A Little Writing News

Couple more short stories have made safe landings at magazines. "The Dream Curator," which some of you might have seen me read at KGB a while back, will appear in Postscripts sometime next year, and "Dragon's Teeth," involving some of the same characters from "Wizard's Six," is coming from F&SF. This is the first time I've ever written a second story using the same characters. It felt strange, but I'd been thinking about this one for a long time, and ran out of reasons not to do it. Now I've got two more in mind, at the end of which there might be something like a long novella or short novel. Seems odd to think of it.

Also I just finished drafting a chapter on urban fantasy for Modern Literary Fantasy, a Cambridge UP book edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn. Not sure when it's coming out, but I hadn't written a scholarly piece in a long time, and once I shook the rust off it felt good. I might just do it again. In fact, I started thinking about expanding the article into a book, which would let me talk about a whole lot of books that I couldn't get to in a 5000-word article.

So Long, Freep

The Detroit Free Press, at 177 one of the venerable urban newspapers in the US, is ending weekday home delivery and curtailing the content of its print edition. Their particular method is interesting in that it doesn't involve a massacre in the newsroom, unlike those that have occurred at other papers. So perhaps we're seeing a realization on the part of the newspaper industry that actual journalism doesn't have to be sacrificed in the name of cost control. But what does? I'm going to miss daily newspapers. I still have the front page from the day the Tigers won the '84 World Series, and from the Red Wings' 1997 Stanley Cup win.

The Periodic Table of Awesoments

From Dapperstache. What does one say? Awesome.

Happy 80th, PKD

In this blog named for a quote of Phil Dick's, I would be remiss in not noting what would have been his 80th birthday. In honor of the occasion, Total Dick-Head did a two-hour radio tribute that is more than worth a listen. You can also find the BBC Arena documentary on PKD courtesy of YouTube, and everyone should check out R. Crumb's take on the (in)famous VALIS experience of 2-3/74.

What would an 80-year-old Phil Dick have been like?

Couple of Supernatural Tidbits

Word from Harper is that the monster book is going into its fifth printing. And last week I got an ARC of John's Journal, which looks very cool. Too bad it's not coming out in time for Christmas, but it'll be a treat in February.

Terminal Degree

If you're one of those people who think there are too many MFAs in the world, this Craigslist posting is going to make your day.

Nothing Says Christmas...

...like the Vertigo Encyclopedia, of course!

So saith USA Today, the Newark Star-Ledger, the Toronto Globe & Mail, and Mania.com. How can you resist?

Me and the Phoenix, Together Again

Starting in January, I'll be contributing pieces on books and comics (and the creators thereof) to the Portland Phoenix. If you are one of the aforementioned creators--especially if you live in Maine or have any connection at all to our heavily forested state--get in touch with me: alexirvine at alexanderirvine dot net. Pass the word around, eh?

Say It Isn't So!

No more Polaroid film?

Save Polaroid!

This Is Probably What I Should Call It

I'm writing an Iron Man novel. It's supposed to come out next fall, I think. I had a title all figured out, but then I noticed this Amazon listing, in which the book is called Iron Man Original Novel #1. Suddenly I am smitten with the possibilities inherent in that being the title.

The Day in Artistic Plagiarism

"Emily the Strange is a rip off of a 1978 book character." So saith BoingBoing, picking up on a story at You Thought We Wouldn't Notice. You be the judge:



In the land of (one hopes) non-plagiarized creativity, the NYT has chosen its ten best books of the year.

Now I'm No Economist, But...

$8 trillion in bailout commitments, divided by 155 million tax returns filed this year, equals approximately $51,600 for each and every individual or family taxpayer in this country. Think that stimulus would do more than giving banks money because they realized that all of their fake money was fake? Seriously.

Also I want to know if anyone in Congress gave the bankers a hard time about their transportation arrangements, the way auto chiefs are taking heat for flying out to DC last time. Somehow I doubt it. I also doubt whether the bankers' travel arrangements were any less extravagant.

Go Wings

On pace for 123 points, and they've got this guy on their side. What must the Black Hawks be thinking?



(image from the AP)