Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 268
October 15, 2010
On the road again: Bouchercon, San Francisco, day 3
One of the more interesting Bouchercon items today was an interview of bestselling writer David Baldacci. I've heard more than a few self-styled "literary" writers dismiss Baldacci and other top-selling thriller writers as hacks aiming books at the lowest common denominator. I haven't read his work, so I can't comment on it, but I can say that in the interview he came across as nice, intelligent, very focused on his work, and utterly unwilling to do anything simply to please the market. He repeated several times a statement I've often made: you should write books for yourself. As so frequently happens at such programming items, I left convinced to give one of his books a go.
Another excellent panel featured Declan Hughes and John Connolly discussing ten must-read crime novels. They actually covered ten must-read writers, and then added a few more in a rush at the end. Though I'd read most of the books and writers, a couple were on the list of people I keep meaning to read, and so perhaps now I will promote them.
Lunch was again at the Ferry Building, this time a Cowgirl Creamery grilled cheese sandwich of the day.
Mid-afternoon brought my one programming item, a thirty-minute session on children in war. The person in the room ahead of me ran more than ten minutes long, so I had a very short panel, but about eight folks showed up, and all of them seemed genuinely interested in the topic. So, though it was a very small group, it wasn't as soul- and ego-crushing as some of my solo con efforts.
Dinner was an absolutely excellent Persian meal at Zare at Flytrap. We sampled a range of appetizers and desserts, and every single dish was very good or better. The lamb sausages were superb. If you live here or are visiting, this place belongs on your restaurant short list.
Another excellent panel featured Declan Hughes and John Connolly discussing ten must-read crime novels. They actually covered ten must-read writers, and then added a few more in a rush at the end. Though I'd read most of the books and writers, a couple were on the list of people I keep meaning to read, and so perhaps now I will promote them.
Lunch was again at the Ferry Building, this time a Cowgirl Creamery grilled cheese sandwich of the day.
Mid-afternoon brought my one programming item, a thirty-minute session on children in war. The person in the room ahead of me ran more than ten minutes long, so I had a very short panel, but about eight folks showed up, and all of them seemed genuinely interested in the topic. So, though it was a very small group, it wasn't as soul- and ego-crushing as some of my solo con efforts.
Dinner was an absolutely excellent Persian meal at Zare at Flytrap. We sampled a range of appetizers and desserts, and every single dish was very good or better. The lamb sausages were superb. If you live here or are visiting, this place belongs on your restaurant short list.
October 14, 2010
On the road again: Bouchercon, San Francisco, day 2
After a humane number of hours of sleep, I got up and dove into work. When I was caught up, I headed to the con and watched a relatively poorly executed liars' panel. I've done a few of these now, and to do them right you need extreme questions that permit entertaining lies and a group of funny panelists. The panelists did a reasonable job on this one, but the questions were too serious to permit the kind of humor that makes a large audience stay late.
Lunch was at the Ferry Building, where 4505 Meats produced a wonderfully tasty steak sandwich. Topping it, however, was a small bowl from Scream Sorbet; the Indian peach was very good, but the vanilla with macadamia nuts was superb.
After more work, I caught a panel on writers working in both film and novels. One writer, whose name I did not catch because I arrived a few minutes late, told the best story I've heard yet about Hollywood's attitude to a novelist wanting control of a script. After he complained for some time to an executive producer, the producer finally told him the following:
I promised yesterday that I would cover last night's dinner today, and so I shall. We ate at Coi, which the owners named using an archaic French term that means "tranquil." You have only one option at Coi: the eleven-course tasting menu. All the plates were interesting and demonstrated both technical skill and an intelligent approach to creating dishes. The server said that "cerebral" best described the food, and that's a reasonable summary.
The taste, however, was nowhere near as consistent. It ranged from difficult dishes I did not greatly enjoy, such as the oysters, to controversial, such as the young turnip-brown butter soup with pickled watermelon radish and purslane, to the absolutely delicious, such as the mushroom and beef courses. Both dessert courses were lovely, so the meal ended on a high note. The small dining room echoed the restaurant's name and conveyed a calming sense of tranquility. All things considered, I'd definitely go back to Coi, and I recommend it for adventurous diners.
Lunch was at the Ferry Building, where 4505 Meats produced a wonderfully tasty steak sandwich. Topping it, however, was a small bowl from Scream Sorbet; the Indian peach was very good, but the vanilla with macadamia nuts was superb.
After more work, I caught a panel on writers working in both film and novels. One writer, whose name I did not catch because I arrived a few minutes late, told the best story I've heard yet about Hollywood's attitude to a novelist wanting control of a script. After he complained for some time to an executive producer, the producer finally told him the following:
You don't understand the process. You owned a car. You sold me the car. Now, you want to drive the car. You may wave at the car as it goes by, but you may not drive it.My view on this subject remains as it always has been: should someone buy the movie rights to one of my books, I will hope for a very large check that I will deposit as quickly as possible.
I promised yesterday that I would cover last night's dinner today, and so I shall. We ate at Coi, which the owners named using an archaic French term that means "tranquil." You have only one option at Coi: the eleven-course tasting menu. All the plates were interesting and demonstrated both technical skill and an intelligent approach to creating dishes. The server said that "cerebral" best described the food, and that's a reasonable summary.
The taste, however, was nowhere near as consistent. It ranged from difficult dishes I did not greatly enjoy, such as the oysters, to controversial, such as the young turnip-brown butter soup with pickled watermelon radish and purslane, to the absolutely delicious, such as the mushroom and beef courses. Both dessert courses were lovely, so the meal ended on a high note. The small dining room echoed the restaurant's name and conveyed a calming sense of tranquility. All things considered, I'd definitely go back to Coi, and I recommend it for adventurous diners.
October 13, 2010
On the road again: Bouchercon, San Francisco, day 1
This trip mixes PT work with Bouchercon, the big mystery convention that I attend each year if I can reasonably make it. Today started badly with me in the shower in the early sixes after about an hour and a half of sleep. I don't need a ton of sleep, but that's not enough even for me. The trip fortunately went uneventfully, but there was no plane bandwidth for me, so by the time I was in my hotel room I was woefully behind on email and other work obligations. Hours of frenzied work brought me back to even, and then a very good but quite late (9:00 start) dinner put a nice ending on the day. I'll go into more detail about the meal tomorrow, but right now a bit more work stands between me and sleep, so I'm going to finish the demanding tasks and dive under some covers.
Later.
Later.
October 12, 2010
Now you can listen to the SF in SF talks
Thanks to Fred, I learned today that the Agony Column Podcast for my SF in SF appearance with Amelia Beamer is now available online here. I listened only to the first minute, but it appears to capture at least my whole reading. I hope you enjoy it.
I'd write more, but in not much more than three hours I have to get up to shower and head to a plane, so I'm signing off early tonight.
To let you end with something less dark than my reading, here is a small section of LA Story, a favorite movie of mine, that includes its magical fog monologue, a bit of silliness, and then the truly wonderful end bit. Magic.
I'd write more, but in not much more than three hours I have to get up to shower and head to a plane, so I'm signing off early tonight.
To let you end with something less dark than my reading, here is a small section of LA Story, a favorite movie of mine, that includes its magical fog monologue, a bit of silliness, and then the truly wonderful end bit. Magic.
October 11, 2010
Possibly the most awesome Q&A this year
io9 already covered it, but I loved it so much that I have to point to it here: Check out this coverage of Guillermo del Toro's Q&A session in Portland, Oregon on September 29. I'm pissed that I managed to be there and didn't even know this was happening!
I love almost everything he has to say. Two great samples:
By the way, if you have any questions you want me to answer, email me via the site's
I love almost everything he has to say. Two great samples:
The rule is to work only with people you admire or you love. Or both.Definitely check it out, and if you're a stone del Toro fan, also watch the videos a fan uploaded to YouTube.
Adapting material is like marrying a widow. You have to be very respectful of the late husband's memory, but at some point you've gotta fuck.
By the way, if you have any questions you want me to answer, email me via the site's
October 10, 2010
Martin, my brother, and John Lennon
Today is my brother's birthday. He lives in Florida, so I never get to celebrate it with him. I didn't get to talk with him, which also sucks, but I hope I do tomorrow. He is a good man. If he walked by you and saw you were having trouble, he would stop and help. I love him, something I don't say enough to my family members, and I'm proud to have him as my brother.
Yesterday was John Lennon's birthday. If you haven't already done so, go watch the "Imagine" video. Is it hokey? Sure. It's also strong and true and right, and we should all always be imagining and working toward peace.
Thinking of Martin and John Lennon, I know that Martin would always stand by me, and so, though I've put it in the blog before, I have to close with this Lennon cover of this classic song, which I love.
Yesterday was John Lennon's birthday. If you haven't already done so, go watch the "Imagine" video. Is it hokey? Sure. It's also strong and true and right, and we should all always be imagining and working toward peace.
Thinking of Martin and John Lennon, I know that Martin would always stand by me, and so, though I've put it in the blog before, I have to close with this Lennon cover of this classic song, which I love.
October 9, 2010
Man food vs. vegetarians
Early this morning, Scott had to take the SAT. As probably all of you know, getting up at six-thirty is not a great way to start your Saturday. It turned worse when they made him wait over an hour before he could begin the test, wouldn't allow him to get any tissue to blow his nose (he's fighting a cold), and then, of course, kept him a full hour late.
As we were driving away from the school where he took the test, we both agreed that one cure was in order: man food.
Thus it was that, quite a few miles and minutes later, we found ourselves sitting under an umbrella behind a local sandwich shop staring at this vision of loveliness.
(Click on either picture to see a huge image of it)
Two cheese steaks, one with three varieties of cheese, and, yes, bacon cheese fries fresh from the fryer.
Holy crap, it was good!
As we were shoving this ultra-high-calorie feast down our yaps, we were discussing vegetarians. Scott opined, and I agreed, that though in principle it would be good for both his health and the planet for him to be one, he couldn't make the change, because he loved the taste of meat too much. We then wandered into this bit of conversation:
By the way, lest any of you accuse me of irresponsible parenting for consuming and/or providing such a high-fat meal, let me point out that I had all the angles covered: less than ten feet from our table stood this truck:
Semper parataus, my friends, semper paratus.
Damn, it was a good lunch.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: In case you missed it, this was a humor piece. I have many vegetarian friends. My daughter is a vegetarian. I'm just having a little fun here.
If you're still pissed, try some bacon. It would make you feel better.)
As we were driving away from the school where he took the test, we both agreed that one cure was in order: man food.
Thus it was that, quite a few miles and minutes later, we found ourselves sitting under an umbrella behind a local sandwich shop staring at this vision of loveliness.
(Click on either picture to see a huge image of it)
Two cheese steaks, one with three varieties of cheese, and, yes, bacon cheese fries fresh from the fryer.
Holy crap, it was good!
As we were shoving this ultra-high-calorie feast down our yaps, we were discussing vegetarians. Scott opined, and I agreed, that though in principle it would be good for both his health and the planet for him to be one, he couldn't make the change, because he loved the taste of meat too much. We then wandered into this bit of conversation:
Scott: I asked some vegetarians if they missed the taste of meat, and they said no. So then I said, "Not even bacon?" They still said no.We went on to ponder how our many friends who are dieting madly (which, believe it or not, I am doing most days of the week, but not this weekend with Scott and not on trips) would react to this meal. We decided it was good that they could not reach us to try to kill us.
Me: That's clearly not natural.
Scott (nodding): That's when it hit me: vegetarians aren't people!
Me: Your wisdom is growing, grasshopper.
By the way, lest any of you accuse me of irresponsible parenting for consuming and/or providing such a high-fat meal, let me point out that I had all the angles covered: less than ten feet from our table stood this truck:
Semper parataus, my friends, semper paratus.
Damn, it was a good lunch.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: In case you missed it, this was a humor piece. I have many vegetarian friends. My daughter is a vegetarian. I'm just having a little fun here.
If you're still pissed, try some bacon. It would make you feel better.)
October 8, 2010
R.I.P., Greg
I learned yesterday that Greg, who worked at one of my company's clients, had passed away. He died quickly and unexpectedly from a fast-moving cancer. He was fairly young, I think in his thirties, though I don't know for sure. He left behind a wife and two children. I cannot imagine their grief. I've never met them, but they have my deepest condolences.
Greg's death hit me hard. It's still hitting me. I can't say we were tight, because we weren't. He was my client; I was his supplier. We worked together occasionally for a few years, then kept up from time to time in email--usually from me asking him if we could do anything for him, i.e., selling to him. Despite the superficial sound of the relationship, however, I always thought of him as a friend. I feel that way about many clients, but Greg was special.
Greg was a big guy: tall, strong, fit. He'd worked a lot of crap jobs and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Our backgrounds were similar enough in that way that we could nod at each other's stories and know the other had really understood them. He'd put himself through a lot of school to get to where he was. He smiled easily and often. He adored his wife and kids. He loved his family and wanted to stay near them always. He was restoring an old VW bus, which I had the privilege to ride in.
He was a rarity: an American man in the classic mold, one who had worked to get what he had, who understood and willingly undertook his responsibilities, who behaved honorably in every single interaction we had.
My life was richer for knowing Greg, and the world is poorer for his passing. Damn.
Greg's death hit me hard. It's still hitting me. I can't say we were tight, because we weren't. He was my client; I was his supplier. We worked together occasionally for a few years, then kept up from time to time in email--usually from me asking him if we could do anything for him, i.e., selling to him. Despite the superficial sound of the relationship, however, I always thought of him as a friend. I feel that way about many clients, but Greg was special.
Greg was a big guy: tall, strong, fit. He'd worked a lot of crap jobs and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Our backgrounds were similar enough in that way that we could nod at each other's stories and know the other had really understood them. He'd put himself through a lot of school to get to where he was. He smiled easily and often. He adored his wife and kids. He loved his family and wanted to stay near them always. He was restoring an old VW bus, which I had the privilege to ride in.
He was a rarity: an American man in the classic mold, one who had worked to get what he had, who understood and willingly undertook his responsibilities, who behaved honorably in every single interaction we had.
My life was richer for knowing Greg, and the world is poorer for his passing. Damn.
October 7, 2010
Eatin' man food
Scott and I were alone for much of last night, so I decided to make us some man food. I left work early (for me; late for anyone else), stopped at a grocery store, and picked up supplies. Then, we chatted a bit while I cooked:
* steak with Stilton, a joy I discovered in a small restaurant in the country outside Coventry
* "enhanced" (with a variety of stuff) penne Alfredo (No, I won't tell you all that I did to it, but I will say that the combination worked.)
While I finished the cooking, Scott did some more homework, and then we ate together and chatted about our days.
I had a great time. The joy of a simple meal with your son is hard to overstate. I am blessed to have an amazing, terrific son, and as his senior year charges ahead, I appreciate more and more every chance I get to spend time with Scott.
The food was pretty darn good, too.
* steak with Stilton, a joy I discovered in a small restaurant in the country outside Coventry
* "enhanced" (with a variety of stuff) penne Alfredo (No, I won't tell you all that I did to it, but I will say that the combination worked.)
While I finished the cooking, Scott did some more homework, and then we ate together and chatted about our days.
I had a great time. The joy of a simple meal with your son is hard to overstate. I am blessed to have an amazing, terrific son, and as his senior year charges ahead, I appreciate more and more every chance I get to spend time with Scott.
The food was pretty darn good, too.
October 6, 2010
Library Boy
Last night, the Cary Public Library had an SF in NC event that featured three local writers: David Drake, John Kessel, and me. Dan Brooks organized the event and led the discussion, which took place in the tiered reading place for kids' books. We got to sit under a small cover with a nice curtain; I had to fight the urge to throw a play.
Check it out:
Over two dozen people turned up, which was a nice surprise--even though quite a few were folks we knew. Dan asked several questions, which we took turns answering, and then we fielded questions from the audience. We discussed what drew us to science fiction, our earliest writing experiences, our writing processes, and other related topics.
The show ran almost fifteen minutes long, but no one seemed to mind, and several folks stayed afterward and chatted.
My thanks to Dan for organizing such a nice event, and to Dave and John for being swell fellow panelists.
Check it out:
Over two dozen people turned up, which was a nice surprise--even though quite a few were folks we knew. Dan asked several questions, which we took turns answering, and then we fielded questions from the audience. We discussed what drew us to science fiction, our earliest writing experiences, our writing processes, and other related topics.
The show ran almost fifteen minutes long, but no one seemed to mind, and several folks stayed afterward and chatted.
My thanks to Dan for organizing such a nice event, and to Dave and John for being swell fellow panelists.
