Dispatches from the Flying M

Wordle cloud

Here (if it works...) is a "cloud" I made from the first chapter of an as yet unpublished work, using Wordle.  I didn't mess with the font, color, or any of that, so it's not particularly beautiful, but that wasn't the point for me. I guess there are different reasons one might make a word cloud.  Mine was to see if there were any odd words that were showing up too often, because in my writing (this is probably true for most writers) I know there are some words I use more than I should, and this is one way to be aware of that in a hurry. It's a trick I just learned, swiped from the blog of writer Terry O'Dell.

In this, the words that look most problematic to me are "know," "like," and "back." The characters don't know (there it is again) each other at this point, and only one person in this chapter--MacReedy--is named. Hence the use of the word "boy."  When I do another revision on this, I'll pay special attention to those words and see if I can substitute something else here and there.  And I guess I'll try this with other work, too--it's an intriguing way to use the web to point out shortcomings in my craft.

Writing paranormal YA

A website called Romance Divas is holding a workshop on writing paranormal YA this week, Thurs-Sat.  I'm one of the participants, along with Christopher Golden, Rachel Caine, Lucienne Diver, Cassandra Clare, Alyson Noel and Rosemary Clement-Moore.  You have to register for the RD Forum to take part, but it's free and easy.  I'm not at all sure what the format will be, but will be checking in periodically over the three days. Should be interesting.

Conroy

Writers work with words, arranging them into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs that, we hope, carry some sort of emotional weight.  Individual sentences are designed to perform various tasks, from appealing to the senses to describing action to illuminating character--and sometimes, when we're on our game, all at once.

Then sometimes sentences are just a delight to the mind.  I like to think I've accomplished this a few times over the course of many books.  Pat Conroy, however, does it all the time, which is why he's Pat Conroy and the rest of us are not.

His books are thick and sometimes a little sudsy, very Southern, full of asides and stories within stories.  I'm currently reading an advance copy of South of Broad, which comes out in mid-September from Doubleday.  On page 154, I found this sentence, which begs to be shared--but not out loud:

Recently, my mother threw a drink in my face while we were arguing the place of colons in an English sentence: Mother thought of them as elegant pauses and an artful way to let a sentence breathe; I thought of them as ostentatious.

I'm convinced he sat chuckling over the keyboard as he composed it.  It would be lost in a third-person narrative, but since the words and composition are those of the first-person narrator, it's a small gem.

Metal Crypt

If you missed the radio interview I did about Zombie Cop (and ranging over many other topics), it's up on YouTube now, with visuals added. 

One more time

Okay, so I said the ComicZone signing would be my last appearance of 2008, but I lied.  Or was mistaken.  Fact is, I didn't know about the Cochise County Author Event until a few days ago, but have agreed to attend that.

It's at the Turquoise Valley Golf Course in Bisbee, AZ, on Sunday, Dec. 7, from noon until 3 pm. If you happen to be in the Bisbee area, please drop in.

In the news...

...and, for a change, no mention of Barack Obama.  Instead, it's a report on a speech I gave yesterday at Buena High School in Sierra Vista, AZ.  Have a look.

Men of Mystery

I was supposed to spend tomorrow at an event called Men of Mystery in Irvine, CA, which I would be attending as a guest author.  Unfortunately, I'm too sick to fly, much less be witty and charming.  If there's anyone at the event looking for me, that's why.  The much more witty and charming Maryelizabeth will be there (Mysterious Galaxy is always the bookseller for the event, and she'll be standing in for me.  My books will still be available, and I signed a bunch in October at the store so they might even be signed copies.

I deeply regret missing the event, and look forward to being healthy in time for next weekend's TusCon!

Tour, leg 2

Tonight the second leg of my tour kicks off, although from here it's more focused on River Runs Red than the Obama comic. 

I'm staying close to home tonight, appearing at the Public Library in Douglas, AZ from 5:30-6:30 (and yes, that overlaps with the debate--I guess I'll be recording it to watch after I get home).

Tomorrow we fly to southern CA.  After a family day on Friday, on Saturday evening I'm one of the author guests at the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association's annual Author's Feast, along with such luminaries as Joseph Wambaugh, Robert Crais, Jan Burke, Stewart O'Nan, and many more.

Sunday at 2 pm I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy for a horror event that also includes Nancy Holder, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Lisa Morton, Batton Lash, Leslie Klinger, Del Howison, Amy Wallace, Scott Bradley, and John Skipp.

After that, it's back home for almost an entire week!

Home from tour--leg 1

I'm home, worn out, from the first leg of the great River Runs Red/Presidential Materials: Barack Obama tour.  The Obama part of the tour is essentially over, except that there might be an appearance added later in the month.  From now on the main focus is on River Runs Red, though.

The tour was a whirlwind affair, almost literally.  Tuesday morning I left home at 6:30 am to drive to Phoenix, for a noon flight to Dallas and then to NYC.  Because of time changes, I landed in NY after 10 pm, so couldn't do much except watch some of the debate I had missed during the evening and go to bed.  The next day there were two NY signings,  I got to have breakfast with my agent and dinner with an editor, and in between those was running from event to event.  Some friends came to the events, which was good, and there was lots of spirited and good natured political discussion.  Obama supporters outnumbered McCain supporters at every event, which is probably partially attributable to the average age of people who are likely to embrace the concept of a comic book biography in the first place, and partly to the fact that most of the events were in the deep blue states of NY and CA.  The only red-state event, yesterday in Arizona, didn't include Andy Helfer, the McCain writer, so mostly Obama people showed up.  But the exchanges between supporters and each other, and with us, were always respectful and polite (which can't be said, unfortunately, for attendees at some political rallies).  Some people wouldn't buy books about the candidate they didn't support, but most people bought both (the flip-book was a big hit in most stores), and no one who had a flip-book didn't have both of us sign it.

The morning after the NY event, (after a quick but yummy Dean & DeLuca breakfast) we went to the airport and flew to L.A., and the L.A. signing was that evening.  Fortunately, there were no air travel delays at that point--that came later.  The next morning was downright leisurely,  I walked from my hotel down to Hollywood Boulevard, had some breakfast, wandered up the road for a ways, communed with the star of Guy (Zorro) Williams, was surprised to note that Woody Woodpecker has his own star, some distance away from Walter Lantz's (but Jay Ward and June Foray's are next to each other), and noted that the Captain America standing outside Mann's Chinese Theater wears a cape, which is just wrong.  I went back to the hotel, worked for a while, took a break for coffee with Andy and our editor Scott Dunbier, then had lunch with a friend.  After lunch we reunited and fought Friday afternoon L.A. traffic down to Orange County for the last CA signing, at which we were joined by cover artist J. Scott Campbell.

Immediately after the signing, I was dropped off at John Wayne Airport for the quick flight to Phoenix.  Which turned out to be not so quick when Southwest Airlines cancelled the flight.  In its place, they sent us to Las Vegas and then to Phoenix, which is definitely the long way.  I didn't get into my hotel room until after 1 am.  Somewhat later that morning, after the sun came up, I had another comic store signing.  After that I stopped in very briefly at the Arizona State Fair, then hurried over to Scottsdale for a bookstore signing at which I only signed one copy of the Obama comic, and otherwise just signed books--a welcome change of pace by that point.

Following that signing, I stopped in briefly at a gallery opening of photographs by my neighbor, brilliant photographer Jay Dusard--one of the finest chroniclers of the American West and the modern cowboy anywhere. I didn't stay long, because the 4+ hour drive home--longer because I'd have to stop for dinner--beckoned.

So that was my week.  I owe the greatest appreciation to my hosts at Forbidden Planet, Jim Hanley's Universe, Golden Apple, Comics Unlimited, Samurai Comics and Poisoned Pen Bookstore, great thanks to all my old friends who turned out and new ones I made, and a joyful shout-out to Andy Helfer, as pleasant a traveling companion as one can hope for.  It's good to be home, but the trip was made truly pleasurable by all of you.

There was lots of press coverage while I was on the road--here are a couple of the most interesting pieces, from the L.A. Times and the L.A. Weekly.

And finally, here are Andy and me with Barack OSpidey.

More press

There's a podcast interview I did last week up at Comixology.com.  The host and I talked for about a half hour, mostly about Presidential Material: Barack Obama, but also about my background in the business, River Runs Red, Spider-Man: Requiem, Zombie Cop, and more.  I think it went well, but then, I haven't heard it and probably won't, because friends don't let friends on dial-up download podcasts...