Thanks to the A CRIMINAL Blog, I recently stumbled across this podcast series that is devoted to the crime comics of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or simply stream it via Podbean here.
As 2016 continues to claim the lives of entertainers and other public figures, I’m going to take a moment to give shout-outs to the notable entertainers and public figures of the year of 2016. Obviously this list is highly subjective of my personal perspective. I’ll start first with the socio-political, then move on to sports and the arts. Person of the Year – Van Jones Mr. Jones, the man who stole my look (haha), has been the sane, rational and peace-promoting voice amid the tumultuous political storm of this election year. He’s open to debate, to listening to the other side and establishing the kind of dialogue that can lead to understanding, enlightenment and hopefully empathy. I posted a video here over the summer that showed him taking time out to answer some pro-GOP’ers question on the streets when they tried (unsucessfully to goad him into a contentious debate. He didn’t fall for it, and he managed to surprise and educate his interviewees and all the onlookers. He’s a classy guy with a big heart (was also good …
I haven’t been able to embrace this approach in well over a decade, much to my chagrin and detriment. Since they first became intent on literary matrimony, I’ve not been able to divorce the writer in me from the editor in me. It’s time for an abrupt separation. #Relax #CutLoose #BeFree
First and foremost, 2016 was pretty much the year of the Reaper, since it claimed so many lives of notable public figures (especially musicians) and the lives of the innocent (such as those in Aleppo) that a hearty and proper FUCK YOU, 2016 is very much in order. Now, with that out of the way . . . A moment of silence for all of those we lost in 2016. Books – Notable Reads of 2016 Some of these are re-reads. My reading focus kind of took on a crime spree for a large part of the year. I owe a large part of my noir voice and style to both Elmore Leonard and John Ridley, thanks to the specific novels in this list. Comics Series/Graphic Novels – Notable Reads of 2016 A couple of these are a few years old that I finally got around to. In 2016 my comics buying habits got rather ridiculous and my yet-to-read stack hovered around 100 issues all year long. I still predominantly avoid superhero comics from DC and especially Marvel, …
A few notable X-Mas gifts I received this year. Drink coasters, presumably for my office/study/man cave! I have three desks in my house so I’ve got at least one on each. This hefty, heavy coffee table tome documents the making-of, while also commemorating the 30th anniversary of Master of Puppets, one of the most influential musical masterpieces by Metallica, which is one of the most influential and favorite bands of mine. Over 250 pages of rare photos, exclusively-written content and great testimonies of the legendary tour. Naturally also serves as a memento of late bassist Cliff Burton as this was his last recording. One of the best reviewed and most successful videogames of the year. I’m a crime fiction fiend, so it should be great fun. My plan is to dive into it on New Year’s Day. I absolutely must get my remaining kids at home, ages 16.11 and 11.9, into the greatness of Star Wars. They’re highly resistant to things, despite my pass success rate of exposing them to things they like. As great as …
Transmitting the last Ruckin’ of the old year. When you really think about it, aren’t we all just a work in progress? We’re never a finished project, that is unless we’re dead. We’re never truly done with our work, because the next work awaits. Even if we’re fortunate enough to gracefully–willfully–retire, what awaits us is the work of getting on and keeping on at actually living, or if the case may be, barely surviving. It’s all work, and if we’re breathing air, it’s work in progress. Head Trip As you might imagine by that intro, I’ve been wandering around inside my head the past week and a half, given my unexpected newfound free time at home. Considering the way my head works it could be argued it’s too much time–time that could lead to mental rampancy because I could literally overthink myself into oblivion (they say that’s kind of a Libra thang). I think the subconscious question echoing in the back of my headspace has been WHY AM I HERE AND WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING? Aside from being a …
Happy and proud to announce that my author buddy Kristen Twardowski has released her debut novel WHEN WE GO MISSING today! Congrats KT!!! Amazon link: When We Go Missing – by Kristen Twardowski Today is the day that I can officially say that I published a book. When We Go Missing, my debut novel, is live and available for purchase in print and e-book form on Amazon. (The e-book version is also in Kindle Unlimited, so if you are a member, you can grab it for free!) When We Go Missing is […] via Book Release Day: “When We Go Missing” — Kristen Twardowski
Originally posted on Kristen Lamb's Blog:
Today, Alex Limberg is with us again, and he is talking about one of the most important and tricky issues in writing: Endurance. It doesn’t matter how well we write, how pretty the prose or witty the dialogue. WE MUST FINISH. No half-finished brilliant manuscript ever became a runaway best-seller but a lot of finished “meh” ones have. Alex has some very effective tactics and practical examples to help you out. Just look at his list and pick out the ones that work for you. And if you want to see how good your story really is or what it might be missing, definitely check out his free checklist of “44 Key Questions” to make your story awesome. Post starts in 3… 2… 1… 0: *** Have you ever written an entire novel? If so, then you know that it takes a lot of stamina. I’m not just talking about the really long ones, the brick-like ones you could kill a chicken with. Sometimes it seems like a…
Pretty much immediately after the Election was “won” by a conman, the interest rates went to hell in the industry I worked in, which was mortgage. When that happens things inevitably get tricky for financial institutions, especially for mortgage companies that have most of their business tied up in refinances rather than purchases. A couple of days after the Election, we received the warning in a mass email of coming hard times. I started noticing a flurry of management meetings and furtive glances around the office by members of the management team. And then, just this past week, a more ominous warning via a mass email came down portending that the next 180 days were going to be severely rocky. In other words, cue the cut backs on staff. The rest, as they say is history, meaning my employment. And now I have unexpected free time on my hands due to this unintended vacation. Surely that means there’s more time to read and write, right? Ha! No. That’s more time to stress over the process of finding …
