Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 137
July 1, 2009
Capybara Update: Celeste and the Giant Hamster at Omnivoracious
I just posted a feature on Melanie Typaldos' excellent Celeste and the Giant Hamster on Omnivoracious. As I say in the feature, the chain of events that led to even knowing about this book looks something like this:
(1) A friend mentions as a joke that she wants a capybara for her birthday.
(2) This reignites my own interest in capybaras, the world's largest rodent, which leads to having a dream about capybaras.
(3) In the comments thread of the capybara dream-post, a capybara named Caplin Rous act
Self-Publishing: When to Do It, When Not to Do It, and More
Christina Baker Kline has posted a round-robin interview on self-publishing that took place on Facebook when Matthew Nadelhaft queried a few authors through Facebook's email. Participants included Minister Faust, Stephen Dedman, Eugie Foster, Jennifer Stevenson, Michael Stackpole, and myself. Go check it out–lots of good stuff.
I self-published my first fiction collection, The Book of Frog, and also The Surgeon's Tale & Other Tales (with Cat Rambo)–the context for each consistent with my views on
June 30, 2009
Revising Fiction by David Madden: Leading by Example (and with TOC Checklist)
(One version of the cover of the book; mine is green, but there wasn't a good image online.)
I first discovered Revising Fiction: A Handbook for Writers by David Madden when I was 17 or 18, and it has been by my side ever since (I'm 40 now). I recommend this book at every workshop I've ever taught. Why? It changes as you change as a writer–sections that seem too complex reveal their meaning over time while easier sections that apply to any beginning writer provide a good refresher when you plate
June 29, 2009
Borne: Avaunt!!
While working on other things, like a new story called "Komodo" and finishing off a story called "The Quickening", I'm also inching forward on my next novel. It will be called Borne and is a loose (loose!) sequel to "The Situation," which is up for a Shirley Jackson Award this year. It features a huge floating bear-creature called Mord, and a narrator who makes part of her living in a ruined city that gets by on barter by finding valuable bits and pieces of things tangled up in Mord's fur. It al
June 28, 2009
The New Weird Anthology – Notes and Introduction
When The New Weird came out in early 2008, Ann and I frankly expected much more of a firestorm. It's not that we wanted one–it's that the original arguments about the term had been so polarizing, with some writers and critics refusing to even look at the term seriously after a time, that we expected, especially from some of the more insular and territorial, some kind of primeval roar of disapproval.
Instead, the book sold well, received mostly excellent reviews, and sometimes created a lively bu
Tap Tap. This Thing On? Podcast of Finch, Chapter One (with cell phone)
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Yep, this is the rough, first take. Cough cough. Blork. Eeet always gets better. I will be podcasting the entire novel in November.
Stonewall–and Chart
John Coulthart has a short but good post about the fortieth anniversary of Stonewall. It includes a link to this page and the map reproduced above, which puts things in perspective. I knew it was institutionalized in places but seeing "life in prison" and "death penalty" so starkly portrayed, along with large gray areas of the United States. Oy. It's continually mystified me why equal rights for all is such an issue for some people. It seems like a deep-seated insanity. Invariably, too, on shows
June 27, 2009
Spotlight at B&N Review: The Angel's Game
My thumbnail review of The Angel's Game by Zafon is up at the B&N Review (lower left). To say I disagree with the NYT's dissection of the book would be an understatement.
Ultimately, though, the appeal of The Angel's Game lies in its careful portrait of Martin and its exploration of what it really means to love someone. Readers who appreciate books, romance, and intrigue will find this novel a subtle, unforgettable, and satisfying page-turner.
Rochita Loenen-Ruiz Blogging at Clarion West
From her livejournal at Talking to the Moon, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, a published writer and student at Clarion West this year, is posting about her experiences at the workshop. I'm not a big fan of students blogging while attending a workshop–it can be distracting to the person posting or fellow students, or worse. But in this particular case, Rochita being the kind of person she is and the kind of writer, the results are insightful, thoughtful, and well worth your time.
Capybara FACute at Giant Hamster
So you still have capybara questions?! STILL?!
Well, now Caplin Rous has answered your questions in his own FACute over at his site, along with tons of photos!
Just a couple of highlights:
- Our skin is very, very tough so, tragically, we makes good leather.
- I do not like fruit pieces in my yogurt. I have to eat around them.
- When I'm excited, I popcorn like a guinea pig.
- My tongue is so short it doesn't come out of my mouth so I have to rub my nose on the wall and then lick the excess yogurt of
