news and goodies

It's my ol' man's birthday, but I'm the one who got the prezzies. I know I'm the last person to order Light Boxes, and I received it today (interestingly, the day Shane returned to the life) along with a lagniappe: Rupert Wondolowski's The Origin of Paranoia as a Heated Mole Suit. Plus, a hand scrawled note, from Adam I presume, with just enough personality to bug the birthday boy. Next time, do a heart instead of a smiley face.

Also, I picked up the Spring 2009 issue of Mystery Scene which features two delightful articles by my pal and fellow db enthusiast, Art Taylor. One of the articles (about romantic crime films) is the 'centerfold' feature, so it's on shny slick paper. If you're gonna go print, slick and shiny is aces.

Just finished Ken Bruen's Cross, and I gotta say that was a dark, dark finish. I may need counseling.

Rent due on my Ivory Tower, plus a fascinating Priest

Owing to a recent publication in Behind the Wainscot (red-headed stepchild to Farrago’s Wainscot), I now enjoy “SF tidbit” status, linked at sites with names like Quasar Dragon. SF web culture is rapid response and twinkly, and many of the sites are, um, busy to say the least. Also, producers of SF cultural objects still believe there’s money to be had out there, foregrounding distinctions between paying and non paying markets in a way that rattles my dusty academic sensibilities. Maybe I’m quaint. Maybe they are. Sometimes it takes me several years to write a story right. Proper compensation is impossible, so why ask? On the other hand, if you aren’t using that bucket of money . . .

I finished reading Ken Bruen's Priest , and it was stellar, so I'm planning to consume many more Bruen novels ASAP. However, before I can start on those, I must pick up Atkinson's Case Histories again. One of Bruen's publishers contacted me to say, yeah read my guy's stuff, but the Atkinson book deserves another look. And because I have a thing about being obedient to strangers (editors take note), I've gotten far enough into CH that I love it now.

begun and tossed

On Facebook IRead should have a category for books started then set aside or thrown across the room. I just set aside Kate Atkinson's Case Histories to pick up Ken Bruen's Priest , because hey, a priest gets decapitated in the confessional. I think that's awesome, but Dean, raised Catholic, is unimpressed. He says that's where that kind of thing gets done.

Also fixed my time stamp so it no longer looks like I'm posting from the west coast.