Kyle Michel Sullivan's Blog: https://www.myirishnovel.com/, page 152
May 21, 2018
I may never be allowed into some people's homes, again...
I found this series of photos reversing the roles of Han and Leia from Star Wars and I just about died.
I find this photo amazingly erotic -- and I'm not into girls, at all. But her in control like Han, and him her toy...it's like a moment from my script, Carli's Kills, come to life...
This guy is Dove Meir, an actor who's about 40. FORTY! Damn, I didn't look this good when I was 20.
This is with another guy, whose name I don't know...but apparently this is now a meme or theme or something. I may go looking to see what happens with Luke...but I don't think it will be anywhere near as entertaining as this...
I do hear that Lando Calrisian might be pansexual in the new Han Solo movie. I seriously doubt it will be as much fun as full-scale gender swapping...
I wonder how Star Warriors feel about it?
I find this photo amazingly erotic -- and I'm not into girls, at all. But her in control like Han, and him her toy...it's like a moment from my script, Carli's Kills, come to life...
This guy is Dove Meir, an actor who's about 40. FORTY! Damn, I didn't look this good when I was 20.
This is with another guy, whose name I don't know...but apparently this is now a meme or theme or something. I may go looking to see what happens with Luke...but I don't think it will be anywhere near as entertaining as this...I do hear that Lando Calrisian might be pansexual in the new Han Solo movie. I seriously doubt it will be as much fun as full-scale gender swapping...
I wonder how Star Warriors feel about it?
May 20, 2018
Slow motion...
I'm going through RIHC6 to check the quotation marks; seems when you do an em-dash to end dialogue, the quotation mark flips the wrong way. I hadn't noticed that when I first set this book up, so I'm sure it's happened all through HTRASG and PM and BC...but I did figure it out with OT, LD and A65 so corrected them. It's just a painstaking process.
I'm also shifting anything I'd put quotes around, to emphasize names or thoughts, into italics. I like how it looks and it gets the same idea across but in a cleaner, simpler way. There's a lot of them...but this is the last step in the reformatting of the book. Once it's done, I'll upload the PDF and go through the nonsense of Ingram complaining because it's got color embeded even though it doesn't.
I've been able to keep it at the same page count, which means no changes needed for the cover unless I want to...and I'm halfway thinking of removing the log-line at the top of it. I really like the starkness of it. The mystery. The danger. The words at the top distract from that. It also says a lot about the story, really, without the verbiage, and it's only a composite of 3 images I got from Shutterstock. One of my favorite covers.
I like the covers for Porno Manifesto and The Vanishing of Owen Taylor, too. Those came together nicely. The covers for HTRASG and BC are just too busy, to me, now, and while I like LD's cover, it's good, but not perfect. A65, however, is in a category unto itself. I'm glad I took the time to find it because it works great, but my head still hurts from all the pounding against the wall I did over it.
For PS...if I can't license the image I want for it, I don't know what I'll do, instead.
I'll cross that bridge when the book is done.
I'm also shifting anything I'd put quotes around, to emphasize names or thoughts, into italics. I like how it looks and it gets the same idea across but in a cleaner, simpler way. There's a lot of them...but this is the last step in the reformatting of the book. Once it's done, I'll upload the PDF and go through the nonsense of Ingram complaining because it's got color embeded even though it doesn't.
I've been able to keep it at the same page count, which means no changes needed for the cover unless I want to...and I'm halfway thinking of removing the log-line at the top of it. I really like the starkness of it. The mystery. The danger. The words at the top distract from that. It also says a lot about the story, really, without the verbiage, and it's only a composite of 3 images I got from Shutterstock. One of my favorite covers.I like the covers for Porno Manifesto and The Vanishing of Owen Taylor, too. Those came together nicely. The covers for HTRASG and BC are just too busy, to me, now, and while I like LD's cover, it's good, but not perfect. A65, however, is in a category unto itself. I'm glad I took the time to find it because it works great, but my head still hurts from all the pounding against the wall I did over it.
For PS...if I can't license the image I want for it, I don't know what I'll do, instead.
I'll cross that bridge when the book is done.
May 19, 2018
Rape In Holding Cell 6
I went through my docx copy of this story and reformatted it, corrected grammatical mistakes I stupidly decided made sense, and made it look more like a professional book than a self-published vanity novel. While doing so, I reread it...and I'm damned proud of it. I call it one of my adult novels because it has some very intense sexual moments in it, but it also has a protagonist who's borderline insane, driven there first by grief and then by fear for the safety of a man he loves.
I hadn't realized just how nuts Antony is in this...but he's dangerous. He believes in a scorched earth policy when dealing with those who threaten him, and has since he was a child. Yet he also loves his Jake so deeply and completely, he'd die for him. The problems that explode are when his emotions take over from his brain, without him realizing it, and he makes mistakes that nearly destroy him. He's not a hero or even an anti-hero; he's a psychotic fuck who also has some major redeeming qualities to him.
I decided to update the formatting because this book is the real lead-in to The Vanishing of Owen Taylor, and I want them to be consistent with each other. Margins. Contents page. Block justified instead of left justified...something that really made the book seem amateurish. And I can update it at no cost on Lightning Spark till the end of the month, so I'd be a fool not to take advantage of this.
It's sold okay -- not on the scale of How To Rape A Straight Guy, but that one's title is so provocative I halfway think people read it just to see if it lives up to itself. So far, no one's said otherwise and, in fact, I've gotten some pretty nice feedback on it...mostly of the shocked sort from people who never thought they could care about a man who commits a brutal rape. When I get those comments, I preen like a peacock.
I think I'll reformat Bobby Carapisi, next. It's another book people are shocked by...and horrified by...and the truth is, I was way too heavy with it. I'm not rewriting it; just using it to remind myself I prefer Tolstoy's humanity to Dostoyevsky's wallowing in the brutality of life...and need to keep that in mind when writing. As I've said before, Shakespeare put comedy even into his tragedies because he knew the audience needs the respite.
Still in the process of learning that...
I hadn't realized just how nuts Antony is in this...but he's dangerous. He believes in a scorched earth policy when dealing with those who threaten him, and has since he was a child. Yet he also loves his Jake so deeply and completely, he'd die for him. The problems that explode are when his emotions take over from his brain, without him realizing it, and he makes mistakes that nearly destroy him. He's not a hero or even an anti-hero; he's a psychotic fuck who also has some major redeeming qualities to him.
I decided to update the formatting because this book is the real lead-in to The Vanishing of Owen Taylor, and I want them to be consistent with each other. Margins. Contents page. Block justified instead of left justified...something that really made the book seem amateurish. And I can update it at no cost on Lightning Spark till the end of the month, so I'd be a fool not to take advantage of this.
It's sold okay -- not on the scale of How To Rape A Straight Guy, but that one's title is so provocative I halfway think people read it just to see if it lives up to itself. So far, no one's said otherwise and, in fact, I've gotten some pretty nice feedback on it...mostly of the shocked sort from people who never thought they could care about a man who commits a brutal rape. When I get those comments, I preen like a peacock.
I think I'll reformat Bobby Carapisi, next. It's another book people are shocked by...and horrified by...and the truth is, I was way too heavy with it. I'm not rewriting it; just using it to remind myself I prefer Tolstoy's humanity to Dostoyevsky's wallowing in the brutality of life...and need to keep that in mind when writing. As I've said before, Shakespeare put comedy even into his tragedies because he knew the audience needs the respite.
Still in the process of learning that...
May 18, 2018
Okay...scene submitted...
I sent my 6-page scene from The Alice '65 to ABC Discovers and expect nothing back, but it was free and maybe it'll get someone to read the book. You never know. I got some interesting feedback to use on it, so I think it works...and it made Adam happy. Now I can return my focus to Place of Safety and begin the step outline for the Houston section of the book.
Brendan's pushing me to take it as far as I can...so I am. I'll try and take it even darker and yet funnier, if possible, using some of my own experiences living in San Antonio during the 70s...and those of some of my friends. People I know. Not everything has to be from your own life...as this book is proving to me.
I'm going to try a slightly different manner of writing the book. As I go through and work up the first draft, I'm also going to shift over to other books I want to write, in an attempt to keep from becoming too caught up in how massive the thing is. I've sort of tried this before without much success...but I want to do it, again, just to see what happens.
I've got Underground Guy to finish, which is really just a fun piece of gay erotica cloaked in a serial killer mystery and focused on a bastard who's forced to see what damage he's doing to people. Not sure if he'll change...but no demands, either way.
I've got Carli's Kills, which would be a fun piece to do for women, with Zeke being objectified by Carli in a way men objectify women. Make it as erotic as possible without much in the way of language or crudity. Just to see how explicit I could be without a single cock or dick or pussy mentioned it...maybe no foul language, at all. It would be a simple book to shift over from script format, I think. We'll see.
I could do the same with Blood Angel, though that would be more intense. Sex connected to murderous horror, with Gabrielle and Dmitry covering both versions of it -- gay and straight. Maybe I'll change the battle over Tristan to one where each is trying to bring him to their side, drop this The One shit, since that's really pretty hackneyed.
Or...I could go the opposite extreme and make The Cowboy King of Texas into another rom-com like A65. Counter-programming with something light and farcical. It's a thought.
It just all shows me how much I have left to do...
Brendan's pushing me to take it as far as I can...so I am. I'll try and take it even darker and yet funnier, if possible, using some of my own experiences living in San Antonio during the 70s...and those of some of my friends. People I know. Not everything has to be from your own life...as this book is proving to me.
I'm going to try a slightly different manner of writing the book. As I go through and work up the first draft, I'm also going to shift over to other books I want to write, in an attempt to keep from becoming too caught up in how massive the thing is. I've sort of tried this before without much success...but I want to do it, again, just to see what happens.
I've got Underground Guy to finish, which is really just a fun piece of gay erotica cloaked in a serial killer mystery and focused on a bastard who's forced to see what damage he's doing to people. Not sure if he'll change...but no demands, either way.
I've got Carli's Kills, which would be a fun piece to do for women, with Zeke being objectified by Carli in a way men objectify women. Make it as erotic as possible without much in the way of language or crudity. Just to see how explicit I could be without a single cock or dick or pussy mentioned it...maybe no foul language, at all. It would be a simple book to shift over from script format, I think. We'll see.
I could do the same with Blood Angel, though that would be more intense. Sex connected to murderous horror, with Gabrielle and Dmitry covering both versions of it -- gay and straight. Maybe I'll change the battle over Tristan to one where each is trying to bring him to their side, drop this The One shit, since that's really pretty hackneyed.
Or...I could go the opposite extreme and make The Cowboy King of Texas into another rom-com like A65. Counter-programming with something light and farcical. It's a thought.
It just all shows me how much I have left to do...
May 17, 2018
Catching up is hard to do...
Today I spent preparing applications for UK export licenses for some American book dealers going to the London Book Fair. It took hours and hours, and I couldn't even do all of them because I ran out of blank application forms. We have a package of them in our London storage, but don't do me no good here. So my colleagues will have to do the remainder of them...by hand, in London. Not fun.
Just to let you know, because of a lot of cultural fraud and manipulation by various groups in past years, the EU worked up a system by which books, for example, that are over 100 years of age and valued at more than $55,000 have to get an official okay to be shipped out of the region. Each country, has its own little specifications and some can be very difficult. The UK is relatively the easiest of them all to deal with.
First you have to have an EORI number (Economic Operators Registration Identification number), which an American company can get in the UK if they show a need for it. Then, if you're bringing the books or artwork in for an exhibition or fair, you have to provide proof of import entry, fill out a long form that's in triplicate (I type them and go very slowly, because typos are very much frowned upon), submit documentation of the book's value, a description, copy of the import entry and signed application...and usually you get the okay within 5 days. Not always, but usually.
We've had issues with American dealers insisting that since their books are only going for exhibition, they don't require an export license to be brought home. Not true. Even if it's brought into the UK and taken straight out, again, you have to get a license (unless you're not declaring the book, but if you do sneak it in and sell it, then the provenance is all screwed up...and no institution will touch anything that does not have a legal paper trails of its history, anymore).
Of course, we've also had British dealers tell us certain items I know require a license do not require one. And others have told me I'm wrong when I say their license is expired or filled in wrong, because I'm American, not British. So I refer them to the Arts Council, who issues the licenses in the UK, to be disabused of their opinions. It's amazing how stubborn and obtuse people can get until smacked down by authority.
And some still try to pull shit...and they sometimes get caught. Then it's all, You have to help me! Which we do as best we can. But sometimes that means getting a lawyer familiar with customs rules and regulations to handle the situation, and that ain't cheap. But if you want your $100K worth of books back you got to fork it out.
I once made the mistake when I was at Heritage of trying to be sneaky in order to get a book to a dealer in Italy. It got snagged and took us thousands of dollars and months to get it back, and got another dealer in trouble because he'd sold it to us without the proper paperwork involved. After that, I went strictly by the book...
...so to speak...
Just to let you know, because of a lot of cultural fraud and manipulation by various groups in past years, the EU worked up a system by which books, for example, that are over 100 years of age and valued at more than $55,000 have to get an official okay to be shipped out of the region. Each country, has its own little specifications and some can be very difficult. The UK is relatively the easiest of them all to deal with.
First you have to have an EORI number (Economic Operators Registration Identification number), which an American company can get in the UK if they show a need for it. Then, if you're bringing the books or artwork in for an exhibition or fair, you have to provide proof of import entry, fill out a long form that's in triplicate (I type them and go very slowly, because typos are very much frowned upon), submit documentation of the book's value, a description, copy of the import entry and signed application...and usually you get the okay within 5 days. Not always, but usually.
We've had issues with American dealers insisting that since their books are only going for exhibition, they don't require an export license to be brought home. Not true. Even if it's brought into the UK and taken straight out, again, you have to get a license (unless you're not declaring the book, but if you do sneak it in and sell it, then the provenance is all screwed up...and no institution will touch anything that does not have a legal paper trails of its history, anymore).
Of course, we've also had British dealers tell us certain items I know require a license do not require one. And others have told me I'm wrong when I say their license is expired or filled in wrong, because I'm American, not British. So I refer them to the Arts Council, who issues the licenses in the UK, to be disabused of their opinions. It's amazing how stubborn and obtuse people can get until smacked down by authority.
And some still try to pull shit...and they sometimes get caught. Then it's all, You have to help me! Which we do as best we can. But sometimes that means getting a lawyer familiar with customs rules and regulations to handle the situation, and that ain't cheap. But if you want your $100K worth of books back you got to fork it out.
I once made the mistake when I was at Heritage of trying to be sneaky in order to get a book to a dealer in Italy. It got snagged and took us thousands of dollars and months to get it back, and got another dealer in trouble because he'd sold it to us without the proper paperwork involved. After that, I went strictly by the book...
...so to speak...
May 16, 2018
Reworked and ready-er...
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CASEY, a beautiful young woman in a cocktail dress, leads ADAM in. The same age as her, he’s bookish and in a suit. Party music and voices rumble from another room.<br /><br />ADAM<br />(British)<br />Good God, this is bigger than my flat in Ruislip.<br /><br />CASEY<br />That where you live?<br /><br />She takes two tubs of Mac & Cheese from a cupboard, pours in water and pops them in a microwave.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Nora and I, till we parted. Couldn't afford it on my<br />own. Casey, what’re you doing?<br /><br />CASEY<br />You said you were hungry. And the food being served<br />out there is crap...<br /><br />ADAM<br />But is this all right?<br /><br /><br />CASEY<br />Why shouldn’t it be?<br /><br />ADAM<br />It’s not your home, it’s Lando Grissoms’ and —<br /><br />CASEY<br />Hey, I helped that son-of-a-bitch find this house! Spent<br />months looking for it, all over town. Connected him<br />with my decorator. I was here more than I was at home.<br />Besides, I bought these, and I’ll be damned if I leave<br />anything behind. It’ll just go to waste. He — he thinks<br />Mac and Cheese is beneath him, now.<br /><br />ADAM<br />...Sorry. And may I say, your Lando is a fool?<br /><br />CASEY<br />...He’s not mine, anymore.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Then why did we come to his party?<br /><br /></div><div>CASEY<br />Had to. Make everyone think I’m well and good.<br />That’s so fucking important in this town. Always<br />land on your feet. And having a man with me who<br />nobody knows — what better way to prove it?<br /><br />ADAM<br />Brilliant...am I your rent boy?<br /><br />CASEY</div><div>Oh, stop. There's water in the fridge.<br /><br />The microwave dings. She pulls the tubs out and carefully peels off the covers. Adam gets bottles of water. She pulls out silverware and hands him a tub with spoon.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Chow down, baby.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Thanks. Cheesy pasta...mum calls this nourishment<br />for heart attacks, but when in starvation mode...<br /><br />He digs in. She toys with hers as she looks around.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Lando Grissom. I’m still trying to figure out how he<br />and I got together. Self-absorbed brats should never<br />partner up.<br /><br />ADAM<br />I don’t see you as being like that.<br /><br />CASEY<br />You don't know me. I don’t know me. I should’ve<br />known him. It’s not like I hadn’t seen him around, at<br />parties, awards ceremonies. Different girl, every time.<br />But I was too focused on another actor I was dating.<br />Vinny. A nice guy who couldn't decide if he was gay,<br />straight or bi. But he did like being with me; got him<br />sympathy from the gossip rags.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Don’t they like you? Why?<br /><br />CASEY<br />Oh, on my first series, someone on the crew called me a<br />demanding little diva. And it’s still brought up whenever<br />something goes wrong. Like it did when I caught Lando<br />with some bitch. Who knew smearing his car with doggie-<br />doo would make headlines around the world?<br /><br />ADAM<br />Did it?<br /><br />CASEY<br />You must’ve seen the Telegraph, Daily Mail...<br /><br />ADAM<br />I pay them no mind.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Good. It’s all bullshit. Vinny’s the perfect example. His<br />then boyfriend saw me in Neiman's and warned me, He's<br />using you, so don't be surprised about me. I wasn't; I can<br />add two and two. That's what I told him, and he nodded<br />and walked away. The Inquirer turned it into a screaming<br />match in the middle of cosmetics, photos arranged to look<br />like we were about to get into a knife fight. Vinny got<br />outed, and I was disparaged as the other woman in a gay<br />man's life.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Not really? That must have taken some rather bizarre<br />gymnastics in in the writing process.<br /><br />CASEY<br />They did backflips, pommel horse, you name it. Anyway,<br />one day I was at a party and my limo vanished, and Lando<br />gave me a ride home. And we talked. And we started seeing<br />each other. We were tabloid fodder by the second date, but<br />at least this spin was positive. He was kind. Attentive. Loving,<br />even though I was a bigger name than him. Dozen movies<br />to my credit. Two series. I liked him. I wanted him with me<br />always, so got him onto Ilithium Four.<br /><br />Adam focuses on his tub of food.<br /><br />ADAM<br />I’d rather not remember that film.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Oh? Oh, Adam, are you one of those preferred the book<br />people?<br /><br />ADAM<br />It was a classic work of science fiction and he was not<br />at all correct for the character he portrayed and he — sorry,<br />I — I didn’t mean to — I mean, you were good in it but...<br /><br />CASEY<br />Oh, stop. It was a piece of crap. But I enjoyed making it.</div><div>Enjoyed the whole shoot. Lando and me. Five romantic<br />months at a beach resort near Cape Town. You ever been?<br /><br />ADAM<br />No. I dislike travel.<br /><br />CASEY<br />But you just flew thousands of miles to here...<br /><br />ADAM<br />Only to collect the book your grandfather’s donated to<br />my university.<br /><br />CASEY<br />I think you’d like Cape Town. Lando and I, we looked all<br />over that city. Once we even took the last cable car up to</div><div>Table Mountain. God, that ride. Clear sky filled with red.<br />City lights glistening in the evening's shadows. Millions<br />of them. Each one representing a person whose life was as<br />distinct and meaningful as ours. The beauty of it...such<br />overwhelming beauty...as we whispered up and up — I<br />started to weep. So Lando slipped to behind me. Wrapped<br />his arms around my waist. Put his chin in the crook of my<br />neck. Soft. Tender. And he whispered, That’s real cool.<br /><br />Adam covers a laugh with a cough and bite of the Mac & Cheese.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Yeah, Shakespeare reborn. But I didn't care. I was in<br />love. The tabloids got a lot of niceness to fill their pages,<br />for the next three years. Did wonders for my reputation<br />as well as his career. Till two weeks ago. And now look<br />at me; in his kitchen, comfort-eating and spilling my guts<br />to a man I all but blackmailed to be here. Perfect. And<br />cut. Print. That’s a wrap.<br /><br />ADAM<br />I know I didn’t want to come, but I’m not sorry I did.<br /><br />CASEY</div><div>You’re sweet. Definitely not what I thought you'd be.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Nor are you what I expected, really.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Adam, let’s be real — you hadn't even heard of me<br />before you came here, had you? I mean, you watched<br />Ilithium Four on the flight over. You said so.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Well...my brothers and sister would know of you. They<br />watch the telly. Follow social media, whatever. But the<br />truth is, for me — books are my life. If it's not a volume<br />that goes onto a shelf, nothing else matters. The only reason<br />you and I even met is because my university insisted I make<br />the journey instead of a colleague.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Insisted? They made you to come all this way to pick up<br />my grandfather’s silly book? We couldn’t just FedEx it?<br /><br />ADAM<br />Oh, God, no! No! It’s an Alice ’65 — an 1865 edition of<br />Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! Only 25 are known to<br />exist. The risk of sending it via UPS or FedEx — God only<br />knows what could have happened. I was chosen because<br />it’s in my area of expertise...and I’m also the best cataloguer<br />they have. In fact, I’m the department joke, the way I lose<br />myself in research...to where I forget meals and meet-ups<br />and anniversaries and such. Nora was often aggrieved.<br /><br />CASEY<br />C'mon, baby, you really that bad?<br /><br />ADAM<br />She wanted me tested for autism. Said I'm too easily<br />distracted by minutia. Then one day we met for tea and<br />— and she told me to get on with my life. Such a simple<br />phrase, that...yet totally without meaning.<br /><br />He notices a slip of paper on the refrigerator.</div><div>ADAM<br />Meat-flies; water-vaYter; come-comb; house-wees?<br />Is Lando trying to learn German?<br /><br />CASEY<br />Huh? I dunno. He was in Berlin doing publicity, a few<br />days ago. And Paris. And Sydney. And Tokyo. You<br />name it they loves their Lando Grissom.<br /><br />He looks at her.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Don't they love their Casey Blanchard, as well?<br /><br />CASEY<br />...Not like they used to.<br /><br />He hesitates...turns back to the list. Writes on it.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Well...pronunciation's off on these. So here we go,<br />meat should be flysh. And water is vasser. If you plan<br />to do it, do it right. That’s why there are so few Alice<br />65s; the illustrator hated how the first print turned out<br />and insisted the book be completely redone. So it was.<br />(looks at her)<br />As for the pasta, it was lovely, but now I think a nice<br />chicken curry with saffron rice, sag aloo, raita, samosas<br />in plum sauce, and big bottles of Taj Mahal would be a<br />perfect capper. No tabloids allowed. No explanations.<br />No sorrows. Just some quiet time away from it all. Our<br />own little redo of the evening. Are you open?<br /><br />She smiles at him, for the first time.<br /><br />CASEY<br />Sounds lovely.<br /><br />ADAM<br />Brilliant. Now I’ve never snuck out on a Hollywood<br />party, before, but I doubt it’s difficult. So...shall we<br />put it to the test?<br /><br />He dumps his empty tub in the trash. Casey finally does the same. They exit.<br /><br />FADE OUT.</div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Jamthe..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
May 14, 2018
Got done early...
This packing job went very quickly so I'm headed home after everything's picked up, tomorrow. It wasn't an easy job, and my nose is still irritated by the dust involved, but I'm happy I got to do it. And even happier to be done. I'm not happy with this La Quinta. Half the plugs don't work or only barely do. Not cool and makes me nervous.
I managed to rework the scene for A65, make it more self-contained using bits from the book as background. I doubt anything will happen with it, but it keeps me pushing forward.
I'm also updating the format of my first 4 books -- HTRASG, PM, RIHC6 and BC. I can make the grammar better, too. I used to insist on doing some dumb things, once upon a time. Lightning is offering to do this for free till the end of the month, and I'd be an idiot not to make use of it.
I'm adding a character to PS, a Jewish guy who's friends with Brendan's cousin, Scott, and who gets caught in Israel during the Yom Kippur war. When he comes back, he finds the only person he can talk to is Brendan, because they've both been in a war zone and seen people killed right in front of them. It's a bit obvious, but hopefully by the time I'm done working it in, it will seem organic.
That's all I want my books to be -- organic...unlike me...
I managed to rework the scene for A65, make it more self-contained using bits from the book as background. I doubt anything will happen with it, but it keeps me pushing forward.
I'm also updating the format of my first 4 books -- HTRASG, PM, RIHC6 and BC. I can make the grammar better, too. I used to insist on doing some dumb things, once upon a time. Lightning is offering to do this for free till the end of the month, and I'd be an idiot not to make use of it.
I'm adding a character to PS, a Jewish guy who's friends with Brendan's cousin, Scott, and who gets caught in Israel during the Yom Kippur war. When he comes back, he finds the only person he can talk to is Brendan, because they've both been in a war zone and seen people killed right in front of them. It's a bit obvious, but hopefully by the time I'm done working it in, it will seem organic.
That's all I want my books to be -- organic...unlike me...
May 13, 2018
I thief from me...
It's funny...the first scene I posted, between Curran and Geri on a rooftop, was written years ago for a script I abandoned because I couldn't figure it out. I took that for a moment in the novelization of The Alice '65. When I was told of a competition seeking a 6-page scene between 2 actors, after telling myself not to I surrendered and pulled that bit out to rework it. Came out to exactly 6 pages.
And made no sense. No matter what I did to it. So I backed away, planning to ignore the competition...but then Adam came knocking and said, "If you give it back to me and Casey, it could generate interest in the book, even if it goes nowhere." So I reworked it into a scene...and it's exactly 6 pages...and I changed a bit to make it an inclusive moment between the two of them...and I like it.
Dammit.
I'll do a bit more to it to polish it up and clarify what's going on, a bit better, and send it in. But the only reason I'm willing to do it is because there is no entry fee. If they were charging to enter, I wouldn't have thought twice about ignoring it. I've put too damn much money into script contests that achieved nothing to even think of doing it, again.
This one, I'm doing it to keep getting Adam's and Casey's story out there. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, as well, so there's my justification.
I just did something similar for Jake in The Vanishing of Owen Taylor. I'm out for reviews, since no one I gave a free copy to is willing to post one on GoodReads or Amazon or Nook or anybody. Smashwords does require the book be got through them before you can post a review on their site, but I think I've worked around that.
We'll have to see.
And made no sense. No matter what I did to it. So I backed away, planning to ignore the competition...but then Adam came knocking and said, "If you give it back to me and Casey, it could generate interest in the book, even if it goes nowhere." So I reworked it into a scene...and it's exactly 6 pages...and I changed a bit to make it an inclusive moment between the two of them...and I like it.
Dammit.
I'll do a bit more to it to polish it up and clarify what's going on, a bit better, and send it in. But the only reason I'm willing to do it is because there is no entry fee. If they were charging to enter, I wouldn't have thought twice about ignoring it. I've put too damn much money into script contests that achieved nothing to even think of doing it, again.
This one, I'm doing it to keep getting Adam's and Casey's story out there. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, as well, so there's my justification.
I just did something similar for Jake in The Vanishing of Owen Taylor. I'm out for reviews, since no one I gave a free copy to is willing to post one on GoodReads or Amazon or Nook or anybody. Smashwords does require the book be got through them before you can post a review on their site, but I think I've worked around that.
We'll have to see.
May 12, 2018
New idea for a scene...
To send in, more to get interest in A65 than anything else. Changed some things to make it work on its own.
FADE IN:
A state of the art kitchen of chrome and brass. CASEY, a beautiful young woman in a cocktail dress, leads ADAM in. The same age as her, he’s bookish and in a suit. Party music and voice rumble from another room.
ADAM
(British)
Good God, this is bigger than my flat in Ruislip.
CASEY
That where you live?
She pulls two cartons of Mac & Cheese from the freezer. Pops them in a microwave.
ADAM
Nora and I, till we parted. Couldn't afford it on my
own. Is this all right?
CASEY
I bought these. Back when I spent a lot of time, here.
ADAM
Oh. Casey, may I say that Lando Grissom is a fool?
CASEY
You may.
ADAM
And...we should not have come here.
CASEY
Had to. Make everyone think all is well and good. That’s
so important in Hollywood. Always land on your feet.
ADAM
Well...you’ve made your appearance, so let us depart.
Now. Find somewhere else to feed. My ticket.
CASEY
In a minute. I don't want to leave anything behind; it'll
just rot. There's water in the fridge.
The microwave dings. She pulls the steaming boxes out, sets them on a counter and peels off the plastic film covers. Adam gets bottles of water. She pulls out silverware and hands him a spoon.
CASEY
Chow down, baby.
ADAM
God, cheesy pasta. Me mum calls this nourishment for
heart attacks, but...
He eats. Casey toys with hers.
CASEY
Y’know, I helped Lando find this house. Spent months
looking for it. Fixing it up. Connected him with my
decorator. I was here more than I was at home. And now?
Now I don’t know why he and I got together; we're too
much alike.
ADAM
I’d argue that point.
CASEY
You don't know me. My mother thinks she matched us
up, but I'd already seen him around. Parties. Awards
ceremonies. He was up for a daytime Emmy back when
I was dating an actor from one of the Soaps. Vinny. A
nice guy who couldn't decide if he was gay, straight or
bi. But being with me gave him good press in the gossip
rags.
ADAM
Have they always been at you?
CASEY
I have a reputation for being a difficult out-of-control
bitch, and they keep trying to find ways of backing it up.
Filling pages in...oh, in England it’s like The Telegraph,
The Daily Mail, OK, Hello; I mean, you must've noticed
how they can be.
ADAM
I've never paid them any mind.
CASEY
You're unusual. It’s all bullshit, you know. Vinny’s the
perfect example. His then boyfriend saw me in Neiman's
and warned me, He's using you, so don't be surprised
about me. I wasn't; I can add two and two. That's what
I told him, and he smiled and walked away. The Star
Inquirer turned it into a screaming match in the middle
of cosmetics, photos arranged to look like we were
about to get into a knife fight. I was disparaged as the
other woman in a gay man's life.
ADAM
Bad Casey. Bad, bad Casey.
CASEY
It died down. I saw Lando at a couple more parties, but
I was with this writer, then. Who suddenly decided he
loved his wife. I didn't know he was married.
ADAM
You needn’t explain yourself to me.
CASEY
Anyway, one day my limo vanished, so Lando gave me
a ride home, and we talked, and Mom said he was just
right for me. And we started seeing each other. We were
tabloid fodder by the third date, but this spin was positive.
He was kind. Attentive. Loving, even though I was a
bigger name than him. Had a dozen movies to my resume.
Two series. I liked that. Wanted him with me...so got him
onto Ilithium Four.
ADAM
I’d rather not think of that film.
CASEY
Preferred the book?
ADAM
It’s a classic work of science fiction and...sorry, but...
CASEY
It was crap. But I liked making it, because a week into
shooting we were at a beach resort near Cape Town and
had an off day. I'd finished my PPK — Publicity Press Kit.
Lando'd done his, too, and it was getting dark, so we took
the cable car up to Table Mountain. It was the last car so
we couldn't stay up long...but the ride. Clear skies streaked
with red. City lights as we whispered up and up. Every
pin-prick of light down there representing people whose
lives were as distinct and meaningful as ours. Hundreds
of thousands of them glittering under the late evening's
shadows. The beauty of it — such overwhelming beauty
— I could barely breathe. I started to weep. Lando slipped
up behind me. Wrapped his arms around my waist. Laid
his chin in the crook of my neck. And then he whispered,
So fucking cool.
Adam covers a laugh with a cough and bite of the Mac & Cheese.
CASEY
Yeah, Shakespeare couldn't have put it better. But I didn't
care. We gave the tabloids a lot of niceness to fill their
front pages for the next three years. Helped my reputation
as well as his career.
ADAM
I find it difficult to believe anyone could believe anything
negative about you.
CASEY
You’re sweet. But my first series...word got around that
I was demanding. A little diva. It’s followed me, no matter
how perfect I am. Keeps getting brought up when something
goes wrong. Like it did two weeks ago. And now look
where I am; in a kitchen, comfort-eating and spilling my
guts to a man who never wanted to be here. Cut. Print. On
to the next scene.
ADAM
I'm glad I accompanied you.
CASEY
You’re definitely not what I thought you'd be.
ADAM
Nor are you what I expected, really.
CASEY
Adam, let's be honest — you hadn't even heard of me
till I made you come on this party, had you?
He gives her a shrug and smile.
ADAM
The rest of my family would know of you. They watch
the telly. Follow social media, online, phones, tablets,
whatever. But for me, if it's not a volume that goes onto
a shelf nothing else matters. But in truth, the only
reason you and I met is because my university coerced
me into flying here from London.
CASEY
To pick up my grandfather’s book?
ADAM
It’s an important volume, and we couldn’t risk having
it shipped via UPS or FedEx. Also, it’s in my area of
expertise, and they know that once I begin my research,
I lose myself in it, often to the point of forgetting things
like meals, meet-ups, anniversaries and such. Nora was
often aggrieved.
CASEY
C'mon, baby, you really that bad?
ADAM
She wanted me tested for autism. Said I'm too easily
distracted by minutia. Then one day we met for tea and
she told me to get on with my life. So I moved back with
Mum.
He notices a slip of paper on the refrigerator.
ADAM
Meat-flies; water-vaYter; come-comb; house-wees?Is Lando learning German?
CASEY
He was in Berlin doing publicity, a few days ago. He's
off on the Pacific tour, tomorrow. Shanghai, Sydney,
Hong Kong, Tokyo, you name it they loves their Lando
Grissom.
ADAM
Don't they love their Casey Blanchard, too?
CASEY
Not like they used to.
He draws near to her.
ADAM
I'm sure your next film will change all of that.
CASEY
You’re sweet.
He turns back to the list.
ADAM
The pronunciation's off on those words.
CASEY
Everything's off on him.”
ADAM
Then let’s go. The pasta was a lovely appetizer but
I could murder some Chicken Tikka with Saffron rice,
Sag Aloo, Raita, Samosas in plum sauce. How does
that sound?
She looks at him and smiles, for the first time.
CASEY
Lovely.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
A state of the art kitchen of chrome and brass. CASEY, a beautiful young woman in a cocktail dress, leads ADAM in. The same age as her, he’s bookish and in a suit. Party music and voice rumble from another room.
ADAM
(British)
Good God, this is bigger than my flat in Ruislip.
CASEY
That where you live?
She pulls two cartons of Mac & Cheese from the freezer. Pops them in a microwave.
ADAM
Nora and I, till we parted. Couldn't afford it on my
own. Is this all right?
CASEY
I bought these. Back when I spent a lot of time, here.
ADAM
Oh. Casey, may I say that Lando Grissom is a fool?
CASEY
You may.
ADAM
And...we should not have come here.
CASEY
Had to. Make everyone think all is well and good. That’s
so important in Hollywood. Always land on your feet.
ADAM
Well...you’ve made your appearance, so let us depart.
Now. Find somewhere else to feed. My ticket.
CASEY
In a minute. I don't want to leave anything behind; it'll
just rot. There's water in the fridge.
The microwave dings. She pulls the steaming boxes out, sets them on a counter and peels off the plastic film covers. Adam gets bottles of water. She pulls out silverware and hands him a spoon.
CASEY
Chow down, baby.
ADAM
God, cheesy pasta. Me mum calls this nourishment for
heart attacks, but...
He eats. Casey toys with hers.
CASEY
Y’know, I helped Lando find this house. Spent months
looking for it. Fixing it up. Connected him with my
decorator. I was here more than I was at home. And now?
Now I don’t know why he and I got together; we're too
much alike.
ADAM
I’d argue that point.
CASEY
You don't know me. My mother thinks she matched us
up, but I'd already seen him around. Parties. Awards
ceremonies. He was up for a daytime Emmy back when
I was dating an actor from one of the Soaps. Vinny. A
nice guy who couldn't decide if he was gay, straight or
bi. But being with me gave him good press in the gossip
rags.
ADAM
Have they always been at you?
CASEY
I have a reputation for being a difficult out-of-control
bitch, and they keep trying to find ways of backing it up.
Filling pages in...oh, in England it’s like The Telegraph,
The Daily Mail, OK, Hello; I mean, you must've noticed
how they can be.
ADAM
I've never paid them any mind.
CASEY
You're unusual. It’s all bullshit, you know. Vinny’s the
perfect example. His then boyfriend saw me in Neiman's
and warned me, He's using you, so don't be surprised
about me. I wasn't; I can add two and two. That's what
I told him, and he smiled and walked away. The Star
Inquirer turned it into a screaming match in the middle
of cosmetics, photos arranged to look like we were
about to get into a knife fight. I was disparaged as the
other woman in a gay man's life.
ADAM
Bad Casey. Bad, bad Casey.
CASEY
It died down. I saw Lando at a couple more parties, but
I was with this writer, then. Who suddenly decided he
loved his wife. I didn't know he was married.
ADAM
You needn’t explain yourself to me.
CASEY
Anyway, one day my limo vanished, so Lando gave me
a ride home, and we talked, and Mom said he was just
right for me. And we started seeing each other. We were
tabloid fodder by the third date, but this spin was positive.
He was kind. Attentive. Loving, even though I was a
bigger name than him. Had a dozen movies to my resume.
Two series. I liked that. Wanted him with me...so got him
onto Ilithium Four.
ADAM
I’d rather not think of that film.
CASEY
Preferred the book?
ADAM
It’s a classic work of science fiction and...sorry, but...
CASEY
It was crap. But I liked making it, because a week into
shooting we were at a beach resort near Cape Town and
had an off day. I'd finished my PPK — Publicity Press Kit.
Lando'd done his, too, and it was getting dark, so we took
the cable car up to Table Mountain. It was the last car so
we couldn't stay up long...but the ride. Clear skies streaked
with red. City lights as we whispered up and up. Every
pin-prick of light down there representing people whose
lives were as distinct and meaningful as ours. Hundreds
of thousands of them glittering under the late evening's
shadows. The beauty of it — such overwhelming beauty
— I could barely breathe. I started to weep. Lando slipped
up behind me. Wrapped his arms around my waist. Laid
his chin in the crook of my neck. And then he whispered,
So fucking cool.
Adam covers a laugh with a cough and bite of the Mac & Cheese.
CASEY
Yeah, Shakespeare couldn't have put it better. But I didn't
care. We gave the tabloids a lot of niceness to fill their
front pages for the next three years. Helped my reputation
as well as his career.
ADAM
I find it difficult to believe anyone could believe anything
negative about you.
CASEY
You’re sweet. But my first series...word got around that
I was demanding. A little diva. It’s followed me, no matter
how perfect I am. Keeps getting brought up when something
goes wrong. Like it did two weeks ago. And now look
where I am; in a kitchen, comfort-eating and spilling my
guts to a man who never wanted to be here. Cut. Print. On
to the next scene.
ADAM
I'm glad I accompanied you.
CASEY
You’re definitely not what I thought you'd be.
ADAM
Nor are you what I expected, really.
CASEY
Adam, let's be honest — you hadn't even heard of me
till I made you come on this party, had you?
He gives her a shrug and smile.
ADAM
The rest of my family would know of you. They watch
the telly. Follow social media, online, phones, tablets,
whatever. But for me, if it's not a volume that goes onto
a shelf nothing else matters. But in truth, the only
reason you and I met is because my university coerced
me into flying here from London.
CASEY
To pick up my grandfather’s book?
ADAM
It’s an important volume, and we couldn’t risk having
it shipped via UPS or FedEx. Also, it’s in my area of
expertise, and they know that once I begin my research,
I lose myself in it, often to the point of forgetting things
like meals, meet-ups, anniversaries and such. Nora was
often aggrieved.
CASEY
C'mon, baby, you really that bad?
ADAM
She wanted me tested for autism. Said I'm too easily
distracted by minutia. Then one day we met for tea and
she told me to get on with my life. So I moved back with
Mum.
He notices a slip of paper on the refrigerator.
ADAM
Meat-flies; water-vaYter; come-comb; house-wees?Is Lando learning German?
CASEY
He was in Berlin doing publicity, a few days ago. He's
off on the Pacific tour, tomorrow. Shanghai, Sydney,
Hong Kong, Tokyo, you name it they loves their Lando
Grissom.
ADAM
Don't they love their Casey Blanchard, too?
CASEY
Not like they used to.
He draws near to her.
ADAM
I'm sure your next film will change all of that.
CASEY
You’re sweet.
He turns back to the list.
ADAM
The pronunciation's off on those words.
CASEY
Everything's off on him.”
ADAM
Then let’s go. The pasta was a lovely appetizer but
I could murder some Chicken Tikka with Saffron rice,
Sag Aloo, Raita, Samosas in plum sauce. How does
that sound?
She looks at him and smiles, for the first time.
CASEY
Lovely.
FADE OUT.
May 10, 2018
Too busy to be busy...
When I wasn't packing archives and overseeing art being picked up for crating, I was working on four different quotes for future jobs, including redoing one that suddenly expanded. All of which had to be ready to send out today or tomorrow...and all of them are going out, tomorrow. The only time I had to actually work on PS was on the flight to Oakland and back.
At least I got some of Book 2 outlined, up to the point I needed to figure out what comes next. I've got this big blank space in the middle of it that needs filling and only have a basic idea of what should go there. But even just initiating the possible chapters helps give it a spine to start working from.
I also had an interesting argument with Brendan. The more I read of Philip Cunningham's book, the more uncertain I am that setting Brendan's early life on Nailors Row is a good idea. It was a very tight mini-community and I feel like that's setting the story up for comparisons and fact-checking that will be too hard to deal with. But he's adamant.
The area was referred to as Back of the walls, because the houses faced the south and west walls of Derry's inner city...and even that was broken down to smaller units -- like Friel's Terrace, which I think was close to Walker's Tower, the column on the right of this photo. But I'm still digging for that; so far I just know they were the last part of the houses on the street that were demolished during redevelopment.
I have a map from 1905 that shows Nailors Row wrapping around the corner, merging into Walker's Place and ending at Bishop Street, with plots of land backed smack up against the south wall...but I don't know when that was torn out. And it has what's long been known as Fahan Street down as St. Columb's Wells Street, so may not be accurate...but does show Fox's Corner, so...
I'll keep going with this...but I'm wary...
At least I got some of Book 2 outlined, up to the point I needed to figure out what comes next. I've got this big blank space in the middle of it that needs filling and only have a basic idea of what should go there. But even just initiating the possible chapters helps give it a spine to start working from.
I also had an interesting argument with Brendan. The more I read of Philip Cunningham's book, the more uncertain I am that setting Brendan's early life on Nailors Row is a good idea. It was a very tight mini-community and I feel like that's setting the story up for comparisons and fact-checking that will be too hard to deal with. But he's adamant.
The area was referred to as Back of the walls, because the houses faced the south and west walls of Derry's inner city...and even that was broken down to smaller units -- like Friel's Terrace, which I think was close to Walker's Tower, the column on the right of this photo. But I'm still digging for that; so far I just know they were the last part of the houses on the street that were demolished during redevelopment.I have a map from 1905 that shows Nailors Row wrapping around the corner, merging into Walker's Place and ending at Bishop Street, with plots of land backed smack up against the south wall...but I don't know when that was torn out. And it has what's long been known as Fahan Street down as St. Columb's Wells Street, so may not be accurate...but does show Fox's Corner, so...
I'll keep going with this...but I'm wary...
