an unabashed man-crush on Seth MacFarlane, and after seeing how deliciously wicked Alex Borstein was on Inside the Actor's Studio, we both have crushes on her too.
We get to dress up in cocktail attire and laugh our asses off. Both of these things will be good for my soul - we clean up like nobody's business, a rare thing for a couple of writers!
Third, with his temp job over, the songwriter has been at loose ends. But he got a call yesterday for a job interview Monday! Woo-hoo!
And lastly, I got a call yesterday too. From a very nice, Harvard-educated development guy. He works for an actor's new production company, ensconced on a studio lot. I had submitted a resume for some script analyst work, and he was calling me. Me!
It was the strangest "interview" I've ever had - more like a get-to-know-you, what's-your-favorite-movie/book/comedian chat between new friends than a tell-me-about-a-time-you-managed-cross-functional-teams kind of interview. I loved it. And yes, Dune might've been mentioned. A lot.
Anyway, I had to explain why, as a high-falutin' publishing type, I was interested in such menial work. I told him I wanted to move into development because it combined everything I loved best about publishing - scouting manuscripts, working with writers, championing projects, making pitches - with the collaborative kids-at-sleepaway-camp vibe of theater folks. And he got it!And after a great chat, and explaining what kinds of things the actor was looking for, he sent me a script and some sample coverage, which I can turn around by Monday. It's low-status and no-pay (for now), but it's the first glimmer I've gotten. And it came as my finger hesitated over the panic button. In other words, just when I needed it.
Monday, October 5, 2009
What SLA wants for the non-denominational winter holidays
This.
Connie Willis has won more Hugos and Nebulas than anyone, living or dead, male or female, and there's a damn good reason for that. Because her work puts its hooks in your gut and won't let you go.
My favorite is her Oxford Time Travel oeuvre, which includes the critically acclaimed Doomsday Book and my personal favorite To Say Nothing of the Dog. (N.B. - Doomsday was on the reading list for my Black Death course. So glad I got that history degree!)
I've always been so sad that, apart from an occasional short story, there wasn't more set in this alternate histroy department of my dreams.
Until now.
From the most excellent folks at Subterranean Press, straight to my inbox:
Do. Want. Yes, please.
The limited edition from SP is $75. One of the 26 signed copies will set you back $250.
I'm not greedy - the limited is fine for me. William Schafer and SP deserve a blog entry of their own for the amazing niche he has carved in the publishing ecosystem, but today I'm too busy dancing around my office at the prospect of more time in Oxford to bother.
The best, the very very best part?
There's a companion novel, All Clear, coming in 2010. Two more Oxford novels! Thank you, Mr. Schafer! Thank you, Ms. Willis!
Connie Willis has won more Hugos and Nebulas than anyone, living or dead, male or female, and there's a damn good reason for that. Because her work puts its hooks in your gut and won't let you go.
My favorite is her Oxford Time Travel oeuvre, which includes the critically acclaimed Doomsday Book and my personal favorite To Say Nothing of the Dog. (N.B. - Doomsday was on the reading list for my Black Death course. So glad I got that history degree!)
I've always been so sad that, apart from an occasional short story, there wasn't more set in this alternate histroy department of my dreams.
Until now.
From the most excellent folks at Subterranean Press, straight to my inbox:
The narrative opens in Oxford, England in 2060, where a trio of time traveling scholars prepares to depart for various corners of the Second World War. Their mission: to observe, from a "safe" vantage point, the day-to-day nature of life during a critical historical moment, As the action ranges from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the manor houses of rural England to the quotidian horrors of London during the Blitz, the objective nature of their roles gradually changes. Cut off from the safety net of the future and caught up in the "chaotic system" that is history, they are forced to participate, in unexpected ways, in the defining events of the era.
Do. Want. Yes, please.
The limited edition from SP is $75. One of the 26 signed copies will set you back $250.
I'm not greedy - the limited is fine for me. William Schafer and SP deserve a blog entry of their own for the amazing niche he has carved in the publishing ecosystem, but today I'm too busy dancing around my office at the prospect of more time in Oxford to bother.
The best, the very very best part?
There's a companion novel, All Clear, coming in 2010. Two more Oxford novels! Thank you, Mr. Schafer! Thank you, Ms. Willis!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sightings - Cult Movie Edition
We went to lunch in Toluca Lake last Saturday, and through the window of Baja Fresh, I saw a very familiar face striding into Zankou Chicken.
It took me a minute to figure out why I was simultaneously picturing him in leather tights and a fedora.
And then I realized it was Ted Raimi, brother of underground-turned-legit director Sam, and character actor extraordinaire. My fangirl heart, it doth swoon.
I know him best from his role as Jaxter on "Xena: Warrior Princess" and saw him most recently in My Name is Bruce with Bruce "The Chin" Campbell. Hence the leather and fedora.
Love those Motor City boys made good!
It took me a minute to figure out why I was simultaneously picturing him in leather tights and a fedora.
And then I realized it was Ted Raimi, brother of underground-turned-legit director Sam, and character actor extraordinaire. My fangirl heart, it doth swoon.
I know him best from his role as Jaxter on "Xena: Warrior Princess" and saw him most recently in My Name is Bruce with Bruce "The Chin" Campbell. Hence the leather and fedora.
Love those Motor City boys made good!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
This Week's Market: Murky Depths
As we all know from countless writer magazines, once you've identified a short fiction market, the best way to assess its style and preferences is to read it.
I tend to look at it the other way round: The places I like to read, that's where I'd like to publish.
One such excellent place is Murky Depths, a magazine that combines three of my favorite things: dark speculative fiction, graphic novel art, and Britishness.
Go ahead and buy a single copy, but I warn you, its just a gateway drug to a subscription.
Currently, if you buy Murky Depths #10, you are eligible for one of the more fun contests I've seen in a while, The Mike Carey Writing Competition. From MD overlord Terry Martin:
To see how to submit comic scripts and artwork, go here. I think that may be where I try to go next. I have a steampunk Victorian manga set in the notorious Bedlam asylum that might be just what's needed!
I tend to look at it the other way round: The places I like to read, that's where I'd like to publish.
One such excellent place is Murky Depths, a magazine that combines three of my favorite things: dark speculative fiction, graphic novel art, and Britishness.
Go ahead and buy a single copy, but I warn you, its just a gateway drug to a subscription.
Currently, if you buy Murky Depths #10, you are eligible for one of the more fun contests I've seen in a while, The Mike Carey Writing Competition. From MD overlord Terry Martin:
I believe deep in my heart in supprorting interesting independent publications, of which Murky Depths is one. So go check them out. If the contest doesn't grab you, the regular submission guidelines for poetry and prose are here.The competition entails reading the first half of a story penned by Mike Carey. You have the pleasure of completing the story. Mike will be judging entries and the winning piece will feature in Issue #14.
Deadline for the competition is 30 April, 2010. Mike is probably best known as the author of some of the best X-Men, Fantastic Four, Lucifer and Hellblazer storylines, and is the author of the original Felix Castor novels. The winner will also
receive two copies of Issue #14 signed by Mike.
To see how to submit comic scripts and artwork, go here. I think that may be where I try to go next. I have a steampunk Victorian manga set in the notorious Bedlam asylum that might be just what's needed!
Tim Powers Goes All Hollywood
I had been seeing lots of Hollywood chatter about the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie (executive upheaval at Disney, will-Depp or won't-Depp?, that sort of thing) but none of it addressed what I was curious about.
The subtitle, "On Stranger Tides."
Funny, I have a book on my shelf by that very title. Could it be?
Yes!!
Excellent (and much beloved by me, can you tell?) local author Tim Powers is indeed providing the source material for the next Pirates movie! Not a bad profile raiser, and I suspect his agent got a pretty sweet deal for the rights as well.
From Locus Online, thus spake Mr. Powers:
Couldn't happen to a nicer, more courtly gent!
Now if somebody would just make a movie of The Stress of Her Regard ...
The subtitle, "On Stranger Tides."
Funny, I have a book on my shelf by that very title. Could it be?
Yes!!
Excellent (and much beloved by me, can you tell?) local author Tim Powers is indeed providing the source material for the next Pirates movie! Not a bad profile raiser, and I suspect his agent got a pretty sweet deal for the rights as well.
From Locus Online, thus spake Mr. Powers:
"I can now say that Disney optioned On Stranger Tides and will use elements of the book in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I can also say that I did not ever specify that Serena and I get parts in the movie or have dinner with Johnny Depp! (Not that we'd mind.)"
Couldn't happen to a nicer, more courtly gent!
Now if somebody would just make a movie of The Stress of Her Regard ...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Like a little piece of Christmas
My banker friend, who also migrated from Ohio to SoCal (albeit by way of Nashville) took a group of us girls to Kidrobot last week for some Dunny-buying fun.
If you've never done such a thing, the process is something like this:
In the store, glass display cases contain samples of different vinyl toys and figurines, in a variety of artistry, sizes, styles and price points. Most of them reflect the dark-meets-kawaii sensibility of my favorite manga, or a pop culture bent, like super deformed Simpsons.
Once you find a series you like, you select a sealed box from the bin below.
And that's the magic - the box is sealed, so you never know which Dunny (or other designer toy - I'm using the term generically) you'll be taking home. You open the box, you open the foil pouch inside, and it's like a little piece of Christmas.
Says my banker friend: "No matter how blue or gray your day is, you buy a Dunny and you can't help but smile! They're plastic sunshine!"
Yes, she really talks like that. She is incredibly dear and a little 19th century, asking me things like how that nice gal is getting on with her fella.
When my banker friend visited New York, she stopped in the Kidrobot store on a day when it was raining. She promptly acquired a Rainy Day Dunny, limited edition and only available in inclement weather. Sweet and magic, even though I know they're just toys.
Kidrobot's LA store:
7972 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-782-1411
lastore@kidrobot.com
Store Hours:
Monday through Saturday:
11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday:
11:00 am to 6:00 pm
If you've never done such a thing, the process is something like this:
In the store, glass display cases contain samples of different vinyl toys and figurines, in a variety of artistry, sizes, styles and price points. Most of them reflect the dark-meets-kawaii sensibility of my favorite manga, or a pop culture bent, like super deformed Simpsons.
Once you find a series you like, you select a sealed box from the bin below.
And that's the magic - the box is sealed, so you never know which Dunny (or other designer toy - I'm using the term generically) you'll be taking home. You open the box, you open the foil pouch inside, and it's like a little piece of Christmas.
Says my banker friend: "No matter how blue or gray your day is, you buy a Dunny and you can't help but smile! They're plastic sunshine!"
Yes, she really talks like that. She is incredibly dear and a little 19th century, asking me things like how that nice gal is getting on with her fella.
When my banker friend visited New York, she stopped in the Kidrobot store on a day when it was raining. She promptly acquired a Rainy Day Dunny, limited edition and only available in inclement weather. Sweet and magic, even though I know they're just toys.
Kidrobot's LA store:
7972 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-782-1411
lastore@kidrobot.com
Store Hours:
Monday through Saturday:
11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday:
11:00 am to 6:00 pm
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