Books

January: A Month in Words

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A few days late, but here it is. A more comprehensive list of what I read last month, with links to everything available online. You’ll notice the majority come from Daily Science Fiction. That’s not likely to change, but I do hope to add more sources for flash and short stories going forward.

500 Ways to Be a Better Writer by Chuck Wendig
Life After Death by Damien Echols
Twelve Days of Fast Fiction by Lee “Budgie” Barnett
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“Babycakes” by Neil Gaiman
“Unwanted” by Holly Jennings
“Fool’s Gold” by Melissa Mead
“Casting Call” by Alexandra Grunberg
“Downsizing Pluto” by Shane Halbach
“The Wyrd for Water is Water” by Marie Croke
“What to Expect When You’re Expecting an Alien Parasite” by Rebecca Adams Wright
“Little Red Robin Hood” by Melissa Mead
“Draconic Motivation” by Donald S. Crankshaw
“The Exterminator” by Erik B. Scott
“Experience” by Ephiny Gale
“Three Kisses: Defenders of the Crystal Casket” by Henry Szabranski
“Three Kisses: The Mirror of Reason” by Henry Szabranski
“Three Kisses: A Royal Breakfast” by Henry Szabranski

I Have a Problem

What I’m currently reading. Not pictured: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente, The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Black Ships by Jo Graham, Make Your Own Damn Movie by Lloyd Kaufman, The Grief Frequency by Kealan Patrick Burke, Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace, Orwell and the Refugees by Andrea Chalupa, and The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft. Some of these I’ve been reading on and off for years.

I’ve always been a juggler, but this is getting ridiculous.

It’s my party and I’ll wear what I want to.

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Image courtesy the Associated Press

• Jaw-dropping art carved from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and medical journals.
• Fantastic shadow art of severed heads composed from, suitably, taxidermy and trash.
• The 100 best opening lines according to Stylist.co.uk. Looks like they forgot one –

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

• Little libraries! If only I were a carpenter (and lived somewhere else, where something like this would take off).
• Michael Chabon discusses the bias against science-fiction. Love him!
• If you’re of the geek or nerd persuasion and haven’t subscribed to the Nerdist channel on YouTube, you should. Is it weird that the show I’m most looking forward to is Rob Zombie’s?
• Wil Wheaton’s list of things every person should have.
• And I know you’ve seen it by now, but … an excerpt from Wesley Crusher, Teenage Fuck Machine.
• Francesca Lia Block is in a battle with Bank of America over her home. You can stay updated at Save Francesca’s Faerie Cottage. I really hope things work out; we’re facing the same situation and it’s enough to drive anyone mad.
• Steampunk Thing! How cool would it be to have one of these attached (and working, of course)?
• Here’s why Cinderella III: A Twist in Time is the best Disney sequel. I’m still cackling.
• Mark your calendars: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (4/24), another tale in the Dark Tower saga, and Railsea by China Miéville (5/15), a salvagepunk retelling of Moby Dick.

I now have two favorite commercials …

Oh, youth.

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High school sucked. I hated, hated it to the point of missing weeks at a time because of panic attacks. I started writing poetry to cope. Bad, sad poetry. I still like some of it, actually, and reading it back was such a kick that I decided to string some of it together as an ebook. This really wasn’t anything more than an excuse to learn something new (I thought formatting would be a breeze, but it took more than an hour and three uploads until I was happy with it) but if you or someone you know enjoys this kind of thing, you can download it for the e-reader of your choice here. Bonus: It’s free.

Ten years ago, Mekenzie Larsen was an awkward freshman struggling to make friends. Writing was not only an escape but a way to vent. Here is a short collection of poems written between 2001-2002 that best showcases the author’s feelings during that first year of high school as well as her budding love for angst, the color red, and mermaids.

Of Angels and Angles

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Allergies have really been kicking my ass, so I haven’t gotten around to writing that New Orleans post (I know, I know), but I did manage to update my portfolio and get a little reading done. Which brings me to the reason for this post: Pre-order The Tower of the Forgotten, the final book in the Penemue trilogy by Sara M. Harvey, before August 15th for just $10, and grab the other two while you’re there. Here, take another 35% off your order. You’re welcome.

Now, who has a good remedy for Skeeter Syndrome? *scratch scratch slap*

Your face is as a book, where men may read strange matters.

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• New Orleans! I spent two days there with my dad last month. Hit up the French Quarter, fell in love, then overheated and almost passed out at Jazz Fest. Big crowds and pot haze don’t agree with me. But the next morning I felt much better and now I’m dying to go back. A more detailed post about our trip is forthcoming.
• Hawk Cam. Really, who isn’t watching this?
• The Single Most Ridiculous Movie Premise Ever Made via Cracked.
• The Book of Mormon soundtrack gets more amazing the more I listen to it.
• For fans of Sailor Moon, particularly the horrid English dub, the abridged series is a riot.
• I’m the proud owner of a shiny new Kindle. I can never part with my beloved books but this really is the next best thing. E-book recs, anyone?
• Go the F**k to Sleep, a bedtime story for exhausted parents. I’m tempted to buy a copy.
• The Shakespearean Insulter is fast becoming my go-to source for random exclamations of disgust and disapproval.
• Interested in self-publishing? You should check out this blog by Lindsay Buroker.
• Requires Only That You Hate – specfic geekrage!
• Looking for something new to read? Try What Should I Read Next? and BookLamp. A shame the latter seems stuck in beta.
• 10 things we want to see in the Dark Tower adaptation. With one exception (leave the ending as is), I disagree with everything on this list.
• MYTHPUNK! It’s exactly what it sounds like. Here, have a few more links.
• Read this: The Rumpelstiltskin Retellings: A Series of Poetic Blogs by Keyan Bowes, Choose Your Own Adventure by Kat Howard, The King of Cats, the Queen of Wolves by Mike Allen, Nicole Kornher-Stace, and Sonya Taaffe, & Fox Fire and Gold Coins (Disney smut with Flynn Rider and human!Robin Hood? Count me in!).
• Etsy finds: Corina Dross (beautiful “protective playing cards”), Dame Darcy, Latherati Soup Foundry (scents based on books), BellaLili.


“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
– The Gunslinger, Stephen King

Never give up and good luck will find you.

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Eyelashes Akimbo

• Gala Darling poses in Hopeless Lingerie despite hotel screw-ups, blown circuits, and nerves. And the results are breathtaking!
• Design a cover for Borowski’s This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen and win $1,000. (Venus febriculosa)
• Check out these galleries of Lolita and The Name of the Rose covers for inspiration.
• Fantasy Magazine reviews The Neverending Story. I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought it stood the test of time. I’ll take skilled puppetry over CGI any day.
• BOOKSHELF PORN!

To: AFA Action Alert
From: PZB

Thank you for alerting me to Home Depot’s admirable policies and respect for other people. I’ll be sure to shop there more often than I already do, and I spent $500 there last week. I’ll also post this information on my blog, which has several thousand readers. You’ve just gained Home Depot a great deal of business.

Very sincerely yours,

P.Z. Brite

• Read what prompted the e-mail above, Sometimes You Love Your Spam Box, and consider making a purchase at your local Home Depot.
• I want my own fairy tale cottage.
• Aromaleigh is closing its doors so everything’s 35% off. I’m sad to see them go. I recently started playing with mineral makeup again and their Glissade formula in 1CL was a perfect match. I’m thinking of sampling some Meow Cosmetics. Has anyone had any luck there?
• BPAL has announced that they are releasing a line inspired by The Last Unicorn. Then I found this thread discussing hypothetical scents for Labyrinth and Legend. Can I say right here that I would buy a bottle of every fragrance from both? A girl can dream.
• And this week’s Etsy finds: The Starshine Company (mineral makeup and perfume oils), Tea For All Reasons, and Sea Unicorn (lockets and jewelry).


“All that is body is as coursing waters,
all that is of the soul as dreams and vapors.”   – Marcus Aurelius

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