Greg Van Eekhout's Blog: Writing and Snacks - Greg van Eekhout's blog, page 22

Chickens and boats

I'm given to believe that a chicken pie shop is an uncommon thing in these blighted times, so I feel lucky to have the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop barely a ten-minute drive away. It is old, shabby, the food is of the tasty but completely non-nutritious variety (a chicken pie is differentiated from a chicken pot pie in that the former lacks vegetables), but oooooh so delicious. Also, the place is filled with chickens.

From Snacks of 2010


I dream of getting on a little boat and sailing out to sea, and the waters would be kind and the animals helpful and when it got too lonely there'd be islands where they welcome mariners from strange lands.

This boat, in particular, moored off Shelter Island, tends to call to me. I don't know what her name is, but were she mine I'd call her Lookfar, after Ged's boat in Wizard of Earthsea. I don't know if Ged ever sailed to Jamaica, but in a boat like this I'd think he'd have to.

From San Diego 2010 pics

This, on the other hand, is Star of India, intentionally outfitted with raggedy sails to lend an air of seasonal spookiness to her "Haunted Lantern" tour. She's still seaworthy, actually, but I can't imagine I'd have even the barest chance of doing anything but ramming her into one of the cruise ships docked nearby.

From San Diego 2010 pics

I don't know what this boat's story is. I spotted her on Ocean Beach (after a lunch of lobster taco). Could be she just broke free and landed here. Could be part of a human trafficking operation (though they usually land farther north). Despite the likelihood that this little boat is connected to a sad story, I couldn't help but well up with romantic notions when I saw her.

From San Diego 2010 pics

I've got some demands on my time right now, but I want to take sailing lessons when the demands let up. But knowing the way my brain works, once the demands let up, the notions of sailing away will probably subside. That's okay. Often as not, dreaming about boats is enough.

"Ghost Market" and a couple of reviews

This is a hype entry. Hype entry warning. All the contents in this entry are hype.

My nasty little urban fantasy/horror/whatever-you-want-to-call-it story Ghost Market is now up at PodCastle. It originally appeared in Paper Cities, which recently sold translation rights to a Russian publisher, which meant some money showed up in my Paypal account. I used that money to eat cioppino at a restaurant by the beach where we saw a green-flash sunset.

"Ghost Market" is not for all audiences. If you're here because you like my other stuff, be warned that this story is nastier than my other stuff.

I used to write really nasty stuff all the time because I was a budding horror writer and a little bit of a splatterpunk writer, at that. "Ghost Market" was a rare step back into nastiness, and frankly I'm not entirely comfortable in that space.

Norse Code is actually probably more violent, but that's not my fault. Blame the Norse.

***

Two nice reviews for Kid vs. Squid:

• Ms. Yingling Reads
• TeensReadToo

Monkeys and Cadillacs

What's going on? Do I have any stuff going on? Or is it all coffee and éclair?

No, it is not all coffee and éclair, so you can stop giving me that look right now, missy.

Here are some thing that are going on, bullet style:

• Lisa and I took a curvy mountain road out to Indian Wells (that's, like, around Palm Springs or something) to see the NBA Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks in a pre-season game played in an outdoor tennis stadium. It was very pretty out there in that clean, rocky, witheringly hot kind of way. I do not miss living in a desert. But the game was quite fun, and I ate peanuts.

From Suns game - Indian Wells 2010

• I've got a school visit set up for next month, which is something I'm hoping to do more of. My publisher says the ARC for my next middle-grade book will include information regarding setting up visits with me, the gist of which I've put up on my website.

• Speaking of the next middle-grade book, there's not much to say at this juncture. I reviewed and approved copyedits last month, so the next thing for me to do will be reviewing typeset proofs. I've seen the latest iteration of the cover art, and I'm looking forward to showing it off once it's final. The artist is the super-talented August Hall.

• My mom's having some major surgery in a few weeks, and while everything's shaping up to look good and improve her quality of life, there's Stuff and Logistics I'm helping her and my dad with. The nature of Stuff and Logistics means that I've had to make several trips to their house recently, with several more upcoming. Depending on traffic, it's 2-3 hours to my parents house, each way, so I'm a bit drained physically and mentally, but not as drained as my parents are, surely.

• Said draining has made it harder to find Novel Brain, the condition under which one drops into the flow of work and produces words the way a crazed macaque produces spittle and monkey poo. But I really can't wait for the macaque, so I've been working on Osteomancer's Son at a more laborious pace. We don't always get to choose the conditions under which we work, but work must get done anyway. Or else it never gets done and you miss your deadline and everyone sues you and tries to run you over with their big publisher Cadillacs.

The truth is, missing deadlines is very bad for all kinds of reasons, but publishers generally don't punish you to the extent of demanding your advance back. And I've still got more than a year to write this book, but I want to get it done early and leave myself plenty of time to fix the cruddy parts and get a head start on the next book, and also leave myself time to write things not currently under contract. I try to look at finishing by deadline as the worst-case scenario.

• To tell you the truth, I can't remember the last time I had an éclair.

• I have to do laundry now, as I'm getting down into my emergency underwear.

Signing, Oceanside Barnes and Noble, Oct. 20

I'll be signing at the Barnes and Noble in Oceanside, CA on Wednesday, October 20, from 4-7pm, and while I'm there, a portion of all sales will go to Nichols Elementary School.

It works like this: Buy my book during the three hours I'm there, or buy someone else's book, or buy a calendar, or a DVD, or some merch with a vampire on it, and the school gets money.

Here's the school's take:

10% for sales from $0 - $1999
15% for sales from $2000 - $10,000
25% for sales above $10,000

I believe the money goes to support Nichols Elementary School's library, and if I find out that's not the case, I'll say so here. But the money definitely goes to the school. In addition to signing, I might also be giving a bit of a dog and pony show, or a presentation, if you will. Or I might just be directing people to the restroom. No matter what, I will definitely try to do some straightening and shelving around the store.

October 20, 4-7pm
Barnes and Noble
El Camino North Shopping Center
2615 Vista Way
Oceanside, CA 92054
760-529-0106

My thoughts on book promotion

Here's me at my signing at Conjecture. Next time I'll wear pants.

From Conjecture signing

Conjecture 2010

If you like science fiction and fantasy and such type things, perhaps you might come to Conjecture, one of San Diego's two annual science fiction conventions. I shall be there on Saturday, October 2. I shall be there on Saturday, October 2, doing things.


Saturday 10:00AM Crescent Panel: Adults Reading Young Adult Fantasy
Saturday 11:00AM Dealers Room Signing: Greg van Eekhout
Saturday 6:00PM Garden 1 Panel: Mythic Fiction
Saturday 8:00PM Garden 1 Panel: Collaborative Writing

The price of progress is me

No, no, no, this is a bad day to be operating a pile driver near my apartment. You're making the neighbor's baby cry. You are making me sad as well.

A little (very little) writer updatery

Writing updates have been scarce, because writing has been, well, not necessarily scarce, but sort of plinky.

Since delivering the final draft of Boy at the End of the World to Bloomsbury last month, I've roughly outlined Norse Code as a six-issue comic book series, and I've fully scripted the first issue. What am I going to do with it? I don't know. I'd love to see the book adapted as a comic, and I'd love to write comics, so if nothing else I now have 22 pages of comics-writing experience t...

Quitters

I've been putting down a lot of books lately. Since I'm a writer, this is like spitting out food before ingestion, and as a result I am becoming literally malnourished. Or malnourished literally. With literature, am I not getting enough nourishment. That's what I mean to say.

View Poll: Quitters

Writing, the cans and goods

I asked this over on Twitter, but I think maybe the answers might be fun in a > 140 characters kind of discussion.

Writers, do you agree or disagree with this statement: "I'm a writer because it's the only thing I can do."

Or, variant: "I'm a writer because it's the only thing I'm good at."

My own answer: I can do other things and have done so. I was good enough at some of these things to earn paychecks without people hating me or my work. I even left a job and got hired back after a time with a...