Marilyn Jaye Lewis's Blog, page 2
April 29, 2012
I cannot f*cking believe it!
Not a single one of you could be bothered to pick up a rag and do a little dusting around here while I was gone????? Thank you so much. This room is a complete disaster!!
Oh -- ha ha ha. (The inspiration behind that remark? I woke this morning to discover that a friend of my housemate's was stranded last night and so is now sleeping down in our family room. I can only pray that he isn't allergic to cat hair because I haven't dusted or vacuumed down there since Easter weekend!!)
Okay, well, life has finally resumed around here. I "met" my deadline, as it were. Two weeks late, but at least it is finally done and off to L.A. and now all I have is a ton of other stuff to do. Yay!! But what a relief. I am really happy with the results of the teleplay, but it is also nice to get a breather now.
I actually even took a tiny road trip this weekend. I got in the old trusty, rusty '97 Camry and drove down to that bastion of conservatism on the mighty Ohio River: Cincinnati!! Yay.
You know, in the old days -- and by "old" I am speaking of the Underground Railroad in the days of slavery -- when a runaway slave made it across the Ohio River into Cincinnati it was almost like reaching the Promised Land. It doesn't quite feel like that today, but it is still an interesting thing to consider: What Cincinnati might feel like were it still a place of salvation instead of -- I don't know -- damnation???
Okay, moving along!! How many more days until Dark Shadows opens in theaters nationwide??? Something like 12 or 13. Something like that. At this point, I've stopped reading any news whatsoever about it because all that upfront PR stuff tends to spoil a movie for me, so now I have to heavily block it all out. But rest assured, plans are underway to spirit me to the box office early on Friday, May 11th, to secure 2 tickets pour moi and my stalwart cousin. Then I will return to the theater many hours later to actually have dinner with her somewhere as close to the theater as possible, since every place will be stupidly busy at that point, and see the film with her. (She actually has to do this thing called "work" on Friday so we won't be able to go see the film early in the day. We have to go at the prime time slot, instead; the time when everyone on Earth goes to the movie at the same time. I hate that. But, alas, that's what we have to do since we MUST see this on opening night. She and I, sadly enough, are both old enough to have been HUGE fans of the Dark Shadows TV show. And, of course, we are both huge fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp so we have both been eagerly awaiting this movie for a lifetime, it seems!!)
Oh, wow, I sense a digression up there, or perhaps a tangent. Not sure which....
New topic.
I have been wanting to blog about this for days, gang, but was seriously too busy to allow myself to get sidetracked. But now here I am, so here we go: Thank God I did not have a work of fiction nominated for a Pulitzer Prize this year!!!!!! My god, how demoralizing was that, gang??? None of the nominees were good enough this year, and so they did not award a Pulitzer for fiction for the first time in 35 years. It's one thing to be nominated and then not win in your category. At least you were nominated, right? But to have nobody win kind of makes it look like you all sucked!! Big time. Jeez.
Title: Great Moments in History and You Were There, Sucking Big Time
Author [standing somewhere]: "Oh, yes, I was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize once."
Other Person Standing There: "Really?"
Author: "Yes, it was the year that nobody won because we all sucked."
All righty!! See? There are all kinds of reasons to be grateful every single darn day, gang. And you just never know when you're going to be grateful that you weren't nominated for a Pulitzer Prize...
Okay, so what other great news has been going on??? Well, the publishers of the Mammoth Book Series, Constable Robinson publishing house in the UK, is bringing out the first complete, unexpurgated digital edition of Neptune & Surf, as part of their new "classics of erotica" series. Yay!! They are also releasing a digital collection of the short stories of mine that they've published over the last ten years. (Included in this particular Mammoth series will be authors like Alison Tyler, M. Christian, Kristina Wright, Michael Hemmingson, Donna Storey, Thomas S. Roche, and others.) It should be very, very cool, gang!! I will keep you posted.
This is not to be confused with The Muse Revisited Series that I am publishing on my own. And just FYI: Volume Two in the series, The Erotic Novellas, will be coming out soon. (You can visit my main blog and scroll down to see the cover we are planning on but God knows (!!), some sort of censorship issue is likely to be involved since we can clearly see the woman's breasts, even though she is a painting from well over one hundred years ago.)
And in keeping with the censorship topic, be sure to watch for the upcoming 3rd issue of SomethingDark.eu-- as I will have a piece in there about the recent digital censorship fracas with Paypal, Smashwords, Kindle, etc. And even if I say so myself (as part of their lofty editorial staff, that is) the 3rd issue of SDk is going to blow you away, gang. Seriously. I couldn't be more serious, in fact. You won't believe it.
Jeez. Okay, well, I guess I've rattled on long enough here, gang. I will close now and let you enjoy your Sunday!! Make it a great one, wherever you are!! Thanks for visiting, gang!! See ya!!
Oh -- ha ha ha. (The inspiration behind that remark? I woke this morning to discover that a friend of my housemate's was stranded last night and so is now sleeping down in our family room. I can only pray that he isn't allergic to cat hair because I haven't dusted or vacuumed down there since Easter weekend!!)
Okay, well, life has finally resumed around here. I "met" my deadline, as it were. Two weeks late, but at least it is finally done and off to L.A. and now all I have is a ton of other stuff to do. Yay!! But what a relief. I am really happy with the results of the teleplay, but it is also nice to get a breather now.
I actually even took a tiny road trip this weekend. I got in the old trusty, rusty '97 Camry and drove down to that bastion of conservatism on the mighty Ohio River: Cincinnati!! Yay.
You know, in the old days -- and by "old" I am speaking of the Underground Railroad in the days of slavery -- when a runaway slave made it across the Ohio River into Cincinnati it was almost like reaching the Promised Land. It doesn't quite feel like that today, but it is still an interesting thing to consider: What Cincinnati might feel like were it still a place of salvation instead of -- I don't know -- damnation???
Okay, moving along!! How many more days until Dark Shadows opens in theaters nationwide??? Something like 12 or 13. Something like that. At this point, I've stopped reading any news whatsoever about it because all that upfront PR stuff tends to spoil a movie for me, so now I have to heavily block it all out. But rest assured, plans are underway to spirit me to the box office early on Friday, May 11th, to secure 2 tickets pour moi and my stalwart cousin. Then I will return to the theater many hours later to actually have dinner with her somewhere as close to the theater as possible, since every place will be stupidly busy at that point, and see the film with her. (She actually has to do this thing called "work" on Friday so we won't be able to go see the film early in the day. We have to go at the prime time slot, instead; the time when everyone on Earth goes to the movie at the same time. I hate that. But, alas, that's what we have to do since we MUST see this on opening night. She and I, sadly enough, are both old enough to have been HUGE fans of the Dark Shadows TV show. And, of course, we are both huge fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp so we have both been eagerly awaiting this movie for a lifetime, it seems!!)
Oh, wow, I sense a digression up there, or perhaps a tangent. Not sure which....
New topic.
I have been wanting to blog about this for days, gang, but was seriously too busy to allow myself to get sidetracked. But now here I am, so here we go: Thank God I did not have a work of fiction nominated for a Pulitzer Prize this year!!!!!! My god, how demoralizing was that, gang??? None of the nominees were good enough this year, and so they did not award a Pulitzer for fiction for the first time in 35 years. It's one thing to be nominated and then not win in your category. At least you were nominated, right? But to have nobody win kind of makes it look like you all sucked!! Big time. Jeez.
Title: Great Moments in History and You Were There, Sucking Big Time
Author [standing somewhere]: "Oh, yes, I was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize once."
Other Person Standing There: "Really?"
Author: "Yes, it was the year that nobody won because we all sucked."
All righty!! See? There are all kinds of reasons to be grateful every single darn day, gang. And you just never know when you're going to be grateful that you weren't nominated for a Pulitzer Prize...
Okay, so what other great news has been going on??? Well, the publishers of the Mammoth Book Series, Constable Robinson publishing house in the UK, is bringing out the first complete, unexpurgated digital edition of Neptune & Surf, as part of their new "classics of erotica" series. Yay!! They are also releasing a digital collection of the short stories of mine that they've published over the last ten years. (Included in this particular Mammoth series will be authors like Alison Tyler, M. Christian, Kristina Wright, Michael Hemmingson, Donna Storey, Thomas S. Roche, and others.) It should be very, very cool, gang!! I will keep you posted.
This is not to be confused with The Muse Revisited Series that I am publishing on my own. And just FYI: Volume Two in the series, The Erotic Novellas, will be coming out soon. (You can visit my main blog and scroll down to see the cover we are planning on but God knows (!!), some sort of censorship issue is likely to be involved since we can clearly see the woman's breasts, even though she is a painting from well over one hundred years ago.)
And in keeping with the censorship topic, be sure to watch for the upcoming 3rd issue of SomethingDark.eu-- as I will have a piece in there about the recent digital censorship fracas with Paypal, Smashwords, Kindle, etc. And even if I say so myself (as part of their lofty editorial staff, that is) the 3rd issue of SDk is going to blow you away, gang. Seriously. I couldn't be more serious, in fact. You won't believe it.
Jeez. Okay, well, I guess I've rattled on long enough here, gang. I will close now and let you enjoy your Sunday!! Make it a great one, wherever you are!! Thanks for visiting, gang!! See ya!!
January 7, 2012
Black Marks Literary Award Announcement
M. Christian and I are both thrilled to announce that for our inaugural year of the Black Marks Literary Award for best unpublished science fiction novel, the cash award will be $500.
The winning prize also includes the option of electronic publication with a long-standing eBook publisher with outstanding international distribution. If you do not wish to be published upon winning the prize, it is entirely up to you. Winners are free to shop their winning manuscript to any publisher they want to; you do not forfeit the cash prize if you do not choose publication with us.
The prize will also include possible Print-on-Demand trade paper publication with the same publisher. (The POD option is largely based on initial electronic sales figures, among other financial considerations.)
Okay, remember: Submissions for the contest opens February 1st!!
Visit Black Marks Literary Award
The winning prize also includes the option of electronic publication with a long-standing eBook publisher with outstanding international distribution. If you do not wish to be published upon winning the prize, it is entirely up to you. Winners are free to shop their winning manuscript to any publisher they want to; you do not forfeit the cash prize if you do not choose publication with us.
The prize will also include possible Print-on-Demand trade paper publication with the same publisher. (The POD option is largely based on initial electronic sales figures, among other financial considerations.)
Okay, remember: Submissions for the contest opens February 1st!!
Visit Black Marks Literary Award
May 17, 2011
This Land is YOUR Land, Baby!!
Yes, well. I'm not a big fan of cars -- not the band, The Cars, I love them, but I mean the actual vehicles. Cars. I'm not crazy about them. It was one of the reasons I loved living in New York City for 26 years. Now -- taxis, I love. What's not to love about taxis? You can stay out late drinking without worrying about a DUI; you can wear extremely expensive and very high heels knowing that the cab will drop you at the front door of wherever it is you're going.
However, back here in Happyland, Ohio, it's all about cars. Otherwise you can't get anywhere. And as far as taxis are concerned, if you need one to, like, get you to the airport, at 5:45 AM some lovely morning, don't expect them to be on time around here. In fact, it would probably behoove you to expect more that you will almost miss your flight.
That said. I am back in Ohio these days and, because of that, my stalwart cousin bought me a really great car when I got here a few years ago. I do love my car, as cars go; it has never failed me and it is incredibly great on gas mileage. I have a 1997 Toyota Camry, which is now seriously gaining in the rust department -- but I try to see the car's inner beauty instead. And you know how these old cars had cassette players???
Okay.
When I left New York, I left almost all of the cassettes with my soon-to-be ex-husband. I never, in my wildest dreams, ever guessed I would want ready access to cassettes again, ever. Now, of course, I scrounge around in the boxes in storage in the basement to see if, by some miracle, some sort of cassette tape might appear. Subsequently -- or is it consequently? -- I drive around listening to the weirdest stuff & then I find myself singing the songs all day. You might find me pushing my shopping cart down the grocery aisle while singing quietly to myself, "Beat Me, Daddy, 8 to the Bar", or some other of the Greatest Hits of the Andrews Sisters. I am also a big fan of Mitch Miller and his Gang, singing old-timey favorites, like "5 foot 2, Eyes of Blue". Or, certainly, The Ventures! But their songs don't have any words. So I go around "singing" a la surf guitar: "da-da-don-da-DAH-da" --which of course is the theme song from Hawaii Five-Oh!
But even these eternal favorites can wear thin after listening to them 716 times in a row in the close confines of a moving car... so in my fervent search for SOMETHING/ANYTHING to listen to in the car yesterday, I positively struck gold when I found a very old cassette of the Kingston Trio's Greatest Hits down in the basement!! Fresh! New! Pop-arranged-Folk songs! From the early 1960s!!
Wow, gang. For those of you who are new to this blog... Back in the early 1980s, I was a professional folk singer in New York City. I also sang country, but it was more like "Folk & Western." Anyway. I really did truly love those early days of my career, when it was just me and my guitar, or a couple back-up singers and a percussionist on stage with me. And I played in the old folk clubs in and around MacDougal Street.
So, suddenly hearing these old folk songs sung in those really pretty (although intensely pop) harmonies of the Kingston Trio... gosh, it brought unexpected tears to my eyes. Seriously, I got all choked up while driving and listening to "Scarlet Ribbons" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" I really, really LOVED being a folk singer. (But, alas, I hated the music business -- as it was in those days, anyhow.)
Anyway, when this last classic came on (below), of course it made me think of Bob Dylan, of his love for Woody Guthrie -- in those very early days of Dylan's career -- and the whole folk music thing that was going on back then (20 years before I went to New York, thank you very much; unlike Dylan, I am not turning 70 on my next birthday, just FYI.) And I rewound the song and played it over & over & over again while driving around; singing along at the top of my voice and just loving life and happy that people like Dylan, and Woody Guthrie, and the Kingston Trio, and all of my own old folk-singing cronies from Greenwich Village have been alive on earth and have existed at all. Life is so cool, gang, if you stick around long enough to unveil it's often very simple secrets. It's all about JOY, baby! (So much so that "Joy", is in fact my real middle name.) (Seriously. It actually really is.)
[The Kingston Trio: This Land is Your Land.]
However, back here in Happyland, Ohio, it's all about cars. Otherwise you can't get anywhere. And as far as taxis are concerned, if you need one to, like, get you to the airport, at 5:45 AM some lovely morning, don't expect them to be on time around here. In fact, it would probably behoove you to expect more that you will almost miss your flight.
That said. I am back in Ohio these days and, because of that, my stalwart cousin bought me a really great car when I got here a few years ago. I do love my car, as cars go; it has never failed me and it is incredibly great on gas mileage. I have a 1997 Toyota Camry, which is now seriously gaining in the rust department -- but I try to see the car's inner beauty instead. And you know how these old cars had cassette players???
Okay.
When I left New York, I left almost all of the cassettes with my soon-to-be ex-husband. I never, in my wildest dreams, ever guessed I would want ready access to cassettes again, ever. Now, of course, I scrounge around in the boxes in storage in the basement to see if, by some miracle, some sort of cassette tape might appear. Subsequently -- or is it consequently? -- I drive around listening to the weirdest stuff & then I find myself singing the songs all day. You might find me pushing my shopping cart down the grocery aisle while singing quietly to myself, "Beat Me, Daddy, 8 to the Bar", or some other of the Greatest Hits of the Andrews Sisters. I am also a big fan of Mitch Miller and his Gang, singing old-timey favorites, like "5 foot 2, Eyes of Blue". Or, certainly, The Ventures! But their songs don't have any words. So I go around "singing" a la surf guitar: "da-da-don-da-DAH-da" --which of course is the theme song from Hawaii Five-Oh!
But even these eternal favorites can wear thin after listening to them 716 times in a row in the close confines of a moving car... so in my fervent search for SOMETHING/ANYTHING to listen to in the car yesterday, I positively struck gold when I found a very old cassette of the Kingston Trio's Greatest Hits down in the basement!! Fresh! New! Pop-arranged-Folk songs! From the early 1960s!!
Wow, gang. For those of you who are new to this blog... Back in the early 1980s, I was a professional folk singer in New York City. I also sang country, but it was more like "Folk & Western." Anyway. I really did truly love those early days of my career, when it was just me and my guitar, or a couple back-up singers and a percussionist on stage with me. And I played in the old folk clubs in and around MacDougal Street.
So, suddenly hearing these old folk songs sung in those really pretty (although intensely pop) harmonies of the Kingston Trio... gosh, it brought unexpected tears to my eyes. Seriously, I got all choked up while driving and listening to "Scarlet Ribbons" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" I really, really LOVED being a folk singer. (But, alas, I hated the music business -- as it was in those days, anyhow.)
Anyway, when this last classic came on (below), of course it made me think of Bob Dylan, of his love for Woody Guthrie -- in those very early days of Dylan's career -- and the whole folk music thing that was going on back then (20 years before I went to New York, thank you very much; unlike Dylan, I am not turning 70 on my next birthday, just FYI.) And I rewound the song and played it over & over & over again while driving around; singing along at the top of my voice and just loving life and happy that people like Dylan, and Woody Guthrie, and the Kingston Trio, and all of my own old folk-singing cronies from Greenwich Village have been alive on earth and have existed at all. Life is so cool, gang, if you stick around long enough to unveil it's often very simple secrets. It's all about JOY, baby! (So much so that "Joy", is in fact my real middle name.) (Seriously. It actually really is.)
[The Kingston Trio: This Land is Your Land.]
May 16, 2011
Holy Moly, Batman!!
Well, not only does Woody Allen's new film, Midnight in Paris, take place largely in Paris in the 1920s, it was very well received at Cannes.
Now, yesterday, French director Michel Hazanavicius's film, The Artist, played to much acclaim yesterday at Cannes and the Weinstein Company will be distributing the film here in the US -- which means that probably a lot of theaters will show it. The film is a black & white silent movie, gang, that is "an affectionate look at old Hollywood." Yay!!
Maybe it's time for that era to come back around. I'm so glad that Twilight of the Immortal finally found a home with Ananphora Literary Press this year and can be out in the world, adding to the energy of that "old Hollywood" vibration. Of course, as you can guess, it's going to require a ton of promoting on my part, but oh well! That's life these days.
I wanted to share this reader review that is on Amazon. I think it gives a nice overview of what my novel is about:
"You'll love Rosemary McKisco! In this story she shares with us not only her own coming-of-age growing pains as the affluent step-child of a successful Broadway producer, but also the changing times and mores that accompany The Great War, Women's Suffrage, and the beginning of "flickers" in the wilds of New Jersey. Not wanting to be married, nor with any real professional ambitions, she finds herself accompanying the troupe that surrounds Alla Nazimova, the first openly gay actress in her relocation to Hollywood. Once in Los Angeles she finds her footing and grows close to Rudy Valentino, best known for being early film's greatest lover. She's there with him as he goes from being an obscure actor to his meteoritic rise in fame. Along the way Rosemary will take you behind the scenes and introduce you to many of both Broadway's & Hollywood's real players, take you to their parties and share the inner politics and ever ignited passions....Kudos to author Marilyn Jaye Lewis on her skill as a scribe! Well researched and incredibly well executed."
Okay, then!! Let's get this Monday thing started. Have a great day, amigos. As always, thanks for visiting!!
Now, yesterday, French director Michel Hazanavicius's film, The Artist, played to much acclaim yesterday at Cannes and the Weinstein Company will be distributing the film here in the US -- which means that probably a lot of theaters will show it. The film is a black & white silent movie, gang, that is "an affectionate look at old Hollywood." Yay!!
Maybe it's time for that era to come back around. I'm so glad that Twilight of the Immortal finally found a home with Ananphora Literary Press this year and can be out in the world, adding to the energy of that "old Hollywood" vibration. Of course, as you can guess, it's going to require a ton of promoting on my part, but oh well! That's life these days.
I wanted to share this reader review that is on Amazon. I think it gives a nice overview of what my novel is about:
"You'll love Rosemary McKisco! In this story she shares with us not only her own coming-of-age growing pains as the affluent step-child of a successful Broadway producer, but also the changing times and mores that accompany The Great War, Women's Suffrage, and the beginning of "flickers" in the wilds of New Jersey. Not wanting to be married, nor with any real professional ambitions, she finds herself accompanying the troupe that surrounds Alla Nazimova, the first openly gay actress in her relocation to Hollywood. Once in Los Angeles she finds her footing and grows close to Rudy Valentino, best known for being early film's greatest lover. She's there with him as he goes from being an obscure actor to his meteoritic rise in fame. Along the way Rosemary will take you behind the scenes and introduce you to many of both Broadway's & Hollywood's real players, take you to their parties and share the inner politics and ever ignited passions....Kudos to author Marilyn Jaye Lewis on her skill as a scribe! Well researched and incredibly well executed."
Okay, then!! Let's get this Monday thing started. Have a great day, amigos. As always, thanks for visiting!!
May 13, 2011
Happy Friday the 13th, gang!!
Luckily, I am not superstitious. I am many other often unsavory things, but superstitious is not among them. Yay! That means I can stride boldly into this great day. In fact, I might even take famed UK astrologer Jonathan Cainer's great advice and tie a black cat to each of my shoes today so that black cats are crossing my path all day long! (Isn't that idea hysterical???)
So... Where have I been???
Yeah, well. Jesus. Where haven't I been, is more the question. And all of it is psychological. Mostly, I've been to the Land of Exhaustion but I am feeling really, really good this morning.
And M. Christian and I are getting closer and closer to being able to officially announce the details of what will be our annual literary award. So I am very psyched about that. It will be one award but in alternating years it will be given either to the best unpublished science fiction novel, or the best unpublished erotic novel. No anthologies, no short stories -- novels, gang! It will be a monetary award and we will also offer publication. What we really want to see is writers completely redefine what their genre is all about. So he and I are just really, really excited about discovering new books, new writers -- a brave new world, so to speak. Yay!!! And you can be gay, straight, polyamorous, ambidextrous, schizophrenic, even just mindbogglingly shy -- we don't care!! Just write the heck out of yourself, that's what we want to see!!
Okay. So, gang, what is tomorrow all about??? Tomorrow is all about Pirates of the Caribbean Part 4,964: On Stranger Tides showing at the Cannes Film Festival! Yay!! And last night, Variety gave POTC #4 a really nice review. So. What the heck, gang; sounds fun! I'm gonna go ahead and go! ha ha ha.
Actually, I would rather die than do something screaming-frenzy like that. I prefer to be, like, pretty much the only person besides my stalwart cousin in any given theater of basically every single movie I go to see. (That's not really too much of an exaggeration, either.) (It's called being an "Introverted Writer".) (In fact, the only person on earth more introverted than I am will actually be in my house on Saturday afternoon -- someone I haven't seen in eleven years, gang!! She and I are very "connected", in that she gave birth to me almost 51 years ago...)
Anyway. You know, if I were invited to Cannes for some heady career-related reason, of course I'd figure out the right combination of easily obtainable anxiety meds to help me not only attend but also to have the very best time! In fact, part of me, of my energy, at any rate, is at Cannes right now! In that I contributed to a screenplay that has an American actor attached and that is there looking for producers. So even that little bit of "6 degrees of separation" feels really fun!
(You know, when my first book, Neptune & Surf, came out, it was lauded profusely by the late writer Hubert Selby, Jr. When I went to Los Angeles, he took me out to lunch and he had just come back from the Cannes Film Festival, where Darren Aronofsky's film version of Selby's novel Requiem for a Dream had just premiered to much acclaim. And I have to say, Cubby (Selbert's nickname) sure made it sound like a spectacular time. So I guess you should be open to anything, gang.)
Well, okay. I suppose I should get crackin' around here. Have a terrific Friday the 13th!! And don't forget to feed & water those black cats!! They're going to be pretty fatigued after all that stomping around....
So... Where have I been???
Yeah, well. Jesus. Where haven't I been, is more the question. And all of it is psychological. Mostly, I've been to the Land of Exhaustion but I am feeling really, really good this morning.
And M. Christian and I are getting closer and closer to being able to officially announce the details of what will be our annual literary award. So I am very psyched about that. It will be one award but in alternating years it will be given either to the best unpublished science fiction novel, or the best unpublished erotic novel. No anthologies, no short stories -- novels, gang! It will be a monetary award and we will also offer publication. What we really want to see is writers completely redefine what their genre is all about. So he and I are just really, really excited about discovering new books, new writers -- a brave new world, so to speak. Yay!!! And you can be gay, straight, polyamorous, ambidextrous, schizophrenic, even just mindbogglingly shy -- we don't care!! Just write the heck out of yourself, that's what we want to see!!
Okay. So, gang, what is tomorrow all about??? Tomorrow is all about Pirates of the Caribbean Part 4,964: On Stranger Tides showing at the Cannes Film Festival! Yay!! And last night, Variety gave POTC #4 a really nice review. So. What the heck, gang; sounds fun! I'm gonna go ahead and go! ha ha ha.
Actually, I would rather die than do something screaming-frenzy like that. I prefer to be, like, pretty much the only person besides my stalwart cousin in any given theater of basically every single movie I go to see. (That's not really too much of an exaggeration, either.) (It's called being an "Introverted Writer".) (In fact, the only person on earth more introverted than I am will actually be in my house on Saturday afternoon -- someone I haven't seen in eleven years, gang!! She and I are very "connected", in that she gave birth to me almost 51 years ago...)
Anyway. You know, if I were invited to Cannes for some heady career-related reason, of course I'd figure out the right combination of easily obtainable anxiety meds to help me not only attend but also to have the very best time! In fact, part of me, of my energy, at any rate, is at Cannes right now! In that I contributed to a screenplay that has an American actor attached and that is there looking for producers. So even that little bit of "6 degrees of separation" feels really fun!
(You know, when my first book, Neptune & Surf, came out, it was lauded profusely by the late writer Hubert Selby, Jr. When I went to Los Angeles, he took me out to lunch and he had just come back from the Cannes Film Festival, where Darren Aronofsky's film version of Selby's novel Requiem for a Dream had just premiered to much acclaim. And I have to say, Cubby (Selbert's nickname) sure made it sound like a spectacular time. So I guess you should be open to anything, gang.)
Well, okay. I suppose I should get crackin' around here. Have a terrific Friday the 13th!! And don't forget to feed & water those black cats!! They're going to be pretty fatigued after all that stomping around....
May 10, 2011
Oh, gang -- you know???
have more emails in my inbox than you can possibly imagine. And by emails, I only mean the emails that need a response from me that involves more than simply "writing back." Since I have a new novel out that is up to its gills in PR planning; I have a novel out from last year that just won an incredible award; I have a screenplay awaiting a reply from a producer in L.A.; I am in the process of writing a new screenplay with my writing partner Jerry; I am in the process of starting an annual literary award with M. Christian; I have a book coming out in France in a couple months and have emails from my editor there; some people in England I need to reply to for similar reasons, etc., etc., etc. It adds up to a lot of emails.
Plus, I am also STILL trying to learn French! To loyal readers of this lofty blog, that probably seems very amusing at this point.
YOU: She hasn't learned French yet?? (annoying giggles) She's been studying it since she was about seven...
ME: Who the fuck has time to even press PLAY, let alone to listen and repeat anymore????
Not to forget that I also have that incredible (to me!!) new/old piano in my world and I am re-learning my way around the piano.
And of course there are the gardens, the yard, getting the patio furniture cleaned up and back outside. So that I can feel like I do SOMETHING besides work.
Against that backdrop, though, you begin to really, really appreciate the little thrills.
When it comes to coffee, I love it but I do not like the kinds of coffees that are popular now. That whole Starbucks explosion of really super strong coffee with way too much caffeine. For me, that kind of coffee is not a fun experience. But I refuse to drink coffee that tastes really boring -- like Maxwell House, or something like that. So I've resigned myself to buying organic breakfast blend coffees because at least they have flavor but don't tear apart your nervous system.
You know, back when I lived in New York... [There she goes again! - Ed.] Well, it's true!! Back in New York, I always had the best coffee and it came out of an ordinary tin coffee can that you bought at the grocery store and it was, well, heavenly.
That's right, gang; I'm talking about Chock Full O' Nuts!! The "heavenly coffee; better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy"!! Well, guess what??? Yesterday at the grocery store, I discovered that Kroger has begun carrying Chock Full O' Nuts coffee again!! Well, at least they had 2 cans of it yesterday so I bought one!! Yay!!
It's little thrills like that, when your workload is over the top, and it just takes a simple little thing like a cheap can of coffee -- but it's the best can!! -- and everything in your world gets suddenly so nice & manageable. Right, gang???
PS: I am not complaining about my workload. I am thrilled to pieces that my career is suddenly going so great again. Yay. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, man, is it nice to have a perfect cup of coffee again.
The actual commercial they showed in New York in the 1980s
Plus, I am also STILL trying to learn French! To loyal readers of this lofty blog, that probably seems very amusing at this point.
YOU: She hasn't learned French yet?? (annoying giggles) She's been studying it since she was about seven...
ME: Who the fuck has time to even press PLAY, let alone to listen and repeat anymore????
Not to forget that I also have that incredible (to me!!) new/old piano in my world and I am re-learning my way around the piano.
And of course there are the gardens, the yard, getting the patio furniture cleaned up and back outside. So that I can feel like I do SOMETHING besides work.
Against that backdrop, though, you begin to really, really appreciate the little thrills.
When it comes to coffee, I love it but I do not like the kinds of coffees that are popular now. That whole Starbucks explosion of really super strong coffee with way too much caffeine. For me, that kind of coffee is not a fun experience. But I refuse to drink coffee that tastes really boring -- like Maxwell House, or something like that. So I've resigned myself to buying organic breakfast blend coffees because at least they have flavor but don't tear apart your nervous system.
You know, back when I lived in New York... [There she goes again! - Ed.] Well, it's true!! Back in New York, I always had the best coffee and it came out of an ordinary tin coffee can that you bought at the grocery store and it was, well, heavenly.
That's right, gang; I'm talking about Chock Full O' Nuts!! The "heavenly coffee; better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy"!! Well, guess what??? Yesterday at the grocery store, I discovered that Kroger has begun carrying Chock Full O' Nuts coffee again!! Well, at least they had 2 cans of it yesterday so I bought one!! Yay!!
It's little thrills like that, when your workload is over the top, and it just takes a simple little thing like a cheap can of coffee -- but it's the best can!! -- and everything in your world gets suddenly so nice & manageable. Right, gang???
PS: I am not complaining about my workload. I am thrilled to pieces that my career is suddenly going so great again. Yay. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, man, is it nice to have a perfect cup of coffee again.
The actual commercial they showed in New York in the 1980s
May 7, 2011
Okay, gang!!
If you want to buy either the trade paperback edition or the hardcover collector's edition of the IPPY winner Freak Parade between now and May 31st, here is a special coupon code to save 15%.
But you have to buy it directly from LULU.com, at these links:
trade paperback
hardcover collector's edition
Enter coupon code at checkout: MAYSAVE305
"Marilyn Jaye Lewis is one of the few writers who can pull off this type of novel. As an author she doesn't shy away from issues of gender and sexuality, the realities of abuse, racism and poverty. She shows us the seedy underbelly of the city as well as its luxurious and privileged side. The book is intensely erotic with scorching sex scenes. It's shocking and raw in places. It's also warm and funny and sad and deeply emotional. It's about destruction and redemption, friendship and desire, love and hate, pain and pleasure. It's also a powerful romance. All of these things make Freak Parade an unforgettable read. " -- Saskia Walker, UK
But you have to buy it directly from LULU.com, at these links:
trade paperback
hardcover collector's edition
Enter coupon code at checkout: MAYSAVE305
"Marilyn Jaye Lewis is one of the few writers who can pull off this type of novel. As an author she doesn't shy away from issues of gender and sexuality, the realities of abuse, racism and poverty. She shows us the seedy underbelly of the city as well as its luxurious and privileged side. The book is intensely erotic with scorching sex scenes. It's shocking and raw in places. It's also warm and funny and sad and deeply emotional. It's about destruction and redemption, friendship and desire, love and hate, pain and pleasure. It's also a powerful romance. All of these things make Freak Parade an unforgettable read. " -- Saskia Walker, UK
May 6, 2011
Freak Parade Wins IPPY Award
Yesterday, the winners for the 2010 Independent Publishers Awards (IPPY) began being announced in New York. I am thrilled, honored, excited to say that my self-published novel, Freak Parade, won the Silver Medal for Best Erotica in 2010.
This is doubly special for me because it is a publishing award and Freak Parade was self-published only after my agent spent 5 years getting rejections from every publisher in the known world, basically.
It was a tricky book, because most of the editors who read the manuscript liked Freak Parade a lot, they just didn't know how to market it so, thus, they rejected it. (It's a literary novel with a fair amount of extremely graphic depictions of sex in it. And not just sex, but f/f, m/f, and m/m sex. It's a love story that makes a statement about racism against Latinos & Hispanics and also has a bit of violence & a lot of dancing & music thrown in.) It was disheartening to discover that the publishing industry was changing so rapidly, that a well-written erotic novel was deemed too hard to market so everyone passed on it. (A couple editors hated the book outright, though.)
Well, it is now 6 years later and Freak Parade is a winner of the Silver IPPY Medal for Erotica. I wrote it, edited it (not fun!) and then published it on LULU.com. I also hired a fantastic graphic artist to do the cover shoot and design the beautiful cover. Her company is imagelanguage.com and I highly recommend her.
I am a firm believer that erotic books should have beautiful covers that aren't blatantly salacious, just like any other work of literary merit. Most publishers disagree with me; they feel that naked girls or girls in their underwear -- or boys, if the book is gay -- is the only way to sell erotic titles. So that was one nice thing about choosing to self-publish: I had complete control over my cover art & packaging and it paid off in spades yesterday afternoon.
My point is, don't let your novel sit in a drawer if all the publishers pass on it.
This is doubly special for me because it is a publishing award and Freak Parade was self-published only after my agent spent 5 years getting rejections from every publisher in the known world, basically.
It was a tricky book, because most of the editors who read the manuscript liked Freak Parade a lot, they just didn't know how to market it so, thus, they rejected it. (It's a literary novel with a fair amount of extremely graphic depictions of sex in it. And not just sex, but f/f, m/f, and m/m sex. It's a love story that makes a statement about racism against Latinos & Hispanics and also has a bit of violence & a lot of dancing & music thrown in.) It was disheartening to discover that the publishing industry was changing so rapidly, that a well-written erotic novel was deemed too hard to market so everyone passed on it. (A couple editors hated the book outright, though.)
Well, it is now 6 years later and Freak Parade is a winner of the Silver IPPY Medal for Erotica. I wrote it, edited it (not fun!) and then published it on LULU.com. I also hired a fantastic graphic artist to do the cover shoot and design the beautiful cover. Her company is imagelanguage.com and I highly recommend her.
I am a firm believer that erotic books should have beautiful covers that aren't blatantly salacious, just like any other work of literary merit. Most publishers disagree with me; they feel that naked girls or girls in their underwear -- or boys, if the book is gay -- is the only way to sell erotic titles. So that was one nice thing about choosing to self-publish: I had complete control over my cover art & packaging and it paid off in spades yesterday afternoon.
My point is, don't let your novel sit in a drawer if all the publishers pass on it.
May 3, 2011
Would it shock you...
...if I told you it was fucking raining again???? You know, it's not like I live in Seattle, or someplace cool like that, where a ton of rain might feel endurable.
Oh well. It is making my lawn, my trees, yes even my weeds, really, really GREEN. And who knows, maybe by early August we'll be having a drought and saying, "God, I wish it would rain!!" So I try to be grateful for what may truly be hiding in every moment, b/c you just never know, gang.
Patti Smith!
Okay, go, Patti! Not only is there a really cool article in the LA Times about a talk Patti & Dave Eggers gave about their respective memoirs over the weekend, it was also announced today that Patti Smith is one of the 2 recipients of this year's Polar Prize in Sweden. How great!! (Honestly, gang, 35 years ago, in this very town, me and this other girl (who also moved to NYC as soon as she could) had to force people (at pen point; not gun point) at the local swimming pool to sign a petition to get Patti some airplay on our local FM rock radio. People at the swimming pool signed the petition in order to get us to leave them alone. Then the radio finally played "Gloria" once and then never again. So this is just really, really cool for me, to be living back here again in this town and reading this news about Patti.) (You know, also -- back when I was 17, I had embroidered Patti Smith's name on my jeans. And you have no idea how many people would ask me if my name was Patti Smith. Okay, it's one thing to live in Ohio and not know who Patti was back in 1977, but, come on! Why would I embroider my own fucking name on my jeans????)
I also had "Aerosmith" embroidered on my jeans back then and no one ever asked me if my name was Aerosmith... (Funny weird "smith" thing going on there, though! How weird I didn't notice that until right this moment.)
Which further reminds me -- Go Steven!! I am officially back on TEAM STEVEN, gang, after reading that interview with him in the new issue of Rolling Stone. Wow. To be honest, I haven't been an Aerosmith fan since the late 70s, but that interview with Steven Tyler really rocked. You must check it out!
Now -- About Me!! Me! Me, me, me, me me!!
Finally, through some mysterious, serendipitous miracle, my newest novel, Twilight of the Immortal, is starting to get some reader reviews on Amazon.com. You can read them here! Yay! (You can also buy the book, conveniently enough, at that very same link, gang. Double-yay hint, hint!)
All righty. (Still all about me...)
On the agenda for today, besides preliminary work for the adaptation of Neptune & Surf (that my writing partner, Jerry, has insisted we don't call Surf Avenue, but just plain Neptune & Surf, instead), I also have to begin writing up a press release for Twilight of the Immortal. You can guess how much I love writing press releases. Actually, I like writing them a whole lot better than I like writing synopses, so there is at least that to be grateful for!! (Wow, I'm all about gratitude today, aren't I, gang?) But remember the days when the publisher took care of every little thing for you because they thought that writers were just these indescribably cool and honorable beings to be anywhere near???
(Well, you know, if you do remember those days (and you don't live in France, that is, where they still honor writers like nobody's business) then you are super old and I am literally amazed that you are still out there, walking around!!)
Actually, my publisher will write press releases for me, it's just that I am super picky and indescribably vain about the magnificence that is my writing talent, so it's just a lot easier to write it myself. B/c, hey, they write the press release but then I have to send it out anyway, so why not just be Super Woman and do it all myself? (Until Bill Brent gets here in July, that is!! Then I will foist all of this hard work upon him!!) (I'm so fucking serious! Yay!)
Okay, I suppose I should get crackin' around here. Time's a-wastin'. (I sure hope you don't speak English as a second language, gang, b/c I sure don't want to have to try to explain all these stupid little sayings I say!!) Have a great Tuesday, wherever you are! I have recently been informed that "Tuesdays are cool" so go out there and enjoy the heck out of yourselves. Thank you for visiting me. I will see you again soon!! Bye!
Oh well. It is making my lawn, my trees, yes even my weeds, really, really GREEN. And who knows, maybe by early August we'll be having a drought and saying, "God, I wish it would rain!!" So I try to be grateful for what may truly be hiding in every moment, b/c you just never know, gang.
Patti Smith!
Okay, go, Patti! Not only is there a really cool article in the LA Times about a talk Patti & Dave Eggers gave about their respective memoirs over the weekend, it was also announced today that Patti Smith is one of the 2 recipients of this year's Polar Prize in Sweden. How great!! (Honestly, gang, 35 years ago, in this very town, me and this other girl (who also moved to NYC as soon as she could) had to force people (at pen point; not gun point) at the local swimming pool to sign a petition to get Patti some airplay on our local FM rock radio. People at the swimming pool signed the petition in order to get us to leave them alone. Then the radio finally played "Gloria" once and then never again. So this is just really, really cool for me, to be living back here again in this town and reading this news about Patti.) (You know, also -- back when I was 17, I had embroidered Patti Smith's name on my jeans. And you have no idea how many people would ask me if my name was Patti Smith. Okay, it's one thing to live in Ohio and not know who Patti was back in 1977, but, come on! Why would I embroider my own fucking name on my jeans????)
I also had "Aerosmith" embroidered on my jeans back then and no one ever asked me if my name was Aerosmith... (Funny weird "smith" thing going on there, though! How weird I didn't notice that until right this moment.)
Which further reminds me -- Go Steven!! I am officially back on TEAM STEVEN, gang, after reading that interview with him in the new issue of Rolling Stone. Wow. To be honest, I haven't been an Aerosmith fan since the late 70s, but that interview with Steven Tyler really rocked. You must check it out!
Now -- About Me!! Me! Me, me, me, me me!!
Finally, through some mysterious, serendipitous miracle, my newest novel, Twilight of the Immortal, is starting to get some reader reviews on Amazon.com. You can read them here! Yay! (You can also buy the book, conveniently enough, at that very same link, gang. Double-yay hint, hint!)
All righty. (Still all about me...)
On the agenda for today, besides preliminary work for the adaptation of Neptune & Surf (that my writing partner, Jerry, has insisted we don't call Surf Avenue, but just plain Neptune & Surf, instead), I also have to begin writing up a press release for Twilight of the Immortal. You can guess how much I love writing press releases. Actually, I like writing them a whole lot better than I like writing synopses, so there is at least that to be grateful for!! (Wow, I'm all about gratitude today, aren't I, gang?) But remember the days when the publisher took care of every little thing for you because they thought that writers were just these indescribably cool and honorable beings to be anywhere near???
(Well, you know, if you do remember those days (and you don't live in France, that is, where they still honor writers like nobody's business) then you are super old and I am literally amazed that you are still out there, walking around!!)
Actually, my publisher will write press releases for me, it's just that I am super picky and indescribably vain about the magnificence that is my writing talent, so it's just a lot easier to write it myself. B/c, hey, they write the press release but then I have to send it out anyway, so why not just be Super Woman and do it all myself? (Until Bill Brent gets here in July, that is!! Then I will foist all of this hard work upon him!!) (I'm so fucking serious! Yay!)
Okay, I suppose I should get crackin' around here. Time's a-wastin'. (I sure hope you don't speak English as a second language, gang, b/c I sure don't want to have to try to explain all these stupid little sayings I say!!) Have a great Tuesday, wherever you are! I have recently been informed that "Tuesdays are cool" so go out there and enjoy the heck out of yourselves. Thank you for visiting me. I will see you again soon!! Bye!
May 1, 2011
It's official: the honeysuckle is a complete disaster!
You know, I was so relieved a couple weeks back, when I was able to give my new lawn & garden guy his fee for doing the spring clean-up of my yard & my 11 flowerbeds... However, since then, it has practically not stopped raining, so he hasn't been able to do anything more than cut the lawn.
Well, b/c of all this rain, the new honeysuckle has already gotten a real astounding toe-hold over on my arbor. The bad news is that we had such an early snow last winter -- that never really let up until spring -- that I was never able to get rid of the dead honeysuckle from last fall.
So now what I have is an indescribable, tangled up mess of dead honeysuckle interwoven with tenacious brand new honeysuckle and all of it is clinging securely in a giant mass all over one end of the arbor.
At this rate, whenever the weather clears up enough for the guy to get at this mess, it will be hopeless, so I tried to make some headway on it this morning, all by myself.
What I discovered is that I need a machete to just whack the whole mess down and start over! (Trust me, whatever I do to that honeysuckle, you will never notice it by August. It will be back in full-force, regardless.) I wonder if the Home Depot carries machetes??
I love honeysuckle when it's blooming. It just looks horrible when its a brown soggy dead mess all over the arbor.
Okay!
Guess what else I discovered, though? Remember how, last year, my climbing roses suddenly began blooming like crazy, after barely surviving the 4 summers I'd lived here? Well, jeepers, gang. It is doing spectacularly great this year. It's enormous, really. I tied it up in several spots to the lattice and when it starts blooming, it is going to be awesome.
I am so glad Bill Brent will be living here this summer so that there will be someone here to share all this with. I can tell the gardens are going to be really gorgeous this summer!! B/c of all this rain, the grass is already unbelievably green & lush. It's going to be a little paradise around here. (It'll probably pale in comparison to Hawaii, which is what Bill is used to, but , you know, it's all relative.)
Well, b/c of all this rain, the new honeysuckle has already gotten a real astounding toe-hold over on my arbor. The bad news is that we had such an early snow last winter -- that never really let up until spring -- that I was never able to get rid of the dead honeysuckle from last fall.
So now what I have is an indescribable, tangled up mess of dead honeysuckle interwoven with tenacious brand new honeysuckle and all of it is clinging securely in a giant mass all over one end of the arbor.
At this rate, whenever the weather clears up enough for the guy to get at this mess, it will be hopeless, so I tried to make some headway on it this morning, all by myself.
What I discovered is that I need a machete to just whack the whole mess down and start over! (Trust me, whatever I do to that honeysuckle, you will never notice it by August. It will be back in full-force, regardless.) I wonder if the Home Depot carries machetes??
I love honeysuckle when it's blooming. It just looks horrible when its a brown soggy dead mess all over the arbor.
Okay!
Guess what else I discovered, though? Remember how, last year, my climbing roses suddenly began blooming like crazy, after barely surviving the 4 summers I'd lived here? Well, jeepers, gang. It is doing spectacularly great this year. It's enormous, really. I tied it up in several spots to the lattice and when it starts blooming, it is going to be awesome.
I am so glad Bill Brent will be living here this summer so that there will be someone here to share all this with. I can tell the gardens are going to be really gorgeous this summer!! B/c of all this rain, the grass is already unbelievably green & lush. It's going to be a little paradise around here. (It'll probably pale in comparison to Hawaii, which is what Bill is used to, but , you know, it's all relative.)
