Monthly Archives: February 2013

Feb 16

Book Review: “Fish” edited by Carrie Cuinn and K.V. Taylor

After reading Cthulhurotica, the first editorial work by Carrie Cuinn I had encountered, I knew I had found an editor I’d follow into any and every project she would involve herself in. Why? It’s fairly simple. Cuinn doesn’t edit, but rather throws herself with such abandon in her vision as to how her anthologies ought to look, feel and be, the finished product has its own gravitational pull and it won’t let go until you’ve read the last page.

In my Goodread mini-comment, I describe Fish as effortless, dream-like, diverse and exquisite, which certainly holds true as I consider the anthology to be a revelation, because it’s just fish. No restrictions upon genre, no neatly defined prompt to cater to specific tastes. It’s just you and the stories and the fish. Simple and yet so risky. As you read Fish, you step further into a dark and undisturbed ocean where you see reflected light dance across scales and experience ink-black beauty with sharp teeth.

As genius as the anthology is, it’s a tough cookie to review, specifically because the stories have no unifier to hold them together as they dart in different direction not unlike a school of fish, which breaks formation to avoid an attack. I can go ahead and write quasi-deep comparisons to ocean life, but I when I review anthologies I want to mention at least two thirds of the stories. My approach will be to explore the themes in the anthology, so here goes.

It comes as no surprise to see the theme of transformation in anthology dedicated to an animal as the opener story by Polenth Blake (“Thwarting the Fiends”) testifies. A small child goes on a mission to explore the tall grass and finds a floating fish that leads him on an adventure. What seems an innocent adventure grows into a bizarre tale of transformation with an ending that has me thinking the pond with talking fish might have claimed more children than one. Continue reading »

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Feb 15

Authors Talk Shop: Carrie Cuinn on The Balancing Act of the Writer Carrie Cuinn

“In real life, the gators would eat you up!” Rope Walk Artist by Heinrich Kley circa 1910-1920

Circus performers don’t know how to walk a tightrope the first time they step onto the line. It takes years of trial and error, stepping clumsily onto wooden beams, and then taught ropes a foot off the ground, before graduating to a practice line hung over safety nets which they only traverse while wearing a harness. It’s a difficult thing to do, this balancing act, and everyone falls down the first several times they try.

Managing a career as a writer with anything else in your life is just as difficult. Have a day job? You have to go to that, you have to make money to pay your bills, but at the same time, that’s hours out of your day that you can’t write. Maybe you have a child you care for, instead of working, or as well as working outside of the home, and his needs take up your time. Sleeping, eating, reading, watching television, traveling to and from work or anywhere else, socializing, having sex … all of these things, as good and valuable as they are, taking time away from writing. Once you lose that time, you’re never getting it back, right? Continue reading »

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Feb 14

My Prediction for the Best Animated Short

Oscar-nominated Paperman

Today, I have planned for my review of FISH edited by Carrie Cuinn and K.V. Taylor to come online, but you can’t really predict when the RSI will hit you at its worst. Today has been an exceptionally bad day and although I’ve been deep into commenting on the anthology, my fingers aren’t up to snuff, so tune in on Saturday, when I’ll post my review. Instead, I’ll make due with a quick post on the nominees for this year’s Best Animated Short at the Oscars. I’m a big fan of animation and I’ve been following each year’s nominees. This year is no different.*

“Fresh Guacamole” by PES - Guacamole has never been this fresh and artificial at the same time. Wonderful claymation, which speaks volumes, because I generally detest the experience. It’s what horror movies should be made from. The gist of it is that every time one of the objects substituting classic guacamole ingredients get cut, they experience an identity crisis and morph into something else entirely. It’s weird, offers a metaphor-loaded message, but is ultimately too short to remain memorable.

“Head Over Heels” by Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly - This entry is stop motion animation and has to do with a couple, which has become so estranged that they are pulled away from each other to the point where their home houses two gravitational forces. The man lives on the floor and the woman on the ceiling. What happens when they chose to not be indifferent to each other? I found it a beautifully told story of reunion, but again, not quite there to get the Oscar.

“Adam and Dog” by Minkyu Lee - I think this will be the big competition along with “Paperman” for the Oscar. The animation pleasantly reminds something Studio Ghibli would produce insofar the setting goes, which adds a new feel to the Biblical nature of the story, namely the friendship between Adam and a dog pre- and post-Eden. The reason why I’m uncertain about Lee’s creation winning has to be Adam’s genitalia. Can we deal with the first man’s penis winning an Oscar (even though it’s fairly vague, more like a contour rather than a detailed rendition)? Is it artsy enough or crossing a line? I am rooting for it though.

“Paperman” by John Kars - Black and white. Crisp lines. Dynamic animation. A fantastic element. A serendipitous love story and authentic 50s - 60s vintage atmosphere, which has made such a huge comeback thanks to Mad Men and American Horror Story along with Pan Am and The Bunny (both shows cancelled). The animation fits stylistically with last year’s winner “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” by Moonbot Studios - William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. It has gold written all over it.

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Small note: I haven’t been able to watch The Longest Daycare (go figure!), so I won’t actually be commenting on it, but I think the people at the Academy will think anything pertaining to the Simpsons to be lowbrow for an Oscar.

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Feb 13

Authors Talk Shop: Anne Lyle on Making Time to Write

“You better make time, author child, cause you don’t have a fairy god mother to make it for you!” - The work of art has been done by John Kenn.

It’s a little known fact amongst casual readers, but the majority of published authors hold down a day-job, or are stay-at-home parents, or have some other responsibility in their life that takes a big chunk of time away from writing. This is particularly tough in a market where an author is often expected to put out at least one novel a year, regardless of how much time they have to work on it. I fit into both these categories - there’s been a roughly 8-10 month gap between the scheduled releases of the three parts of my trilogy - so of course people often ask me, “How do you find time to write?”.

The short answer is “I make time”. When I’m hard at work on a draft, any non-vital activity is liable to fall by the wayside. This includes reading, watching TV, tidying my study, hoovering the carpets - anything that won’t cause major disruption if I don’t do it right now. That’s not to say that I watch no TV whatsoever, but I limit myself to one or two favourite shows a week and catch up on everything else later (if at all). Like everyone I need a bit of downtime, otherwise I burn out. Continue reading »

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Feb 12

Thoughts: Sexuality and Gender in “The Alchemist of Souls” by Anne Lyle

I made Anne Lyle’s acquaintance at EasterCon in 2011 and thought her a fun, brilliant lady with an interesting concept for her debut novel, which at the time neared its publication date. Though I had The Alchemist of Souls on my radar for quite some time, I only had the chance to read my copy this January. Boy, am I sour for the delay, because the book takes you on a risky adventure, where everyone has his own agenda. Here’s the official blurb in case you want to know about the plot, because I, sure as hell, won’t talk about the story.

“When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods—and a skrayling ambassador—to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital? Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is seconded to the ambassador’s bodyguard, but assassination attempts are the least of his problems. What he learns about the skraylings and their unholy powers could cost England her new ally—and Mal his soul.” Continue reading »

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Feb 11

Week 7: The Harry Plug-In

This Remington will let you type the greatest anything in the world, you just need to feed it pain, blood and the meat from your finger tips.

Chaos.

Chaos everywhere.

Blocks of Verdana text explode everywhere. I run for cover, but nothing can save from the keys. They hunt you by the silence when you hold your fingers really still. They come for you and they force you to type, type, type, until your joints burn and the pain cream sizzles on your skin, just a useless salve.

That’s what day-job has been for the past few weeks, while I hear from my orthopedist on what’s the situation with my fingers. I imagine I’ll need another sick leave, but I can’t say for certain the outcome will be. What I know is that I’ll suffer for my writing until I graduate from university. A thing I want to try is acupuncture and find alternative solutions to alleviate the pain. Otherwise, earning money will prove to be a lot more challenging than I’d want it to be, considering I write for a living.

Project-wise, I have engaged with a revision of “The Girl with One Eye”, one of the short stories to marinate. The rough draft has its strong moments, but I have quite the work ahead of me. Then there are the projects that have currently entered the Thunderdome, though I’m not quite sure of the outcome.

One of the projects I want to undertake is “Body of Lightning and Thunder”, which is the type of epic science fantasy weird story I have the desire to read, but haven’t found. Also, the remnants of the first novel I ever wrote has come to me, because I have big plans for that character and the potential to have a kick-ass fucked-up urban fantasy lesbian is tempting. Then there’s multiple world jumping project that has been inspired by my sister I wouldn’t mind getting into.

On the other hand, I have been preparing things for the blog, at a much slower pace, granted, but I have a jam-packed week for you readers.

Tuesday – Review of “The Alchemist of Souls” by Anne Lyle
Wednesday – Guest post by Anne Lyle herself
Thursday – Review of “Fish” edited by Carrie Cuinn and K.V. Taylor
Friday – Guest post by Carrie Cuinn
Saturday – I talk about art
Sunday – writing buddy Theresa Bazelli (talented lady) will discuss her relationship with music

That’s this week’s update. Come by next week. Hopefully, I will have an update set up.

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Feb 4

January Accomplishments

Not entirely relevant to the post, but pretty. Enjoy!

As I need to take charge over what I produce in the coming year, I have decided to track myself in action. It’s true; I set up a surveillance post in front of my house, where I sat in my mother’s green Citroen and waited for me to make a move. Copious amounts of coffee, three and a half seasons of Buffy and a trip to the doctor later, I’ve discovered a crucial lead about my activity for the past month: January has decided to spearhead the future of cloning.

Why do I say this? Well, let’s just say that a clone ranked pretty high on my wish list should I get the chance to speak to a fairy godmother (all the boys and girls have them, right?). Anyway, here is what I have done!

-Reading-

I’ve read marginally more than I did at any given time in 2012, which is an overall improvement and in accordance to my master plan to not feel depressed about how little I generally read. This month I managed the following wonderful works.

* “Hero” by Perry Moore – not to be reviewed until I get around the feelings I have for it, because I’m completely torn.
* “Psychiatric Tales: Eleven Graphic Stories About Mental Illness” by Darryl Cunningham
* “The Velvet Rage” by Alan Downs
* “Six Gun Snow White” by Catherinne Valente – soon to be reviewed
* “The Alchemist of Souls” by Anne Lyle – soon to be reviewed

-Wrote-

* Completed one university paper finished at 10,000 words.
* Finished and edited two university papers with work on both reaching 5,000 words.
* The short story “The Woman and the Jar of Words”, which has been sent to my editor for the awesome anthology “Fox and the Fae”.
* Round 20,000 words on day job-related projects as I’m a paid content writer, so that much has to be mentioned.

In-between I studied for exams and got on a TV series rampage that certainly kept me all rather sane.

I admit that this is a good start, yet, I can’t say that I will be pleased until I complete the work of at least three people at the same time.

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