Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 143

Sir Tessa Brings the Fire: Burning Star Wars Characters Fer Fun and Comment

(”OMG. The fumes from Sir Tessa’s Soy Sauce & Random Collected Liquids Exhibition are killing me.”)

I just posted an Omnivoracious feature about Sir Tessa’s Star Wars punch-out-and-play post. It being a Monday morning, I screwed up the Omniv URl, so here’s the tiny URL for that, should you need it: http://tinyurl.com/laq5o6. But the action’s all on Silence Without, with some truly freakin’ hilarious stuff. I love in particular this ‘n’ this:

But go check out the whole thing. I mean SHE ACTUALLY S

Mr. R in Amsterdam, Creating the Cult of the Third Eyebrow

Grandson, Mr. R, seems to be punking it up in Amsterdam. He’s already got that jaded look about the eyes, like he’s seen it all, and found it wanting. This kid is going to break some hearts. He’s already been kissing women’s knees in public parks. Cute now. Not cute if it continues into his teens. LOL.

Someday, I’m going to find a way to use this photo as the cover of a book. Maybe I’ll write The Further Ironical Adventures of Mr. R, Abroad.

The Third Bear Ez Truly Dangerous

(See it better-bigger by clickin’ here.)

Jacob McMurray has come up with an awesome cover for my short story collection, out from Tachyon in 2010. Back cover text is placeholder, of course. I’m currently selecting the contents, with a due date of turning the manuscript in July 1st.

***

It made its home in the deep forest near the village of Grommin, and all anyone ever saw of it, before the end, would be hard eyes and the dark barrel of its muzzle. The smell of piss and blood and shit and bubbles

Aw, Look: Some Baby Finches in Their Nest…

Underland sent me a few copies of the uncorrected proofs sent to potential blurbers. Darn purty, although I’m running out of worms to feed them. Advance reading copies for reviewers should go to the printer shortly, too.

Hey–no, Jango, no, get out of that nest of Finches!

Must Be That Time of Year Again…

Hot, muggy, and no matter where you park around our house, this happens. If we lived in Nawlins and it was Mardi Gras time, I might get away with driving around like that. As it is, the local bagel place employees looked askance at the vehicle. Like somehow it meant I was living in it.

Some more random photos for your Saturday, while I work away on BookFinch and Finchlife stuff.

Book Excerpts and Expectations: Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Ray Banks, Brandon Sanderson, and More

(Jackson the Clown Cat guards the Zafon advance reader copy with a kind of lazy incompetence.)

So much for work. I did twelve hours yesterday, and I’m learning that in this new paradigm where my brain blows circuits a little more easily I should’ve realized it would be ridiculous to do anything like that today.

Instead, how about a variation on a books received post? Only this time I’ll post a paragraph-long excerpt picked randomly from each book, which I’ve selected to represent the variety of t

Interesting or Crap? (and: Yer Questions Taken Now)

So, a few people asked me what was up with the hat, and where the heck the photo was taken. Ann took it in St. Augustine, and it’s made from some poor dead animal. This shop was full of somewhat interesting stuff. For your Friday bemusement, some of the shiny below the cut.

Also, I’m working here just about all day with constant rain and Black Motor Cycle Club’s Howl playing in the background. You gots a question for me, the hat, or Evil Monkey, lay it on me. I need the breaks. And if you’ve got

Connect the Connect, Link the Link, Debate the Dragon

NO YOU ARE NOT SEEING DOUBLE. I AM WEARING THE SAME HAT AS IN THE LAST POST, BUT NOW IT IS AS YOUR LATE-NIGHT LINKSMONGER (morning/mid-afternoon for peoples in other places). GOT NO PLACE TO GO? TRAPPED UNTIL MORNING? HANG OUT WITH ME AND THE LINKS…

First off, the debate over the existence of dragons continues unabated over at Omnivoracious, with kids still posting comments on my piece from March 2008 on How to Raise and Keep a Dragon, including:
“does anybody know blake baker?????? i’m toatly in

Are You an Agent of Chaos?! (One of You Crazy Nutbars Might Win a Grenade)

HELLO, I AM STANDING HERE IN A FUNNY HAT TO TELL YOU ABOUT HOW YOU CAN WIN A GRENADE. AND A BERET VERY MUCH UNLIKE THIS FUNNY HAT…

ARE YOU AN AGENT OF CHAOS?

- HAVE YOU EVER STRUCK A BLOW FOR ANARCHY?

(er, in a hat or not)

- DONE SOMETHING SURREAL JUST TO SEE IF THEY’D STOP YOU?

(i’ve yelled “squid” at strangers from a moving vehicle)

- CROSSED A BORDER JUST TO DIP YOUR TOE IN THE FORBIDDEN?

(i once waved my hand in Georgia while still in Florida)

- PULLED THE TRIGGER BECAUSE YOU LIKE THE FEEL OF COL

James O’Neal’s The Human Disguise

(Born on a South Florida TV news show.)

I just interviewed James O. Born for Omnivoracious. He’s a gritty crime novelist who’s just had his first SF novel published by Tor–under the name James O’Neal. We’ve seen lots of fantasy/SF writers deploy detectives in their fiction, but fewer crime novelists turn to SF, so it’s interesting to see how that alchemy works.

The Human Disguise is a fast-paced thriller set twenty years in the future. The SF elements are what make the book really interesting, th