Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in International Bon Vivant and Raconteur's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
10:39 am	The Advent Book Blog "Books on the Radio" host Sean Cranbury and "Book Madam" Julie Wilson came up with a cute idea: an Advent Book Blog for the month of December. They asked a number of authors, myself included, to select a favorite book published in 2009 and write a short, 25-word review. Like an advent calendar, each day sees another mini-review posted to the blog. It was a tough decision for me. There were a ton of great books published this year, all of which I loved, but in the end I chose Paul Tremblay's The Little Sleep because it was such a fantastic debut novel. That Tremblay kid, he's going places! You know, looking at the other reviews on the site, it occurs to me that I'm one of the few authors who took the 25-word rule seriously! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
2:10 pm	Merry Effing Christmas Al Jourgensen of the industrial band Ministry has recorded a new Christmas song called "It's Always Christmas Time." Yes, you read that right. Al Jourgensen--Buck Satan--of Ministry. The funny thing is, the song's not bad. It's even kind of cheery. You can check it out here and even see a (possibly unintentionally) hilarious video for it--though it's probably not work safe with all the f-bombs he drops in the intro. Everyday is Halloween? No, apparently now everyday is Christmas! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
11:12 pm	The Trivia King is Shamed Ninth place. Argh. Only two members of Team Totally Tits showed up (make your own joke), so we were at a disadvantage from the start. I don't even want to talk about it, except to say that in the audio round, where a full 100 points was at stake, my knowledge of 1970s pop songs (title, artist and year of release required) failed me. Teammate Mike was born in the 1980s (I know!), so I was kind of on my own. In the end, I decided every artist I couldn't recognize was Peter Frampton, even the female vocalists, and every song I didn't know was called "The Peter Frampton Song" or "I Love Peter Frampton." Here's hoping we do better when we return on January 11th. P.S. According to one of the questions I got wrong in a different round, there is apparently a breakfast cereal called Quisp. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting too old to play trivia, because I've never even heard of Quisp! (12 Comments |Comment on this)
9:56 am	Word Puzzles My friend Morgan Doninger has been running a fun word puzzle website since May called Puzzling New York City. I'm not so great at word puzzles unless they're crosswords, and even then I'm really only at TV Guide level, not New York Times level. But Morgan gives his puzzles an extra bit of coolness by focusing them on New York City and current events (with the occasional sports and comic book references thrown in, because that's how Morgan rolls). If you like word puzzles, you might want to give his site a gander. (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
10:13 am	It's Sad But True If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my nick_kaufmann. Which song was this lyric from? Get your own lyrics: (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 11th, 2009
3:31 pm	The Golem Wishes You a Happy Hanukkah! Hanukkah is all about celebrating. Look how happy they are in the picture, they can't stop hugging! (23 Comments |Comment on this)
10:29 am	DEAD AIR: Nothing New Under the Sun My December horror column for the Internet Review of Science Fiction, "Nothing New Under the Sun," is now live at the site. This month I take a look at Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the publishing feeding frenzy in the wake of its success. Just as they did with the Da Vinci Code knockoffs [earlier this decade], publishers everywhere are now scrambling to hop on the monster mashup bandwagon. In August, Sourcebooks published Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, a supernatural sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Quirk Books itself published Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters in September. October saw Ulysses Press publish Vampire Darcy's Desire by Regina Jeffers, which apparently differentiates itself from Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by being a prequel/retelling of Pride and Prejudice rather than a sequel. In June of next year, Del Rey will publish Little Women and Werewolves by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand. And in August, Kensington will publish Wuthering Bites by Sarah Gray, in which Heathcliff is, you guessed it, a vampire. If you're currently shaking your head and muttering, "Enough already," you're not alone. But you're also likely to go unheard by the industry. Also in this issue, Rachel Manija Brown has what I think is an excellent analysis of Miyazaki's latest animated film, Ponyo. (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
2:30 pm	R.I.P. Kirkus Reviews Publishers Weekly, The New York Times and bunch of other news outlets are reporting that the venerable old trade magazine Kirkus Reviews is dead. Founded in 1933, Kirkus Reviews became one of the big four trade magazines that publishers absolutely had to send advance review copies of their books if they wanted those books to get any kind of market attention, along with Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Library Journal (or School Library Journal for kids' books). Kirkus Reviews was notorious for two things. One, it was purportedly read by every Hollywood exec--or more likely their underlings--looking for literary properties to option for film (at its height, I'm told Kirkus was used for this purpose even more than PW was). And two, their reviewers were impossible to please. I mean, impossible. If your book got a good review from Kirkus, that really meant something because they pretty much hated everything. I railed against Kirkus years ago when they launched their Kirkus Discoveries program, which charged "independently published" authors money in exchange for "unbiased" reviews in a completely separate book review service from their esteemed magazine (i.e., online). That program remained active until now, and if there's anything good to come out of this sad news, it's that Kirkus Discoveries will die along with the magazine. I can't help feeling a pang of nostalgic regret at this news, though. The publishing world keeps changing, and not always for the better, but that's the way of the world. It may only be a matter of time before the other big trades follow suit, and then...well, let's just say it'll be a brave new world. (15 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
11:47 am	EW's 10 Best TV Shows of the Decade Over at EW.com, Entertainment Weekly is doing their "best of the decade" shtik, covering the best entertainers, movies, music, books, etc., of 1999-2009. Of course, me being the TV Nerd, I immediately went to see what their picks for the ten best TV shows were. Here is EW's list, with my own commentary thrown in: 10. The Comeback (2005) I was never a huge fan of this Lisa Kudrow comedy on HBO, but I did enjoy it on a social-satire level, the way it poked fun at the idea of celebrity and reality TV shows. Kudrow showed a great deal of chops, though, proving definitively that she's capable of much more than flighty Phoebe on Friends. 9. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) Never saw it. 8. The Shield (2002-2008) I didn't watched this one either, but it's been recommended to me by just about everyone I know. Maybe someday, when I have the time, I'll sit down for a Shield marathon. 7. The Office (UK version, 2001-2003) Absolutely brilliant television. Ricky Gervais is a genius (I also liked his short-lived HBO series Extras). However, I've said it before and I'll say it again: the US version of The Office has surpassed the UK original in my estimation. Half of this is because it's had time to grow and form its own identity independent of the seed Gervais planted. And half of this is entirely due to Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute, a sitcom character so brilliantly conceived and portrayed that I believe he belongs in the annals of history alongside Kramer, Mork and Archie Bunker. 6. The Wire (2002-2008) I'm actually tempted to move The Wire all the way up to the #1 slot. It was that powerful, that well written and acted, and that iconic. There had never been anything quite like it before, and I doubt we'll ever see anything quite like it again. 5. Arrested Development (2003-2006) The best comedy of the decade, in my opinion. Maybe even the best comedy ever shown on television, not to mention being the series we can thank for introducing Michael Cera to the world. I'm only sorry it didn't catch on until after it was canceled and became a DVD phenom. I still can't hear the opening notes of Europe's "The Final Countdown" without thinking of Will Arnett's Gob. 4. American Idol (2002-present) Never watched it, it's just not my thing, but even I can't deny how immensely popular and influential this show is. 3. The Daily Show (1996-present) Absolutely! I never miss The Daily Show, even if it means I have to DVR it. Though, to be fair, I didn't actually start watching it until Jon Stewart took over for Craig Kilborn in 1999. 2. Lost (2004-present) There was a time when I would have scoffed at the inclusion of Lost on any best-of list--oh, around the time of seasons two and three, let's say--but now? Now I freaking love this show again, even more than I did when I first saw season one. I can't wait for this winter's final season! 1. The Sopranos (1999-2007) Oh my goodness, yes. One of the best dramas ever produced, in my opinion, and another series I never missed when it aired. Full of rich, complex characterization and emotional depth, this was hardly the TV version of Analyze This that so many, myself included, initially feared it would be. Instead, it gave us a whole new iconography, a veritable new cultural mythology. When you said Tony Soprano, everyone knew who you were talking about. Even the people who didn't watch the show. EW's list isn't a bad one, actually (I fully expected it to be chock full of reality show nonsense). As it turns out, I regularly watched and enjoyed seven out of the ten shows they highlighted, and that's not a bad ratio. Still, there are a few omissions I would add to my own list, shows I'm surprised EW glossed over. Deadwood, Six Feet Under and Dexter spring to mind immediately. I would throw 30 Rock on there too, since I consider it the best TV comedy since Arrested Development, and the new Doctor Who, of course, but you knew I was going to say that. What about you? Any TV shows you would add to the list? (36 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 7th, 2009
2:22 pm	Author Solutions Strikes Back, Claims It's Doing It All For YOU In response to the recent hubbub, a press release written and distributed by Author Solutions, Inc., the folks who teamed up with Harlequin to create vanity publishing outfit DellArte Press (née Harlequin Horizons), was released today, and it includes all the usual "we're your only friend against the tyranny of Big Publishing" language you would expect it to. Bloomington, Ind. (PRWEB) December 7, 2009 -- Kevin Weiss, president and CEO of Author Solutions, the world leader in indie book publishing, issued a video statement Monday addressing the importance of providing expanded choice and opportunity in the book publishing industry. As you can see from the very first paragraph of the press release, they're trying to stack the deck with emotionally loaded words like "choice" and "opportunity." Sorry, but paying a company upward of tens of thousands of dollars to "publish" and "distribute" your ostensibly commercial romance novel--not to mention paying them for the honor of sharing your royalty earnings with them as well--is not an "opportunity." An opportunity is something you take advantage of when you see that it can lead to a successful outcome for yourself. A scam is something designed to prey on your dreams and insecurities, and to part you from your money by making impossible promises of wealth and success. Guess which one this is? During the three-and-a-half-minute statement Weiss addresses concerns that the rise of self-publishing, including ASI's groundbreaking partnerships with leading traditional publishers, signals the destruction of the industry. Rather than the end of an industry, Weiss views these new alliances as signs the industry is adapting to new realities. First of all, none of the statements I've seen from various writers organizations has called this the destruction of the industry. In fact, all they've called it is an unethical conflict of interest on Harlequin's part. Some, like myself, have gone so far as to blatantly call it a scam--a clear attempt by Torstar, Harlequin's parent corporation, to make money off the backs of authors by monetizing Harlequin's slush pile--but most have taken a more even-toned approach and simply highlighted the conflict of interest involved. Second of all, "new realities"? No. There's nothing new about the vanity press scam. It's been around since the dawn of publishing, and it'll probably never fade away. Especially now with POD technology and the zillion "self-publishing" companies to be found online. (And just for the record, this is not actual self-publishing. Self-publishing is truly DIY, from design to printing to distribution, and you get to keep 100% of the profits. Using a company like DellArte and others is actually vanity publishing, because you're paying them and they're still taking part of the profits.) "The publishing industry has been around for many, many years, and it will continue to be around for many years into the future, but what it looks like will be different," Weiss said. "And that's the thing that's difficult for people today. Change is hard. You can either be impacted by change or you can embrace change." Again, this is baloney. The future of publishing will not be author-subsidized, no matter how hard the vanity press honchos stomp their feet and bellow otherwise. The future of publishing may be direct sales from author to reader, but that's not the same as what Weiss is talking about here. Because that would cut out publishers altogether, whether they're traditional or vanity presses, and Weiss certainly doesn't want to see that happen. Weiss also addresses protests lodged by writer's guilds in response to last month's announcement of a publishing partnership with women's fiction publisher Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Weiss takes exception to these guilds' position that only traditionally-published books can succeed. Hmmmm, I can think of roughly three originally self-published books (and truly self-published, not published through a corporate pay service) that went on to become national bestsellers that got picked up by major presses. There are probably more than three. Still, there are hundreds of thousands of books published by traditional presses that also went on to become national bestsellers. You do the math. Does this mean they're automatically better than the self-published books? No. It just means readers could find the damn things in bookstores, which is half the battle to becoming a bestseller. Vanity and self-published titles rarely if ever appear on bookstore shelves. Most of them are sold from online catalogues that nobody visits except to buy the book they specifically went there for. Trust me, ain't nobody browsing a vanity press' online catalogue looking for a book that looks like it might pass the time nicely on a daylong outing to Rockaway Beach. And that's why your chance for success really is better with a traditional publisher. "There are plenty of books in traditional publishing today that just don't make it; it's a hits business," Weiss said. "It's why the publishing industry is going through a transformation today and the consumer has everything to say about what is good content and what isn't good content. To say that in order for a book to make it in the marketplace it has to blessed by a traditional publisher doesn't make any sense in 2009." Here, Weiss is spot on, but not for the reasons he thinks he is. Plenty of traditionally published books are garbage and do have poor sales numbers, usually because the publisher was just trying to fill an available genre/marketing slot regardless of how embarrassingly written the book was, or because the audience for a celebrity or politician's memoir was overestimated. It happens. A lot, actually. And if publishing doesn't find a way to correct course, they'll just keep blowing millions on advances for the next flavor-of-the-month's "book" (How To Be Famous by Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, anyone?) and then complaining that they're in the red and nobody is reading anymore. But the answer isn't to ask authors to pay them to be published. You don't see ABC asking the cast of Lost to pay them to be on the show from now on because "we're putting you on TV," do you? Asking authors to pay to be published is the same principle. Authors aren't publishers' clients. We're their business partners. We share the risk of our joint ventures. We do not assume all the risk ourselves. To view Weiss's full statement, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT6ynw614G0. For more information on how Author Solutions and indie book publishing are increasing the number of opportunities and choices for authors, readers and publishers, log on to authorsolutions.com. More egregious use of emotionally loaded words. They really know what they're doing, these Author Solutions people. In fact, they know it so well that they accidentally let it slip in the paragraph below (italics mine): About Author Solutions, Inc. Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI), an Inc. 5000 company, is owned by Bertram Capital and is the world leader in indie book publishing--the fastest-growing segment of publishing. ASI's self-publishing brands--AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, iUniverse, Trafford, Xlibris, and Wordclay--have helped more than 85,000 authors self-publish, promote, and bring to market more than 120,000 new titles. Through strategic alliances with leading trade publishers, ASI is making it possible for publishers to monetize unpublished manuscripts, develop new literary talent efficiently, and provide emerging authors a platform for bringing their books to market. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, ASI also operates offices in Indianapolis and Milton Keynes, England. Visit authorsolutions.com, or call 1-888-519-5121 x5238 for more information. Whoops! Looks like they accidentally tipped their hands! Oh well, better luck next time, Author Solutions. Maybe you can get a copyeditor to pay you for the honor of proofing your press releases from now on. (16 Comments |Comment on this)
10:39 am	23 Hours Author David Wellington made his name with his zombie trilogy, in particular his first novel, Monster Island, but now his series about Pennsylvania-based vampire hunter Laura Caxton has extended one book longer than his zombie series with the addition of a fourth volume, 23 Hours. At the end of the third volume, Vampire Zero, Laura Caxton was arrested for using excessive force against a material witness. At the start of 23 Hours, Laura, knowing she did the wrong thing and pleading guilty at her trial, is incarcerated at the Marcy State Correctional Institution, where she's hoping to serve out her sentence in relative peace, despite the animosity of her fellow prisoners toward her for being an ex-cop. Unfortunately, Justinia Malvern, the last vampire in existence and the Big Bad that Laura has been chasing throughout the series, has other plans for her. Malvern infiltrates the prison and assumes control of the facility, taking Laura's girlfriend Clara hostage. When Laura escapes with the help of her speed-freak cellmate Gert, Malvern gives Laura twenty-three hours to turn herself over in return for Clara's life. While not quite as good as Vampire Zero, which in my opinion remains the best of the series so far, 23 Hours is a tight, self-contained adventure that reads like a speeding freight train while also giving you quite a bit of insight into what life is like in a maximum security prison. Wellington always does a great deal of research for his novels, an approach that adds convincing depth to the details, especially when it comes to the stifling rules of prison life and how it does a much better job of grinding you down with humiliation than actually trying to rehabilitate you. Wellington also does a great job showing how the bigotry and preconceptions of Laura's boss Deputy Marshal Fetlock, who thinks Laura must be having a grand old time in women's prison because she's a lesbian, is so far from the truth as to be laughable. A welcome touch in a book whose setting is one we've seen used for exploitation purposes far too often. As a writer, Wellington is usually more concerned with plot and action than emotional depth, resulting in novels that are more like blockbuster action movies than finely honed character dramas. That's okay for his chosen subject matter, but at times it does leave the reader feeling a little distanced from his characters, especially Laura. Because she's so singleminded in her quest to save the world from vampires, it would make sense that her emotions tend to point in a single direction, namely getting the job done and trying not to get herself or anyone else killed along the way, but if there's one drawback it's that it's hard for the reader to feel the love between her and Clara, and in this installment it's important that we do. If you're a fan of the series, 23 Hours is a fine addition to Laura Caxton's adventures, and a quick, enjoyable read. If you're new to the series, though, I'd definitely recommend starting with the first novel, 13 Bullets. 23 Hours works as a stand-alone pretty well, but you'll enjoy it a lot more if you've already taken a ride with Laura through her previous adventures. (Disclaimer: David Wellington is a close friend. However, I do try to remain objective in my reviews of work by friends because I consider honest reviews extremely important. After all, readers' hard-earned and not so expendable money is at stake.) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
11:58 pm	Kaufmann Around the Web Apparently, my words were all over the Web this weekend while I remained blissfully unaware, out doing some bowling and holiday shopping. My blog entry on the MWA's announcement that it has delisted Harlequin over the DellArte Press situation was picked up by Lee Goldberg's "A Writer's Life" blog, which in turn was picked up by another blog called Omni Writers & Artists. I presume this is the blog equivalent of retweeting. Also, my not-so-favorable review of AMC's reimagining of The Prisoner was picked up by a cool The Prisoner fansite called "I Am Not a Number." I am drunk with power! And bowling! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 4th, 2009
4:28 pm	New Blurb for CHASING THE DRAGON I just received another blurb for Chasing the Dragon from an author whose work I admire so much. Check it: "Chasing the Dragon moves like a bullet. As blood-soaked and thunderous as a Sergio Leone western, and grimly referential to classic pulp horror, Kaufmann turns the screws and steadily escalates the tension. A gory, thoroughly rollicking thriller--not to be missed." -- Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories and Occultation For those of you who ordered the sold-out limited edition hardcover, copies should be shipping soon. And of course, for those of you on tighter budgets, Chasing the Dragon will be available as a trade paperback in March 2010 at your local bookstore (provided said bookstore is in Canada, the U.S. or the U.K.; anywhere else and I'm afraid you'll have to purchase online). If it's not on the shelf, I'm sure they'll be happy to order it for you. Chasing the Dragon will also be released as an ebook for those of you who enjoy reading on your Amazon Kindle, iPhone Stanza, Sony eReader, Barnes & Noble Nook, or leftover Rocket eBook Reader from 1999! (Comment on this)
3:36 pm	The Plot Thickens The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) has stepped up as the first to put its money where its mouth is over the Harlequin Horizons/DellArte Press debacle with the following announcement. It's interesting to note that MWA's actions, quite appropriately, offer protection from consequence to Harlequin authors who signed contracts before this nonsense began. MWA Delists Harlequin The Board of Mystery Writers of America voted unanimously on Wednesday to remove Harlequin and all of its imprints from our list of Approved Publishers, effective immediately. We did not take this action lightly. We did it because Harlequin remains in violation of our rules regarding the relationship between a traditional publisher and its various for-pay services. What does this mean for current and future MWA members? Any author who signs with Harlequin or any of its imprints from this date onward may not use their Harlequin books as the basis for active status membership nor will such books be eligible for Edgar® Award consideration. However books published by Harlequin under contracts signed before December 2, 2009 may still be the basis for Active Status membership and will still be eligible for Edgar® Award consideration. Although Harlequin no longer offers its eHarlequin Critique Service and has changed the name of its pay-to-publish service, Harlequin still remains in violation of MWA rules regarding the relationship between a traditional publisher and its various for-pay services. MWA does not object to Harlequin operating a pay-to-publish program or other for-pay services. The problem is HOW those pay-to-publish programs and other for-pay services are integrated into Harlequin’s traditional publishing business. MWA’s rules for publishers state: "The publisher, within the past five years, may not have charged a fee to consider, read, submit, or comment on manuscripts; nor may the publisher, or any of the executives or editors under its employ, have offered authors self-publishing services, literary representation, paid editorial services, or paid promotional services. If the publisher is affiliated with an entity that provides self-publishing, for-pay editorial services, or for-pay promotional services, the entities must be wholly separate and isolated from the publishing entity. They must not share employees, manuscripts, or authors or interact in any way. For example, the publishing entity must not refer authors to any of the for-pay entities nor give preferential treatment to manuscripts submitted that were edited, published, or promoted by the for-pay entity. To avoid misleading authors, mentions and/or advertisements for the for-pay entities shall not be included with information on manuscript submission to the publishing company. Advertising by the publisher’s for-pay editorial, self-publishing or promotional services, whether affiliated with the publisher or not, must include a disclaimer that it is advertising and that use of those services offered by an affiliate of the publisher will not affect consideration of manuscripts submitted for publication." Harlequin’s Publisher and CEO Donna Hayes responded to our November 9 letter, and a follow up that we sent on November 30. In her response, which we have posted on the MWA website, Ms. Hayes states that Harlequin intends as standard practice to steer the authors that it rejects from its traditional publishing imprints to DellArte and its other affiliated, for-pay services. In addition, Harlequin mentions on the DellArte site that editors from its traditional publishing imprints will be monitoring DellArte titles for possible acquisition. It is this sort of integration that violates MWA rules. MWA has a long-standing regard for the Harlequin publishing house and hopes that our continuing conversations will result in a change in their policies and the reinstatement of the Harlequin imprints to our approved list of publishers. Frankie Y. Bailey, Executive Vice President, MWA It's a ballsy move, taking the delisting of Harlequin from threat to reality, and I applaud MWA for it. However, it remains to be seen whether Harlequin cares as much about MWA's actions as it does about what the Romance Writers of America (RWA) will do. If RWA follows in MWA's footsteps and delists Harlequin too, that may swing a much heavier hammer. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that Harlequin hasn't shut the whole thing down already. But then again, it's not the higher-ups, the ones who actually made this boneheaded decision, who have to field the calls and emails from angry Harlequin authors--it's the editors, the ones who had nothing to do with it. Corporate remains blissfully out of touch with the reality on the ground, while the people who don't even like this program have to take the bullets. If that doesn't end soon, corporate may have a full-fledged mutiny on its hands. (28 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
1:21 pm	As Professor Farnsworth Says, "Good News, Everyone!" ChiZine Publications and Diamond Book Distributors Join Forces FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHIZINE PUBLICATIONS SIGN WITH DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR U.S./U.K. DISTRIBUTION TORONTO, Ontario (November 29, 2009) – Building on its deal with the Literary Press Group and LitDistCo, ChiZine Publications (CZP) has signed a deal with Diamond Book Distributors to have its books placed in U.S. and U.K. bookstores. One of the U.S.'s leading distributors, Diamond distributes to booksellers like Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, WaldenBooks, and Borders. It represents a number of book and comic publishers, including Borderlands Press, Night Shade Books, Prime Books, Subterranean Press, and Random House UK. "It's another step forward, but a bigger risk," says CZP Co-Publisher Brett Alexander Savory. "Getting books on the shelves means getting those books printed. If they don't sell, we eat that cost. But our experiment with the Literary Press Group worked. Some of our books sold out. So if we're going to grow, we need to be in major markets like the U.S. and U.K." The announcement comes on the heels of a lengthy article about ChiZine Publications that appeared in The National Post's Afterword literary blog. In the article, Brett, fellow Co-Publisher Sandra Kasturi, and authors David Nickle (Monstrous Affections) and Robert J. Wiersema (The World More Full of Weeping) discuss the origins of CZP and the challenges of being a "genre" publisher at a time when "genre" fiction is assumed to not be "literary" fiction. Brett says the plan is for CZP titles to be in U.S. and U.K. bookstores by early 2010. Contact Brett Alexander Savory, Co-Publisher ChiZine Publications http://chizinepub.com brett@chizinepub.com About ChiZine Publications ChiZine Publications (CZP) is an independent publisher of weird, subtle, surreal and disturbing dark fiction. It is the book-length, print version outgrowth of ChiZine (http://www.chizine.com), an online professional market in operation since 1997 focused on the same type of story material. All of CZP’s publications are hand-picked by co-Publishers and Bram Stoker Award-winners Brett Alexander Savory and Sandra Kasturi. Erik Mohr serves as cover artist and graphic designer, with publicity by Matthew Moore. About Diamond Book Distributors Diamond Book Distributors is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., and is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture collectibles available to the mainstream book market. For more information, visit Diamond Books on the web at http://www.diamondbookdistributors.com. ----- What this means is that when Chasing the Dragon is released in paperback in March 2010, it will be available in bookstores throughout Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Hooray! (12 Comments |Comment on this)
10:28 am	I Have No Work, and I Must Eat Irascible, litigious SF author Harlan Ellison, who wrote one of the most beloved Star Trek episodes of all time, has let it be known he's eager to work with Trek rebooter J.J. Abrams on the upcoming sequel film. Writing on his Web bulletin board, Ellison was effusive in his praise of Abrams (not so much Trek creator Gene Roddenberry) and made plain his availability to provide services. I think Harlan Ellison is one of the greatest living writers in the world, but boy does he need to stop living in the past and get back to doing what he always did best--writing something new that's way ahead of its time. The next Trek movie ain't that, especially if he's serious when he says, "I would likely try to steer [Abrams] toward the original film idea I was asked to pitch, by the late Gene Roddenberry." Oy yoy yoy. Move on, Mr. Ellison, move on. (Also, please don't sue me for saying that.) In other news, I didn't know you could just make plain your availability to provide services to whomever, so I would like to let it be known that I'm eager to work with Random House on any number of projects. In fact, I would likely try to steer them toward some original ideas I'm working on. Call me. I'm available. (As always, the reader comments at the bottom of the news story are the usual brand of kooky wrongness, mixed with snotty attitude and a nearly Aspergeresque attention to minutia at the expense of any humor or, really, social skills. God, I love Internet comments!) (17 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
6:23 pm	Thanks, Secret Santa! Back on Friday, I received a mysterious Amazon gift certificate by email. I say it's mysterious because 1) there was no name in the "from" field, it just said "from: Amazon," 2) it was for a very odd amount: $26.34, and 3) the "message" field said "Payment by gift certificate." I have no memory of what I might be getting paid for by Amazon. I doubt it's from my Amazon Associates program. I haven't used that in nearly a decade, and when I did use it, it was such a complete failure that it couldn't have generate even twenty-six dollars' worth of income. Or maybe that's what it is and I've simply forgotten, but I prefer to think of it as a mystery. A mystery that netted me a free DVD of Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin, with commentary by Tom Baker! Thank you, mysterious Amazon gift certificate! And the vengeful ghost of Mary Whitehouse thanks you too! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
1:45 pm	Sex Isn't Supposed to Make You Laugh... ...and yet nothing makes us laugh until we cry like poorly rendered sex scenes. Literary fiction certainly has no ownership over egregiously written scenes of lustful coupling, but for some reason it often supplies us with the most hilarious examples of the awkward piling-on of metaphors and similes that can bring any otherwise sizzling hot scene to its knees...and not in a good way. When the abundance of metaphors and similes fly so amazingly out of control that the sex scene in question is barely recognizable as sex, transforming instead into some kind of dadaist word-salad masterpiece, the result is The Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award. This year's winner, Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones, actually manages to equate female genitalia with "a motionless Cyclops whose single eye never blinks." Also, "a Gorgon's head." It makes you wonder if Littell watched a bunch of Ray Harryhausen fantasy movies before writing this scene! Alas, it only gets worse from there. (13 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 30th, 2009
11:45 am	The Prisoner (With Spoilers) This weekend I finally watched AMC's revisionist miniseries of The Prisoner, and it was such a mess I don't even know where to start. I suppose we should start with Number 6. Or as we eventually learn his name to be, Michael. I'm already bored just writing that, but the miniseries' treatment of 6 is even more boring than his real name. As portrayed by James Caveziel, 6 does precious little throughout the six-hour miniseries except angst out, do some slow-motion noooooooos, and throw handfuls of sand around. He is the least compelling hero I can imagine. As I see it, the problem stems from changing 6 from a secret agent to an information analyst at one of those shady security corporations that always seem to be up to no good in these things (and with unlimited amounts of money, apparently, to fund that no-goodness!). The issue here is that by not making 6 a secret agent, he no longer has the training to beat Number 2 at his own game, which is where the original Prisoner succeeded. Instead, we get a whiny schlub who's confused and angry a lot, and whose nemesis, Number 2, has nefarious plans for him that include...making him fall in love and go to therapy. But of course, 6 outwits him. He doesn't want to go to therapy, and so he doesn't. How's that for spellbinding action? Number 6's resignation from said corporation is fetishized to the point of absurdity--he spraypaints the word "resign" on the glass wall of his office; is that how people are doing it nowadays?--and then turns out to be completely unimportant to the plot. No one cares why he resigned. They barely care that he resigned at all. In fact, 2's reasons for bringing 6 to the Village, and making sure he's kept safe from harm, are less than fully realized. His plan for 6 at the very end of the miniseries hardly seems the same as what he had planned for 6 at the start, whatever that was. Therapy, I guess. And a wedding. Look out! Ian McKellen does a fine job of rising above the material as Number 2 because he's a good actor with tremendous presence. James Caveziel has no presence, at least in this project, and without a strong 6 to oppose 2, it becomes 2's show. And as awesome as Ian McKellen is, The Prisoner can't succeed if it's 2's show, because then we have no one to root for. 2's son? He's a whiny emo hipster with annoying Fallout Boy hair. 2's wife? She's asleep most of the time. Jane Eyre 6's doctor love interest? She's not a well developed enough character to care about, especially since she apparently falls in love with 6 off-camera. The viewer is never treated to any scenes of the chemistry between them, and so her sacrifices in the name of love never ring true. Like the rest of The Prisoner, fan-favorite Rover has been turned into a mess too. Rover now has no single purpose other than what the story needs at any particular time. Rover as guard that prevents escape? Sure. Rover as transport back to the Village if you get too far? Yup. Rover as killer beach ball? Okay, I guess. Rover as something that can zap people with bright lights and make them disappear? Uh... Rover as something that can zap people with bright lights and make them vaguely remember who they are? Whaaa? The script can't seem to figure Rover out because, as with the resignation, they have fetishized it beyond comprehension. Thus, when 2 tries to convince 6 that 6 conjured Rover himself through the power of his own fear, it makes even less sense than it sounds like because Rover is undefined in any meaningful way. As for the secret of the Village itself, all I can say is ugh. It's an interesting idea, but it belongs in a completely different story. In fact, all the miniseries' interesting ideas--and there are a few, like revealing the flashbacks not to be flashbacks at all but rather simultaneous action, and the concept of the holes that form around the Village whenever Mrs. 2 (or Number 1, I suppose) wakes up from her medically induced disco nap--belong in a different, better story. But by making the Village essentially imaginary--a different plane of consciousness, a different dimension, Mrs. 2's dream, however you want to explain this nonsense--while the real versions of everyone go about their daily lives "outside," there's absolutely nothing at stake. When 2 shoves a grenade in his mouth at the end and his head explodes, we learn that if you die in the Village absolutely nothing happens to you in the outside world. So where's the threat? Everyone who died in the preceding five hours of the miniseries is apparently fine. 6 could have died and still been fine. Which reminds me, the whole idea of calling people by numbers instead of names in this version rings false. Patrick McGoohan's original Prisoner was a counterculture, antiauthoritarian story, and the numbers had thematic resonance--6's resignation stemmed from wanting to be an individual again rather than a cog in a corrupt machine, and to reduce him to a number was a slap in the face. Here, it's just another fetishized idea left over from the source material. And like everything else in the miniseries, nothing comes of it. Similarly, when it's revealed in the original that Number 6 is also Number 1, it was McGoohan's way of saying your destiny is in your own hands. The whole series can be interpreted as a therapeutic exploration of one man's psyche. After all, we eventually come to realize that the Village was specifically created for 6; there were no other prisoners. Here, when 6 takes over as Number 2--and as head of the shady security firm--it's an empty gesture. Worse, it's essentially a failure. 6 has basically lost. He's turned into the very thing he was fighting, and the viewer is left with a profoundly unsatisfying ending. I'm just scratching the surface of all the wrongness here. The TV Nerd says skip AMC's The Prisoner like your life depends on it. In fact, I'm trying very hard to forget I ever saw it myself. (23 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
12:15 pm	Harlequin Horizons Changes Name, Remains Stupid Idea In the wake of widespread criticism over its self-publishing imprint, Harlequin has changed the imprint’s name from Harlequin Horizons to DellArte Press. As Harlequin publisher and CEO Donna Hayes said it would, the company renamed the imprint to a designation “that [does] not refer to Harlequin in any way.” There is no mention of Harlequin on DellArte’s Web site. No word yet on whether this will bring Harlequin back into the good graces of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). As you may remember, RWA hit back pretty hard when Harlequin announced it was partnering with Author Solutions to get into the vanity publishing racket. There has also been no word yet on the resolution of Harlequin/DellArte's two other enormous and egregious issues . Will Harlequin continue to use their rejection letters to shuttle authors to the vanity program they co-own, and will Harlequin continue to claim, hilariously, that DellArte authors have a chance to become actual Harlequin authors with traditional contracts and publishing deals if they sell enough copies, despite the fact that DellArte books will clearly not be carried in bookstores? Stay tuned. I have a feeling this shitshow isn't over yet. In the meantime, a blogger going by the name of Falconesse has provided an excellent financial breakdown of exactly why choosing vanity presses like DellArte, and others like it, to publish ostensibly commercial novels is a terrible idea that will only break your heart and empty your bank account. (Money shot: "[The] author would need to sell TEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR BOOKS before she could even start making any money.") (5 Comments |Comment on this)