What it's all about

I currently have two books "out" for consideration by publishers. One is the Louisiana novel, and the other is the ghosty-gothic vsf collection. I may have gotten my little toe in the door with one publisher, so if I'm not very social lately it's because I'm attempting a re-write based on some excellent notes. I was doing this last year at this time, too, but in that case I was trying to inject a project with more commercial elements to please an agent. THAT did not work out. This time, I'm trying to recover the heart of the concept, and in the process my soul as well. It's way easier than you think. As if that weren't motivation enough, years back my old man and I made a deal. If I get a book accepted by an agent or publisher, I get a SECOND pinball machine. This is not the sort of info I can comfortably include in a query letter.

Novella and Pinball, naturally

Matthew Simmons' novella, A Jello Horse, is about to be released by Publishing Genius Press, and while this news is exciting on its own merits, there is a contest to win a hardback copy of the book. Simmons' call is simple: "SEND ME IMAGES OF YOURSELF PLAYING PINBALL. Or someone playing pinball. A pinball image of some sort. Just one of your own."

Finally, a pinball contest I have a shot at winning!

I own a Williams Earthshaker!, and I will submit a pic of that, but in the meantime this is a pic of a weirdie from the White Rose show a couple of years ago.

How to be interesting.

abandon scholarship and creativity. Buy toys.

In other news, one of my stories has disappeared owing to the fact that Fiction Warehouse seems to have vaporized at last. "Name your next cat after a forgotten musician or a famous general" was precious and narcissistic, but the title was cool (Dean's title actually), and it did make it to the Story South notables list in 2004, even though it was too short to be eligible. It turns out I no longer have a copy of the story-that's how much faith I have in the web-so I pieced together a version out of rejection notices from Pindeldyboz and Smokelong. That's right, I save rejections, toss stories.

Pinball! Let's Play!

Getting interviewed about pinball today, because we own an Earthshaker! machine, and because the Department has hit bottom in its search for interestingness. I blame the election for this desperate effort.

machines I want but can’t have for space & financial reasons:
Cactus Jack (Tex-Mex cantina theme German Cacti exhorting you to throw fruit)
Bad Cats (lady hits cats with broom)
Whodunnit (actually attempts a narrative)
Wipe out (ski theme with surf music)
Funhouse (played this at a noisy festival in Houston, but we’re sure that Rudy [the heckling head] called me a bitch and dean a fucko)
Orbitor (fun with magnets)
World Cup Soccer 1994 (awesome and I don’t suck at it)
Cirqus Voltaire (give you strange feelings)