Going It Alone

This week's BrokenFrontier article is up. It's about the challenges of being a small fish in a big pond, and all sort of other cliches. Here's the first paragraph...

Being in the small press can be lonely. Really. Marvel and DC have a combined output that represents a good chunk of what’s read. So, they have a loyalty both from retailers and from readers that no individual can match. Yet, most of the small press folk keep their companies to themselves, and go at it alone, trying to eek out a market share and build a fanbase. At the end of the day, though, it’s nearly impossible. My company is essentially three people, each of us giving our time (and money) for no real income. It’s a labor of love in many respects, but, at the end of the day, it’s about getting people to read our books.

Read the rest here.

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Lizzie Borden

Just watched a documentary about Lizzie Borden on Biography. I wonder why there hasn't been a really good movie about it. It's pretty dramatic stuff.

The Serpent & The Rainbow

I really wish Bill Pullman was a better actor. He really ruins the movie. It could have been so fucking outstanding, but he's just so goofy.

Live Baby/Dead Mother

Been doing some research into this... there's a technical term for it, but damned if i can find it. BBC News | HEALTH | Baby born to dead mother

A baby boy has been born after being kept alive in the womb of his dead mother.

Doctors at Cabuenes hospital in Gijon, northern Spain delivered the baby on New Year's Eve after battling to keep it alive in the womb of a woman who has been clinically dead since mid-November. Click the link for the rest.

If anyone knows the technical term, I'd be greatly appreciative.

Ah, thanks to Greg and Ben of the Bendis Board for help. It's called "Coffin Birth." Here's an article about it.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

HHGTTG was my Star Wars. As a child, I spent hours on end reading, rereading, re-rereading the books, and even longer listening to my crappy tapes made from when the local NPR played the radio series. I wore out my video tape of the TV series after about a year of ownership. Hell, I even played the video game non-stop, despite it being pretty far over my head, as a 6 or 7 year old. I never made it past getting onto the Heart of Gold, and even that was a feat. This world, this creative vision of one genius man is responsible for a good amount of who I am. My sense of humor, my love of Sci-Fi, and my love of the absurd is pretty solidly wrested from that body of work. So the movie... well, I woke up last week realizing that, in a way, this is the movie I've been waiting for all my life. And, well, it's quite good. It's not genius. It's not the radio series or books, but it's on par with the TV Show, and it brings some interesting new concepts to the universe. The biggest sticking points are Zaphod's low IQ (which while explained, doesn't really jive with me, especially as there's seemingly no conspiracy or anything to put him in charge, at least not in this film,) and the ending, which just doesn't jive with the characters.

I suppose when any piece of art has such a massive meaning to you, any reiteration of it will ultimately fail. The movie is probably about the best it can be.

Fortune Cookie for Osborne Delivered to Fialkov

If you don't know who Rob Osborne is, you're missing out. Visit him at www.absolutetyrant.com and buy his book 1000 Steps to World Domination from AIT/PlanetLar on Khepri.com. You won't be sorry.

Vodou

Just fucking around with some of Marco's concept art, and a logo. I'm supremely psyched for this book. Here's hoping all goes as planned.

Conditional Writing

I've always been a fan of conditional writing. Conceptually, you pick a set of circumstances by which you must execute, and no matter what, all that's written is done under those rules. So, in favor of that. I'm going to write a novel, I've decided. The rules of the book are as follows. It must be written outside, on my laptop, and I have to write as long as my battery lasts. That means 50 minute chunks of thick prose. No genre requirements, although something slighly less self-involved then my usual prose is probably a worthwhile endeavor.

I wrote a few screenplays this way back in the day. One's rules were as follows.

1) Something my parents would like. 2) Must be written in under two weeks. 3) Must have an actual story.

The screenplay turned out as one of those BBC-style movies from the 90's. The Full Monty, Waking Ned Devine, etc. Not really a great piece of art, but a cute story with enough edge that 20 somethings wouldn't be horrified by it (Billy Elliot anyone?)

Anyways, I think that finding sort of unique ways to force yourself to write outside the normal genres and literary ticks of your standard style is just about the best thing you can do as a writer. Shit, if it wasn't for exercises like this, I'd still be writing my self-indulgent surrealist genre stuff. Now I'm writing Zombies and Russian mobsters.

Oh how far I've come.

New Project Fun

I just wrote my first castration scene. Woo hoo!

I've got two new books in the works. First, is a Russian Mob story about an enforcer forced to turn on his boss. Looks like the ever talented Scott Keating is going to be handling the art chores. I'm psyched for this.

The second book is a supernatural thriller about New Orleans which Marco Magallanes is on board for.

Hopefully, we'll be able to announce the publishing plans soon, we're getting there. I need to finish these synopses and scripts first though.

Here's to my first castration.

That didn't sound right.

I Think I’m Done Answering the Phone at Night

I sort of wrap up all work stuff at around 9pm now, so that I can unwind, and then get into bed and actually sleep. I got a phone call tonight at about 9:30, and against my better judgement answered it. It was a business thing, and it opened up a whole can of stressful worms, that while it could wait till tomorrow, I just can't deal with things like that. I'm Mr. Direct. So, It's now 1:30am, and I'm still up, and still thinking and worrying about it. And then I felt my ulcer... grow... three... sizes... bigger.

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Sin City

Well. It gives me faith. It gives me faith that the industry can execute comics material in a true and viable way, without comprmise. Having one of the top directors in the industry go to bat for you helps, I'm sure, but still. This is a story that wouldn't have worked unless executed the way it was. Highly, highly recommended.