Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 80
September 6, 2018
The end of originality…
When I saw the announcement of James Patterson’s new book Texas Ranger (co-author in small print, of course), my knee-jerk reaction was that this is an example of a current and endemic problem in the world of creative arts. The revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway is another. Disney’s regurgitation of the movie Frozen on Broadway (can’t we let go of that song “Let It Go”?) is yet another. Originality is getting killed, and it’s a slow, agonizing death.
I won’t read Patterson’s book. I haven’t...
September 5, 2018
Interviewing Author Sandra Gardner…
Steve: Today we have with us Sandra Gardner, mystery writer and author of the Mother-and-Me Mystery Series. Without further ado, let’s begin. Why don’t you introduce yourself, Sandra.
Sandra: Many readers are interested in mysteries, so I’ll start my writing life. My Mother-and-Me Mystery Series has the following books: Dead Shrinks Don’t Talk (published by Black Opal Books, 5/18) with Grave Expectations and Death of a Nuisance, to follow. These are paranormal cozies. I’m currently revisin...
September 4, 2018
Short-fiction redux…
After finishing the manuscripts for The Last Humans (a post-apocalyptic thriller to be published by Black Opal Books in 2019), Goin’ the Extra Mile (“Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries” #3, to be published by Carrick Publishing this fall), and Son of Thunder (sequel/prequel to Rembrandt’s Angel, back from editors and beta-readers and in the submission prcess), I’ve decided to spend a bit more time on short fiction, encouraged by A. B. Carolan, my Irish collaborator.
I just uploaded The Phantom Harves...
August 30, 2018
Is writing gender neutral?
By this question I mean whether readers like books independently of the author’s gender, and whether authors can write books independent of their gender? The second applies to any creative artist—indeed, it applies to any occupation. I have some progressive opinions about that. The first is subjective and might inspire some comments to this post.
Recently I heard that WNBA players are second-class citizens compared to NBA players (of course, I long suspected that). The former share 25% of the...
August 29, 2018
Review of “Losing Earth”…
“Losing Earth.” Nathaniel Rich, author, with photographs by George Steinmetz (NY Times Magazine, 8/5/2018). All of the above are fiction. There’s nothing fictional about global warming and its resulting extreme weather events we’re currently experiencing. This is the first time I review a magazine article, but it’s important. I’d have called it “Murdering Gaia.”
The article covers ten years of world history, 1979—1989, describing how science defined the “greenhouse effect” from atmospheric CO...
August 28, 2018
Coming-of-age tales…
[Note from Steve: This blog post was written by A. B. Carolan.]
We Irish are a hardy lot. We needed that for centuries. Readers of Steve’s blog might wonder why the Irish diaspora is so vast. Cromwell has a lot of responsibility for that, separating children from parents, wives from husbands, and shipping all over God’s creation. He even stabled his army’s horses in our cathedrals, which is why they’re mostly Anglican now. Those who were left behind suffered through various potato famines. Th...
August 23, 2018
Time-travel redux…
I saw in the news that Patrick Stewart is going to act in a new Star Trek series that will follow Captain Picard in his later years. I always thought he was the quintessential Starfleet captain, unlike Kirk, who was just a loose cannon most of the time. However, I just watched (how many times now?) Star Trek IV, arguably the best whale movie ever made (sure beats the hell out of Moby Dick, that boring and awful treatise on how to turn whale blubber into lamp oil). Kirk and his minions were a...
August 22, 2018
Mini-Reviews of Books #33…
Hunter’s Chase. Val Penny, author (Crooked Cat Books, 2018). If you can imagine Ian Rankin writing more of a mystery than a police procedural, you’ll like this book. Yet again the reader sees the seamy side of Edinburgh. DCI Hunter has his flaws and has problems with police and government bureaucracy, but he also has a capable crew of interesting cops to aid him. A series of hit-and-runs have similarities. Forensic work and sleuthing led by Hunter gathers the evidence together, but some case...
August 21, 2018
Reviews and rankings…
We’ve all seen them—reviews for books, movies, restaurants, contractors, tourist spots, hotels, and so forth. To summarize the point I’ll be making here, they’re basically worthless. If you generally agree with that, you might not want to read any farther, but what I have to say about their oft-accompanying rankings might surprise you. I’ve considered this problem a lot, based on my previous experiences with statistics and sampling as a scientist. My conclusions are hard to put into words, bu...
August 17, 2018
Movie Reviews #63: review of BlacKkKlansman…
[Note from Steve: This is a special, unannounced posting. I thought it was important to post this review.]
BlacKkKlansman. Spike Lee, dir. Two cops infiltrate the KKK chapter in Colorado Springs. The black cop, Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington), provides the voice on the telephone; and the white cop, Flip Zimmerman (played by Adam Driver), provides the body. There are some comical moments in this true story based on Stallworth’s book (same title minus the extra K), but this is...
