tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4914967049879423722024-11-05T20:55:11.657-06:00Indiepulp.comPostmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comBlogger672125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-75938670407182416412013-03-23T19:20:00.000-05:002013-03-23T19:22:29.976-05:00'Paintwork' by Tim Maughan<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxNO2_FnUL0Xo5HhYznpv8w4yvZcRnGNdusRwVFrDWID-3wDDnq7moC3G-Z-PmotC59wX1UGA0t0ozG5bfox3bNAWhK1J-WmTv9Y6aitLk2cMOGa7MNTT2dsOfCKygelDIb5kvnVcZrE/s1600/indielitmob-paintwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxNO2_FnUL0Xo5HhYznpv8w4yvZcRnGNdusRwVFrDWID-3wDDnq7moC3G-Z-PmotC59wX1UGA0t0ozG5bfox3bNAWhK1J-WmTv9Y6aitLk2cMOGa7MNTT2dsOfCKygelDIb5kvnVcZrE/s400/indielitmob-paintwork.jpg" width="260" /></a></div> <div class="p1"> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://bit.ly/10OlgrK" target="_blank">PAINTWORK</a></div> <div class="p1"> Tim Maughan</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Available on&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/10OlgrK" target="_blank">Amazon</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/10UKjNr" target="_blank">BN.com</a></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Review by&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/10OmHX5" target="_blank">Kate Sherrod</a></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Set in a tantalizingly attainable urban world of the near-future, the three somewhat related stories in Tim Maughan's Paintwork shimmer with the retinally-rendered pixels of a less dystopian cyberpunk.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> And yes, I did say "tantalizing"—to read "<a href="http://bit.ly/10OlgrK" target="_blank">Paintwork</a>" and "Paparazzi" and "Havana Augmented" is to all but ache to play the games,* see the sights, watch the action (especially, if one has predilections like mine, that of the robotic beetles who generate and maintain billboard QR codes by secreting weirdly indelible nano-pigments "in both colors," inkjet style. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch that?), hang out with the graffiti writers, pro gamer stalkers and digital-culture heroes of Maughan's world.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> "<a href="http://bit.ly/16w2b1m" target="_blank">Paintwork</a>" is a sci-fi/mystery genre mash of a tale of an Augmented Reality graffiti writer of rising reputation who is fending off a weird series of attacks on his work, attacks that don't obliterate it (just hours after it goes up) so much as riff on it in a viciously warped way. As an introduction to a world of Google glass-esque experiences of "consensual hallucination" that turn ordinary urban landscapes into overwhelming three-dimensional marketing sense-bombs, it's first rate. 3Cube isn't just a guy with a spray can in the night; he's a guy with a spray can and a QR code stencil that hijacks dumb marketing art and turns it into stunningly detailed pop art with lessons about his city's past and its potential. However one may feel about graffiti and street culture, a reader is likely to share his puzzlement and outrage when he discovers someone else is hijacking his hijacking.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> In "Paparazzi," a post-post-postmodern filmmaker who specializes in turning hours and hours of recordings of immersive in-game experience into memorable and usually critical documentaries is seduced into trying his hand at celebrity stalking. A world-famous professional gamer is beta testing new content for the world's most popular MMORPG; John Smith's vision is to infiltrate the playtest sessions and catch in-game footage of the master at "work." Maughan has here not only imagined a highly plausible new artform for a new fully-immersive digital age, but has already imagined a way its finest practitioners can be produced to whore out their talent.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> And in "Havana Augmented," two young residents of the world's last Communist regime find themselves at the forefront of Cuba's half-assed attempts at developing its economy beyond that of a tourist haven, via exploiting the pair's intricate and exciting hack of yet another popular game. Our heroes, pretty much cut off from global gaming culture by their country's policies and firewalls, have nonetheless managed to take a run-of-the-mill giant robot battling game and scale it up and make it mobile, the better turn it loose on the streets of the capital city. When word leaks out on how these guys and their friends are duking it out, mecha-style, in the actual virtual streets of Havana, corporate/gaming culture comes calling, and Cuba welcomes its promise of economic development -- though the government is ignorant of what these powers will do to Havana's virtual landscape and thus to its newly "spex" toting citizenry. Hard to indoctrinate people to hate the free markets of global capitalism when they're busy admiring the latest city-dominating Coca Cola ad via their augmented reality glasses. The resulting conflict finally and more effectively than I've ever seen realizes the idea that video games can be more than just video games. Take that, Last Starfighter.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Author Tim Maughan is also a quality follow on Twitter, funny, urbane and an entertaining speculator on where our technology is taking us. He is thus definitely someone to watch, if this debut book is any indicator. And I think it is.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Just the right mix of thought-provoking and fun. Fans of Jeff Noon and William Gibson take note!</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> *And this coming from someone who sucks at video games and who avoids MMORPGs like the time-stealing plague.</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="25" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="150" /></a><br /> <div> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> </div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-555965616465890852012-10-22T09:59:00.002-05:002013-03-14T11:27:18.209-05:00Dispatches from the Front: Mike Oliveri on Publishing and Human Nature<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:TargetScreenSize>544x376</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzLvV0hDJNS4Iq6fT5yMlyx6jubwFVhYwHPWEV7ArqqQjFSpwXmZ8ePKkGi3zG-hf7dWZO28UXV_HamHvGr5XQxvLix3J2RXUcPn8eWqw_kXVkO-Y_Sro7GMUT5SfysaxUFKFZXLHKBp9/s1600/Oliveri+Column+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzLvV0hDJNS4Iq6fT5yMlyx6jubwFVhYwHPWEV7ArqqQjFSpwXmZ8ePKkGi3zG-hf7dWZO28UXV_HamHvGr5XQxvLix3J2RXUcPn8eWqw_kXVkO-Y_Sro7GMUT5SfysaxUFKFZXLHKBp9/s320/Oliveri+Column+4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>I'LL BUY THE NEXT ROUND</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">By Mike Oliveri</span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">@MikeOliveri<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">“I can network on message boards and Twitter just as well as I can at a convention.”<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Bullshit.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Some relationships may start on the Internet, but they’re cemented in face-to-face meetings. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about business relationships or personal relationships; at the end of the day, it’s about people.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Take a writer’s relationship with an agent or editor. First contact may come from a query letter or manuscript submission, and, oftentimes, it’s enough to get things rolling. When it comes down to business, though, who is an editor going to be more eager to work with: the one he gets an occasional email from, or the one he stayed up with until 3:00 a.m. doing shots and discussing the finer points of Tarantino flicks? Who is he going to throw more support behind, and be more eager to see succeed?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Damn right it’s the drinking buddy. Call it unfair if you like, but it’s basic human nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">The writer-reader relationship works the same way. There are more than a few books on my shelf, which an author hand-sold me after we spent a few minutes talking. A certain level of salesmanship is expected in either case, but talk to an author across a table and it’s not hard to see whether they’re genuinely interested in meeting readers or just waiting for someone to throw money at them.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I think that’s a big part of why Brian Keene has such a hardcore following. The man truly enjoys meeting his readers. There are times it becomes overwhelming, and there are times fans are disappointed, but he loves being out there and hanging out with the people who read his work. How many other writers would invite two random strangers to drinks after their Sundance movie premier? <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Readers love books, but they also love writers. They value that connection, no matter how small it may be. Human nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Conventions are also where friendships are forged. I first met some of my closest friends in the old HorrorNet chat room over a decade ago, but it wasn’t until we hung out in the real world and looked one another in the eye that we knew, yeah, these other guys are good people. Once you’ve raised hell, confronted demons, and shed &amp; spilled blood together, the chat rooms and message boards and Facebookery and Twitterings are just a way to fill the gap until the next round of mayhem begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yes, there are parts of conventions that suck. There are people who walk past your table without making eye contact because they know you’re going to sell them something. There are people who will give you their totally awesome idea for a shape-shifting griffins novel, gratis*. There are writers who will shit on your “angsty” werewolves and give you a free copy of their totally awesome werewolf furry porn comic**. There are leeches who will insist you collaborate on their totally awesome zombie werewolf novel***. You find out some people are nothing like the way they portray themselves online, or learn that favorite actor of yours is just another douchebag who wants to fuck your wife. There are convention staffers who could give half a shit about your problems with your table placement and its traffic pattern. Some asshole with Guatemalan Death Flu is going to wipe his nose and shake your hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Suck it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Conventions are part of the business. I may have left a few thinking they were a waste of time in the short term, but I don’t regret a single one. At the very least I went home with a good story to tell and a new fire under my ass to write. At more successful conventions, I went home with paying work and new friendships, and that same fire under my ass to write.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">It sure beats troubleshooting computer problems all day.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">*While they simultaneously groom their eyelashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">**The plus side to this one is you can light their book on fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">***And you’ll get a generous 10% cut of the profits.</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: #0400; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: #0400;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /> <div class="p1" style="text-align: start;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MIKE OLIVERI is a Bram Stoker Award Winner, and the author of the ongoing series,&nbsp;<i>The Pack</i>. Book one in the series,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Pack-Winter-Kill-ebook/dp/B002V1I47W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363278321&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=winter+kill+mike+oliveri" target="_blank">Winter Kill</a>, is available for Kindle, Nook and in Trade Paperback.</span><br /> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a 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Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRwjqJVXQZWkHHp9VMZj4VsWN4pLazdmyRPYMwUk2ZRKsXGZ2YEfjDEFus_QqtbQSLMm0IpiheXnJ1JE59YL-3qaZ4Ugp368Z4F-ysYxkPFVAKUZjkhM92HH4PxHGCUgqKaSC7vZaCtkl/s1600/ip-workbook-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRwjqJVXQZWkHHp9VMZj4VsWN4pLazdmyRPYMwUk2ZRKsXGZ2YEfjDEFus_QqtbQSLMm0IpiheXnJ1JE59YL-3qaZ4Ugp368Z4F-ysYxkPFVAKUZjkhM92HH4PxHGCUgqKaSC7vZaCtkl/s320/ip-workbook-header.png" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>ON CREATING LITERARY KARMA</b><br /><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">By Patricia Ann McNair<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">@PatriciaAMcNair</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ok, Writer Friends, I know what you are up to. You are sequestered in your garret, writing away, mumbling to yourself, moving in and out of the lovely yet isolated dream world of the work at hand. Soon, though, you will be yearning to have your work read by others, responded to, perhaps even enjoyed. A step toward that, I suggest, is to create a good, solid literary karma. A sort of “be good to each other, do unto others” practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Well, why not? Give me one valid reason. I am not suggesting you operate under pretense here. This practice must be sincere in its undertaking. Do not fake it, or pretend to give a hoot when you don’t. What I am suggesting is that you enter into something bigger than yourself, your writing, your ego. (Believe it or not, there is something bigger than these things…)<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">How?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Loads of ways. Here are just a few:<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Be a writer who reads.<br /> Let’s face it—if you are not reading the work of others, you have no right<br /> to expect someone to read yours. And, by reading the work of others, you are supporting&nbsp;the act of reading, which supports the practice of writing.<br />And (yes, and again) a writer&nbsp;can learn quite a lot by reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buy books. Buy journals. Buy magazines. Go to libraries.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Reach out to other writers. Like the Facebook page of a book you admire.<br /> Send a note letting them know you read and like their work.<br />Comment on their blog posts.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Someone win an award you were up for? Yeah, it stings. But that’s okay.<br /> When you can get these words past the lump in your throat say them to the winner:<br /> “Well done. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.” That anyone (foundation, book club, writers association, readers group, etc.) even considers it important to award writers and their work is a good thing for all of us. Celebrate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t be an ass. If you don’t like a writer or her work, that’s fine. But either A.) <br /> don’t say anything at all, or B.) be respectful, ask questions. Mutter your insults<br />under &nbsp;your breath, don’t put them in writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Reach out to readers. Join groups, book clubs, conversations. <br /> Talk about books!<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Write reviews. On Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes &amp; Noble, etc. <br /> (Before you do, though, read the fourth point above again.)<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Give your books away. Love a book you’ve read recently?<br /> Give it to a friend; don’t worry if you ever get it back. If you can’t bear to part <br /> with it, that’s cool too; buy another copy for someone.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Attend readings of other writers. Be a good audience member. <br /> Ask questions when the Q&amp;A starts.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you are part of a reading, don’t leave and take all of your family members and friends <br /> with you before everyone has finished reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">•<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you are part of a reading, open mic or otherwise, respect your audience <br /> and other readers by not going overtime, sharing the stage, listening when you are not reading (i.e., don’t go to the bar and start a loud conversation with the cute bartender while someone else is reading. Sit down. Shut up. Listen. Applaud.)<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Like I said, these are just a few ways to create your literary karma. I would reckon you have your own bits of advice on this subject. I’ll sit down. And I’ll shut up. Go ahead. I’m listening.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">—PM<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLhcx5NbR77cbR_9XL8m_LmVi9Z6SRqFygqul1Cv12R21-MR1CulThnJqB3HeXh_1s6Z0DHyt5D3-4BNnwbZ1Uxeq5LJ1Ho2K1FumL8a2bToS8_8uVJsPNpWsJytVDWEM7Il2xDa0ub0B/s1600/Patty+Color+Headshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLhcx5NbR77cbR_9XL8m_LmVi9Z6SRqFygqul1Cv12R21-MR1CulThnJqB3HeXh_1s6Z0DHyt5D3-4BNnwbZ1Uxeq5LJ1Ho2K1FumL8a2bToS8_8uVJsPNpWsJytVDWEM7Il2xDa0ub0B/s320/Patty+Color+Headshot.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo of the Author by Philip Hartigan</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">About the Author</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Patricia Ann McNair is the author of the award-winning story collection, "The Temple of Air."&nbsp;She is an Associate&nbsp;Professor in the Fiction Writing Department of Columbia College Chicago where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as a nomination for the Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. Professor of the Year.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">Helpful Links</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FThe-Temple-Air-Stories-ebook%2Fdp%2FB005XBULK0%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Ddigital-text%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363278470%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dtemple%2Bof%2Bair" target="_blank">The Temple of Air on Amazon</a></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Patricia Ann McNair's&nbsp;<a href="http://patriciaannmcnair.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s; color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Website</a></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #009eb8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.erpmedia.net/books/TheTempleOfAir.html" target="_blank">Elephant Rock Books</a></span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px 0px 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #009eb8;"><br /></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; 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margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <a class="text" href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge">Links monetized by <span style="background: transparent url('//www.viglink.com/public/images/favicon.png') no-repeat 0% 50%; padding-left: 18px;"> VigLink</span></a> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> </div> <br /> <!--EndFragment-->Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-53928421349297460792012-10-15T07:00:00.000-05:002013-03-14T11:32:15.168-05:00Mark Justice Takes Us Back to the Heyday of Pulp Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiR_LP5EPvBSUytrBLAmX8g44SHg4kx7Cj8JM1KladHSOO38nnTIlYzyvdtDj-8maXDRTpTNBo6Lrc5OYeSj92rxm773S0tzjSThZDmAJRULnizGyRef4e8to8GFjGENMI3wsKg5TUJYD/s1600/Rio_Kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiR_LP5EPvBSUytrBLAmX8g44SHg4kx7Cj8JM1KladHSOO38nnTIlYzyvdtDj-8maXDRTpTNBo6Lrc5OYeSj92rxm773S0tzjSThZDmAJRULnizGyRef4e8to8GFjGENMI3wsKg5TUJYD/s400/Rio_Kid.jpg" width="280" /></a></div> <b><br /></b> <b>A PULPWOOD GENESIS</b><br /> By Mark Justice<br /> @MarkJustice<br /> <br /> “The Dead Sheriff,” my rotting and reanimated lawman, had a gestation period of decades inside the dark, crowded attic between my ears. A lot of ingredients went into the soup: Clint Eastwood’s westerns, Marvel’s “Rawhide Kid” and “Two-Gun Kid” comic books, George Romero, “Chiller Theater,” and cassette tapes of old time radio shows (specifically “The Lone Ranger,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Gunsmoke,” and James Stewart’s “The Six Shooter”).<br /> <br /> Those were the spices and seasoning. But every soup needs a main ingredient and the soup bone here was pulp magazines.<br /> <br /> Pardon me as I go back in time for a moment. I was ten years old when my Uncle Bud gave me a trio of Doc Savage paperbacks. Those magnificent covers by James Bama ignited my young imagination: this giant figure in a ripped shirt and a widow’s peak, looking like he was carved from metal, his image captured in the midst of some grand, world-shattering adventure. The titles of those three books were also awe-inspiring: “The Dust of Death,” “The Flaming Falcons,” “The Other World.”<br /> <br /> I was an obsessive little reader then and now. I regularly perused the copyright page of the book I read, and in “The Dust of Death”—the first Doc I sampled—I found this curious item: “originally published in Doc Savage Magazine October 1935.”<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS3LuzdFVxT0Y45_4uW6TeqjzTwho7WxcGaxaIHsw_bmpqeXWjm1TiXGDixjiXICcsghMbiF2yeDN7ad_4CEvWSuHej_U6RIX7qH9D-K4kE910p2bedzUsLObVgxpw_nQAb9yc62Db9f8/s1600/Doc_Savage_Magazine.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS3LuzdFVxT0Y45_4uW6TeqjzTwho7WxcGaxaIHsw_bmpqeXWjm1TiXGDixjiXICcsghMbiF2yeDN7ad_4CEvWSuHej_U6RIX7qH9D-K4kE910p2bedzUsLObVgxpw_nQAb9yc62Db9f8/s1600/Doc_Savage_Magazine.jpeg" /></a></div> Doc Savage Magazine? The 1930s? This was a mystery that wouldn’t be solved for a couple of years and many trips to the library. <br /> <br /> The history of pulp magazines (so named for the cheap paper used in the printing process) was a long one, dating back to the nineteenth century, lasting into the 1960s, with a colorful and violent peak in the 1930s. America’s youth (and much of the adult population) actually read back then and boy, did they have a choice of subject matter. Newsstands and drug stores were filled with hundred of titles in dozens of genres. No matter the type of fiction one was interested in, the pulps had it covered. Garish painted covers beckoned readers of science fiction, mysteries, war stories, romance, horror, pirate tales, railroad stories, baseball, football, even titles devoted to boxing fiction. And the most popular genre was the western. Cowboy stories were there at the beginning of the pulp era and still ropin’ and shootin’ at the very end, as science fiction magazines became digests and adventure pulps turned into “true” magazines for men.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWop3MgSmIxsLC3tCita2rWyd15nJYrauUPdo4mFnAfMo6JIU4gxqOC0itihGMuQxvlF5BvWiGvX8QiJXMz5OiwhoUCUpXKnDrGXMUsSLivzScp2BBqFx9VgNRuPA4cTDCQi9PrUVXBGXq/s1600/Wild_West_Weekly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWop3MgSmIxsLC3tCita2rWyd15nJYrauUPdo4mFnAfMo6JIU4gxqOC0itihGMuQxvlF5BvWiGvX8QiJXMz5OiwhoUCUpXKnDrGXMUsSLivzScp2BBqFx9VgNRuPA4cTDCQi9PrUVXBGXq/s320/Wild_West_Weekly.jpg" width="220" /></a></div> The magazine racks were jammed with titles such as “Wild West Weekly,” “Dime Western,” “Star Western,” “.44 Western,” “Far West Illustrated,” “Range Riders,” “The Pecos Kid,” “Texas Rangers,” “The Rio Kid,” “Ace High,” “Popular Western,” “Western Action,” “Thrilling Western,” “Wild Western Novels,” “10 Story Western” and “Best Western” (yes, before the motel there was the magazine). For one dime, the eager reader could get over a hundred pages of lead-filled excitement and ads for products like Kessler’s Blended Whiskey and Sayman Salve (“Never Scratch Itching Skin”).<br /> <br /> Next time, I’ll tell you about one of the most enduring western pulp characters, a masked man who rode across the plains dispensing justice with his six guns.<br /> <br /> And it wasn’t The Lone Ranger (though he had his own pulp magazine, too).<br /> <br /> —MJ<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77jfcM4rDV3v9sgGl7cbVfnc3QtHyyaMO6EEMrrvMsaKhwaa1uRdcyJb7MPpo2HB_pHTnRzIldvpuScuOkMkz748X7rOwq7tAimJYBCsUbxWuOLdQ00EsqKbUZIWfqWMWiTb_0AY5D8zG/s1600/Mark-Justice--LOW-RES-WEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77jfcM4rDV3v9sgGl7cbVfnc3QtHyyaMO6EEMrrvMsaKhwaa1uRdcyJb7MPpo2HB_pHTnRzIldvpuScuOkMkz748X7rOwq7tAimJYBCsUbxWuOLdQ00EsqKbUZIWfqWMWiTb_0AY5D8zG/s400/Mark-Justice--LOW-RES-WEB.jpg" width="288" /></a></div> <b><br /></b> <b>ABOUT MARK JUSTICE</b><br /> Mark Justice is the author of “<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FThe-Dead-Sheriff-Zombie-Damnation%2Fdp%2F0984880011%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363278659%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3Dthe%2Bdead%2Bsheriff" target="_blank">The Dead Sheriff: Zombie Damnation</a>.” You can learn more about his writing and contact him by visiting his <a href="http://markjustice.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: 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center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhBgNSr5Me7dimr4nujOL2n6Ttx2Ui_jrXRBWQxzp1pGAXDKxGWR9FzqStLzdw2yaPGHK63oZWigtvxNOYDl5xrERyBippZjE4T7t-_ma4fIfFK13EAEFRppuxdPc2jrFMX2Zy0W6bhoq/s1600/HH-%231-C1-LA-FNLcolor+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhBgNSr5Me7dimr4nujOL2n6Ttx2Ui_jrXRBWQxzp1pGAXDKxGWR9FzqStLzdw2yaPGHK63oZWigtvxNOYDl5xrERyBippZjE4T7t-_ma4fIfFK13EAEFRppuxdPc2jrFMX2Zy0W6bhoq/s400/HH-%231-C1-LA-FNLcolor+COVER.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">COVER TO HELHEIM #1</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">That Cullen Bunn sure is a busy guy.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Not only is he a go-to-writer for Marvel, writes the ongoing comic book series, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=a9_asi_1?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Athe+sixth+gun&amp;keywords=the+sixth+gun&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1350065252" target="_blank">The Sixth Gun</a>," writes the all ages fiction prose series, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Hills-ebook/dp/B005QPASII/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1350064087&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=crooked+hills" target="_blank">Crooked Hills</a>," writes a monthly column on <a href="http://indiepulp.blogspot.com/2012/09/creating-comics-01-cullen-bunn-on.html" target="_blank">creating comics</a> for this website, now he's set to debut two new comics series early next year to be published by Oni Press.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The first is an offshoot of the popular "The Sixth Gun" (now in the works with NBC for television, by the way). Titled "Sons of the Gun," the new story follows what happens to General Hume's horsemen after the first story arc in the main series. It will be co-written with Brian Hurtt, and illustrated by <a href="http://indiepulp.blogspot.com/2009/07/sketchbook-spotlight-on-brian-churilla.html" target="_blank">Brian Churilla</a>.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The second is "Helheim," a horror viking story like I've never seen, and illustrated by white hot talent, Joëlle Jones.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Check out the full line-up coming from Oni below.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr0ZPuqMSRn8WcE_2RFq7inA1AfqsyGdCmz1AuEK3XLxHDtXFkBMGKJDoeFqvcw8r6bGp79eB31jp6KuP9okYP0Xu93GXwtkA7qrdpDxEbxz2BLhF4RE1UZccK5tSqS4GnljbD9q3ef6q/s1600/6GUNSOG+%231+C1_FNLCOL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr0ZPuqMSRn8WcE_2RFq7inA1AfqsyGdCmz1AuEK3XLxHDtXFkBMGKJDoeFqvcw8r6bGp79eB31jp6KuP9okYP0Xu93GXwtkA7qrdpDxEbxz2BLhF4RE1UZccK5tSqS4GnljbD9q3ef6q/s400/6GUNSOG+%231+C1_FNLCOL.jpeg" width="258" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SONS OF THE GUN #1</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">PRESS RELEASE</b></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <b><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">ONI PRESS ANNOUNCES PROJECTS FROM HARRIS &amp; POLLINA, CULLEN BUNN, JOËLLE JONES, BRIAN CHURILLA, NEW WEBSITE &amp; MORE AT NEW YORK COMIC-CON 2012</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Today at New York Comic-Con, Oni Press, the acclaimed independent publisher of creator-owned comics, announced a veritable smorgasbord of new projects bound for print and the web.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">“I can't believe how much amazing stuff we're announcing at this show,” exclaimed Oni Press editor in chief James Lucas Jones. “We've got a new oversized hardcover graphic novel from Joe Harris and Adam Pollina, a pair of new series from writer Cullen Bunn, and a host of new projects involved in our 2013 reenvisioning of OniPress.com.”</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Kicking the panel off, long-time collaborators Joe Harris and Adam Pollina announced their new deluxe graphic novel WARS IN TOYLAND. Darkly inspired by the classic story of BABES IN TOYLAND, this new book looks at the once wondrous and beautiful Toyland after the rise of the teddy dictator, Roxbury. After Matthew's brother and playmate, Alex, disappears, young Matthew finds himself carried into Toyland by his own loyal toy soldiers. Only Matthew soon learns that Alex has been here, too – and is now being held captive by Roxbury. Leading an attack on the teddy bear's fortress, Matthew never considers that his brother might be beyond saving.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Ever since I was a kid watching LAUREL &amp; HARDY on Thanksgiving Day, my demented thoughts have turned to wooden soldiers making war on one another," commented Harris.&nbsp; "WARS IN TOYLAND is a story we've been looking to tell for a long, long time. It's a dark fantasy about the things we throw away, the things we can't let go of and growing up, in a broad sense, even though it really sucks sometimes."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"WARS IN TOYLAND is as close to my heart as any story I have ever drawn," added Pollina. "As a young child I would spend hours dividing my toys into armies and leading them in some glorious battle.&nbsp; This graphic novel is heavily inspired by those childhood memories. I know I feel I'm still finding the courage to face the challenges in my life and win the battles ahead of me.&nbsp; And this book is an expression of that struggle."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Joining Harris &amp; Pollina for the project are finisher Brent McCarthy and colorist Nolan Woodard.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Joe and Adam really delivered an outstanding book and the work from Brent and Nolan just helps it shine that much more," concluded Jones. "The oversized, landscape format really makes their work a thing to behold.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Next, Oni Press marketing mastermind Tom Shimmin threw the mic to Cullen Bunn for a pair of big reveals.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">Since the very first issue of THE SIXTH GUN, readers have clamored for more information about General Hume’s horsemen. And now the story can be told. What happened to the horsemen after their master died? The answers can be found the in February debuting series THE SIXTH GUN: SONS OF THE GUN. Written by Bunn &amp; SIXTH GUN artist / co-creator Brian Hurtt, illustrated by Brian Churilla (THE SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER) and colored by Bill Crabtree, each issue features a look at a different member of Hume's ghastly gang.</span></div> <div class="p4"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">But Bunn wasn't done there! Following SONS OF THE GUN February debut, comes HELHEIM--a new viking horror series from Bunn, fan-favorite artist Joëlle Jones and colorist Nick Filardi.</span></div> <div class="p4"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">“Once the threshold of Helheim is crossed, not even gods can escape.”&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p4"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">During the age of the Vikings, savage wild men and dark creatures beset a small settlement. A brave war party stands as guardians of the helpless villagers, but they are no match for the horrors rising up around them. One of the warriors, a young hero named Rikard, will pay the ultimate price in battle…&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p4"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">But his fight is far from over. Resurrected by an evil witch out for vengeance, Rikard is&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">brought back as a pawn in her bloody quest. But can his warrior soul ever be&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p3"> <span class="s1">contained? A gothic horror story of witchcraft, night creatures, and the undead.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Can't wait until March? Attendees of the panel didn't have to as Oni Press gave out special black-and-white preview editions of the upcoming series. Additional copies were made available for sale at the Oni Press booth.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Working with collaborators like Brian Hurtt, Brian Churilla, and Joëlle Jones reminds me just how lucky I am to be working in comics and working with Oni Press," concluded Bunn. "I'm writing stories I genuinely love and I'm partnering with some of the best visual storytellers in the business."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Cullen, Joëlle, and Brians Hurtt &amp; Churilla, not to mention Misters Crabtree &amp; Filardi, make my job a joy," added SIXTH GUN and HELHEIM editor Charlie Chu. "These folks are creating some of the most engaging characters and thrilling action in all of comics and I get a front row seat.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">But possibly the biggest announcement for Oni Press was still yet to come.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">The publisher announced the January debut of a totally new OniPress.com that will transform the website from a marketing resource for its print titles into a full-fledged content hub with comic updates five days a week.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"We saw the transformation of the music industry over the last decade and we see comics experiencing a comparable metamorphosis," stated Publisher Joe Nozemack. "We believe there's opportunities for new models to emerge alongside the existing ones giving both established and new readers comics that engage and entertain."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"We love comics and we want to share that love with as many people as possible," added editor in chief James Lucas Jones. "The web is the perfect tool to help us deliver great comics to a global audience."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">The new OniPress.com will initially offer two new serials a week, along side three additional serials pulled from the publisher's 15-years worth of backlist material.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">The first of these new series, A BOY &amp; A GIRL by Jamie S. Rich &amp; Natalie Nourigat and BUZZ by Ananth Panagariya &amp; Tessa Stone were initially teased at Comic-Con International in July and now Oni Press is ready to reveal more about these exciting new graphic novels debuting on the web in January.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Have you ever met the girl of your dreams, only to have her disappear into a crowd?&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">A BOY &amp; A GIRL explores a future where real people are rapidly being supplanted by life-like androids, the need for that emotional connection can become even more desperate, and Travis will go to great lengths to find out where that amazing girl he met last night, Charley, lives, so that he can convince her to go on a date with him.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">What Travis doesn't know yet is that it's Charley's last night in town, and she's in a mood to really tear things up. If they're going to go on a date, it's almost guaranteed to be one that neither of them will ever forget.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Jamie S. Rich writer of the hit MADMAN spin-off IT GIRL from Image Comics is joined by one of the fastest rising stars of independent comics, cartoonist Natalie Nourigat.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"What a great team! What a great comic!" exclaimed editor Jill Beaton. "Old Man Rich gets to return to the romance genre he mined so brilliantly in 12 REASONS WHY I LOVE HER in a fantastic futuristic world fully realized by the lovely Ms. Nourigat. The characters they've created for A BOY &amp; A GIRL will draw you in and grab your heart."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"I'm thrilled to be joining Oni Press on yet another adventure," added Rich. "And even more excited to be working with such an exciting talent as Natalie."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">BUZZ rounds out the brand new comics coming to OniPress.com this January. The comic follows new high school student Webster as he finds himself thrown into the highly competitive world of 1-on-1 spelling bees.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"As soon as Ananth described the concept of BUZZ to me, I knew it as a comic we had to publish," admitted James Lucas Jones. "When Tessa Stone came on board to draw it, I knew we had something s-p-e-c-i-a-l."&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Webster's vast vocabulary throws a powerful punch as he trains for the biggest Bee of his life and a showdown with the most feared speller the world has ever known.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Seeing Tessa's work on this book week after week has been absolutely amazing," concluded Panagariya. "I know readers will feel the same way during every week of our run at OniPress.com."</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">But it doesn't stop there! Oni Press also revealed details about the two new series debuting on OniPress.com when the second season debuts in April!</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Wook-Jin Clark, artist of the graphic novel THE RETURN OF KING DOUG returns to Oni Press with a series all his own. MEGAGOGO is an American Shonen story featuring a super sentai style team operating out of Atlanta, Georgia. Once upon a time, they were heroes, but it’s been 10 years since the last battle that left the city and the team in ruins. Now, they must assemble a new lineup that can reverse the city's scorn and defeat the kaiju monsters and amped up bigots that threaten the metropolis they call home!</span></div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"Giant Mech battles! Car chases! KKK robots! Wooo!" promised Clark. "Sit on your porch swing, sip on some sweet tea, fire up your tablet or laptop and get ready for MEGAGOGO!"</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Joining Clark on OniPress.com in April, is DOWN! SET! FIGHT! from writers Chris Sims &amp; Chad Bowers (AwesomeHospital.com) and artist Scott Kowalchuk (Image Comics' THE INTREPIDS).</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">In DOWN SET FIGHT, "Fearless" Chuck Fairlane was one of the fastest rising stars in professional football, but his career came to a screeching halt when he was expelled from game after causing the biggest team-on-team brawl in the history of sports. Today, Chuck's a teacher and football coach at Darius Rucker High School in Columbia, South Carolina, and is more than content in his new life. But when costumed mascots begin attacking him for seemingly no reason, Chuck soon discovers that even though he’s put the past behind him, it’s not always so easy to move on.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">"This is one of the craziest comics in the history of crazy comics," concluded editor Charlie Chu. "This is SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI level nuts. But none of the insanity or hilarity would matter if Chuck weren't such a fully realized character. This is a story about never being able to truly outrun your past, but always having the option to punch it square in the face."</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">And with that, the most information-packed panel in the history of Oni Press came to a close, as does this press release.&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Founded in 1997, Oni Press, Inc. has become one of the comic industry’s most well-respected independent comic publishers--Revolutionizing Comics by focusing on&nbsp; character and story-driven creator-owned work in a variety of genres and formats.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">For more information on these and other upcoming Oni Press projects, please contact Tom Shimmin at <a href="mailto:tom@onipress.com"><span class="s2">tom@onipress.com</span></a></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><b><span style="color: #666666;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCrooked-Hills-Cullen-Bunn%2Fdp%2F0982578946%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363278856%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dcrooked%2BHills" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5G7D96i3RCiZ5umNDzpRK6VTmefpyX4N0O9lSzP8lTIGBmWMhyUzZfXEinI9Lj67yLFpFx1geQoEDxZagXgKMnTNJEtrbTs5ui-yNLjgyXQldr-_vnENEbqojqY3dzoeju4LgDOd-Nfr/s640/Crooked_Hills_Cover_promo.jpg" width="414" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <!--EndFragment-->Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-78334900282440433712012-10-05T10:40:00.003-05:002013-03-14T11:38:54.826-05:00'Shotgun Honey': Beauty and Brains<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqB07VLeDjyvKvDhIETmxpTzoE-mhekAoecE_rTitZhGNozMV3mrwQ5kWkezJsx-SxE8Y4hZALTo9peAVF79I3WthgAq_v11-XkeMKRljLcERRTJ71YMGiF7J-QAm8M2eKwnbtGgxwCCR/s1600/Shotgun_Honey-Both_Barrels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqB07VLeDjyvKvDhIETmxpTzoE-mhekAoecE_rTitZhGNozMV3mrwQ5kWkezJsx-SxE8Y4hZALTo9peAVF79I3WthgAq_v11-XkeMKRljLcERRTJ71YMGiF7J-QAm8M2eKwnbtGgxwCCR/s400/Shotgun_Honey-Both_Barrels.jpg" width="261" /></a></div> If you love crime stories and haven't caught wind of the release of "<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FShotgun-Honey-Presents-Both-Barrels%2Fdp%2F0615687725%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363278974%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dshotgun%2Bhoney" target="_blank">Shotgun Honey: Both Barrels</a>," today might as well be your birthday.<br /> <br /> This is a well made anthology featuring impressive emerging crime writing voices, among them, two of our favorites: Mike Oliveri and Kent Gowran. Mr. Gowran is also a founder and co-editor of the anthology.<br /> <br /> The first volume is <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FShotgun-Honey-Presents-Both-Barrels%2Fdp%2F0615687725%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363278974%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dshotgun%2Bhoney" target="_blank">available now</a> as a trade paperback, as well as e-book for Amazon and other digital platforms.<br /> <br /> The anthology is an offshoot of the <a href="http://www.shotgunhoney.net/" target="_blank">online</a> fiction initiative launched in 2011. On the website, short fiction appears periodically for free. However, "Both Barrels" is not a cut and paste job of the site. It contains new works and is intended to be a standalone product that expands on the site.<br /> <br /> —Ommus<br /> @Ommus<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBurning-Maiden-1-Greg-Kishbaugh%2Fdp%2F0982578997%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279092%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dthe%2Bburning%2Bmaiden" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEz-LJo20EQ80U9e76fD5iyS2TA0aPOEy058R8vAg_vjywk21kOldDCBZlYz4zIYNvG5OeLaQAd-24YPyCx560wQDe3Djd6SDAd-8kDYjipSIGICLzU3VH5T0Nn1cgAv21GoF8gKps2Ww/s640/TBM-01-Ad-HWA-01.jpg" width="387" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-24859277609428206232012-09-28T13:56:00.001-05:002013-03-14T11:45:23.791-05:00Comics According to Scott 01<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0Enst4QBAZiHx_pOUCN0pFmIAHwgQsCk9BhSpifvKAKqODo09vNgFnQ5GPiaW2Ak60RzrUSopytkL3Ccc11BZdshMqIq5ZefjWWVFkuZCrf0zGgM7qiH7_QO89PnYJoIAgfSz7Xv9p7H/s1600/Author-Image-Scott_Cederlund-BW-Indie_Pulp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0Enst4QBAZiHx_pOUCN0pFmIAHwgQsCk9BhSpifvKAKqODo09vNgFnQ5GPiaW2Ak60RzrUSopytkL3Ccc11BZdshMqIq5ZefjWWVFkuZCrf0zGgM7qiH7_QO89PnYJoIAgfSz7Xv9p7H/s400/Author-Image-Scott_Cederlund-BW-Indie_Pulp.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> <br /> <b>THE GREATEST COMICS OF ALL TIME—FOR NOW</b><br /> <br /> Scott Cederlund<br /> @ScottCederlund<br /> <br /> Every ten years—2012 being one of those years—the British Film Institute compiles their critics and directors Sight and Sound Best Movies list. You might have heard about the kerfuffle around this year's list; the top voted movie on the critics list was Alfred Hitchcock's <i>Vertigo</i>. Since 1962, that honor had previously gone to Orson Welles' <i>Citizen Kane</i>, a veritable class in both how to make movies and how to watch them.<br /> <br /> Debate has gone around about what this new number one means: Is it a shift in the cultural zeitgeist, signaling a younger critical base? After all, if they've seen all of the subsequent movies that used all of Welles' tricks, can <i>Citizen Kane</i> really offer that many surprises to them? Or is it more about Hitchcock and the growing respect he's getting over time? Whatever it means, it's opening up a fascinating dialogue about movies and how we appreciate them over time.<br /> <br /> The endless blogs and podcasts that spent time reacting to the Sight and Sound poll made me wonder what a similar type comic poll would look like. <i>Watchmen</i> is often called "our Citizen Kane," so would it top a poll of the best comics? So in the spirit of the BFI and their movie polls, here's my ballot for the similar comic book poll that I hope will exist someday.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh034VX3L6Fb0gBqns_KJ2D0Dx17awakjLav8OQSZSf9bzFetjoDHhSZjT2Ba0h2i6pREnNIzcr_-BcrkJCfWppynBvzUl0F5tAsK3QXZwnUHOfLIi3G-t0gvRjgxUqQa9ZJxUukjmTr8uq/s1600/Daredevil-Born_Again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh034VX3L6Fb0gBqns_KJ2D0Dx17awakjLav8OQSZSf9bzFetjoDHhSZjT2Ba0h2i6pREnNIzcr_-BcrkJCfWppynBvzUl0F5tAsK3QXZwnUHOfLIi3G-t0gvRjgxUqQa9ZJxUukjmTr8uq/s200/Daredevil-Born_Again.jpg" width="141" /></a></div> <b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDaredevil-Born-Again-Frank-Miller%2Fdp%2F0785134816%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279156%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Ddaredevil%2Bborn%2Bagain" target="_blank">Daredevil: Born Again</a></b><br /> by <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DFrank%2BMiller" target="_blank">Frank Miler</a> and <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_2%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DDavid%2BMazuchelli%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253ADavid%2BMazuchelli" target="_blank">David Mazzucchelli</a><br /> <br /> Here's Miller's successful attempt to bring a bit of Paul Schraeder and Martin Scorsese to comics. Dragging Matt Murdock down into Travis Bickle's New York, one where the righteous man is brought down by the city's corruption, Miller's tale is the ultimate story of the strength of superheroes. Too many people after Miller and Mazzucchelli thought that the stories they were telling were about the glamor of deconstructing their heroes, when Miller's Daredevil stories have always been out the strength and honor of being a true hero. By placing Daredevil in a New York that looks like something out of Scorsese's <i>Taxi Driver</i>, Miller defines what a true hero can be in a city that can created vigilantes like Travis Bickle.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kW3wriW38NKNIDz7stwz32-4V_GGy4PGcYuxAKP0i-X61dN3CUg5a4HiNHRF5DQakEvIz8JfNeKrbBbI3BscwtrQOiEmyxkGDwVLuLffAQSehyphenhyphennaoPdF2a53qeJ_LjKwmAVUgWgWqpCL/s1600/Bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kW3wriW38NKNIDz7stwz32-4V_GGy4PGcYuxAKP0i-X61dN3CUg5a4HiNHRF5DQakEvIz8JfNeKrbBbI3BscwtrQOiEmyxkGDwVLuLffAQSehyphenhyphennaoPdF2a53qeJ_LjKwmAVUgWgWqpCL/s200/Bone.jpg" width="133" /></a></div> <b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DBone%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253ABone" target="_blank">Bone</a></b><br /> by Jeff Smith<br /> <br /> Of everything I've read that tried to be J.R.R. Tolkien, Jeff Smith's <i>Bone</i> may actually come the closest without him really trying that hard to be anything other than himself. With the lovely Shmoo-like leading characters and a fascinating story about exiled princesses and dragons, Smith built his own mythology that still resonates with newer and younger readers today. These books prove that kids will read comic books. Of course, it helps that Smith is also a superb storytelling, packing so much heart, drama, suspense and wonder into his cartoony line.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLy-XwEpua0-pLqKDNMAfVubHbI3c3EImLo0n3I-CQHfIxabah1aUJbX_xPwM2MR45pjUEA4GYhXhM-ox1qTRgetHPcocyJrfWRec9iasQG0xMmKKSPtZNM31JplXnwkAG3QPqoiwCbMm/s1600/Saturn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLy-XwEpua0-pLqKDNMAfVubHbI3c3EImLo0n3I-CQHfIxabah1aUJbX_xPwM2MR45pjUEA4GYhXhM-ox1qTRgetHPcocyJrfWRec9iasQG0xMmKKSPtZNM31JplXnwkAG3QPqoiwCbMm/s200/Saturn.jpg" width="133" /></a></div> <b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DWhy%2BI%2BHate%2BSaturn%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AWhy%2BI%2BHate%2BSaturn" target="_blank">Why I Hate Saturn</a></b><br /> by <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DKyle%2BBaker%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AKyle%2BBaker" target="_blank">Kyle Baker</a><br /> <br /> Do you want to see what a Quentin Tarantino comic book would look like? Kyle Baker's <i>Why I Hate Saturn</i> taps into the type of energy that Tarantino would later find in <i>Reservoir Dogs</i> and <i>Pulp Fiction.&nbsp;</i>Baker produces this snappy story of a New Yorker who's life takes unexpected turns thanks to her sister who just happens to believe that she's from Saturn. This book shows just how cutting edge comics can be, as Baker is doing Tarantino a couple of years before <i>Reservoir Dogs</i>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n3CiHtN6aS8qIVcF2GZsT_bS7UeHrh2HBLbdFZJI7XOBtqQJXZxqvfV1WMn-nkXkkcsESn2el6Zn8I7-fZZDFd1oB9OUuw09PkXLZEcr3G7KlU4QTPef0vqtIJaiKGljDlVXzF5fr7QI/s1600/Maus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n3CiHtN6aS8qIVcF2GZsT_bS7UeHrh2HBLbdFZJI7XOBtqQJXZxqvfV1WMn-nkXkkcsESn2el6Zn8I7-fZZDFd1oB9OUuw09PkXLZEcr3G7KlU4QTPef0vqtIJaiKGljDlVXzF5fr7QI/s200/Maus.jpg" width="143" /></a></div> <b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DMaus%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AMaus" target="_blank">Maus</a></b><br /> by <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DArt%2BSpiegelman%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AArt%2BSpiegelman" target="_blank">Art Spiegelman</a><br /> <br /> There are really two stories you have to talk about when you talk about <i>Maus</i>. Spiegelman's recounting of his father's life, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust sheds a personal light on history. The way that Spiegelman pulls the story out if his father in the interviews that are part of the book shows how what's history to us are part of the lives of other people. And then there's the visual story of how Spiegelman uses symbolism to tell the story; Jews are mice and Germans are cats. <i>Maus</i> is an underground comic that found a mainstream audience thanks to the unique voice and vision of the cartoonist.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrIF72pRwH0U-ekimUbtE1AiIyEACOvZrlYcniFLnYTuBl0i3ZY61DowGw2FmRJZMeQYomYZNKWFWrhYV4B4oi-vFS5QAM-ILSdAtNHNn0iJ4zPoobI2PGDfe3_4MadR0z5V5dkbZwzHW/s1600/cerebus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrIF72pRwH0U-ekimUbtE1AiIyEACOvZrlYcniFLnYTuBl0i3ZY61DowGw2FmRJZMeQYomYZNKWFWrhYV4B4oi-vFS5QAM-ILSdAtNHNn0iJ4zPoobI2PGDfe3_4MadR0z5V5dkbZwzHW/s200/cerebus.jpg" width="149" /></a></div> <b>Cerebus: Church and State</b><br /> by Dave Sim<br /> <br /> For some reason, Frank Miller is always the modern cartoonist most associated with Will Eisner, but Dave Sim may be the truest heir to Eisner. Sim approaches the comic page the same way as Eisner did. It's not about little boxes on the page that contain the story, but rather the whole page becomes the composition as Sim molds every page around his story.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkw6Z5bI0CMID-cwamsI9CgJ1s7gez76FyL1FANt3x-TL8tYzTUIREVpTv7X1Au_gO6S7WrqqH2MDHRQtLRwfseLjYTUdjnAm53euslZeiN2SotXgOTKAUWLpZRqwsLqf828YrtRDcRpT/s1600/master-race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkw6Z5bI0CMID-cwamsI9CgJ1s7gez76FyL1FANt3x-TL8tYzTUIREVpTv7X1Au_gO6S7WrqqH2MDHRQtLRwfseLjYTUdjnAm53euslZeiN2SotXgOTKAUWLpZRqwsLqf828YrtRDcRpT/s200/master-race.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <b>The Master Race</b><br /> by Bernie Krigstein (from Impact #1)<br /> <br /> Krigstein's powerful story of a concentration camp survivor who finds one of his German guards years later on a subway train is a powerful story of memory and pain. It's a surprisingly emotional tale for the 1950s, but what really stands out is the way that Krigstein depicts the speed and time of a racing train. The strobe-like repeated images of a woman sitting in a train, rushing past a man standing on the subway platform still looks revolutionary some fifty-five years after it was first published.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNwFBiEtfJWMIhPsqllDhiimwujY6eTYXVvvzOMmWdnHx9WIAywnqS9NXjf1Q15ZiYFSHYXROJNfSPdoK8G31xLz252i5xSVDpQBIv-MdkLIJN-aTw2mNK9quW5bCNwhD3bkGHXFNzgeX/s1600/ff-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNwFBiEtfJWMIhPsqllDhiimwujY6eTYXVvvzOMmWdnHx9WIAywnqS9NXjf1Q15ZiYFSHYXROJNfSPdoK8G31xLz252i5xSVDpQBIv-MdkLIJN-aTw2mNK9quW5bCNwhD3bkGHXFNzgeX/s200/ff-51.jpg" width="131" /></a></div> <b>Fantastic Four #51: "This Man, This Monster"</b><br /> by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby<br /> <br /> The Marvel heroes of the 1960s were defined by their flawed characters. In this story, a man who cures Ben Grimm and tries to impersonate him as the Thing in the Fantastic Four discovers a heroic spirit that he never believed existed. Stan Lee's story of two Things—Ben Grimm and his impersonator—shows the blessings and curses of being a hero. Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnot's art define what Marvel's comics would look like for the next twenty-five years.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2nZeLF0t6AILkvGyEx2HlDRjj4HFUDCq5Xi75phJ3-DKwYSLiqBeN_Pax31Zbw9HrTRDvev9LVzsEfv5ds3daPQCQYhSTa1unQzfPuHM2faEX1t_uYVHxQGMNHt4Qwxu2eLhx8PGDKK/s1600/time2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2nZeLF0t6AILkvGyEx2HlDRjj4HFUDCq5Xi75phJ3-DKwYSLiqBeN_Pax31Zbw9HrTRDvev9LVzsEfv5ds3daPQCQYhSTa1unQzfPuHM2faEX1t_uYVHxQGMNHt4Qwxu2eLhx8PGDKK/s200/time2.jpg" width="145" /></a></div> <b>Time2</b><br /> by Howard Chaykin<br /> <br /> <i>American Flagg!</i> may be Howard Chaykin's better known and more beloved book, but <i>Time2</i> is his crazier, more personal story that somehow ties vampiric police cars into a semi-autobiography. The Chaykin hero in almost every book has a certain similar appearance, but <i>Time2</i>'s Maxim Glory truly is Chaykin's idealized self-image, putting the character/author into a New York City full of beautiful women, neon lights, jazz clubs and monsters in the alleyways. Chaykin has always been an artist whose main concern has been turning out smart and handsome books. Yet,&nbsp;<i>Time2</i> is the one book that feels like it truly comes from his heart. I don't know if you could say that of any of his work before or since.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU-BOu9dcWXNbEDXnqhsC3HpgeJHG-nPdLpmH2BgUF5wY8VwMX4MWvuAUJ1YxGd9wYounRkv5CvdhAyJ519MbFwktpac32e6Fb_hbgE4H4ihJL-0N0hH2oddCGXNcftGL9mXBWn3Xzmlw/s1600/arkwright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU-BOu9dcWXNbEDXnqhsC3HpgeJHG-nPdLpmH2BgUF5wY8VwMX4MWvuAUJ1YxGd9wYounRkv5CvdhAyJ519MbFwktpac32e6Fb_hbgE4H4ihJL-0N0hH2oddCGXNcftGL9mXBWn3Xzmlw/s200/arkwright.jpg" width="132" /></a></div> <b>The Adventure of Luther Arkwright</b><br /> by Bryan Talbot<br /> <br /> I honestly don't know if I could tell you what this book is about in any coherent manner. All you need to know is that it involves the destruction of the multiverse and Arkwright has to maneuver through many different universes to make sure that doesn't happen. When you read this book, you realize that Grant Morrison really wants to be Bryan Talbot because Talbot really told the story of <i>The Invisibles</i> before Morrison got to and told it more concisely, and with more mystery.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pBEfeobW6dOAl-qMqNVC1wOFdl-ObXiqJcLq0hEq7oHtzagLaA2914oDdBVmouC5RLXuH7YWDU2uQkFX-L7KLgtBsPqwqP3Lad_B2-lvUulrYoRRviQnjmVADIv20efEKlr364Zhwe2w/s1600/moebius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pBEfeobW6dOAl-qMqNVC1wOFdl-ObXiqJcLq0hEq7oHtzagLaA2914oDdBVmouC5RLXuH7YWDU2uQkFX-L7KLgtBsPqwqP3Lad_B2-lvUulrYoRRviQnjmVADIv20efEKlr364Zhwe2w/s200/moebius.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <b>The Garden Of Aedena</b><br /> by Moebius<br /> <br /> After playing around with the form of comics with <i>Arzack</i> and <i>The Airtight Garage</i>, Moebius looked to infuse spirituality into his comics. Maybe it was the Alejandro Jodorowsky influence on him, but the beginning of his <i>Aedena</i> cycle really returns to the beginning: the garden of Eden. There may not be the hand of God behind creation here, but not much changes in the human story as something akin to sin and lust enter his stranded characters even though they are in a true tropical paradise.<br /> <br /> At this time (September 2012) that would be my list of the best comics of all time. If there were more than ten spots on the ballot, comics like Paul Chadwick's <i>Concrete</i>, Alan Moore and Curt Swan's <i>Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?</i>, and Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock stories may have ended up on this list.<br /> <br /> As it is, this list has a heavy 1980s feel to it, but that's because that's the decade when I really discovered what comics could do, and the type of stories they could tell. But with all of these comics, when I look at them now, I can still feel that thrill of discovery of each writer and artist, as if I was encountering them for the first time. These are ten works that continue to show me what comic books can be.<br /> <br /> —SC<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="p1"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scott Cederlund has spent too long thinking about comic books, and has&nbsp;spent the past nine years writing about them. He currently reviews&nbsp;comics for <i>Newsarama</i> and <i>Wednesday's Haul</i>.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDead-Sheriff-Zombie-Damnation%2Fdp%2F0984880011%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279466%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DThe%2BDead%2BSheriff" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tjg8F3OUeSSzvgn5XStYkTToD4dcjmycBAlh-C8jYorE7mSKxTr_xJutBhhalGgYIwtaLjmaJVqTMlBmd4Mx8IFc2uoWkKQF3RXbvd6CEfaSqX1T2exlFUZ-1lmLc_qvhQw04ArlxliB/s640/Evileye-Ad-HWA-The-Dead-Sheriff-01-Master.jpg" width="396" /></a><span id="goog_750397527"></span><span id="goog_750397528"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> <br /></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-89120525794683950342012-09-21T07:00:00.000-05:002013-03-14T11:47:45.378-05:00Dispatches from the Front 03: Mike Oliveri on Action Sequences in Fiction<br /> <div class="p1"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDYB6jW0Cj2FxWqTW-Hd0rIXr59b_uQK6T-5vQuIwaZpw-DZEfIbx2sQ-kDLO-u1nfE2Xic1AwGeAUJ-8Zjt2TX6xi8KsGC0JMP0BrwGLgVnkK4hfbT9Cym60j2M9CUcfgsgyjpmI3HF6/s1600/Mike-Oliveri-Biker-BW-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDYB6jW0Cj2FxWqTW-Hd0rIXr59b_uQK6T-5vQuIwaZpw-DZEfIbx2sQ-kDLO-u1nfE2Xic1AwGeAUJ-8Zjt2TX6xi8KsGC0JMP0BrwGLgVnkK4hfbT9Cym60j2M9CUcfgsgyjpmI3HF6/s640/Mike-Oliveri-Biker-BW-small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span> <span class="s1"><b>THEM'S FIGHTIN' WORDS! I THINK...</b></span></div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Mike Oliveri</a></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">@MikeOliveri</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">When a character throws a punch, it should not knock the reader out of the story.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Physical conflict is as important to a story as dramatic conflict, and when handled correctly, it can really pull a reader in and get his pulse pounding. When the writer botches it, it brings his carefully-constructed narrative crashing down as the reader tries to figure out what's happening or what's at stake.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Describing something as visual as a fight is not an easy task. I understand not all writers are martial artists, but at the same time, writers should be able to grasp basic anatomy and choreography. For example, I recently read a book in which a character was punched in the stomach and fell to the floor. One sentence later, he was throwing knees into his assailant's chin.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Say what? Even if I was willing to assume the fallen character stood up without his attacker hitting him again (which I was not), how did he get the attacker to bend over? Was the attacker a dwarf all along and I didn't know it? Or does the writer watch too many movies and his protagonist likes to jump up in the air to throw a knee?</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">There are two easy ways to solve this: Act out the scene or ask for help. If a writer is willing to read his work aloud, I see no reason he shouldn't be willing to act out a fight scene. Get down on the floor and consider a character's options. What can he reach? How could he defend himself? What direction is he facing? Watch some boxing, martial arts, or real fights on YouTube and examine the flow. Talk to someone who studies martial arts, or someone who has been in a fight, and ask how they would handle the situation.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">In the opposite extreme, the writer shouldn't get too technical. I could break down a fight into a series of blocks, punches and kicks in both English and Japanese, but then I'd run the risk of turning the book into a karate manual. There is real emotional conflict at hand, and the fancy fight scene should convey that. Is the character a seasoned fighter, or are they panicked and inexperienced? Is this fight a welcome opportunity to punish someone, or is the character afraid for their life?</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">The writer should also understand the consequences of a fight on the character, both physically and emotionally. Watch a post-fight interview with an MMA fighter or boxer and you'll see a wide variety of cuts, contusions, swelling, and discoloration. Some people get punched in the face and freeze up, others go wild and start flailing their arms at random. Fight and flight are the recognized responses to an adrenaline dump, but they each manifest in very different ways.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">After the fight, the victor may feel powerful, or a get a perverse thrill out of pounding someone flat. Or he may feel remorseful for having to resort to violence. The loser is going to tangle with some level of shame and humiliation. He may feel helpless to stop what comes next, or he may have a grim determination to not let something like this happen again.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">In other words, the fight should not just be a break between talking heads scenes. Action is a great way to amp up the tension, but a fight should advance the story and tell us more about the characters, or advance the plot in some way. Three pages of a final showdown between a hero and villain is awesome. Three pages of a character dismantling a mugger because nothing has happened for a hundred pages is weak storytelling.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">If there are no consequences for the fight and there is nothing at stake, then your characters have no reason to fight.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">If your characters have nothing to fight for, then there is no conflict.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">If there's no conflict, then the reader has no compelling reason to keep reading.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">—MO</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">MIKE OLIVERI is a Bram Stoker Award Winner, and the author of the ongoing series, <i>The Pack</i>. Book one in the series, <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPack-Winter-Kill-Mike-Oliveri%2Fdp%2F0982578911%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279547%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Winter Kill</a>, is available for Kindle, Nook and in Trade Paperback.</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="s1"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPack-Winter-Kill-Mike-Oliveri%2Fdp%2F0982578911%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279547%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnSd2WdHW4diEOrd20oplvw4PR4KuBswjSIAKFBRDk3AquMKp-N2YQKN2GPGDxQjl9-MIUJa19TaW-1KjBNLZ_S1VLjqIfRTnbXDhvNZlyWfzHXZBXVMSBC-1iBzPNodelrneucGDlm9T/s640/EVILEYE-AD-HWA-Winter-Kill-01.jpg" width="494" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span><br /></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-66931178824891778462012-09-19T07:00:00.000-05:002013-03-14T11:51:27.632-05:00Creating Comics 01: Cullen Bunn on Creating Comics<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6MOMuf2tDKGxMcr55HqDswrRYa3FYEA0KoaDbip8lQNBoB-RPaSuZza_hSJ52CdtjbTvoOpeVwblhQCG-UMv9-KHk4aRfShIoGMUfVbFw5NE08Khc2yISv322t2dIskVkCaUGA6E9Gks/s1600/ip-Creating-Comics-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6MOMuf2tDKGxMcr55HqDswrRYa3FYEA0KoaDbip8lQNBoB-RPaSuZza_hSJ52CdtjbTvoOpeVwblhQCG-UMv9-KHk4aRfShIoGMUfVbFw5NE08Khc2yISv322t2dIskVkCaUGA6E9Gks/s640/ip-Creating-Comics-header.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="p1"> <b></b></div> <div class="p1"> <b><b><br /> </b></b></div> <div class="p1"> <b><b><br /> </b></b></div> <b>Egg Timers Are Cruel Masters</b><br /> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p2"> By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DCullen%2BBunn%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253ACullen%2BBunn" target="_blank">Cullen Bunn</a><b></b></div> <div class="p1"> @Cullen Bunn</div> <div class="p2"> </div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> One day I’ll get what’s mine<br /> Through the persistence of time</div> <div class="p1"> </div> <div class="p1"> —<i>Time</i>, Anthrax</div> <div class="p2"> </div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> It’s commonly known that “Where do you get your ideas?” is the question writers are asked most frequently. There are variations, of course. “How do you come up with this stuff?” is a good one. In my case, I’ve heard “What the Hell is wrong with you?” more than a few times.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> But that’s the most common question for <i>non-writers</i> to ask.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Writers—of both the established and aspiring variety—tend to focus on other concerns:</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what kind of page rate did you get on that?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“Do you have a standard script format that you use?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“Do you write dialogue first? Or do you start by writing the action?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“Does that publisher pay on time?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“Do you know any artists who are looking for work?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> And . . . the one I hear most frequently . . .</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i>“How do you make time to write?”</i></div> <div class="p2"> <i></i><br /></div> <div class="p1"> The simple answer is short and not-so-sweet. How do you make time? You <i>don’t</i>. You’ve only got twenty-four hours in a day. And sometimes it feels like every one of those hours are already dedicated to something other than writing. There are endless responsibilities, obligations, and distractions to eat away at what little free time you have like some sort of <i>chronovore</i>. The day job, kids, school, the new season of <i>Survivor</i>—these things and others conspire against you, right?</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> I’m not going to berate you about cutting unimportant distractions from your schedule. Yes, I believe that you will always make time for the things that are <i>truly important</i> to you. And, for some, things like playing video games or re-watching a movie for the umpteenth time or sleeping are simply more important than writing. That’s your business. You have to figure out which activities in your day-to-day schedule are important and which are not.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> The secret isn’t about making time. The secret is about making the <i>most</i> of the time you have.</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> There are many different methods. Take a notebook with you on your lunch break. Use a voice recorder to record bits and pieces of a story while you’re driving to work. Keep a laptop with you while you’re watching TV and write a little during commercial breaks.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> My biggest challenge is focus. At any given time I’m working on several different projects. So, my own work is competing for my time right along with all those other distractions. A little focus, though, goes a long way. If you can <i>focus</i> for just thirty minutes a day, in a week you could write a complete twenty-page comic book script.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Here’s how I do it.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> I use a cooking timer to keep myself on track. You can find software and apps to facilitate this method (Google “The Pomodoro Technique”) but I think a simple plastic timer and a cheap notebook work well. I divide my day up into thirty-five-minute segments. I call these segments “mods” thanks to a funny bit on <i>The Office</i>. The number of mods you complete in a day is completely up to you. I have a goal of completing 10–12 mods a day.&nbsp;</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Then, armed with a simple list of the different projects I need to complete, I attack the day.</div> <div class="p1"> At the beginning of each mod, I pick a project, set the timer, and go to work. While the timer is running, I focus solely on that project. I don’t check e-mail. I don’t tweet. I don’t noodle with other projects. That’s 35 minutes solid that I focus on one project. At the end&nbsp; of the mod, I track my progress in a notebook. So, somewhere around the middle of the day, my notebook might look something like this:</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="t1"><tbody> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Mod</i></b></div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Project</i></b></div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Progress</i></b></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 1</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> The Sixth Gun issue 29 script</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Pages 1–2 drafted</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 2</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> The Sixth Gun issue 29 script</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Pages 3–6 drafted</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 3</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> The Sixth Gun issue 29 script</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Pages 7–8 drafted</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 4</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Venom issue 30</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Outlined issue</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 5</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Venom issue 27.1 Lettering Proof</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Proof completed</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 6</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Crooked Hills 2</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 600 words completed</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br /> <div class="p1"> <i><br /> </i><br /> Every time the cooking timer goes off, I can get a drink, grab a snack, go for a walk, and then move onto another mod and a different project. Chances are, though, I’m so engaged in whatever I was working on, I’ll decide to immediately reset the timer and keep on trucking! It seems a little silly, maybe, but—believe me—it works.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Do interruptions occur? Sure, and there are plenty of suggestions and strategies for dealing with both internal and external disruptions. For me, I just deal with the interruptions, make note of them, and move on. Sometimes, patterns emerge even in the tracking of interruptions.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="t1"><tbody> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Mod</i></b></div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Project</i></b></div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> <b><i>Progress</i></b></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 7</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Crooked Hills 2</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 500 words completed</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 8</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Indie Pulp Column</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 100 words. Interruption (dog tried to eat the neighbor’s kids)</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 9</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Indie Pulp Column</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 200 words. Interruption (call from editor)</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 10</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Indie Pulp Column</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 500 words.</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 11</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Respond to e-mail</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Inbox Zero!</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"><div class="p1"> 12</div> </td> <td class="td2" valign="top"><div class="p1"> The Sixth Gun 29 script</div> </td> <td class="td3" valign="top"><div class="p1"> Page 9 drafted. Interruption (dog tired to eat the neighbor’s kids again)</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br /> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> In the above example, maybe it’s time to get rid of the dog… or let him finish the kids off so his bloodlust will be satiated.&nbsp;</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Everybody works in different ways. It might take you a bit to uncover the “trick” that helps you stay productive in whatever time you have. My suggestion? Give this cooking timer method a try. For me the ticking of the timer . . . knowing I’m working toward an end goal…tracking my progress . . . instills a sense of urgency that helps me stay motivated and stay on-target.</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> —CB</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUHr5rrdzIgTEjuBFynkAkDb8RM_nTui_-3d6F6InHzKfRZfsCJpRmEEdhIZpe7o6Hwhr-ntwH0rrldK7gP-eaQ1FIuchb9IDSP1dEdGRRLGZCcjGd-DfGHjBITkLy2dGQtjWe7jtA9un/s1600/Bunn-057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUHr5rrdzIgTEjuBFynkAkDb8RM_nTui_-3d6F6InHzKfRZfsCJpRmEEdhIZpe7o6Hwhr-ntwH0rrldK7gP-eaQ1FIuchb9IDSP1dEdGRRLGZCcjGd-DfGHjBITkLy2dGQtjWe7jtA9un/s200/Bunn-057.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">PHOTO BY KELLY MANO</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> CULLEN BUNN is an exclusive writer for Marvel, and the co-creator of <i><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DThe%2BSixth%2BGun%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AThe%2BSixth%2BGun" target="_blank">The Sixth Gun</a></i>, and <i><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDamned-Three-Days-Dead-v%2Fdp%2F1932664637%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279758%26sr%3D1-2%26keywords%3DThe%2BDamned" target="_blank">The Damned</a></i> for <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DOni%2BPress" target="_blank">Oni Press</a>. He is also the creator of <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCrooked-Hills-Cullen-Bunn%2Fdp%2F0982578946%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279802%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DCrooked%2BHills" target="_blank">Crooked Hills</a>, a horror series for kids of all ages, published by Earwig Press.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></div> <div class="p2" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCrooked-Hills-Cullen-Bunn%2Fdp%2F0982578946%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279802%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DCrooked%2BHills" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxdnLp9XW5FNxxN57LJOuW6YCc6ZYdX5nf2swau_ZqqL-dNBYnfMuq3fB8K2-9ISfDw-XbaZUy79BDyqEkTjRTi0c3nGkI4eEiWWY_5ie5PDxii-clEFWVNXzop2XXazRuj50DHE8mXmF/s640/PROOF-Ad-Oni-Crooked_Hills-01-11102011.png" width="412" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-6364773477970593162012-09-15T17:05:00.000-05:002013-03-14T16:26:29.032-05:00Review: Louis Bayard's 'The School of Night'<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280180%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dthe%2Bschool%2Bof%2Bnight" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ftG_K532JwAXuj9f_k9XI0C0xpND4vdkMu3Z_-6YJT3kpMe_nGGY69HOAWGY5JTkTXMxm5Q8y4gdzZGF1XrtZj_QQb3xGGWd2JkojtRhP83wAsY1xPP8Hamaak2ASqv4n_qao5RmdcVu/s400/Louis_Bayard-The_School_of_Night.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280180%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dthe%2Bschool%2Bof%2Bnight" target="_blank"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">C</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">OVER TO THE NEW TRADE PAPERBACK</span></a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="p1"> <b><br /></b> <b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279910%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DThe%2BSchool%2Bof%2BNight" target="_blank">THE SCHOOL OF NIGHT</a></b></div> <div class="p1"> By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DLouis%2BBayard%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253ALouis%2BBayard" target="_blank">Louis Bayard</a></div> <div class="p1"> @LouisBayard</div> <div class="p1"> 352 Pages</div> <div class="p1"> Published by <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DHenry%2BHolt%2Band%2BCo.%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AHenry%2BHolt%2Band%2BCo." target="_blank">Henry Holt and Co.</a></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Review by Greg Kishbaugh</div> <div class="p1"> @GregKishbaugh</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> There are pivotal moments in Louis Bayard’s glorious novel, <span class="s1"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279945%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DLouis%2BBayard" target="_blank">The School of Night</a></span>, that hinge on the archaic, pitch-dark machinations of alchemy. No small wonder, I suppose, as Bayard is himself a bit of an alchemist (perhaps conjurer is a more suitable term), capable of transporting readers to foregone ages with an almost supernatural deftness.</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> I first became aware of Bayard’s work with 2003’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Timothy-A-Novel-P-S/dp/B000GG4J00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347638880&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=mr+timothy"><span class="s1">Mr. Timothy</span></a>, an incandescently beautiful (and heart-wrenching) book detailing the later-day exploits of Dickens’ Tiny Tim. Bayard’s next two books, stunning both, are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pale-Blue-Eye-Novel/dp/0060733985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347639277&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+pale+blue+eye"><span class="s1">The Pale, Blue Eye</span></a> (which follows a young Edgar Allen Poe solving an arcane and terrible mystery while attending West Point) and&nbsp;<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Tower-Novel-P-S/dp/B003JTHT2Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347639326&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=The+black+tower">The Black Tower</a>&nbsp;</span>(in which Restoration era Paris is brought vividly to life as the fate of Marie-Antoinette and King Louis XVI’s long-lost son is relentlessly pursued).</div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p4"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279945%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DLouis%2BBayard" target="_blank">The School of Night</a></span>&nbsp;employs a two-tier narrative: one thread takes place in modern times following a group of Elizabethan collectors and scholars as they try to piece together a mystery involving an invaluable long-lost letter, a hidden treasure and the legacy of a secret cabal of luminaries called the School of Night. The other plot line unspools in 1603 as one of the School’s founding members, Thomas Harriot, a genius whose name has been almost forgotten in the mists of history, dabbles in matters both scientific and of the heart. Bayard does much to resurrect Harriot and his legacy, along the way providing a powerful love story that, through interweaving chapters, crashes headfirst into the story’s modern-day plot lines.</div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> To discuss more of the plot would be a terrible disservice. Best to let readers simply revel in one twist and turn after another. Know that Bayard handles the modern tale masterfully, believably and with a level of humor sadly missing from most thrillers. And what of Bayard’s Elizabethan passages, the ones involving Harriot? They are, simply put, transcendent. Bayard displays not a single weakness as a writer, but if he has one strength that shines above the others (and just about any other modern writer I can think of) it is this: His ability to summon long-lost historical time periods with uncanny immediacy. From the pitch-perfect cadence of the dialogue to every sparkling flourish of sight, sound and smell, Bayard is able to almost corporally transport readers through the veils of time. You are there. You <i>feel</i> it.</div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> Perhaps there is no better example than late in the book (after most of the plot threads have already been woven tightly together) when Bayard, by way of the lovelorn Harriot, leads us on a journey through a plague-choked London that is as harrowing as anything he has ever written. Grim, disturbing, and ultimately poignant, the scene—like all of Bayard’s output—is a virtuosic performance.</div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <i><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchool-Night-Novel-Louis-Bayard%2Fdp%2FB00A17NZG8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363279945%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DLouis%2BBayard" target="_blank">The School of Night</a></i>—thrilling, funny, touching and sometimes heartbreaking—firmly cements Bayard’s status among our finest novelists.</div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p3"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> GREG KISHBAUGH is Editor of<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBurning-Maiden-1-Greg-Kishbaugh%2Fdp%2F0982578997%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280108%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DThe%2BBurning%2BMaiden" target="_blank"> <i>The Burning Maiden</i></a> anthology published by Evileye Books, and co-founder of <a href="http://www.kaleidoscope-entertainment.com/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Entertainment</a>, publishers of the upcoming horror comics anthologies, <i>Pandemonium</i> and <i>A Dark and Stormy Night...</i></div> <div class="p1"> <i><br /></i></div> <div class="p1"> <i><br /></i></div> <div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <div class="p1"> <i><br /></i></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBurning-Maiden-1-Greg-Kishbaugh%2Fdp%2F0982578997%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280108%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DThe%2BBurning%2BMaiden" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwQ-WXKF0IJnZa6cTvokNY9t3fRoP3oylYwSlzmGbmpe5i1hvoZhe7eYB9hZ7-7nzxuJfJfmTvxqQ-pj94o_FXSLuu0SVKZxS5B5uNUi3jbFIO5SCaBGTkKQfdGqBX_YcKBh_mu6xuxOL/s640/TBM-01-Ad-HWA-01.jpg" width="387" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> <br /> <div class="p1"> <i><br /></i></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-76636258111652617812012-08-10T07:00:00.000-05:002013-03-14T11:58:59.934-05:00Dispatches from the Front: Gods vs. Engineers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_7PzhusLNGYf5pyiK5JnAwbk2a938jqUqFvS3C9cClnuNMDE-GFyp_6-zDBPuouz2RVBAVEFCVaf0yOFoBBWshxc19ulwNa5Nj3ZgNwgBecnMmAnTn9K9W-5Pzxi_5BR9plgRgLnEXlv/s1600/Mike_Oliveri-Smoking+and+Typing-7613714988_fe7f139ecc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_7PzhusLNGYf5pyiK5JnAwbk2a938jqUqFvS3C9cClnuNMDE-GFyp_6-zDBPuouz2RVBAVEFCVaf0yOFoBBWshxc19ulwNa5Nj3ZgNwgBecnMmAnTn9K9W-5Pzxi_5BR9plgRgLnEXlv/s400/Mike_Oliveri-Smoking+and+Typing-7613714988_fe7f139ecc.jpg" width="285" /></a></div> <br /> GODS VS. ENGINEERS<br /> <br /> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">The Difference Between Storytellers and World Builders</span></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Mike Oliveri</a><br /> @MikeOliveri<br /> <br /> <br /> Writers are world builders, whether they’re creating a fantasy world from scratch or setting up a world view or atmosphere for a modern setting. However, there’s something all writers need to understand:<br /> <br /> The fictional world you create doesn't amount to shit if there are no compelling characters on it.<br /> <br /> A writer who puts all of his effort into designing star cruisers, setting down rules for magic, or mapping out streets and back alleys is a glorified engineer. If a writer truly considers himself a god of his world, he needs to spend at least as much time breathing life into his characters. <br /> <br /> This lack of compelling characters is what turned me off to fantasy and science fiction some years back. Many authors—including some of the most popular ones—put a lot of effort into building their worlds or setting up their gimmicks, then populated them with the same characters we see over and over. A fantasy writer, for example, would create a lush environment full of history and magic, then insert the same barbarians, elves and dwarves we've been reading about since Tolkien.<br /> <br /> I'm not talking about archetypes here, but cardboard cutouts. After I burned through writers like Moorcock, Heinlein, and yes, Tolkien, it got tough to find something that wasn't derivative. If I want to read about Conan, I'll go back and plow through a Howard omnibus. While I enjoyed the gimmick of Asimov's robot stuff in the short form, "Foundation" bored the hell out of me. All I remember is lots of Big Science and nothing happening.<br /> <br /> It's the characters' interactions with these worlds and with one another that count. The writer/god needs to pull his characters’ strings. Screw with them. Lay his vengeance upon them. Without this adversity, the characters become little more than roving cameras exploring an engineered world, and thus the reader has no reason to root for them.<br /> <br /> This is by no means limited to fantasy and science fiction. Crime fiction is rife with washed-up, alcoholic detectives. A lot of spies are James Bond without the accent. In horror, we get cursed werewolves and gothic vampires: Larry Talbot and Lestat de Lioncourt over and over. <br /> <br /> Those who did it first were not doing it to lay the ground rules for a genre, they were just telling their stories about their characters. <br /> <br /> In defense of the guilty parties, I think part of the problem is writers are as much fans as they are creators. Take gumshoe novels, for example. If Philip Marlowe wore a fedora and trenchcoat, then by God, that's the detective's uniform. But it's like my man Kent Gowran (www.shotgunhoney.net) said to me the other day: "I defy you to find a private eye today wearing a trenchcoat and fedora."<br /> <br /> Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Maybe. It's also an easy way to tap into the fanbase around those works. Do a search for "steampunk" on Amazon right now and you get 1,658 results. Impressive for a genre that's fairly new. Any bets on how many feature the same engineers, pirates and adventurers? <br /> <br /> These settings and plots should be thought of as playgrounds. I have no problem with steampunk fiction; as genres go, I think it's a great sandbox to play in. I still like swords &amp; sorcery and spaceships. Bank heists and train robberies and shady dealings are fine foundations for a crime novel. Monsters and gore? Yes, please.<br /> <br /> Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that the world is your main character. As cool as it would be to cruise the galaxy in the Heart of Gold, readers are far more interested in getting shitfaced on Pan-Galactic Gargleblasters with Zaphod Beeblebrox. <br /> <br /> Characters and their situations must take center stage. This is how the writer makes his mark. Cullen Bunn's comic series, "The Sixth Gun," isn't the first to mash up the horror and Western genres, nor is it the first to focus on special objects (in this case, supernatural weapons). It's characters like Becky Montcrief and Drake Sinclair and their ordeals that really make the series worth reading.<br /> <br /> Break the last guy's rules. Explore new ground. Give us characters to root for, characters to despise. Characters with unique perspectives on these worlds.<br /> <br /> Anything less will be no more compelling than grandma’s vacation photos.<br /> <br /> —MO<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="Body"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MIKE OLIVERI is the author of “<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPack-Winter-Kill-Mike-Oliveri%2Fdp%2F0982578911%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280234%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Winter Kill</a>,” a crime thriller, which happens to include werewolves. A recipient of a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, he has written prose and comics in the horror and crime genres. He happens to like chocolate in his peanut butter.</span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON</span></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBravo-Four-ebook%2Fdp%2FB008I3I332%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280234%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrufupdsyBBkhvujOGmLCkyC95fzrT_wQjwXq_W_sPnipdlDba94qcskWQbLghoaQWycsVNllM7Z2-9PrAfwFbANBvuJh6Vy4sovDxjUKsrNBB4crCafUl04QDIdgq4Hh2k6r87iCu79a/s640/Pack-2012-Cover-Bravo-Four-Short.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-54043518507974886892012-08-06T21:37:00.001-05:002013-03-14T12:00:43.610-05:00Workbook: Sex is Messy, and That's Okay<br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55VnrbuGUn8G6wDk71PIxJIU5Tgrh4jVQrhkYEfK2BvIjlNJHM1q2_bIkByz8G6YDAnkbBF69aiSAnbqz59UNrxFWDVsozMYTxBgUpsynYHAnbxcpoSNN_qI6KSCuEgjHTho9mG6eD9oB/s1600/ip-workbook-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55VnrbuGUn8G6wDk71PIxJIU5Tgrh4jVQrhkYEfK2BvIjlNJHM1q2_bIkByz8G6YDAnkbBF69aiSAnbqz59UNrxFWDVsozMYTxBgUpsynYHAnbxcpoSNN_qI6KSCuEgjHTho9mG6eD9oB/s400/ip-workbook-header.png" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>SEX IS MESSY, AND THAT'S OKAY</b></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Ten Shades of Getting it On the Page</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTemple-Air-Patricia-Ann-McNair%2Fdp%2F0615434630%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280359%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DPatricia%2BAnn%2BMcNair" target="_blank">Patricia Ann McNair</a></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> @PatriciaAMcNair</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">One of the first stories I had published as an undergrad had what I thought was a funny—but very explicit—scene in which a woman gives a man a blowjob. I remember showing it to my boyfriend at the time, and he was appalled. He clearly felt the shame I didn’t feel, the shame I wouldn’t feel, no matter how hard he tried to make me. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">“What will people think?” He asked after we’d been going around and around about the appropriateness of my writing such a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Um, that I like giving blow jobs, maybe?” As a twenty-something single woman, I couldn’t really see the harm in that. “Or better still, that I am a good writer?” The outcome that I really wanted, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">And despite my boyfriend’s protestations, I didn’t change a word of the story. I did, however, change boyfriends. A few times since then, truth be told.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">And now, with the avalanche of reaction—good and bad—to a certain trilogy of books with a number and a color in the title, I find myself again thinking about what it means to write effective sex scenes. I like writing sex. Not just “about” sex, but sex itself. It is, after all, a rather important part of the human condition, and I like to consider myself a writer of various aspects of that condition. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have a certain set of rules that I follow when I write sex in my work, but they are also rules I regularly break. And that brings me to my first rule for folks who are interested in trying to get “the act” on the page.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>1.</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Make (and break) your own rules.</span></div> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now, the second rule is something I would encourage you to not break if you can help it:<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>2.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remember that sex in literature is rarely about sex.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Figure out what you really are writing about.<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">The rest of the list, then:<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>3.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t say “cum” when you can say “climax” or “orgasm.”</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Or, if you must use the word “cum,” please spell it “come.”<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>4.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Write it HOT. (Unless, of course, it isn’t.)<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>5.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t be a tease. Just tell it.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>6.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t forget the foreplay;</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t forget the afterplay.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>7.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Make fun of the fun stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>8.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Never say “vagina” when “cunt” will do.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Never say “cock” when “penis” will do.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">In short: listen to your characters. What do they say?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>9.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">No “and he was a she” endings.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">No fishnet stockings. No regret (unless someone has regrets.)<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>10.</b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sex is rarely a politically correct act. At least the good stuff isn’t.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t worry about writing it politically correctly. Sex is messy. And that is okay.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Messiness—in art—can be a good thing.&nbsp;</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Like sex.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">—PM<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">About the Author</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fafafa; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">Patricia Ann McNair is the author of the well-received story collection, "The Temple of Air."&nbsp;She is an Associate&nbsp;Professor in the Fiction Writing Department of Columbia College Chicago where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as a nomination for the Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. Professor of the Year.</span><span style="color: #333333; 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text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="40" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/80x40.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="80" /></a> </div> <div> <br /></div> </div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> </span></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-87197148920000236832012-07-09T16:09:00.001-05:002013-03-14T12:02:53.512-05:00Dispatches from the Front: Mike Oliveri on the Book Genre Mess<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL36TQ8IANEpRJB9abdtjRt43_l4aBLdeBQfWmSdwy5kihO3EvsBiYdaCXhLWxF8w3RKvmhRCTNY-ikiWihq9B_EV4WgCs0TNr1hX3tJDpKeaL2KoI39nKzvKHQLkJV9vamAABkwDaF7bu/s1600/Mike_Oliveri-Smoke-KINDLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL36TQ8IANEpRJB9abdtjRt43_l4aBLdeBQfWmSdwy5kihO3EvsBiYdaCXhLWxF8w3RKvmhRCTNY-ikiWihq9B_EV4WgCs0TNr1hX3tJDpKeaL2KoI39nKzvKHQLkJV9vamAABkwDaF7bu/s320/Mike_Oliveri-Smoke-KINDLE.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>BRAM STOKER AWARD WINNER<br /> MIKE OLIVERI</b></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> DARKNESS IS DARKNESS, BLOOD IS BLOOD<br /> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Mike Oliveri</a></div> <div class="Body"> @MikeOliveri</div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;">“Crime is boring.”</span></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or so I was told at a World Horror convention some years back. I couldn’t believe my ears. Clearly this guy had read the wrong crime books, if he’d even read any at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Later I found the same conversation going the opposite direction on an online forum: “Horror books are ridiculous. They’re just not realistic.” Looking deeper, it turned out he meant your traditional monsters—werewolves, zombies, vampires—and slasher flicks like “Friday the 13th.” Once again, this guy hadn’t read very deep into the genre.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s one thing to say “I’m a horror writer” or “I’m a noir fan” as a shortcut in conversation. As a badge of honor, though, or as an indicator of personality, it’s a bit ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These adjectives—horror, mystery, fantasy—are nothing more than marketing labels. A convenient way to classify a book in a bookstore, and a simple method for publishers to pitch their wares. Tell a bookstore clerk you like Stephen King and he’ll escort you to the horror section, where publishers hope you’ll find Tim Lebbon one shelf down. You like David Goodis? Hot damn, now they can recommend Duane Swierczynski, who also writes thrillers and often blogs about the guy. Booksellers can’t read all the books they carry, so the genre label gives them an easy way to connect readers to books and to keep the register ringing.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since those WHC days, I’ve noticed that the basic category labels are no longer enough. As the shelves have spilled over with books and prime, face-out real estate has become harder to come by, the subgenre monster has emerged. I don’t know whether the readers or the publishers came up with them first, but they still serve the same purpose:&nbsp; urban fantasy; fast or slow zombies; vicious or Victorian vampires (fuck the sparkly ones); one of the two hundred thirty-four definitions (at last count) of “noir.” Niches within nooks; slots within pigeonholes.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Look, I get it. The industry is trying to reach out to fans and sell them new books by new authors, and with the long tail of online bookselling, it’s easier than ever to connect with an audience, even if it’s an audience of one. That guy wearing the antique clothes covered with gears and tchotchkes? It’s a pretty safe bet he reads Warren Ellis and gets book recommendations from people dressed the same way. But what about the corporate exec in her thousand-dollar skirt suit who reads steamy supernatural romances on the sly?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s an extension of a debate I heard many times from writers in the early Aughts: should horror have its own section, which it did at Borders, or should it be mixed in with literature, which is how Barnes &amp; Noble stocks it? In a nutshell, it came down to whether we make it easy to sell to horror fans or we break out of the genre ghetto and seek validation for our work. Back then there were very compelling arguments on both sides of the debate, and both had their pros and cons. Those arguments persist today.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Booksellers continue to make the ultimate decision, but either way the unintended consequence is that writers now have to deal with divided fan bases. How does a writer market his work if it flirts with multiple genres—not just to readers, mind, but to agents, publishers, and independent booksellers? <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make the fight manageable, let’s restrict our example to the two genres closest to my own taste: horror and crime. Some readers prefer horror and the supernatural, while others prefer the down-and-dirty realism of crime and thriller novels. In fact, the supernatural is often the battle line drawn between fans on either side: “Horror is about monsters; crime is about people.” <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Both, I would argue, are simply about "darkness." They’re books about evil, or at least about vice and temptation. They’re about monsters, both human and otherwise. They’re stories about bad things happening to good people, and where violence and death are not unusual. If a horror or crime novel has a happy ending, then the protagonists fought like hell to get there.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The fact is a lot of books and films straddle the genre line. Consider Brett Easton Ellis’s “American Psycho,” or Jim Thompson’s “The Killer Inside Me.” Are Patrick Bateman and Lou Ford any less monstrous than demons and vampires? Two of my favorite Richard Laymon horror novels, “Savage” and “The Island,” don’t have a lick of the supernatural in them but are rife with violence and bloodshed. For true-to-life horrors, check out Anthony Neil Smith’s “All the Young Warriors,” featuring the conflict in Somalia.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Going the other direction, we have novels where the supernatural plays a key role but the stories are very much about the characters. In Brian Keene’s “Ghoul,” some of the characters’ parents are every bit as bad as the monster. The real story in “The Walking Dead” is in the way the survivors treat one another, not the zombies lurking in the background. Chuck Wendig’s “Blackbirds” is labeled urban fantasy, but I could sell it to horror or thriller fans with equal ease.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crime versus horror is like a twisted version of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial:<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“You got horror in my thriller!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>“You got crime in my horror!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Who gives a shit? It’s still two great tastes together, right? They are not mutually exclusive.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Darkness is darkness, blood is blood. Whether we prefer our monsters with fangs and claws or a switchblade and a propensity for violence, we’re still delving into that darkness. Every time a Richard Laymon fan turns his nose up at Christa Faust’s “Money Shot” simply because Angel Dare isn’t stalked by a demon-possessed serial killer, I die a little on the inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Readers, be adventurous! Cross the genre border. Pick a book from across the aisle. Into werewolves? That’s great! Werewolf books will still be there if you want to take a break and try some gun porn.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Writers, break those genre bonds! By shaking things up, we may find ourselves gaining new readers. Tom Piccirilli made the shift from horror to crime, but his work still carries a very dark edge. His latest book, “The Last Kind Words,” was released in hardcover, an indication of his expanding readership.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Think across the aisle. By all means, use genre labels for convenience. We should not, however, confuse marketing with the innate value of a writer’s body of work, nor use it to define a reader’s personality.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Editorial Disclosure: Reese’s brand could not be reached for comment on their preferred book genre.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <br /></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MIKE OLIVERI is the author of “<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPack-Winter-Kill-Mike-Oliveri%2Fdp%2F0982578911%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280234%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank">Winter Kill</a>,” a crime thriller, which happens to include werewolves. A recipient of a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, he has written prose and comics in the horror and crime genres. He happens to like chocolate in his peanut butter.</span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="Body"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON</span></span></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBravo-Four-ebook%2Fdp%2FB008I3I332%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280234%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrufupdsyBBkhvujOGmLCkyC95fzrT_wQjwXq_W_sPnipdlDba94qcskWQbLghoaQWycsVNllM7Z2-9PrAfwFbANBvuJh6Vy4sovDxjUKsrNBB4crCafUl04QDIdgq4Hh2k6r87iCu79a/s640/Pack-2012-Cover-Bravo-Four-Short.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" width="150" height="25" title="Links monetized by VigLink"/></a> <br /></div> <div class="Body" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></span></div>Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-25880750855140435382012-07-01T21:38:00.000-05:002013-03-14T12:06:52.993-05:00Review: Luke Pearson's 'Hilda and the Midnight Giant'<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1598743510"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNOtmYNuz6ThYnoHRbgZ06lL_ZNXwqX0dVZ4gQUpx6QYkt7EnW_CVBZsb_VwSB1Ezatq1SuYzUT8FGdH9S3-cB9SSq5IadNkwgHcPtnjZ0WmORRuxLS9K-0iYNHVm-0tKLCcvNOUJq8Yd/s400/Luke_Pearson-Cover-Hilda_and_the_Midnight_Giant.jpg" width="306" /></a></span></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hilda-Midnight-Giant-Luke-Pearson/dp/1907704256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1340900891&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=HIlda+and+the+midnight+giant"><br /> </a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /> </b><br /> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHilda-Midnight-Giant-Luke-Pearson%2Fdp%2F1907704256%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280600%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dhilda%2Band%2Bthe%2Bmidnight%2Bgiant" target="_blank">HILDA AND THE MIDNIGHT GIANT</a></b><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dntt_athr_dp_sr_1%3F_encoding%3DUTF8%26field-author%3DLuke%2520Pearson%26search-alias%3Dbooks%26sort%3Drelevancerank" target="_blank">Luke Pearson</a></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nobrow Press</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">40 pages</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Color</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Original Graphic Novel</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /> </span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By A.N. Ommus</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">@Ommus</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; text-align: left;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; text-align: left;">These days the act of pondering the repercussions of humanity's footprint on the earth is a tried and true</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; text-align: left;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; text-align: left;">if not hackneyed</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; text-align: left;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; text-align: left;">literary trope. Thankfully, British illustrator Luke Pearson uses his visual storytelling talents and imagination to finesse the topic into a concise, entertaining and resonant fable in his latest graphic album available to U.S. audiences, "<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHilda-Midnight-Giant-Luke-Pearson%2Fdp%2F1907704256%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280600%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dhilda%2Band%2Bthe%2Bmidnight%2Bgiant" target="_blank">Hilda and theMidnight Giant</a>."</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">In this story the impact of our footprints on the earth is literal. Hilda and her mother live in the valley of a mountainous region, far away from the city. They have lived in the home her great grandfather built for as long as she can remember, surrounded by green fields and forests, seemingly in harmony with nature. That is until the tiny, near thumb-sized notes from invisible antagonists begin to appear at the foot of their door, threatening them if they do not leave the valley. And since they don't, the animosity escalates when, in a near militaristic offensive worthy of "Gulliver's Travels," rocks start to break their windows like a thunderous wave of artillery shells. Through a twist in the story, Hilda comes to discover she has been living in a field among thousands of microscopic elves that make themselves invisible to humans.</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPROuefs3UPBt9LdqvLj-LuxUu4fXLYi-Is1j16MV0dQ_oK_smjUz14JLIi3yLkT6V1GZZ6YY8-zVCChhM6SfZq25PF4qnHZVRI6akEytehzuj18outXkQZde0e9TM5r7R22CTfhi8sLQC/s1600/Luke_Pearson-Hilda-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPROuefs3UPBt9LdqvLj-LuxUu4fXLYi-Is1j16MV0dQ_oK_smjUz14JLIi3yLkT6V1GZZ6YY8-zVCChhM6SfZq25PF4qnHZVRI6akEytehzuj18outXkQZde0e9TM5r7R22CTfhi8sLQC/s320/Luke_Pearson-Hilda-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hilda's discovery of the elfen world sets the story's plot in motion, as Mr. Pearson throws us into the child's quest to strike a compromise with the tiny creatures that will allow her family to stay in their home while co-existing peacefully with them. Along the way we are introduced to fantastical creatures that live in Hilda's world, including the migratory Woffs, and the legendary forest giants, which figure into Mr. Pearson's tidy cyclical framework to the theme of man versus nature. At the end of the forty-page tale, as with any quest, Hilda's life is changed, and the reader comes away with an emotive and challenging story worthy of contemplation.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Although this is an all-ages story, Mr. Pearson doesn't succumb to writing down to younger readers in order to explore the themes he's chosen; he tells the story simply and engagingly, then seems to have enough presence of mind to get out of the reader's way. In this regard, the rendering of the story runs counter to much of the popular work in modern-day American comics, where deconstructive narratives go on seemingly forever, and beg to bring new meaning to the phrase, "navel-gazing." He manages to use compression of plot to keep the story on course, brandishing it with a lyrical quality that, to my taste, perfectly plays out with the very last sequence of images. U.S. graphic novel readers may be left scratching their heads wondering where the rest of the story went</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';">—</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">especially since Mr. Pearson's art is so enthralling you come to wish the book were as thick as a phone book. But this taut narrative hits all the right beats for the kids it is intended to reach, and more surprisingly, for the parents who read along with them. Nothing is missing from the story; we just are not used to reading poetry any more.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99zqjFnvjiEXdgiYxxHty0fzA1oSATDfhU_r-fgNHAMKlQ-oa2yWJzQt3xu_Wl5waGqVJ0KvViH_2qJYMW0gKvqrYXJ8k-rriG5dghjvPRKrGgzn3X6eNLhNbRb77aj4sK-rL0e1QIRTM/s1600/Luke_Pearson-Hilda-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99zqjFnvjiEXdgiYxxHty0fzA1oSATDfhU_r-fgNHAMKlQ-oa2yWJzQt3xu_Wl5waGqVJ0KvViH_2qJYMW0gKvqrYXJ8k-rriG5dghjvPRKrGgzn3X6eNLhNbRb77aj4sK-rL0e1QIRTM/s400/Luke_Pearson-Hilda-02.jpg" width="281" /></a></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="Body1" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">This is the second go-around for Hilda. Mr. Pearson introduced us to his blue-haired tweener in 2010's album, "Hildafolk." In "Midnight Giant," her character is now better defined visually in that way when an artist reaches a level of understanding and intimacy with his characters and their world that makes the source material's innate language of signs, symbols and expression transcend the page, coming off as always having been fully formed and inevitable. We see this phenomenon in the artistic evolution of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the other classic characters in "Peanuts." We can also see it in Jim Davis's "Garfield," and in comics like Dave Sim's "Cerebus," which, in its twenty-seven year run, showed the evolution of the lead character from a half-baked, Conan-esque, anthropomorphic anteater to a notorious, withering, world-conquering despot that has come to define the spirit and originality of independent comics storytelling. With "Midnight Giant," and some resilience on Mr. Pearson's part to continue producing stories for her, Hilda may well be on her way to earning a place among characters that become a part of pop culture's universal fabric.</span></div> <div class="Body1"> <br /></div> <div class="Body1"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';">—</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ommus</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Editor's Note: All images respectfully borrowed from the author's website.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Links of Interest:</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Luke Pearson's </span><a href="http://lukepearson.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Website</a><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If your local library doesn't carry Hilda, you can always </span><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHilda-Midnight-Giant-Luke-Pearson%2Fdp%2F1907704256%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280600%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dhilda%2Band%2Bthe%2Bmidnight%2Bgiant" target="_blank">get it on Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, of course.</span></div> <span style="color: #666666;"><br /> </span><br /> <span style="color: #666666;"><br /> </span><br /> <span style="color: #666666;"><br /> </span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCrooked-Hills-Cullen-Bunn%2Fdp%2F0982578946%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280766%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Dcrooked%2Bhills" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXFcTfwtk7OLKMbbpV1H4K8tuOlQQC2ksY3TQ0EapQElsQZvT-cvgPOLiSo7MK5bBmHJAhfof_tp9Ho5VA2lntpmh_mdp6rQ5IS5pzNbiy3x8s9QDvoZxT2-IUznIExshjRYYZ3DxnGj8/s1600/Ad-Oni-Crooked_Hills-01-Amazon-Only-06282012.png" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="25" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="150" /></a> </div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-87763239150595005992012-06-28T07:00:00.000-05:002013-03-14T12:08:29.860-05:00Workbook: Can You Hear Me?—On Writing for an Audience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaCUrZLnED2lqxwIxGPQtlUeWt5b_HoRG5xpqBqkwUXPHIyDr1TfoFgwl592XgLX24sUS4f5ZjDnlEExs_FWIdqRW9o8w5uFt3k0Rhr4hAJ7Vj0iJLqAoi39GgkAmZgaTXwVmVnhw7qrl/s1600/Farro-2012-Writing-Audience-06272012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaCUrZLnED2lqxwIxGPQtlUeWt5b_HoRG5xpqBqkwUXPHIyDr1TfoFgwl592XgLX24sUS4f5ZjDnlEExs_FWIdqRW9o8w5uFt3k0Rhr4hAJ7Vj0iJLqAoi39GgkAmZgaTXwVmVnhw7qrl/s1600/Farro-2012-Writing-Audience-06272012.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTemple-Air-Patricia-Ann-McNair%2Fdp%2F0615434630%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280844%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3DThe%2Btemple%2Bof%2Bair" target="_blank">Patricia A. McNair</a><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">@PatriciaAMcNair<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Oh, I don’t have an audience in mind when I write; I just write for myself.” <o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Really? <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I think about my audience all the time. I do. I don’t think about specific people (although sometimes I do that, too), but when I write, I like to feel as though I am speaking with someone. (Notice I said “with” someone, not “to.” An important distinction in audience awareness.) I think of my audience as anyone who will sit with me long enough to hear me out. I know what I am trying to say (usually) but can anyone else understand me? I need to tell the story as fully and clearly as possible. I do not intend to confuse readers, even when I intend to make them wonder. This is what I mean when I talk about writing with an audience in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you write a sonnet in the forest, and no one is around to read it, does it make a sound?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I want my work to make a sound. Folks should want to read it. But if I don’t keep them in mind—whoever they are—while I write (and while I read—are you listening you writer-readers at open mics who read until your audience is asleep, pissed, or gone?) my audience will feel little connection to what I am trying to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I listen to the words I write, speak them in my head. I walk that wire between writer and reader, participant and observer. I hold fast to the spontaneity and impulse essential in a first draft while also trying to see the work as if it were someone else’s. What have I short-changed? What have I beaten until it is lifeless and my reader is bleary-eyed? I read the work aloud at the end of my writing day, read it before I start the next day. I listen to it. I see it again. Sometimes my husband will let me read to him. I lift my eyes from the page, watch his face for signs of amusement, confusion, empathy. I listen for the sounds he emits involuntarily. The laughs, the snorts, the hmms. All writers should have as wise, demanding, and kind an audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don’t write for every audience, and if you have read my work, you know this is true. The stories are violent, sometimes. Sweary. I rarely write happy-endings. But here’s another thing about a writer’s audience: you never know who will show up in the stands. In book clubs I speak to, there are always some women very much like me who (this used to be a surprise) hate my work. Hate it. And then there are those folks who I suspect will not like what I write, and who become my fans. But no one will give a flying fig about my writing if I don’t give a flying fig about those who read it.<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">So let me recap: You write only for yourself? That’s fine; but then keep it to yourself. Looking for an audience? Great. Then by all means, write for one. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /> —PM<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">About the Author</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">Patricia Ann McNair is the author of the well-received story collection "The Temple of Air."&nbsp;She is an Associate&nbsp;Professor in the Fiction Writing Department of Columbia College Chicago where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as a nomination for the Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. Professor of the Year.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">Helpful Links</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FAFAFA; line-height: 14.25pt; 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text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="25" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="150" /></a> </div> <br /></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-7494312498102811332012-06-27T11:04:00.000-05:002013-03-14T12:12:16.244-05:00Review: John Urbancik's 'DarkWalker'<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3UgtRszQN4EgXLBhv1BYxesw3pKMXCgKtN_zNqwtqJ_Jn16z5ygzyx7iqdxG0ND1gch7th1bA4TBzR-MhEATiY4n9T5ifyQ-bGpXFwYdraKpKRAuinp3_2WpBdAtukxXbEq6HAX7hYR3/s1600/Evileye-Darkwalker-Front-Cover-FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3UgtRszQN4EgXLBhv1BYxesw3pKMXCgKtN_zNqwtqJ_Jn16z5ygzyx7iqdxG0ND1gch7th1bA4TBzR-MhEATiY4n9T5ifyQ-bGpXFwYdraKpKRAuinp3_2WpBdAtukxXbEq6HAX7hYR3/s400/Evileye-Darkwalker-Front-Cover-FINAL.jpg" width="267" /></a></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /> </b></span> <span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDarkWalker-1-John-Urbancik%2Fdp%2F0982578970%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280924%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3Djohn%2Burbancik" target="_blank">DARKWALKER</a></b></span><br /> <span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3Djohn%2Burbancik" target="_blank">John Urbancik</a></span><br /> <span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Evileye Books</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ISBN-13 (E-book):&nbsp;978-0-9825789-6-4</span></span><br /> <br /> <span class="s1">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSuppertime-Sonnets-Kate-M-Sherrod%2Fdp%2F0615507417%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281038%26sr%3D1-2%26keywords%3Dkate%2Bsherrod" target="_blank">Kate Sherrod</a></span><br /> <span class="s1">@KateSherrod</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> <br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">As <a href="http://kateofmind.blogspot.com/2011/03/100-books-17-john-urbanciks-sins-of.html">I observed last year</a>, John Urbancik is one Romantic, poetic motherfolklore.* He likes his gore on the picturesque side, frequents atmospheric locations like glorious old cathedrals and elegant old-fashioned theaters, and tends to feature seriously star-crossed love stories in his fiction. Horace "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161949177X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=kaofmi-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=161949177X%22%3EThe%20Castle%20of%20Otranto%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=kaofmi-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=161949177X%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Castle of Otranto</a>" Walpole had nothing on this guy!</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">He stays in that romantic vein for this new novel, but that exquisite sense of place Urbancik always achieves is this time gone for seedier locales: disused warehouses, back alleys, dive bars, abandoned houses. His hero this time around, Jack Harlow, is a guy who can perceive what most people cannot: he can see ghosts and spirits, penetrates the shoddy disguises of vampires and ogres, catches them in the act, often smells them before he sees them**—but cannot interfere. Anytime he tries, things go horribly, horribly wrong. So he watches and records, collating his findings on a laptop (because memory plays tricks, and is faulty) he keeps in the car that is also his home.</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">When he meets the beautiful Lisa Sparrow in a heart-stopping scene of love-at-first-sight, though, and she gets attacked by some kind of horrifying beastie, he begins to want, very much, to be able to interfere. But can he? And what would be the consequences if he did?</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">One of those consequences is Nick Hunter, a man whose vocation is killing monsters, who comes to the aid of this ill-starred pair in the midst of that first attack on Lisa, and then begins to take a very strong interest in Jack's very comprehensive database. A monster hunter could do a lot with a tool like that. Meanwhile, as third wheels go, he's pretty much the best a couple could possibly ask for...</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">What sells me on this book most of all is that, though it's a very romantic book, it's not one of those irritating wish-fulfillment paranormal romances, all sexy vampires and werewolves in heat. No, the monsters are very much the bad guys, a threat, what needs killing. No one (willingly) sleeps with one or falls in love with one or anguishes over its future &nbsp;as the meat on a really big shish kebab. They're deadly, vicious and scary.</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Too, Jack Harlow winds up with a very unusual problem—unusual both within and without the confines of this novel and this genre—that I don't think I've seen before, which makes this a much more interesting read than I was expecting! And even better are the turns taken by his lovely Lisa, who embraces Jack's weird existence and runs with it, becoming an active partner in the struggle to find out what the hell is going on into the bargain. "The future stretched before her like a blank canvas, wiped clear of the mundane."</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">I like that.</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">“<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDarkWalker-1-John-Urbancik%2Fdp%2F0982578970%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363280924%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3Djohn%2Burbancik" target="_blank">DarkWalker</a>” thus has a great deal to offer—horrifying imagery, a sweet love story, danger, inner turmoil, high stakes (very high!), very occasional humor—and is very obviously something over which its author and editors have taken very great care. Every scene is minutely crafted, polished, and displayed in its best possible light. Sometimes the prose might feel a little overwhelming, but it's always revealed as exactly what was needed to convey the appearance of Jack's foes, the turbulence of Jack's, Lisa's or Nick's emotions, the almost unbearable tension through which they struggle to establish a new normal after the cataclysm of Jack's and Lisa's falling in love.</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Really, the novel's only flaw is that it's not really my thing. I'm pretty over vampires and zombies and werewolves and whatnot, I'm sorry to say. Maybe if there were altogether fewer of them in the stories that keep crying for my attention, I'd still have an appreciation for them.</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Or maybe if it was only writers like John Urbancik who got to play with them. Because despite this not being my thing, he ripped my heart right out my rib cage with his bare hands and then threw it on the floor and stomped on it 'til I died. Unh!</span><br /> <span class="s1"><br /></span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">*I cannot take credit for that awesome neologism. That comes from my friend Jessie, aka <a href="http://twitter.com/xutraa"><span class="s2">@Xutraa</span></a>.</span></div> <div class="p2"> <span class="s1"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">**Lots of smells in this book. Very few of them good. "Jasmine, vanilla, cinnamon—then decay . . . Rot like cabbage unatteded, dead rats, congealed blood." Haunted Orlando is a very stinky place.</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">Kate Sherrod is a writer and poet with an intense fascination with bugs. Her first book, "<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSuppertime-Sonnets-Kate-M-Sherrod%2Fdp%2F0615507417%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281038%26sr%3D1-2%26keywords%3Dkate%2Bsherrod" target="_blank">Suppertime Sonnet</a>," is available on Amazon.com. She also writes on her <a href="http://kateofmind.blogspot.com/">Kate of Mind blog</a>.</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1">You can follow kate on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/KateSherrod">Twitter.com/KateSherrod</a></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><br /> </span></div> <div class="p1"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="s1"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></span></div> </div> <div class="p1"> <span class="s1"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPack-Winter-Kill-Mike-Oliveri%2Fdp%2F0982578911%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281107%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DMike%2BOliveri" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw31flTpCzg1qCAFbCRpWU0wHcrAwDRHvDo6BrTP3TAv2hBn3BQDCsyAq9_Qy_oztR_YjMJ1NX9QRA44xioe-TejFs7kDOHJnwd0O6kT3ucJI4BDPV4prSq2Kf6UDXBecaZd140POLVPC/s640/IP-Masthead-Pack-WK-Wallace-Teaser.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="25" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="150" /></a> </div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-5786345202207797372012-06-08T10:36:00.002-05:002012-06-09T09:27:41.853-05:00Indiepulp.com, Now with that Fresh Prose Book Reviews Scent!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iClByr2fod0687zWW2_-DXJ5otvuALq6ftjQcR41O_CwBWqn0nS9oIlWiNY6JzPUEWVqRHRnOO6pc0zHroPuE2umusnQEpzo1uqbK1NWqfc-oWvIySAIfc_zGxG7oQvEfQQGLgDqtCKk/s1600/jpg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iClByr2fod0687zWW2_-DXJ5otvuALq6ftjQcR41O_CwBWqn0nS9oIlWiNY6JzPUEWVqRHRnOO6pc0zHroPuE2umusnQEpzo1uqbK1NWqfc-oWvIySAIfc_zGxG7oQvEfQQGLgDqtCKk/s320/jpg1.jpg" width="269" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />TELL YOUR FRIENDS!&nbsp;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TELL YOUR PUBLISHERS!&nbsp;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TELL YOUR EDITORS!</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TELL YOUR AGENTS!</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are an author that writes prose books or verse in the areas of horror, supernatural, paranormal, ghost, crime, noir, science fiction, young adult, or literary fiction, Indiepulp.com shall henceforth be willing to read your books and consider talking about them.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Send us print editions to:</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Indiepulp.com</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ATT: Book Reviews</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">PO BOX 1981</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crystal Lake, IL 60039</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Send us Kindle or EPUB books to:</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="mailto:editor@indiepulp.com">editor@indiepulp.com</a></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In either case, it would be helpful if you also send a book sales sheet, author bio, and image assets we might be able to use in the review, including author photos, book cover images, etc.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We don't promise we will write about every book we receive, but we will read everything you send.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Be warned: We will not consider books that do not fall within the definition of the types of books listed above. 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font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-48666187756242007772012-06-07T15:58:00.000-05:002013-03-14T12:17:51.761-05:00Review: Lyndsay Faye's 'The Gods of Gotham'<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGods-Gotham-Lyndsay-Faye%2Fdp%2F0425261255%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281164%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu1kV9Z-QUh99whnfRtHVFE8v96z_k8oZECafPAiGwNAWWEDgUpxQjw-w_AXzhT_fgwEAkBAG0nu2pFsF8h8b74JhgRuHRKr0qjIGOqiORPT_4RRdNf0-8d3VCrksP8ur8O-AiHVrfyUy/s400/GodsGotham.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="263" /></a></span></span></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGods-Gotham-Lyndsay-Faye%2Fdp%2F0425261255%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281164%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">COVER TO THE U.S. HC EDITION</a></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGods-Gotham-Lyndsay-Faye%2Fdp%2F0425261255%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281164%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">THE GODS OF GOTHAM</a></span></b><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">Lyndsay Faye</a></span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DAmy%2BEinhorn%2BBooks%26rh%3Dn%253A283155%252Ck%253AAmy%2BEinhorn%2BBooks" target="_blank">Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam</a></span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">432 Pages</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ISBN13:&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">9780399158377</span><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By Greg Kishbaugh</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">New York City in 1845 is a dirty, violent powderkeg, a nasty undercurrent of racism and fear threatening to topple the great metropolis into chaos. Timothy Wilde, left scarred and penniless after a fire ravages much of lower Manhattan, is pressed into service on the newly launched, and much reviled, New York City police force. Days into the job, when the bodies of slaughtered and violated children are discovered, his life is forever changed as he slowly grows into not just a fine policeman but also the city’s first true investigator.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">Lyndsay Faye</a>’s extraordinary new book “<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGods-Gotham-Lyndsay-Faye%2Fdp%2F0425261255%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281164%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">The Gods of Gotham</a>,” is quite rightly pegged by most reviewers as an “historical mystery.” But like all great literature, “Gods of Gotham” works on a multitude of different levels as Faye deftly weaves the complex interplay of plot, character and a palpable, dynamic setting.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first challenge of historical fiction is, unsurprisingly, the&nbsp;<i>history</i>. Great science fiction is always recognized for the spectacular world-building at play in its greatest works. It’s a highwire act, creating a city, country, planet,&nbsp;<i>universe</i>, that is at once fantastical but also completely believable.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But what of writers who spin yarns that take place in bygone days? Of stories that take place in the real world of historical record? In some ways, this is an even more daunting highwire act, one that removes the net entirely. Not only must the ‘historical novelist’ re-create a world that is believable, the world must also be entirely accurate and faithful to history. No small feat.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The mid-nineteenth&nbsp;century New York that Faye has (re)created for us is vibrant and alive, thrumming with the bustle of the growing metropolis. Faye not only immerses us in the ground-level grit and dirt of the era but also lets us feel the cultural undercurrents at play, namely the hatred and bigotry that can lead a people to disdain their fellow countrymen and the ever present politics that regrettably often stoke those fears.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of “Gotham’s” many powerful insights is the way in which, by examining discrimination of two centuries ago, the reader is left to reconcile that the same bigotry and hatred still exist in the world, just with new targets. And Faye makes compelling use of this uncomfortable reality.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Faye is one of those rare writers for whom language is a musical instrument, a magical talisman. What I’m saying is this young lady can&nbsp;<i>write</i>. Her prose burns.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And even more impressive is that she uses her prose chops in service of an elegantly plotted work that is humane and moving, in no small part due to her masterful characterization. Her sprawling and boisterous New York teems with an array of fascinating characters, all woven into the clockwork of the book’s central mystery: Who is killing all these children? And why?</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The work hinges on the troika of the honorable Timothy Wilde, the love of his life Mercy Underhill and Wilde’s salacious, drug-addled older brother Valentine. There are many emotional payoffs throughout “Gods of Gotham” and they are hard-earned. Faye has revealed these characters in layers, and when we think we have learned all there is to know about them, she shows us another facet, and we are riveted to see where these characters will go from here. I was genuinely haunted as I flipped the last page closed, wondering what next was in store for Tim, Mercy and Valentine. For Faye has miraculously managed to make “Gotham’s” ending both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thankfully, there is a “<a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGods-Gotham-Lyndsay-Faye%2Fdp%2F0425261255%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281164%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3DLyndsay%2BFaye" target="_blank">Gods of Gotham</a>” sequel on the way. I for one will be front and center when it is released, anxious to see what adventures next await the wonderful Wilde brothers.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">—GK</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can visit Lyndsay Faye's website <a href="http://www.lyndsayfaye.com/">here</a>, or follow her on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/LyndsayFaye">Twitter.com/LyndsayFaye</a></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Greg Kishbaugh is the editor of <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDarkWalker-1-John-Urbancik%2Fdp%2F0982578970%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281284%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Ddarkwalker" target="_blank">The Burning Maiden</a> anthology, a pre-publication ebook edition of which will be released in late June. He is also the founder of <a href="http://www.kaleidoscope-entertainment.com/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Entertainment</a>, a comics company he founded with industry veteran, Rafael Nieves.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <div> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can follow Mr. Kishbaugh on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/GregKishbaugh">Twitter.com/GregKishbaugh</a></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt;"> <br /></div> <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=64e35467befc5bde4b160da990820076&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDarkWalker-1-John-Urbancik%2Fdp%2F0982578970%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1363281284%26sr%3D1-1%26keywords%3Ddarkwalker" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0-4l-vuTM8e9D4_P25pNS8_w0AgT3OFydlBFUvcNL9EM-SaDg7b-rr9NoYJKmb3vZ8m6QR6WE-h7pazUFu6uaXa9C3_gahpzhKE_he6TEgtJda0Kse5esAMsFtm0XRXLhhc-gWfA7nUB/s1600/Darkwalker-Ad-HWA-01.jpg" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.viglink.com/policies/ftc?vgtag=badge"><img height="25" src="//www.viglink.com/public/images/badges/150x25.png" title="Links monetized by VigLink" width="150" /></a> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"> <br /></div> </div> Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-82514808722843148932012-01-16T11:31:00.001-06:002012-01-16T21:26:22.695-06:00Dan Christensen's 'Paranormal' Lands at Evileye Books<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrWRaPdRzoHX2V_eZSG5Kp21EZzN6D7p5OmgCw4Zg3cZf1unuG0oNKARG-Mv7YPxCyrn4PHdWRLOJ-MzkAmMCvriFlibFuwWBOGDU6MtIx__MiiqUTs2tXEWEacFfNuKhuDSljDXpSzI/s1600/Evileye-Author+Image-Dan+Christenese-Copyright_Julien+Chauvet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrWRaPdRzoHX2V_eZSG5Kp21EZzN6D7p5OmgCw4Zg3cZf1unuG0oNKARG-Mv7YPxCyrn4PHdWRLOJ-MzkAmMCvriFlibFuwWBOGDU6MtIx__MiiqUTs2tXEWEacFfNuKhuDSljDXpSzI/s400/Evileye-Author+Image-Dan+Christenese-Copyright_Julien+Chauvet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DAN CHRISTENSEN. &nbsp;IMAGE BY JULIEN CHAUVET</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you don't recognize this photo of illustrator, writer, and comics creator, Dan Christensen, it's because this is perhaps one of the first public images of the man in recent memory. A reclusive, French-speaking American, Mr. Christensen has lived for more than a decade in a picturesque seaport town on the west coast of France whose storied and mysterious past includes Gallic tribes, Roman occupation, and the Knights Templar. It's a fitting backdrop that has fueled the creative fires of a secretive creator, and what may be the most unlikely and coolest supernatural noir graphic novel series American comic book fans have never heard of—until now.&nbsp;That's because Evileye Books and Mr. Christensen have come together to bring his supernatural noir series, "Paranormal," to American audiences.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MboiBdSeoE-Id_JKVR591CETBJPoPZ8p7X0fNDdxOWaJmj9zeUR02tNh8Qo0RL7L_axCaRC3eJFtD-bC_L7VYP72zEb5VZu9rXOEUtDToMWdNLtowWV90rLPNiW7VkrxXmR1Sy9VgVo/s1600/paranormal1_couv.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MboiBdSeoE-Id_JKVR591CETBJPoPZ8p7X0fNDdxOWaJmj9zeUR02tNh8Qo0RL7L_axCaRC3eJFtD-bC_L7VYP72zEb5VZu9rXOEUtDToMWdNLtowWV90rLPNiW7VkrxXmR1Sy9VgVo/s320/paranormal1_couv.gif" width="230" /></span></a></div> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Meet The Ogre</b></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In an alternate universe, Henry Wade Johnson, the kind of criminal you love to hate, is a paranormal being known as "The Ogre." He has just been released from prison and has one goal: to leave his violent past behind. But when "Rat Face," one of his former partners in crime, brutally murders several police officers and disappears with a shipment of stolen cocaine belonging to the deadliest crime boss in Los Angeles, Henry Wade Johnson finds himself drawn back into the life he had so desperately tried to escape.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />These are the events that are set into motion in the "Paranormal" graphic novel trilogy originally published in France (Carabas) between 2004-2009. It is a story that manages to blend the best of crime noir, the supernatural and superpowers with a who-done-it thriller sensibility. But don't call it a superhero book.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I first came up with the idea for "Paranormal"&nbsp;back in 2001, after finishing my first full-color graphic novel, "Un Goût de Cendres," said Mr. Christensen.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"At the time, I was itching to do a classic superhero story, with costumes, capes and diabolical super-villains, but for some reason, it just wasn’t working for me. Now don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy</span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reading Silver Age "X-Men"</span><strong style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;</strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">comics, Jack Kirby’s "Avengers" stories, and superhero comics in general…it’s just that telling those kinds of stories doesn’t come easy for me.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCCvZsFSFgvbyJ3RuNvqa0LLitPfL0j5cfw3V0NPuSFB-y-A_3tN65oVeI1V_B69DoRd04k9UOP-mEs8I_Y5qfBN11Y9LDJjceSeVbMjwNtDES0-oqZCOGFX2DYb7pasy-YKdDhmM4uY/s1600/paranormal3_couv.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCCvZsFSFgvbyJ3RuNvqa0LLitPfL0j5cfw3V0NPuSFB-y-A_3tN65oVeI1V_B69DoRd04k9UOP-mEs8I_Y5qfBN11Y9LDJjceSeVbMjwNtDES0-oqZCOGFX2DYb7pasy-YKdDhmM4uY/s320/paranormal3_couv.gif" width="234" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I found this out while attempting to write the first draft of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Paranormal."</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;It was too contrived, too stale. The story was pretty much dead in the water until late one night, I was filling up some pages in my sketchbook when it dawned on me: what I&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">really</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;wanted to draw was a crime story with superheroes as the main protagonists…but superheroes portrayed in a more realistic fashion. From the very beginning of superhero comics, the two genres of crime fiction and superheroes have always gone hand in hand (see the early issues of Detective Comics and Batman), but I’ve always found the whole capes-and-tights thing kind of silly. I don’t care how tough Batman is, I just don’t see how he could intimidate&nbsp;</span><em style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">anyone</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;wearing leotards and a cape).&nbsp;</span><br /> <span lang="FR"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><br /> <span lang="FR"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wanted to tell stories in a universe where the characters, although they might possess super powers, didn’t wear extravagant costumes with flashy letters on their chests. &nbsp;To me, the whole super powers thing had to be low-key. The powers had to be suggested instead of shown, and as a result, the characters’ abilities and physical descriptions would tend to be exaggerated—even blown out of proportion—through the conflicting accounts of eyewitnesses and urban legends. I intended to focus more on the super&nbsp;<em>villains</em>&nbsp;than on the superheroes, but my "super&nbsp;villains" wouldn’t be cackling, evil masterminds bent on destroying the world; merely street-level criminals who possess strange, uncommon abilities&nbsp;that make them all the more dangerous and terrifying. The "Paranormal"<b>&nbsp;</b>trilogy was told from the point of view of&nbsp;one of these criminals, and&nbsp;has more in common with crime novels like Edward Bunker's "No Beast So Fierce"&nbsp;than mainstream comic books (although there is a definite supernatural undercurrent running through the stories)."</span></span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgYYf-aqZT9OUYkKBog9L-jG2_lyIQvWte-g3Uctyp6_-R5_MJlAUDxFn32IxiM3pKqYXogOAQR8-XHcV-29_A28n5TsIQf5WKA3Ypo8q15pmGzIeXj5aaRrrXHEMakbQEggVN6OAYT4/s1600/paranormal2_couv.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgYYf-aqZT9OUYkKBog9L-jG2_lyIQvWte-g3Uctyp6_-R5_MJlAUDxFn32IxiM3pKqYXogOAQR8-XHcV-29_A28n5TsIQf5WKA3Ypo8q15pmGzIeXj5aaRrrXHEMakbQEggVN6OAYT4/s320/paranormal2_couv.gif" width="233" /></a></div> <span lang="FR"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>'Paranormal' in the U.S.A.</b></span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The original "Paranormal" trilogy will be remastered in English and released in both digital and print formats. The final release schedule will be announced this summer.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />In addition, Mr. Christensen will extend the "Paranormal" universe by writing and illustrating an additional three graphic novels to be released annually.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />"Genre-bending high concepts are the way to our wicked little heart," said A.N. Ommus, Editorial Director of Evileye Books. "Dan knows how to spin a riveting tale. He's so talented that the ideas of superpowers and the supernatural are both in your face and blend into the background simultaneously. A writer can only accomplish such a feat when the characters and plot are the drivers of his storytelling gifts. Mr. Christensen has in 'Paranormal' an exciting, unique take on the genres American comics fans love."</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Helpful Links</b></span><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.dcdrawings.blogspot.com/">Dan Christensen's Website</a><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">SPONSOR</span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.onipress.com/series/sixthgun" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWYLSfzrMxdbJSQ-ugmuExS7n8oBpmBRj-AcdGJu7I05MOwj8iTmXKv67AvZzF-C3RZlWZESxLlYv35fIv_EcSSAW7J60NYmDEXCSM22IQ5dsteQwL8oHwi5cC9pp_f3vXakvT8CSh7hJ/s1600/6gun-cullen_bunn-oni_press.jpg" /></a></div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-14035219138848576162011-12-09T10:32:00.001-06:002011-12-09T11:33:46.609-06:00Preview: Brian Churilla Reveals What Really Happened to D.B. CooperI'm a sucker for conspiracy theories. Apparently so is comics creator, Brian Churilla. Wielding his pencilling prowess for books like "We Kill Monsters" and "The Anchor," Churilla is a favorite creator around these parts. You can get a peek at his sketchbook <a href="http://indiepulp.blogspot.com/2009/07/sketchbook-spotlight-on-brian-churilla.html" target="_blank">here</a>, along with one of the most unique creator photos you will ever see. Needless to say, once you see it, you can't un-see it. Ever.<br /> <br /> Coming in March 2012, Oni Press will begin publishing "The Secret History of D.B. Cooper." We can't top the teaser text, so here it is, along with super secret preview pages.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> THE SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER #1<br /> <div class="p2"> Written and illustrated by Brian Churilla</div> <div class="p1"> Monthly starting in March 2012</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> It's our contention that the FBI's recent inclusion of amateur sleuths in the forty-year search for infamous hijacker D.B. Cooper is part of an elaborate ruse being perpetrated on the public. &nbsp;Furthermore, this is likely part of an attempt by the government to discredit the forthcoming Oni Press series, THE SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER, which finally reveals the truth regarding the case. In our continuing effort to subvert the government's unending campaign of misinformation, we have decided to release a preview of the first issue.&nbsp;</div> <div class="p2"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> From creator Brian Churilla, the book chronicles the life of the mythic folk hero, revealing that "The DB Cooper Incident" was not a hijacking and extortion plot as widely reported. In fact, this cover story is quite pedestrian, as what really happened nearly changed the course of human history.&nbsp;</div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span id="goog_1904097806"></span><span id="goog_1904097807"></span></div> <div class="p1"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4JrkZ7_lASdTl8KlHaIT21TQCWOzN1t54BHem3lx7UJKRKFrz51ony6UoM9DxmQrhwsXm9aLI5CaHOUtF_PeWRh1ZOtD3rSESPArgPWKDGlqqMonU7p3YgRhRQwJ0_Q1OWt2_di_gnjJ/s1600/DBCooper_no1_p01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4JrkZ7_lASdTl8KlHaIT21TQCWOzN1t54BHem3lx7UJKRKFrz51ony6UoM9DxmQrhwsXm9aLI5CaHOUtF_PeWRh1ZOtD3rSESPArgPWKDGlqqMonU7p3YgRhRQwJ0_Q1OWt2_di_gnjJ/s640/DBCooper_no1_p01.jpg" width="419" /></a></div> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div> <div class="p1"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR5nYbgQ3KyutNKABE8OMqaW0C2hqkSK1fkJS6HftYSoBMX_7FRDIwy3p9CI4_BcFATrhs60kCfa6O_1tx6UwvLOSU0Ca5GSUA4F4ygH2DizhASHZB111fMyBfpnjTKJinmpzrz7Gjx6J/s640/PROOF-Ad-Oni-Crooked_Hills-01-11102011.png" width="412" /></a></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div> <div class="p1"> <br /></div>Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-17108753982275966172011-12-08T09:47:00.001-06:002011-12-08T14:48:27.344-06:001X1: Patricia Ann McNair<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One Writer, One Question:&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Every short story imposes its own demands on a writer. How do you tackle the challenge of capturing each story's unique voice?</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Heartbeat of Your Story</b></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By Patricia Ann McNair</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">On Twitter — @PatriciaAMcNair</span></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4Ff4daobXRZgles_dNaGsv3H-OF7NMcWQTX1JY_oF1YOSeVOa8z4qzt0x8e5NDM3iOqyGiirQxsGV_wpJ59FHtFSaCQGc2jwnrsc9TG85NK0h93p2jBQfwMInoLA8gPKiTmK0U1vvqOF/s1600/Patty+Color+Headshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4Ff4daobXRZgles_dNaGsv3H-OF7NMcWQTX1JY_oF1YOSeVOa8z4qzt0x8e5NDM3iOqyGiirQxsGV_wpJ59FHtFSaCQGc2jwnrsc9TG85NK0h93p2jBQfwMInoLA8gPKiTmK0U1vvqOF/s320/Patty+Color+Headshot.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patricia Ann McNair</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have you ever heard Mick Jagger sing? You know how he sounds on “Angie”, how he sounds on “Brown Sugar”? Totally different, huh? Or maybe not so much, really. The underlying “Mickness” is still there: the hollow thing he does with his voice, like he is opening up his mouth cavity wide enough for the big, round words to come out; the exhalations; the nasally sound that comes through every once in a while. And yet, there is something unique to each song—sometimes it’s a softening, or a heightening, a slowness, or a frantic quality. Whatever is needed to make it play, to make it work. Whatever each song calls for.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Yeah, but what does this have to do with writing, you ask. Well, here goes. What is at the heart of each story I write, at each voice of a character, or a narrator, or piece itself, is my own voice. The way I tell a story. And that has its particular qualities, just like old Mick’s does. I ramble. I segue, I digress. I use a lot of—um, dashes—and other punctuations (like parentheses); I am fond of the semi-colon. There is a hint of Chicago in my voice—sometimes more so (like in “The Things That’ll Keep You Alive”); sometimes the voice has my Midwestern meander (as in “Running.”)&nbsp;</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HJagDImgelPwvQ298luYy7CeivKg7TE9R6kmItfiEtAd-Cs0GnKHNUdIJUXh6_X5H6yD4LAB3FoOIBELP2tMNWSd-ymdh5XPCGlRCydHOA_v5lyeNBs1ZgpZEEZe4VsxeAuBx8qjIyp1/s1600/promo+cover+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HJagDImgelPwvQ298luYy7CeivKg7TE9R6kmItfiEtAd-Cs0GnKHNUdIJUXh6_X5H6yD4LAB3FoOIBELP2tMNWSd-ymdh5XPCGlRCydHOA_v5lyeNBs1ZgpZEEZe4VsxeAuBx8qjIyp1/s400/promo+cover+image.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The Temple of Air" Available Now<br />from Elephant Rock Books</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The Temple of Air" is a collection of stories that has many links: place, overlapping characters, motifs, chronology, world view. And it is these overlappings, these links—along with my own storyteller’s voice—that I hope creates a unified quality to the telling. Like a huge painting made with similar small brush strokes. And at the same time, as your question suggests, it is essential that each story be unique, that it have its own sound.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />And that comes from listening, I think. From listening to the words as they form in your head, as they start to get down on the page. I do a whole lot of work before the story gets grown much. I journal all the time—allowing me access to my internal listener, the one who knows my voice best. I talk to myself. (Don’t you have to talk to yourself if you want to be a writer? Hello? Hello?) I am a jogger, and I hit the lakefront trail here in Chicago without headphones or earbuds; I listen to the rhythm of my breathing, the slow pound of my footsteps, and I tell stories in my head. And once I get stuff on the page, I read it aloud. A lot. Either by myself at my desk, or—when I’m lucky to have this—in front of an audience. You can’t help but hear things that way.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />There are the usual things that feed into a story’s particular voice. Characters’ age, education, and background; regional settings; content. In fact, I think that content might be one of the most important factors of finding a particular story voice, and it might also be one of the things new writers miss. You write a story about a girl trying to be tough as her world is crumbling (her brother is missing-in-action, her mother is drinking too much, she discovers that the girl she babysits for is being abused by her mother) and the voice you use to tell the story (“When is a Door Not a Door” from my collection) is going to be a bit clipped, snide, cuss-ridden. In a story where a tragic accident happens and a bunch of kids are high when they witness it and think maybe they are imagining it (as in my story “Something Like Faith”,) the telling is going to be layered, the sentences run-on, the images dream-like. You choose your metaphors carefully, not just because they are cool, but because they speak directly to what you are discovering about the story. You manipulate the punctuation to mimic the movement of the story. You listen to the heartbeat of the piece and get that on the page. Is the pulse quickened, the feeling breathless? Is it choppy, lurching from moment to moment? You can do that through language, through syntax. And we learn such things by listening.</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Short answer then—and a bit flip, but absolutely honest: How do I capture each story’s unique voice? When I am successful (and believe, I am not always) I get the voice because I listen for it. And when I hear it—comingled with my own voice—I write it down.&nbsp;</span><br /> <br /> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>About the Author</b></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Patricia Ann McNair is the author of the well-received story collection "The Temple of Air".&nbsp;McNair has lived 98 percent of her life in the Midwest. She’s managed a gas&nbsp;station, sold pots and pans door to door, tended bar and breaded mushrooms, worked on the&nbsp;trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and taught aerobics. Today she is an Associate&nbsp;Professor in the Fiction Writing Department of Columbia College Chicago, where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award as well as a nomination for the Carnegie Foundation’s US Professor of the Year.</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Book Synopsis</b></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> </div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From babysitter to bus ticket salesman, construction worker to cult leader, the residents of New Hope chase their dreams and suffer their disappointments against the subtle backdrop of a Midwestern landscape. In the manner of the Pulitzer Prize winning&nbsp;Olive Kitteridge, and the iconic&nbsp;Winesburg, Ohio, Patricia Ann McNair’s debut story collection, "The Temple of Air" links the lives and stories of a place and its people through tragedy and consequence, blind faith and redemption. Unapologetically in your face, these tales dig into your subconscious and leave you haunted.</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Helpful Links</b></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=%22The+Temple+of+Air%22+McNair&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22The+Temple+of+Air%22+McNair&amp;ajr=0" target="_blank">The Temple of Air on Amazon</a></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Patricia Ann McNair's <a href="http://patriciaannmcnair.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.erpmedia.net/books/" target="_blank">Elephant Rock Books</a></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">ADVERTISEMENT</span></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_JXim949tXpvyLmT2lpRIlP3uwMeVLPuXD3xuwaNgLTHoy09g85zsCJvp3cSBmAz2tzSZoNIaVwVVyzguSevraM568dlsGflSgWJw97xOUr6Lydi3MNfoCQx3oibqvNNvi7z3Pk5bji5/s1600/PROOF-Ad-Oni-Crooked_Hills-01-11102011.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_JXim949tXpvyLmT2lpRIlP3uwMeVLPuXD3xuwaNgLTHoy09g85zsCJvp3cSBmAz2tzSZoNIaVwVVyzguSevraM568dlsGflSgWJw97xOUr6Lydi3MNfoCQx3oibqvNNvi7z3Pk5bji5/s640/PROOF-Ad-Oni-Crooked_Hills-01-11102011.png" width="414" /></a></div> <div class="p1"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div> <br /> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-77622740338661537832011-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:002011-10-31T08:37:19.907-05:00Raw Head & Bloody Bones: A Crooked Hills Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7mgM-gsmKnAtXpJfI86iV05Qeb8bGfRf2D7_AOsknPrjSPAiK4Qs8BYrOaK_fHHGTtvc6m6UYeZfrmrb-i6kgWKEMXvQNrOA4BmHHqdD-rzIjdDxRwNw5zJp0KUlwGMp67TVwJgLRRQA/s1600/Indiepulp-cover-rawhead.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7mgM-gsmKnAtXpJfI86iV05Qeb8bGfRf2D7_AOsknPrjSPAiK4Qs8BYrOaK_fHHGTtvc6m6UYeZfrmrb-i6kgWKEMXvQNrOA4BmHHqdD-rzIjdDxRwNw5zJp0KUlwGMp67TVwJgLRRQA/s320/Indiepulp-cover-rawhead.png" width="247" /></a></div> I'm not feeling particularly cheery this spooky season. It's hard to be happy when you're busy kicking yourself in the pants.<br /> <br /> Halloween is finally here. The neighborhood kids around these parts will make their annual mad grab for all things sugary, chewy and chocolaty this afternoon. Our family cauldron is filled with all kinds of candies sure to rot milky white teeth down to bloody gums. But what is missing from our pot are some hair-raising, spooky comics for kids, like the story we have for you today. I've whipped myself with more zeal than an Opus Dei penitent for not having thought of it sooner. And over the weekend a dear friend and I resolved to be ready next year. Give out spooky comics on Halloween. Why haven't comics retailers and publishers done it already? They do it for Free Comic Book Day. Why not Halloween?<br /> <br /> So I'd like to submit our entry for a free read this hallowed eve. It's a short story written by Cullen Bunn, with art by Drew Moss. "Raw Head &amp; Bloody Bones" comes from the universe of "Crooked Hills", the new prose and comics series by Mr. Bunn being published by our sister imprint, Earwig Press.&nbsp;Readers of the first novel will recognize the main characters in the story presented here. Charlie Ward is the reluctant protagonist of the series, and his cousin, Marty, is in many ways, Charlie's guide through the legends of the haunted town known for witches that feast on children, spectral beasts, headless chickens, and girls with slingshots.<br /> <br /> The fictional town of Crooked Hills is nestled in the Missouri Ozarks region, which in real life has a long history of its residents dabbling in urban legends and folklore. Mr. Bunn enjoys the sandlot he's playing in; all we do is go along, enjoying the thrilling ride.<br /> <br /> "Crooked Hills Tales" is meant to be the umbrella tag for legends and stories that explore the rich stories of the Ozarks region, mashed up with Mr. Bunn's gifted imagination. Some of these tales will be told in comic book form, others in short prose fiction. "Raw Head &amp; Bloody Bones" is the first of a number of comic book stories coming from Mr. Bunn and various artists. Eventually these stories will be collected into book form. But that's a while in coming. So we are happy to present this first story here, and on Halloween, no less.<br /> <br /> For a more in-depth profile of Mr Bunn and Crooked Hills, we suggest you give <a href="http://www.evileyebooks.com/about-cullen-bunn">"The Conjurer"</a> a read.<br /> <br /> For more information of Crooked Hills, the series, visit <a href="http://earwigpress.com/">Earwigpress.com</a>.<br /> <br /> For all things Cullen Bunn, peruse his <a href="http://www.cullenbunn.com/">site</a>. You can also tweet with him at <a href="http://twitter.com/cullenbunn">Twitter.com/cullenbunn</a>.<br /> <br /> To learn more about artist, Drew Moss, go <a href="http://www.drewmossart.com/">here</a>. You can also tweet with him at <a href="http://twitter.com/drew_moss">Twitter.com/drew_moss</a>.<br /> <br /> To purchase an edition of Crooked Hills, Book One, go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=cullen+bunn+crooked+hills&amp;x=0&amp;y=0">here</a>.<br /> <br /> Enjoy "Raw Head &amp; Bloody Bones" and Happy Halloween!<br /> <br /> —Ommus<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHO8_mhMDPQz86N_EIoF0baA-YfnqfD51xlXKK509-90lBl9-uIvt8lH_FIYMeQEhEfJmeWQoGh0i3fnsk03CflIsiif0cq7eLGN9ilW4wu0rvdPqCenIequMUcCHVg2gfSiRVWoAhp07/s640/Crooked-Hills-Rawhead-Lettered-P01.jpg" width="420" /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJhOoD56G6LtA9H7nGTus4fdWAAyQYvAntVcYD0UgxnnCwhK37Cj7HZkhN3sx1xFOY54d6ulSRUWVdfqF41Qh_o1xVOpuyhYO2uDNKYOiL1KaLImX09rVpICqiRwKqnYrmmX-Zk8hpl2D/s1600/Crooked-Hills-Rawhead-Lettered-P02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7OPbXL1D0LNO54S5vrF8b-28x-ZJ1xLuYRAswebBLWIAJ1Hd7eW09VfURbep4lsQt81X1dMDzlsecaTBTc6AJZpN3gzJmeQnfELgjWyxqXdtHT1zKWrzwQcaUySa8tOXAp09PBAkihyphenhyphenN/s1600/Crooked-Hills-Rawhead-Lettered-P08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7OPbXL1D0LNO54S5vrF8b-28x-ZJ1xLuYRAswebBLWIAJ1Hd7eW09VfURbep4lsQt81X1dMDzlsecaTBTc6AJZpN3gzJmeQnfELgjWyxqXdtHT1zKWrzwQcaUySa8tOXAp09PBAkihyphenhyphenN/s640/Crooked-Hills-Rawhead-Lettered-P08.jpg" width="420" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=cullen+bunn+crooked+hills&amp;x=0&amp;y=0"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHWjJfAXwqI9SD6miztjLyK2ZDaFdeI411rlHwm4_IXRe6a3aiIrvVOTZ8C78B2O6P5vp5ZxfO29b80N7qq9Sv8ug6Y-M-PuuohlamyscZIKh9YJQ5ecVeKnFP7pa78dw8InibDfozX7o/s640/CH-Ad-Leaderboard-Project-Wonderful-02.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_342634112" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWRZS425hQggCOcnqd4EKlxSSJs3hRKFYna3Bsv4cA8yFzN1Ft1WFEjyWFZSclnGcDpLKfy3R8FwsEZOALTAAJxZUWN4IZX4pHPDzkPnULpuocXGYftWyzTIpbrK5GGAr8_80C-9IHqG8/s640/Crooked_Hills-3D_Cover.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">COVER TO CROOKED HILLS, BOOK ONE<br />ART BY BRIAN HURTT</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-3187496577776502262011-10-28T10:24:00.004-05:002011-10-28T16:33:57.555-05:00Mike Oliveri's 'Big Bad Wolves'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqrPbk6q-pPgTtUCxZV1GiA54rV7tsJtJHdSdKU0Qlbvjh5uPweQMornfH76bnoKbUZiudXn-G17r6EKqCPfre9EQCAblLEMs3mE6x5i-U_5M7BdJ4D8B-D7WjjzLeCFBUyOSeQG8Tu3a/s1600/Big_Bad_Wolves_Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqrPbk6q-pPgTtUCxZV1GiA54rV7tsJtJHdSdKU0Qlbvjh5uPweQMornfH76bnoKbUZiudXn-G17r6EKqCPfre9EQCAblLEMs3mE6x5i-U_5M7BdJ4D8B-D7WjjzLeCFBUyOSeQG8Tu3a/s400/Big_Bad_Wolves_Cover.png" width="266" /></a></div> As we gear up for the big 2011 Halloween weekend, we'd like to let out our twisted sense of teasing by offering up a short comic work by Bram Stoker Award Winning Author, Mike Oliveri and artist extraordinaire, Mike Henderson.<br /> <br /> "Big Bad Wolves" presents the key events that lead into the werewolf noir thriller, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=winter+kill+mike+oliveri&amp;x=0&amp;y=0">Winter Kill</a>", by Mike Oliveri. Those following his work know the prose fiction book as the first in a series that follows the Tyler family and their struggle to live with their supernatural legacy (or is it curse?) in a modern world. This is not your grandfather's werewolf story, to say the least. It's been famously described as Elmore Leonard meets Quentin Taratino, which we tend to think is spot on.<br /> <br /> Book two in the series, "Lie with the Dead" (is that not one of the coolest noir titles you've ever heard?), will be published in 2012 by Evileye Books.<br /> <br /> "Big Bad Wolves" was illustrated by Mike Henderson, who knows a thing or two about drawing monsters. He is part of the team that brought us "Smuggling Spirits".<br /> <br /> Have a fun Halloween. Don't eat too much candy. And don't go wandering into the haunted woods alone. Or do. You never know what you'll find in the dark.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs29AIecdS8iIOfINyufiwWKj6AUXW5TRZhddNIYErSk5OJ-1bfa3lzzANJR2aAdFUEbIO-I0sD0KJP4f29VkdYooPkdF9wwJyT7lQLZHXuGWJdpMbDZm-elLidZSQcCnkqtYP3fDHZWhj/s1600/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs29AIecdS8iIOfINyufiwWKj6AUXW5TRZhddNIYErSk5OJ-1bfa3lzzANJR2aAdFUEbIO-I0sD0KJP4f29VkdYooPkdF9wwJyT7lQLZHXuGWJdpMbDZm-elLidZSQcCnkqtYP3fDHZWhj/s640/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-01.jpg" width="412" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5J2JL1EVW8HyMosO7zCqesC43X-tCpR89qqACXduFg5V8FRm6gxGtJowHnGK1s8jpQcWVwbPxx28D2dsfY9V4wajiKyK2dQLmfvIQ94T5Z93BPPAfldqZgJXuEpa7B28ETMLv6s2xisE/s1600/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5J2JL1EVW8HyMosO7zCqesC43X-tCpR89qqACXduFg5V8FRm6gxGtJowHnGK1s8jpQcWVwbPxx28D2dsfY9V4wajiKyK2dQLmfvIQ94T5Z93BPPAfldqZgJXuEpa7B28ETMLv6s2xisE/s640/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-02.jpg" width="412" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FV3H8x0Nxbw10pQrQL2aAZVZzq67TBToMMbgx0bftEgYd3ijm85QMXdNi8I_NNATFr77_opYfFpNsz5ODk7WDpfA2D6soYTWjKHlsGr2X-2ODCY6zNxgLb2Qe2UKR4mXmGHG3eJNiRHM/s1600/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FV3H8x0Nxbw10pQrQL2aAZVZzq67TBToMMbgx0bftEgYd3ijm85QMXdNi8I_NNATFr77_opYfFpNsz5ODk7WDpfA2D6soYTWjKHlsGr2X-2ODCY6zNxgLb2Qe2UKR4mXmGHG3eJNiRHM/s640/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-03.jpg" width="414" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg-E0R9f7NU4xmvIEywVfj714sZ-fFOSgRBW7ZkgdaoZklcuIC4xs_6KjYUSzXxvHcRDJoCBh-Jh0ClQeuUXr3WJbAPDF28AB3yCFylCIKjuyQcYEIL4KRkDnEahlhy8-j8Us0ca2proB/s1600/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg-E0R9f7NU4xmvIEywVfj714sZ-fFOSgRBW7ZkgdaoZklcuIC4xs_6KjYUSzXxvHcRDJoCBh-Jh0ClQeuUXr3WJbAPDF28AB3yCFylCIKjuyQcYEIL4KRkDnEahlhy8-j8Us0ca2proB/s640/Big_Bad_Wolves-LT-12.jpg" width="414" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> If you'd like to check out "Winter Kill", go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=Winter+Kill+Mike+Oliveri&amp;x=0&amp;y=0">here</a>.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Check out Mike Oliveri's blog <a href="http://www.mikeoliveri.com/">here</a>.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Slobber over Mike Henderson's art <a href="http://mikeshenderson.blogspot.com/">here</a>.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1jZ7f9H8qOFlHyb7Z6-qLVMChj576bNNtZCKzotT0aigBnBd0HUChhV7bFvt4q-DqyNzS49d0E0EBSflwZpyuG9FDBM5iQbbIIsVWnJmgDOnyVVj6PqV_oT5r1XPPp15iKfygDovkujf/s1600/Pack-WinterKill-3D-Shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1jZ7f9H8qOFlHyb7Z6-qLVMChj576bNNtZCKzotT0aigBnBd0HUChhV7bFvt4q-DqyNzS49d0E0EBSflwZpyuG9FDBM5iQbbIIsVWnJmgDOnyVVj6PqV_oT5r1XPPp15iKfygDovkujf/s320/Pack-WinterKill-3D-Shadow.png" width="287" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRADE PAPERBACK EDITION<br />OF MIKE OLIVERI'S "WINTER KILL"</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Editor's Note:</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Evileye Books is an imprint of Pulp+Pixel Entertainment Co., which also publishes Indiepulp.com.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-35985886560917898982011-10-21T09:42:00.000-05:002011-12-08T14:48:59.597-06:001X1: Roger Smith Ponders the Question, Why Noir Now?<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrDgLsvWD6BYRxkF6qjRK8rTQBbruZlhWtQU4rI62ZrbqlZg9iuWS-Du0mL5Os8-EYCcDycumgPsQHTuYiPGQsC8BWdtHRJr0LulHRF5rpwy_o8tH4Y4wp6RBpjsFmz6WStwpAY6HAxe0/s1600/RogerSmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrDgLsvWD6BYRxkF6qjRK8rTQBbruZlhWtQU4rI62ZrbqlZg9iuWS-Du0mL5Os8-EYCcDycumgPsQHTuYiPGQsC8BWdtHRJr0LulHRF5rpwy_o8tH4Y4wp6RBpjsFmz6WStwpAY6HAxe0/s400/RogerSmith.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AUTHOR ROGER SMITH</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Roger Smith</span><br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@Rog_Smith</span><br /> <br /> Why does noir crime fiction resurface during times of uncertainty, when societies seem to have lost their moral compasses? Perhaps when reassuring parables with happy endings don’t ring true tougher-minded readers reach for books that are, at heart, dystopian and dark, charting the inevitably downward course of doomed losers who are driven to their fate by their own demons.<br /> <br /> In noir the protagonists aren’t outsiders called in to restore order, but rather people directly connected to the crime: victims and perpetrators. So noir isn’t about private detectives (or their frequent surrogates, reporters) where a hero—or anti-hero—may emerge battered and bruised and even more cynical, but restores some kind of moral balance (and restores the reader’s faith in society.) And no way is it police procedural, where the workings of law-enforcement (even if they are flawed) triumph over lawlessness.<br /> In noir, if there are cops (or other representatives of the establishment) they are bent, serving their own outlaw agenda. And unlike mysteries, capers and procedurals (where the story is all about the crime) noir is all about the characters.<br /> <br /> Daniel Woodrell, finally getting some of the recognition he deserves for his brand of “redneck noir”, said this in a recent interview: “[the term] ‘crime writer’ suggests that the big whoop in the book is going to be the crime—with all my books the crimes aren’t central. They’re about human beings fucking up.”<br /> <br /> What I have always admired about noir fiction it is the unflinching way the best of it deals with tough social issues, so when I started writing crime novels set in South Africa—one of the most violent and corrupt countries in the world—I found noir to be the most accurate prism through which to view this society in turmoil.<br /> <br /> Apartheid is over, but a crime epidemic, poverty and the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS on the planet present new challenges. Last year the ex-commissioner of police was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for corruption. One in three South African women will be raped in their lifetime. Teenage girls are sold into slave marriages in the name of tradition and men believe that raping virgins (often children) will cure them of AIDS. Noir country, for sure.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMEJ1u1tqQ-CSBmK-qEWvoSdl0Bzf_2TkJkFT2n4qg8tFF0_tkgOR_4Nj7gCXc1tZsYS5T0NyDfdMaCniWGtVGChxQJuFmNxwIfVDXXQFb0_-7eB8IJUAegeFRKZ2-r9y7IARY92KYavY/s1600/DUST+DEVILS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMEJ1u1tqQ-CSBmK-qEWvoSdl0Bzf_2TkJkFT2n4qg8tFF0_tkgOR_4Nj7gCXc1tZsYS5T0NyDfdMaCniWGtVGChxQJuFmNxwIfVDXXQFb0_-7eB8IJUAegeFRKZ2-r9y7IARY92KYavY/s320/DUST+DEVILS.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <br /> American noir, too, has always questioned its society (from James M. Cain to James Ellroy) and it’s unsurprising that this dark brand of fiction is the engine-room of radical new crime writing emerging from the U.S. younger writers like Frank Bill ("Crimes in Southern Indiana") and Keith Rawson ("The Chaos we Know"), have both recently published anthologies that paint a bleak picture of the heartland of post-9/11 America: stories of unemployment, disintegrating families and rural meth labs. The title of Rawson’s book perfectly captures the mood of the country.<br /> <br /> So, what better time than now (as protests against the established order sweep the globe) for a resurgence of this brand of existential, deeply pessimistic crime fiction?<br /> <br /> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ABOUT ROGER SMITH</b></span><br /> <br /> Roger Smith was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and now lives in Cape Town. His thrillers "Mixed Blood," "Wake Up Dead" and "Dust Devils" have been published in six countries. His books have won the Deutscher Krimi Preis (German Crime Fiction Award) and been nominated for Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel awards. "Mixed Blood" and "Wake Up Dead" are in development as feature films in the U.S.<br /> <br /> Smith’s fourth novel, "Capture", will be released internationally in 2012. You can follow Mr. Smith on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/rog_smith">Twitter.com/rog_smith</a><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv96wAAMZc0Hv3sVMe-_1bR_BH-8gmha6_5RIBVwD5VXpLePF2PrE47P9yxJPyvZMipMhNmk-pgk8s3UjWEQrndgJs6PL_VkOdvbSd_t-bRJM5sIPKQtEuPJJ1U-vOKobTRdW7gX9ZO9Mz/s1600/WAKE+UP+DEAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv96wAAMZc0Hv3sVMe-_1bR_BH-8gmha6_5RIBVwD5VXpLePF2PrE47P9yxJPyvZMipMhNmk-pgk8s3UjWEQrndgJs6PL_VkOdvbSd_t-bRJM5sIPKQtEuPJJ1U-vOKobTRdW7gX9ZO9Mz/s320/WAKE+UP+DEAD.jpg" width="214" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrqX7SwgGhux54bUZwlLu5M7Fx3Vs7f7oioUFZ7HaP4POWbR1_DbNDNpPuSK-6jzhfAtOG3xcWvrPC36HPUeMwLQMtCWQ1gZyEiOR2vjVfk4YHE3eWoMFNeVKz6PuoUtKzFUDsOQevAeo/s1600/MIXED+BLOOD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrqX7SwgGhux54bUZwlLu5M7Fx3Vs7f7oioUFZ7HaP4POWbR1_DbNDNpPuSK-6jzhfAtOG3xcWvrPC36HPUeMwLQMtCWQ1gZyEiOR2vjVfk4YHE3eWoMFNeVKz6PuoUtKzFUDsOQevAeo/s320/MIXED+BLOOD.JPG" width="213" /></a><br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>RESOURCES</b></span></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="http://www.rogersmithbooks.com/">Roger Smith's Website</a></div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491496704987942372.post-1639320851994448932011-10-09T17:22:00.002-05:002011-10-09T17:26:04.512-05:00Preview: Aspen Comics' 'Haunted City' #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEVp4eMl2dBy3bt5e7E19oml8fM6RWf2MBqNYl-BmVCyDff0jcFajOzK7dcOzGRa2SbsBMXmTMd6zVGFomivSxyjnd1uDRxPdtsp0kJhBqmjsJn9P86DT3JbNaD17DEI__rbhUumEKg98/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEVp4eMl2dBy3bt5e7E19oml8fM6RWf2MBqNYl-BmVCyDff0jcFajOzK7dcOzGRa2SbsBMXmTMd6zVGFomivSxyjnd1uDRxPdtsp0kJhBqmjsJn9P86DT3JbNaD17DEI__rbhUumEKg98/s400/HAUNTED_CITY-1.jpeg" width="260" /></a></div> HAUNTED CITY #1<br /> Created by Chap Taylor<br /> Written by Chap Taylor &amp; Peter Johnson<br /> Art by Michael Ryan<br /> Colors by Kelsey Shannon &amp; Beth Sotelo<br /> Aspen Comics<br /> Release Date: October 12, 2011<br /> <br /> Of late, Halloween has been reduced to being vampire and zombie season. So it's refreshing to see a series that goes beyond bloodsuckers and rotting corpses, if for any other reason, to add a little variety to our horrorlust.<br /> <br /> If the opening sequence here gives us any clues at all, it seems we'll be treated to a story that blends noir with the supernatural, as a secret division of the NYPD uncovers mysteries and hunts down monsters and such that live in the shadows of the Big Apple. If you read the issue and it feels vaguely familiar, that's because McG is behind the series. McG, of course, is behind the hit CW series "Supernatural."<br /> <br /> Here's a preview of the title's debut issue. It looks promising and will definitely will give it a story arc or two to unfold.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOlukgUwugkSVwbYGYNqhRFvLWnStpsOBSWEy7drPcD6aWD1MAg_Qrn-mMxU9Py2RfgjUS6Vw8aOENc190KIRJTxojH61LuhDk62vT8NwyKiJ-FU-DjcGQ-YIONLIps9PmfI-qvmW-8eB/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOlukgUwugkSVwbYGYNqhRFvLWnStpsOBSWEy7drPcD6aWD1MAg_Qrn-mMxU9Py2RfgjUS6Vw8aOENc190KIRJTxojH61LuhDk62vT8NwyKiJ-FU-DjcGQ-YIONLIps9PmfI-qvmW-8eB/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-2.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwkC0TpLdhpw1KYsOe9_CC8iLqaH3e7hXu4in_LlQsSejTmyxumeAXFP7SMluNPqWaxgQzBsnYRBYjePl9GS78lgg-7cnQe6qa0vWNNs94fUl7XSKk4A-a21Tks1Mj8QPq-CFcEaZqccD/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwkC0TpLdhpw1KYsOe9_CC8iLqaH3e7hXu4in_LlQsSejTmyxumeAXFP7SMluNPqWaxgQzBsnYRBYjePl9GS78lgg-7cnQe6qa0vWNNs94fUl7XSKk4A-a21Tks1Mj8QPq-CFcEaZqccD/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-3.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ftpxJuS2lSA8_MSYbWWmCcscIofjL0K5mJsQZ7nzfMHpcsGQRERvy8sHcapDwGRRWFQmAt81bNepW8vDnCO6eqrd9x6bDnE3RNgV9RJU7kSZZZKyQBxlf-jfVtGSbvioEcKBQUKrQUx_/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ftpxJuS2lSA8_MSYbWWmCcscIofjL0K5mJsQZ7nzfMHpcsGQRERvy8sHcapDwGRRWFQmAt81bNepW8vDnCO6eqrd9x6bDnE3RNgV9RJU7kSZZZKyQBxlf-jfVtGSbvioEcKBQUKrQUx_/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-4.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCny2VWHPHps3_idmDfXGc38M8moeclY7ydvpJvPNL2hh_33ZwutYM_alxVgtzaAJBnBfVBJwd5nggbUMGLKlmAesf1nDCLeoUKEnNYMsL84m9W4B04viocWo3-z1RRYhyav29BF-0kNF/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCny2VWHPHps3_idmDfXGc38M8moeclY7ydvpJvPNL2hh_33ZwutYM_alxVgtzaAJBnBfVBJwd5nggbUMGLKlmAesf1nDCLeoUKEnNYMsL84m9W4B04viocWo3-z1RRYhyav29BF-0kNF/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-5.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww6EVH8GAxCPD8ZWCZG4UalxFlZtt_LcYk7U7xGIWUANDrQXMIAFRg8Ba3K6TTkFElXtdx7-r9IfBzZcfqlCcWfypIR7fGlrlQBL9ddSB9MvoqQr11yLt3l3_HAwE3JfDLkidxpajCmlb/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww6EVH8GAxCPD8ZWCZG4UalxFlZtt_LcYk7U7xGIWUANDrQXMIAFRg8Ba3K6TTkFElXtdx7-r9IfBzZcfqlCcWfypIR7fGlrlQBL9ddSB9MvoqQr11yLt3l3_HAwE3JfDLkidxpajCmlb/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-6.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2I0bc2EhezIOeCZ0CK7nWs_bxApqG6-buY9NmD6bxr2yR-Gr6zn7l7Nq2Jq2QuFScSLC8YXFkELHfONzvtuK1ikwAmfNqrkNOqSwkLXX0tTVJy-D9rjR2bG8QQkj-cBN5fBqjEJqgmA6z/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2I0bc2EhezIOeCZ0CK7nWs_bxApqG6-buY9NmD6bxr2yR-Gr6zn7l7Nq2Jq2QuFScSLC8YXFkELHfONzvtuK1ikwAmfNqrkNOqSwkLXX0tTVJy-D9rjR2bG8QQkj-cBN5fBqjEJqgmA6z/s1600/HAUNTED_CITY-7.jpg" /></a></div> <br />Postmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05501244696916231049noreply@blogger.com