Mario Acevedo's Blog, page 29

Why do we like to play God?

Mario here:
I was asked in a recent interview if creating visual art and writing fiction had anything in common. I answered that for me, my painting and fiction writing run on parallel tracks and have little to do with each other except to compete for my time.
I added that our need to create may be a God complex, where we decide to create work in our image as a reaction against the circumstances of our existence. This creation is a means of self-expression and can take many forms: writing, painting, sculpting, music, cooking, knitting, sewing, customizing cars; basically you take some stuff and turn it into something else.
What is this compulsion to create? When I was in college, my dad told me that art was a waste of time and since I personally didn't know any working artists (other than art teachers), I couldn't disagree with him. An office job was what I should aspire to. So I gave away my paints and sketch pads and tried to forget doing art. But I couldn't stop drawing or thinking about painting. I bought another set of watercolors and got back into slinging the paint.

So do my visual art and writing fiction have anything in common? I'll amend my previousanswer because upon reflection, they do. Back in the sixth grade, Mrs. Anderson paired up the students in her English class, with the assignment of writing a book (more of a booklet, about 20 pages). I was teamed with Stuart Williams and we were both crazy about Star Trek (the original series). While the other students were writing and illustrating their books about lost puppies, Santa having his sleigh stolen, what-have-you, Stuart and I got busy creating a science fiction saga. When it was time to turn in the books, he and I didn't have ours. Since Stuart and I were good students, Mrs. Anderson asked what we'd been doing for the last six weeks. We showed her a thick binder filled with drawings, schematics, crew rosters, star charts, uniforms, story boards of battle scenes. Basically, we'd been overwhelmed by what turned out to be a star ship epic. Even though we hadn't completed the assignment, we'd done more work than everyone else, and she gave us A's.
While that binder is probably rotting in a landfill, the story didn't die. I kept turning it over and over in my mind, constantly day-dreaming about the plot and living in a world that was a lot more interesting than life in dusty Las Cruces. I jotted my ideas into a series of sketchbooks, with drawings, maps, and narratives. One time, I invited the preacher's son to my home and showed him the sketchbooks. He told the cute girls at church that I lived in a silly cuckoo land. Bastard. After that, I kept the drawings to myself.
Years later, in critique group, one of our members decided to show us what she meant in her story by bringing out sketchbooks of her fantasy world. I had found my tribe!


I guess like most of you writers and artists, if measured strictly by time spent vs. money earned, we might be better off cleaning carpets or bookkeeping. But God Himself, or Herself, wasn't content maintaining the universe as it was. So there.










Plus! This Tuesday evening, Feb 8, catch Jeanne and me at the Smoky Hills Library, 5430 South Biscay Circle, Centennial CO (303-542-7279).
And now, for the important news: Mark Henry is coming to Denver! Yes, the premier zombie enthusiast and snark stylist will be in the Front Range to flay us with his wit and prose.




This Friday, Feb 11, 7pm, at the Broadway Book Mall, 200 S Broadway, Denver, CO. He'll be signing his latest massmarket release, Road Trip of the Living Dead, and Battle of the Network Zombies.









And then, Round Two of Mr. Henry at the Scorned Lovers Art Show. Saturday, Feb 12, 6-9pm at the Art Salon, 2219 21st Street, Denver. At York St near City Park for you locals. Mark will lock arms with Denver poet Kate Redmond in a special erotic reading that promises to show that nothing is too lowbrow for us. Eat special Valentine's cupcakes and browse the awesome artwork. Enchant a new lover or hex a treacherous past amante by jabbing a pin into the giant Love VooDoo Doll. Work out your contempt at broken romance by helping us demolish the Scorned Lovers piñata with the big black Love Stick. It's the other side of love and we've all been there. You be here! [image error]

The Wire and Other Shorts

A rather short entry today. My mind is preoccupied with the new book. But I did want to mention a series I just finished via Netflix. If any of you have not seen the series The Wire, run, don't walk to get your hands on a copy of it. It's five seasons of the best television I've ever seen. I'd be interested in your opinions. I'll tell you right now my favorite character is Snoop. If you've seen it, what's yours?


4 Real

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From Variety via Shelf Awareness:

Lionsgate has set a March 23, 2012 release date for The Hunger Games, director Gary Ross's adaptation of the first novel in the trilogy by Suzanne Collins. A cast has not yet been named. Variety reported that Lionsgate "acquired the feature rights in 2009 and set the project up with Nina Jacobson at her Color Force banner with Collins adapting her own novel."

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This one I don't get from The Hollywood Reporter :

The Madea mastermind will take on the James Patterson-created character, previously played in two movies by Morgan Freeman.

For his next gig, Tyler Perry is losing the wig and donning the suit of detective-psychologist Alex Cross.

QED is mounting a production based on the popular James Patterson character that has already been portrayed by Morgan Freeman in two previous studio movies.

Tyler Perry? I guess I can't see him in a serious role, let alone one done first by Morgan Freeman.

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And if you're a follower, Rick Marshall posted a blog on an interview he did with Dark Horse editor Scott Allie on Whedonverse 2011: Buffy: Season Nine, Dollhouse and Serenity comics. After the ending of Season Eight, I can't even begin to guess what comes next.

Okay, back to the book. I want to thank all of you who had such complimentary things to say about the new headshot...both here and on Facebook. And Mario has posted such thoughtful, intelligent posts the last two Mondays, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't a doppelganger out there loose. If so, what have you done with the real Mario?

In any case, one of the Mario's will be appearing with me this Tuesday at the Smoky Hills Library, 5430 South Biscay Circle, Centennial CO (303-542-7279). Then on Thursday, I have a solo gig at the new Southglenn Library, 6972 South Vine Street, Centennial CO 80122 (303-542-7279). The library is located in the new Streets of Southglenn Mall so if you haven't yet been there, perfect opportunity to check it out.

Stay warm. I was going to start off with we're freezing our butts off here but it's nothing compared to other parts of the country. What's a high of -4 when there are places out there under four feet of snow? Crazy winter. At least whats-his-name didn't see his shadow....






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The Season of the Witch

Mario here:


Years ago I read The Chalice and The Blade by Riane Eisler. That book illuminated my thoughts about the origins of the Bible and civilization's shift from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society. Now, after tens of centuries with men in charge, it seems we're about to let women have the reins again.




I'll follow that premise by starting with this statistic from a recent Sisters in Crime survey of mystery book consumers: 68% of all mystery buyers are women. For fiction in all categories, 64% of the buyers are women. The only genre where the numbers of male and female buyers are equal is nonfiction.
And who's writing fiction? Romance was of course always regarded as the woman's genre. No surprise there. Until recently, women writers who wrote mystery and thriller tended to publish under a gender-neutral pseudonym. Not any more and currently, the mystery genre is split about 50/50. My fellow scribes of Urban Fantasy are overwhelmingly women. Science fiction is still regarded as a men's genre though from my experience, it's split down the middle between genders for both readers and writers.

So the majority of readers and writers in America today are women. And coincidentally, so are most of the college students (at 59-63%). In fact, the percentage of women college students continues to rise. Even though higher education is regarded as the gateway to success, fewer and fewer men are attending college, though no one knows why. More than half of the American workforce is female. True, across the board, salaries are not equal but that is changing with women leading the way with higher-paying entry jobs.
So what does this mean? As the dad of two sons (college grads I have to mention), I'm not sure. But throw this into the stew pot.
While the number of teen moms is going down, the numbers of women having babies without getting married is climbing and is now 40%. I have to qualify that number because it doesn't take into account the number of women living with the kid's dad.
When I was growing up, I had a number of friends with sisters who had been shunted away for having a baby out of wedlock. Today, the term "wedlock" is avoided, as it implies that there is something shameful about a woman having a baby without getting married. Likewise for tagging a baby as "illegitimate."

Once upon a time, cohabitation i.e., "shacking up," was called living in sin. Now it's no big deal.


A woman's place was in the home. The traditional marriage contract was set up for the benefit of the husband, with the promise of financial security keeping the wife in her place. Historically, a woman could be condemned as a witch if she refused to get married and was punished accordingly: whipped, branded, drowned, hanged, or burned at the stake.


As women gain the financial upper hand, they are rejecting the traditional marriage arrangement, 63% believing marriage is necessary versus 75% of men. We're wired for companionship and women are not turning away from men, but insisting on more casual relationships. A man seeking a younger partner has been the cultural norm, now older women are proudly embracing their cougar status.




Of course, men claim they are necessary for propagation of the species but this article from Environmental Graffiti says not so fast.



Who knows how this trend will affect society? Maybe not that much and like always, it will take two to tango.

New Year, New Hair, New Headshot

I have lots of amusing (at least they were to me) videos to share this week-- but first. Mario's post about writing made me think about my own process. I've decided to attempt something new for me-- writing two books at once. The eighth in the Anna Strong series, Haunted, and a stand-alone mystery/thriller. So many of my author friends have two or three series going at once, I feel like a laggard. I'm using Sarah Domet's 90 Days to Your Novel, a Writers Digest book, as a template. I'm on week six. I brought my first plot outline to critique group last night for the mystery and the comments were generally good. (If I didn't get any negative feedback, I'd know they weren't paying attention.) Anyway, I'll post progress reports along the way.

Next, a couple of blatant self-promotion items. Had a new headshot done. I long ago decided I would never let an old headshot be used for my books. I've been shocked too many times by meeting an author I would have mistook for her mother because the picture on her books was at least thirty years old. So, here's the unveiling.



Credits: Photography: Kelly Weaver Photography
Hair and Make-up: Debbie Ritch
Jewelry : David and Diann Wacks

Men have it so easy. Mario can use his shot for as long as he wants. In the many years I've known him, his hair hasn't changed at all--well, except for maybe getting a little thinner and a lot grayer. But basically, he looks the same-- damn him.

So, would you buy a book from this woman?



Just got this yesterday, the cover for the anthology Chicks Kick Butt in which I have a story, Superman. It's an Anna Strong story, actually a peek into the seventh book, Crossroads, as I adapted this story from a scene in that book. It's available for pre-order now from Amazon here .


All four anthologies I have contributed to come out in the next few months:

March -- Whedonistas



Along with Vampires: The Recent Undead



And in June, a novella in Hexed


And the above mentioned Chicks Kick Butt...




One more bit of promo, though this time not for me...our League of Reluctant Adults pal Mark Henry is coming to Denver in honor of his Road Trip of the Living Dead's release in mass market paperback. As Mario put it, he will be reading from his book and generally being inappropriate. The fun begins at 7 PM on February 11 at the Broadway Book Mall.



Okay, now onto the entertainment part of our blog-- (I know, you're sighing in relief. But I don't do this a lot, do I?)



Just mentioned last week that our Buffy turned 30 on January 19th. Well, for once something good came on her birthday...well, more precisely for Sarah Michelle Gellar. Zapit reports:

CBS has ordered a pilot for a new show called Ringer, which is about "a troubled young lass on the run from the mob. She assumes the life of her wealthy twin sister, only to find out that said sibling has a bounty on her head as well". Gellar is set to play the troubled young lass and the sister as double-duty on the new show, according to Vulture.

The pilot was written by Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder, who have evidently worked as writers on Supernatural.

The last issue of Buffy, Season Eight hit the stands last week, too. Go here for a recap (and spoilers). If any of you are following it, what was your reaction to the big shocker?

Okay-- for your viewing pleasure, several nonsensical pieces I came across this week:

My Blackberry Isn't Working-- British humor at it's best



From Police Procedure - only Mario can truly appreciate how drunk this woman is



Heads down-- Perils of the MegaReader



One idea from Flavorwire -- What to Do with Your Books After the Internet Apocalypse



Okay, have I entertained you enough for one week? What's going on in your world?

Quit your bitchin' and get to work

Mario here,
My sons gave me an iPad for Xmas, which makes for a handy way to watch Netflix.
One show that I haven't yet decided if I like is Showtime's Californication. David Duchovny's character, Hank Moody, has writer's block, which is fueled by his anxieties despite his publishing success and a movie deal. As expected, the show takes liberties with the life of a professional writer. Unlike Moody, I don't have panic attacks, nor do I have difficulty cranking out the word count. On the other hand, I don't have women chasing me for sex. (Hmmm...maybe I should get writer's block.) One plot complication I don't understand is that Moody claims to be a New York writer and hates living in Los Angeles. So, why doesn't he move back?
Here's a glimpse of the show in a funny Russian over-dub.


The show's premise hinges on Moody's writer's block. As a professional writer--meaning that if I don't write and write well, I don't get paid--I can't afford to mollycoddle myself with writer's block. And neither can any one of my writer friends. Many of them astound me with their work ethic. For me, 2000 words is a good day. I know writers who manage 4000+. Paolo Bacigalupi posted that he once did over eight thousand. Amazing and somewhat intimidating. That and his many awards.
Which leads me to digress for a bit about creativity. Being this is the age of the Internet, I Googled creativity process. The website Directed Creativity flayed the creative process to the point of eye-glazing absurdum. No matter what model you use--or more likely, don't use--when you write, your creative process probably overlaps many of the proposed creative steps. I find that a good way to get creative is to apply this acronym: BICHOK--Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. I once heard Chuck Palahniuk address the issue of performing a task he wasn't keen on doing. He applied the dictum: Thought follows action, which at first seems like a backwards way to tackle a problem, much like Fire, Ready, Aim. But in fact, the take-away is: Don't wait to get inspired; Get to work now. Which is the best way to attack writer's block.


I've mentioned in an earlier post that this year I challenge myself to not only keep writing but also paint more. With that in mind, let's build a little forward momentum by going backwards, much like a pitcher doing a wind-up. I've posted some of my watercolors in Facebook that I did when I first started painting professionally. Hope you like them.
Don't forget our Bad sex in writing contest. Ends this Thursday, Jan 27. Prizes!

The Game Begins

HAPPY 30th Birthday Buffy!!!


Trailer for HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones leads this week's movie and book news.


The Game Begins

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Then onto a couple of articles about one of my favorite literary and movie characters: James Bond.

First, from the Huffington Post :


KINGSTON, Jamaica — A new international airport for private jets and small commercial aircraft was unveiled in northern Jamaica on Wednesday, named after the British thriller writer who invented the literary and cinematic super spy James Bond.

Ian Fleming International Airport is close to the scenic retreat where the late author reportedly wrote all 14 of his books about the elegant, crafty spy. The property is now an exclusive resort owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who is credited with introducing reggae great Bob Marley's music to the world.

Followed by this from the BBC :



The new James Bond book, written by thriller author Jeffery Deaver, will be called Carte Blanche.

The title and cover were unveiled in Dubai where parts of the book are set.
US writer Deaver said the novel - to be published in the UK on 26 May - posed "the looming question of what is acceptable" in security matters.

Sebastian Faulks and John Gardner are among other authors to have written officially-sanctioned Bond novels since creator Ian Fleming's death in 1964.

Deaver, 60, whose best-seller The Bone Collector was made into a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, said giving an agent carte blanche on a mission "comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement".

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Anyone who knows me, knows I'm also a tremendous Sherlock Holmes fan. I found this on the ebookseller site:

Orion is to publish a new full-length Sherlock Holmes novel, written by Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz, after he was selected by the Conan Doyle Estate...

Further details about the title, to be published in September, are still to be revealed, though it will be "a brilliant mystery novel, stripped back to the original style of Conan Doyle", according to the publisher.

Brilliant, huh? We'll be the judge of that!

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Let's see, what's next?

Now THIS is an interesting twist. From ereads :

HarperCollins authors – have you read your Ten Commandments lately? How about the Seven Deadly Sins? You'd better bone up on them. It seems there's a morals clause in your publisher's contract. Not moral rights, mind you… We mean morals. Your morals.

New language in the termination provision of the Harper's boilerplate gives them the right to cancel a contract if "Author's conduct evidences a lack of due regard for public conventions and morals, or if Author commits a crime or any other act that will tend to bring Author into serious contempt, and such behavior would materially damage the Work's reputation or sales." The consequences? Harper can terminate your book deal.

Not only that, you'll have to repay your advance. Harper may also avail itself of "other legal remedies" against you.

If this is true, Mario, you'd better be on your best behavior!! Especially since you keep finding little gems like this to send me... I could rat on you.



Besides, why he sends things like this to me, I have no idea.... I am the most even-tempered, tolerant person I know. You all agree, right? RIGHT?????

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Lot's of statistics floating around this week. Sisters in Crime commissioned a study on the public's mystery/crime fiction book buying habits. Highlights here from Shelf Awareness:

Bricks-and-mortar stores still lead the way in mystery/crime fiction sales, and women over 45 constitute the majority of buyers in the genre, according to a collaborative study, "The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age," released this week by Sisters in Crime. The survey was designed to offer an overview of the mystery/crime fiction book-buying landscape, using research based on publishing industry data gathered and interpreted by Bowker's PubTrack division.


The study found that the majority of mystery/crime fiction buyers are women (68%) over the age of 45 (66% ). Buyers in the 18-to-44 demographic purchase 31% of the mysteries sold.

Some 48% live in the suburbs, 27% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. The South accounts for 35% of sales, followed by the West (26%), Midwest (20%) and Northeast (19%). 

Bricks-and-mortar stores sell 39% of all mysteries, with library borrowing accounting for approximately 20% and online purchases 17%.

The full report can be found here

USA TODAY listed it's 100 top sellers for 2010 here . No real surprises.

And Nora Roberts is the latest author to enter the Kindle Million Club, joining Stieg Larsson and James Patterson as the third writer to surpass a million paid copies in Amazon's Kindle Store.



Twilight fans, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will host a special International Fan Event to coincide with the April release of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Little, Brown will select one fan from the U.S. and one from Canada, and is partnering with the Twilight Saga publishers in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan and the U.K. to find each country's lucky Twilight fan. The 10 winners will receive an advance copy of The Official Illustrated Guide and have the opportunity to talk extensively with Meyer. 

The official rules for the sweepstakes to select a fan from the U.S. as well as one from Canada) can be found here .

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Found this via Publisher's Lunch:



Lynn Hirschberg offers an "exclusive first look" of the making of David Fincher's version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO for W Magazine . According to the piece, Steven Zaillian's script departs considerably from the book: "Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending--the resolution of the drama--has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but [scriptwriter] Zaillian has improved on Larsson--the script's ending is more interesting."




Mara has the right look, that's for sure, but I get a little nervous when they start talking about a more "interesting" ending. Salander is MORE aggressive? How much more aggressive could they make her? I'm not at all sure about this one.


I guess that's it for this week. I must admit, though, I'm very disappointed we haven't had any bad sex entries yet. You can't tell me every sex scene you've ever read has been wonderful. Remember, I'm not talking about your personal sex life. I know the old saying, the worst sex I've ever had was... wonderful....but surely, you've read a sex scene in a book and came away shaking your head at the absurdity. If you can't remember the book to look up the exact phrasing, paraphrase. We'll accept it. We're easy.

...don't let the bedbugs bite

Mario here,


As president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, I was duty bound to fly to New York City for the MWA national board meeting.




This was my third trip on behalf of the chapter. While I anticipated the reunion with the rest of the board, as well as dinner and drinks as only the Big Apple can do, what I didn't expect was bedbugs. Yuck!


Seems Gotham City is infested by the bloodsucking invertebrates (I write about vampires; I get the irony). While we are staying at the swanky Roosevelt Hotel, that was no guarantee we wouldn't get munched on by vermin, especially since the hotel is mentioned in the BedBugRegistry. But management assured us that they had no problems with bedbugs.




Still...besides not wanting to be bedbug chow, I didn't want to risk bringing the dirty little critters home to Denver.
I tore my bed apart looking for the creatures. Nothing, fortunately.



As suggested by the Bedbug Registry, I kept all my clothes wrapped in a garbage bag and elevated off the floor. And I hung my luggage and clothes in the closet. Overkill? Perhaps.



Now, while I had no unfortunate run-ins with bedbugs, the same can't be said for Whiskey Sours. Such an evil concoction, especially when they attack in gangs.







Don't forget our Bad Sex in Writing Contest.









We'll have awesome prizes. Stuff you may have to store in that special drawer everyone pretends they don't have. Even Redbook Magazine gets into the naughty act.

New Year, New Contest

Hi all-- to start things out this year, Mario and I decided to have a contest The idea sprung from this:

Rowan Somerville is the author of two novels, The End of Sleep and this year's The Shape of Her, described by the Economist as "deceptively simple in plot and singularly musical in its voice, it is a study of the place where our past has become our present. A summer read to be kept – and visited in the dark days of winter..."

Last month, the novel followed authors including John Updike and Norman Mailer in winning the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction award …with one killer sentence – "like a lepidopterist mounting a tough-skinned insect with a too blunt pin he screwed himself into her" – the novelist Rowan Somerville demolished all comers and secured this year's coveted…award.

Which brought up an interesting point. Who would you nominate for a bad sex in books award (notice I added "in books." Don't want any disgruntled husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, etc etc coming after us.) Send in an example (we won't name the book or author) and the winner (chosen by Mario and I) will win a prize...a prize sure to be appropriate to the topic. Anyway, here are the rules--well, RULE...find a really bad sex scene and submit it in comments. It can be raunchy or ridiculous or both. This is an adult blog. We'll run the contest for two weeks. So you have until Jan. 27. We're cross-posting this over at the League, too, and that group is REALLY twisted so you'll have to dig deep to beat them!!!

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What do you think of these motion comics? Anyone bought one?

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Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby 'could be filmed in 3D'

The Great Gatsby has been adapted for the big screen in the silent, monochrome and colour eras, as well as on the small screen, and even in a version for Korean audiences. Now F Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of the gilded jazz age could be set for a turn in stereoscopic vision after director Baz Lurhmann said he was considering filming his new adaptation in 3D...

The new Great Gatsby is set to star British actor Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, the manipulative and shallow New York socialite of Fitzgerald's famous tale of the roaring 20s. Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly in line to play the title role, one made famous by Robert Redford in the 1974 version, with Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald's narrator.


Huh?? 3d??

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Starts tomorrow...

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Just got the table of contents for an anthology coming out in June-- Chicks Kick Butt.

@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times-Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p { margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Times; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.inside-head { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

Introduction by Rachel Caine 11

Shiny by Rachel Caine 13

In Vino Veritas by Karen Chance 35

Hunt by Rachel Vincent 59

Monsters by Lilith Saintcrow 85

Vampires Prefer Blondes by P. N. Elrod 112

Nine- Tenths of the Law by Jenna Black 136

Double Dead by Cheyenne McCray 167

A Rose by Any Other Name Would Still Be Red 194

by Elizabeth A. Vaughan

Superman by Jeanne C. Stein 208

Monster Mash by Carole Nelson Douglas 230

Wanted: Dead or Alive by L. A. Banks 263

Mist by Susan Krinard 281

Beyond the Pale by Nancy Holder 309

I'll post the cover as soon as I get it.

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I can't believe I missed the Cape last weekend (let me know what you thought) but I was up in Fairplay at a writer's retreat. It's also hard to believe we actually get any work done with a view like this out the sun room window, but we always manage.



Writers in residence this weekend were Linda Hull, Susan Smith, Vicki Law, Carol Berg and a good representation from my own critique group, Tamra Monahan, Warren Hammond, Terry Wright and moi. Check out the Hand Hotel if you're looking for a quiet weekend away. It's great and in the little town of Fairplay is a candy and gift shop, the Chocolate Mousse , with the best homemade fudge and candies and fruit butters I've ever tasted.

Anyway, a few pics of the gathering of the clan as we prepare to start our day of "work".

Hot and fresh on a cold, snowy day

Mario here:

It's the start of another week, and we're buried in snow. But that won't stop us from sharing the good news.


First, several weeks ago we posted the release of Cort McMeel's debut novel, Short. Well, Cort called to tell us the first print run had sold out. Already! Congratulations. Here is Cort signing stock after his recent appearance at the Colfax Tattered Cover.









Next up, local writing pal, Julie Kazimer, has sold another urban fantasy novel, The Body Dwellers. If you haven't done so already, follow her blog, The Never Never News, and get the skinny on all the weird and pervy doings in Fairytale Land.One thing that really chafes us writers is when we bust our tight little behinds to turn in work to our editors and we wait. And wait. And wait. So what happens? What's keeping our editors from pouring love over our precious manuscripts? Shalom Auslander spills the beans in his article Excuses, Excuses in Tablet, A New Read on the Jewish Life.

Here at the Biting Edge, we're not big on New Year's resolutions. If you have to do something, then start right now. But for 2011, I've decided to be more diligent in slinging paint and creating new work. My newest inspiration in Gregory Manchess, whose work you may recognize from tons of fantasy book covers. Here he creates something fantastic for Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time - Lord of Chaos.


Starting this Thursday, our newest contest: Bad sex in modern literature. Jeanne will provide the details. Enter and win cool swag.

Back in the saddle...

Wow--it's harder to wrap my brain around work than I thought. It's amazing what a couple of weeks off does to the work ethic. I got kind of used to being on holiday.

But it's a new year and I've got a new book to write so here's me jumping back on the wagon.


Speaking of books, heard from my pals at Mysterious Galaxy and Chosen made the best seller list for the year. Thank you San Diego.

Mysterious Galaxy was also featured in this nice piece on Shelf Awareness just this morning.

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It's been awhile since I had any info on the Whedonverse. Are you following Buffy Season Eight? I don't want to give away too much, but if you're interested in a shocker, check out what happens to Ripper.

Joss Whedon Passes on Buffy Reboot

The Internet exploded in anger Thursday at news that Warner Bros., Atlas Entertainment and Vertigo Entertainment are planning a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer film without Joss Whedon, maestro of the 1992 film and 1997-2003 TV series.

Whedon himself fanned the flames, advising fans to "leave me to my pain" in a witty missive.

But Whedon was offered a chance to be involved with the new Buffy — and passed.

According to studio insiders, he was approached last year after Buffy rightsholder Fran Rubel Kuzui and husband Kaz Kuzui began developing a remake with Vertigo. After presented with the opportunity, Whedon decided he'd rather work on other projects (he's making Marvel Studios' The Avengers). Producers then began searching for a writer and late last year hired actress-turned-scribe Whit Anderson. The unknown Anderson, with only bit film appearances to her credit, came up with a take on the Buffy myth that was strong enough after a couple of drafts to lure Atlas, which partnered with Vertigo to set it up at a studio.

Fox, distributor of the 1992 movie, had first crack, but passed, so Warners slid in, betting that Whedon or no Whedon, Buffy can still slay at the box office.

The Cape

Following her 2002 acting debut on "Angel," Summer Glau has starred in the kind of TV series and movies that prompted fanboys to call her the new queen of sci-fi. Glau has appeared on cult favorites such as "Firefly," "Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Chuck," but on Jan. 9, her new series, the superhero drama "The Cape," premieres on NBC. And her starring role as Orwell — an all-seeing, tech-savvy superheroine — will not only cinch that "queen of sci-fi" title but also mark her greatest opportunity to win the hearts of mainstream TV audiences. Wonderwall visited Glau on the set of "The Cape" for a chat about her background as a dancer, becoming a superhero and her loyal fans.



This looks like a pretty good series.

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'Operation Dark Heart' Author Sues for Uncensored Edition

WASHINGTON — A former Defense Intelligence Agency officer whose Afghan memoir was belatedly censored by the Pentagon filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to have the book's full text restored in future printings.

In September, the Defense Department spent $47,300 to purchase and destroy the entire first printing of "Operation Dark Heart" by Anthony A. Shaffer, asserting that it contained classified information.

The book was hastily reprinted with many passages blacked out and has become a best seller. But unredacted advance copies of the book, among a few dozen distributed by St. Martin's Press before the Pentagon's intervention, are still for sale on eBay for $1,995 to $4,995.

Read the full article here . I think Mario should have included some secrets in Nymphos.

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And for my fellow writers who need a bit of inspiration for the new year, a collection of rejection letters received by bestselling authors. Some pretty well known names among them. Go here .

Talking about inspiration, here's what Hemingway's first editor told him at the Kansas City Star: "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative." Hemingway later referred to that list as "the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing."

Sounds like good advice to me, too. Here's to a new year of powerful writing.