Matt Moore's Blog, page 18
March 31, 2012
Guest Blog - Matt Moore
Reblogged from Armand Rosamilia:
I'll be over at Matt Moore's blog today – http://mattmoorewrites.wordpress.com/ - and he's here on mine… crazy world we live in, right? Anyway, pull up a chair and learn more about, well, Moore…
Zombies don't get their fair share of attention. Vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein's monster have had the Hollywood treatment. And while we zombie fans have The Walking Dead…
This is a guest blog post I did for Armand Rosamilia the same day I ran my interview with him. In it, I talk about zombie fiction and why it does not get the same attention as vampires.
March 29, 2012
Please nominate my story “Ascension” for the Prix Aurora Awards (and 10 reasons why you should)
I know this is coming late, but maybe not all of my Canadian friends have submitted their nominations for the 2012 Prix Aurora Awards.
What are the Prix Aurora Awards?
The Prix Aurora Awards recognize the best in English language Canadian science fiction & fantasy.
They are Canada’s award for science fiction and fantasy, open to all Canadian residents and permanent residents who can both nominate works and vote for the finalists. (For those of you outside Canada, “Prix” is the French word for “prize”.) Nominations are accepted for categories like best novel, best short story, best graphic novel, and more.
So what do I want you to do?
Please nominate my short story “Ascension” in the Best English Short Story category.
[UPDATE: My On Spec editorial with Adam Shaftoe "All this has happened before: Cycles in genre fiction" is also eligible in the Best Related Work category.]
Why should you do that? I’ll give you 10 good reasons:
10 reasons to nominate my short story “Ascension”
The story itself…
“Ascension” is short! Only 700 words—you can read it in under 5 minutes. Why not go read it now?
“Ascension”, and everything on AE, is available for free to everyone.
While it is a zombie story, “Ascension” has a strong science fiction flavour, exploring a “big idea.” Not to give anything away, but what if the zombie apocalypse is the singularity?
While it is a zombie story, “Ascension” does something new: it tells the story from the point of view of a zombie. And rather than the narrator descending into mindless hunger… well, the title is “Ascension” isn’t it?
While it is a zombie story, it’s a great zombie story with all the tropes zombie fans could want!!! Look at this review if you don’t believe me.
Where it’s published…
“Ascension” is published by AE: The Canadian Science Fiction review, which is a Canadian online magazine looking to publish Canadian authors.
AE is a relatively new magazine, but it pays pro rates. Let’s reward them by having an Aurora winner on their site.
And a few things about me…
Aside from being a writer, I use social mean to share what I have learned and discovered about the art and business of writing. I give back to this community.
I attend all the conventions I can where I sit on panels and reach out to other writers. I do this to share what I have learned, help fans and writers, and encourage up and coming authors who are where I was a few years ago.
You’d be helping a new writer get established!
Voting closes this Saturday.
To nominate, you must register as a member of the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association. Registration costs $10, it’s very simple but you are able to nominate and then vote for winners. It’s a small price to get your voice heard.
If you are an existing member, you can log into the site at http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/Membership/.
Looking for other things to nominate?
Head over to SF Canada’s list of eligible works. I recommend:
Best Short Story
Derek Künsken’s “To Live and Die in Gibbontown” (Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2011)
Marie Bilodeau’s “The Legend of Gluck” (When The Hero Comes Home)
Best Novel
Anything by ChiZine Publications
Best Artist
Erik Mohr
Dan Driscoll
Best Fan Organizational
Sandra Kasturi and Helen Marshall for:
2011 Toronto SpecFic Colloquium: Modern Mythologies
The Chiaroscuro Reading Series
Please nominate my story "Ascension" for the Prix Aurora Awards (and 10 reasons why you should)
I know this is coming late, but maybe not all of my Canadian friends have submitted their nominations for the 2012 Prix Aurora Awards.
What are the Prix Aurora Awards?
The Prix Aurora Awards recognize the best in English language Canadian science fiction & fantasy.
They are Canada's award for science fiction and fantasy, open to all Canadian residents and permanent residents who can both nominate works and vote for the finalists. (For those of you outside Canada, "Prix" is the French word for "prize".) Nominations are accepted for categories like best novel, best short story, best graphic novel, and more.
So what do I want you to do?
Please nominate my short story "Ascension" in the Best English Short Story category.
Why should you do that? I'll give you 10 good reasons:
10 reasons to nominate my short story "Ascension"
The story itself…
"Ascension" is short! Only 700 words—you can read it in under 5 minutes. Why not go read it now?
"Ascension", and everything on AE, is available for free to everyone.
While it is a zombie story, "Ascension" has a strong science fiction flavour, exploring a "big idea." Not to give anything away, but what if the zombie apocalypse is the singularity?
While it is a zombie story, "Ascension" does something new: it tells the story from the point of view of a zombie. And rather than the narrator descending into mindless hunger… well, the title is "Ascension" isn't it?
While it is a zombie story, it's a great zombie story with all the tropes zombie fans could want!!! Look at this review if you don't believe me.
Where it's published…
"Ascension" is published by AE: The Canadian Science Fiction review, which is a Canadian online magazine looking to publish Canadian authors.
AE is a relatively new magazine, but it pays pro rates. Let's reward them by having an Aurora winner on their site.
And a few things about me…
Aside from being a writer, I use social mean to share what I have learned and discovered about the art and business of writing. I give back to this community.
I attend all the conventions I can where I sit on panels and reach out to other writers. I do this to share what I have learned, help fans and writers, and encourage up and coming authors who are where I was a few years ago.
You'd be helping a new writer get established!
Voting closes this Saturday.
To nominate, you must register as a member of the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association. Registration costs $10, it's very simple but you are able to nominate and then vote for winners. It's a small price to get your voice heard.
If you are an existing member, you can log into the site at http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/Membership/.
Looking for other things to nominate?
Head over to SF Canada's list of eligible works. I recommend:
Best Short Story
Derek Künsken's "To Live and Die in Gibbontown" (Asimov's Science Fiction, October/November 2011)
Marie Bilodeau's "The Legend of Gluck" (When The Hero Comes Home)
Best Novel
Anything by ChiZine Publications
Best Artist
Erik Mohr
Dan Driscoll
Best Fan Organizational
Sandra Kasturi and Helen Marshall for:
2011 Toronto SpecFic Colloquium: Modern Mythologies
The Chiaroscuro Reading Series
March 28, 2012
Blog Tour – Armand Rosamilia, Editor of Undead Tales 2
Armand Rosamilia - He looks tough, but he's actually a really nice guy
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Armand Rosamilia, author of extreme zombie horror and editor of Undead Tales 2, an anthology of zombies stories to be released by Rymfire Books that will contain my short story "But It's Not The End."
So, first of all, how long did it take to grow that beard?
Beard? What beard? That bad-boy (I refer to it as my BadAss Goatee) has been there since I was 22, and I've been bald/shaving my head since then as well… twenty years growing it but never long until the last 8 months… it keeps getting longer and grayer by the day…
I can sympathize. I had a beard that was about five inches long that my wife called my "Osama beard." When I got a respectable job, I had to trim it down.
Cover for Undead Tales 2, with author names to be added
Let's start with Undead Tales 2. Now, most submission guides say they don't want zombie stories unless there is something new about them. My story features intelligent zombies—zombies that have retained their pre-death personalities, but are still zombies. I've seen a few others stories like this, but not many. Do you see this as a new way zombie fiction is going? What else can be done to shake things up? [N.B. - In a completely self-serving way, I invite you to take a look at my very short story "Ascension" which brings a new twist on the zombie story: What if the zombie apocalypse is actually the next stage of human development?]
Very self-serving question. Love it. I think the same can be said about vampire and werewolf stories as well, right? Everyone wants a new twist on an old monster or a brand-new monster. Is there anything new? Each writer seems to think their idea is new enough. I've read too many that aren't, but the ones I have read I like enough to follow that author.
Zombie Voting: Vote "errrrgggggg" on Prop 28!!! (My story in Undead Tales 2 isn't quite like this, though.)
I can't imagine how hard that must be to wade through the slush pile and keep seeing the same thing over and over. As an editor, what do you want to see more of? Balls to the wall stories even if it's stories we've seen 1,000 times? Or new and original ideas but the storytelling isn't great?
I want a story to speak to me. I know that sounds cliché, but I'm a reader first. I want to dive into a slush-pile and the story that makes me forget I'm trying to pick stories for, say, Undead Tales 2, is the one I want to publish.
As a horror writer, I'm grateful there still are hard-core horror markets out there. Let's face it: from its peak in the 80s, horror as a genre has died (and SF is not too far behind) while fantasy is in ascension. What do you think horror will need to do to come back? It's hard to shock people these days, so what should horror writers be doing to attract readers? Is it a question of attracting main stream readers like King did or focus on the hardcore faithful and give them what they want?
I think you answered your own question. Next.
Actually, I think going extreme in either direction: go for the over-the-top gore and blood like (Carlton) Mellick or Edward Lee, or write more general horror that appeals to King and Koontz fans, people who don't read horror exclusively.
Cool, I'll have to check those writers out. So who else is writing great zombie fiction these days?
Besides me? Oops, did I say that out loud? Brian Keene (The Rising, City of the Dead) got me into it, although he says he's done with zombies for now. I love Joe McKinney's work, he can do no wrong. Also Mark Tufo is superb and has such a rabid following it's scary. I try to read as many zombie books as I can, and love anthologies of short stories to find new authors.
Speaking of your own work, you go for extreme horror. No holding back; these things are nasty, evil and brutal. Once upon a time, we had nasty, evil vampires. Think 'Salem's Lot . Then Anne Rice brought us broody but still dangerous vampires. Now, vampires are still brooding, but sparkly misunderstood bad-boys mooned over by teenage girls. Think it's only a matter of time before we see sparkly zombies?
Hopefully never. But I'm sure it will happen, and that's when the zombie subgenre will implode, become a joke, and a bad word that no one but the few true fans still like. But they won't ever like sparkly zombies…
In your the Dying Days stories, your zombies don't just want to eat people, but you throw in the threat of rape. That's an interesting twist on the intersection of violence/sex/reproduction since a zombie reproduces through violence. Did you intentionally set out to explore this idea or did it just arrive in the writing process?
I wanted something a little different. The series began because I needed to write an extreme zombie novella for an open Comet Press submission period. I wrote Highway To Hell. The opening line is:
Randy watched, repulsed as the two male zombies took turns dead-fisting the barely-alive girl anally.
But there's actually no rape scenes other than that in the book, and in the Dying Days series the thought of getting raped by a zombie is more horrific than showing it, I think.
Ew. That could be the most repulsive thing ever to appear on this blog.
Your output as a writer is staggering. Do you outline? Write organically?
I pull a brand new index card out every morning while the coffee is brewing and set myself some realistic goals for the day… 2,000 words, finish this short story, read 15 shorts for an anthology, edit something… then on the back I have my promotional goals: 75 Twitter friends that count, post new blog, read and comment on 6 other blogs, answer all e-mail, look for 5 new reviewers, play RavenSkye game on Facebook…
That's a great idea!
Let's get serious for a second. What do you secretly want to write but can't tell anyone? Romance? A western? A literary story? I promise I won't tell anyone (except the entire Internet).
I want to write raunchy erotica, crazy sex stuff that will make a hooker blush. No pretense, no big story, just people rutting like sheep. But not with sheep, because that will get you banned in some places.
And sheep are such a cliché. How about mountain lions or wolverines? It ain't extreme 'til the one you're lovin' can maul your balls off with one swipe.
The ultimate showdown. Who will win? (Thanks justinelarbalestier.com)
Speaking of which: A unicorn stabs a zombie through the heart with its horn: (1) The zombie is killed (2) The unicorn becomes a zombie unicorn (3) That's the stupidest friggin' question ever. (And stop mixing genres.)
My eleven-year old daughter will be very upset if you kill a unicorn. But a zombie unicorn would be the coolest thing ever! Or a zombie M&M, either one…
I'm thinking zombie M&M since all know unicorns don't exist.
Thanks for stopping by Armand! And you get the last word:
Want to know more about the "Dying Days" series? Want to win free eBooks and maybe print books of them? My contest is simple: e-mail me at armandrosamilia (at) gmail (dot) com with DYING DAYS in the subject line and I'll enter you into the daily giveaway… also, post a comment here and you get another chance… follow my blog at http://armandrosamilia.com for yet another chance, and friend me on Twitter (@ArmandAuthor) and simply post DYING DAYS to me, and you'll get another shot… nice and easy, right?
If I get enough people joining in the giveaway there will be a print book given away that day!
"Dying Days" series information can be found here: http://armandrosamilia.com/dying-days-series/
March 27, 2012
Great Book Trailer – The Return Man
Just watched this book trailer on YouTube and wanted to share. I know nothing about The Return Man or its author V.M. Zito, but am very impressed by the trailer.
It delivers:
An atmosphere of where the story is set
A sense of what the plot of the story is without over-explaining it
Leaves enough unexplained that I want to learn more
And it makes no bones about this being a post-zombie apocalypse book.
Speaking of zombies, watch this space tomorrow where I will be interviewing Armand Rosamilia, editor of the upcoming zombie anthology Undead Tales 2, which will include one of my stories.
March 19, 2012
Review: The Walking Dead, Season 2 Finale (and Season 2 in general)
Don't go that way, Rick! It's boring.
Season 2 of The Walking Dead tried to go out with a bang. True, there were lots and lots of BANG!s going off in the first half hour, but this attempt at action only underscores that the show is trying—and failing—to recapture the tension of Season One.
We need Frank Darabont back!
(You can also read my review of the first half of the season.)
Spoiler Free
This will be a spoiler-free review for those who haven't read the comic and a reasonably spoiler-free for the episode. However, I will talk about previous episodes. Still, I will put in green anything that might be spoiler-ish, so just skip to the black text to stay truly spoiler-free.
This Demi-Season (aka, second half of Season Two)
Pretty much what the demi-season was all about. (Thanks to chickennuggetsrule.tumblr.com)
This demi-season abandoned focused on the Rick-Shane conflict now that the search for Sophia is over. But like Sophia, this conflict created fodder for internal divisions within the group while never seeming to get anywhere. Randall sat in the barn, people argued. While there seemed to be more zombie encounters, I never felt any danger or true conflict for our characters.
The confusing teaser
The show opens trying to describe where the herd from the season opener came from and linking it to the group about to descend on Hershel's farm. This is not so much a spoiler as unnecessary exposition. If anything, it creates more questions than is solves. Why would the walkers follow what they follow, then keep moving when they lose sight of it? In the past, we have seen walkers virtually idle until someone comes near. From a caloric standpoint, this makes sense—no need to expend energy. So why do some walkers shamble aimlessly but this group keeps moving…
Nevermind.
The obligatory action sequence
As the season finale, it's no surprise this episode concludes the season-long "On Hershel's Farm" arc. We pick up right where the last episode left off and jump into an action sequence. Almost like they're acknowledging the slow pace and giving us some action.
But at least there were explosions!!! (Thanks to www.bestweekever.tv)
But here's the flaw. Hershel's farm is sprawling, so as the many characters leap into action, I didn't know where anyone was in relation to anyone else. People run, cars drive back and forth, characters scream "We can't make it that way! There's too many Walkers! Go THIS way!" Yet rather than amplifying tension, a confusing mess of motion reduces it since I didn't know what was going on. (To say nothing of people yelling they're low on ammo but never seem to need to reload.)
And, during all this, we find one character sitting all alone, seeming to just watch what is happening. I won't say who, but it's a character we've come to expect to be someone of action.
While some characters die, taken by the just-have-camera-Walker cheat, others are thrown together and flee. I won't say who dies, but it's not surprising and they won't be missed.
The obligatory talking sequence
Now, I had hope here. The Walking Dead is best when its characters are under pressure. Think escaping from the department store in Season One or the walker herd in the season opener. While panicked and looking for safety, I'd hoped for conflicts, different groups making different decisions. Practical matters conflicting with passionate ones—do we make a run for it and save ourselves or try to find the others?
Instead, we get a few lines about going back before everyone miraculously finds each other. Almost like a 90-minute episode got cut to 60. No really: one group is talking about what to do next when all the other groups suddenly all show up at once.
The episode's budget largely blown by that point, the characters hunker down for the night to talk about what to do next. It's as exciting as you and your friends getting out of a movie at 10PM and having the same conversation.
"Rick, you have to know. Darth Vader is Luke's father. Oh, by the way..."
I'd hoped for thrills when Rick tells the group what he learned from Dr. Jenner at the end of Season One. It's a moment I remember from the comics. But everyone reacts to this news in a way that made no sense to me. The news is a game-changer, but doesn't justify talk of rebellion and betrayal.
[Spoiler] Rick also confesses to Lori that he killed Shane and she reacts with revulsion. Yet not too many episodes ago she had been telling Rick that Shane was crazy and Rick had to do something. So, why the horror? Did the writers forget this? Is no one talking in the writers' room?[/End Spoiler]
Two reveals at the end
The episode concludes with two reveals, both of which comic fans will understand but those who haven't will be scratching their heads.
The first is a character reveal, which is horribly flawed. It goes for bad-ass, but The Walking Dead is not a bad-ass show. It's realism—very real, flawed, scared people trying to survive. You can see the dirt, almost smell the body odour. This reveal is straight out of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. First, the way it's shot would make this character's weapon of choice about 12′ feet long. Second, we're just expected to believe the character just happens to be in that spot with nothing better to do? Too much of a coincidence.
The second reveal is the location for next season. Judging by how long we were on the farm in the show compared to the comic, we will be in this location for 5-7 seasons.
#BringBackDarabont
What The Walking Deadis missing is Darabont.
The Mist, written for the screen and directed by Frank Darabont, plays the supernatural pressure cooker story to perfection.
The confined space/slow burn he does so well. Re-watch The Mist—men and women, trapped in a horrible situation, slowing turning on each other since they can't fight the enemy outside. That's what The Walking Dead used to be. Now we just have characters thrown at each other for no good reason and nothing gets resolved.
I had high hopes at the end of this demi-season's opener in the bar when the two men appeared. The circling, the distrust—the tension was just awesome and made me jump when it was resolved. It's been down hill from there.
I will be back for Season 3, but mostly for the hopes of something better. Unlike Lost, Battlestar Galactic and Heroes (which I bailed on after a few Season 3 episodes), there is an impressive body of work to draw from. Without the Rick-Shane story, where do we turn to challenge Rick? Some characters from the comic come to mind. And given we're headed for a prison and don't necessarily have to follow the comic's story faithfully, there's all kinds of possibilities.
And it's not too late for AMC to realize their error and #BringBackDarabont.
February 26, 2012
A zombie's right to vote
I have to share this.
This is taken from a debate among seven real Republican presidential candidates in Arizona. During the debate, the question of whether zombies should have the right to vote was asked. Three of the seven raise their hands.
I post this because a zombie's right to vote—and if they might still be a person—is the central issue to my short story "But It's Not The End," which is currently in the shortlist for Rymfire Books Undead Tales 2 anthology.
February 7, 2012
New Amazing Spider-Man Trailer
The new full-length trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man is now online on YouTube.
At first glance, I am not as excited by this as I thought I would be. The first and obvious reason is why go back to Peter Parker's origin as Spidey? Sam Raimi did that brilliantly in his Spider-Man (2002).
I know, I know. Marc Webb (no, really, that's the director's name) has said he is not copying Raimi's original. This is the "untold story". In the comics, Peter's parents were secret agents (hey, Wikipedia says so) so we might be going down that road.
Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker as more of a loner
Plus, Peter is less the geek and more the loner in this story, it seems.
But do we need this change?
What makes Spider-Man such an enduring character and Raimi's first two movies (we'll ignore Spider-Man 3) so successful are (1) a sense of fun and (2) they're not about Spider-Man. Like what Christopher Nolan is doing with Batman, the stories are about the man under the mask. Peter was always struggling with school, girls, a job, his ailing Aunt May and more. All the while, he felt compelled to be Spider-Man to protect the innocent. Not for revenge like Batman, but because he could. And because he could, he had to. The death of Uncle Ben propels him, but Peter never sits around brooding like Bruce Wayne. It is Uncle Ben's lessons, not his death, that had the biggest impact on Peter.
[image error]
Tobey MaGuire played Peter Parker as the nerd-turned-hero to perfection... for the first two films
Raimi and Tobey MaGuire's interpretation was spot on for every nerd who ever craved to be strong. Not for strength's sake, but to make a difference. Where bullies use their size for their own selfish gains, inside every nerd is someone who wants to make a difference. (Joe Johnston's Captain America echoes this.)
Is that this Peter Parker?
He might be. But is seems while the nerd is an old stereotype, here we have the slightly-emo loner & outcast. This is a new stereotype, played most often in vampire fiction. But like the original nerd Peter, this trailer suggests that the loner Peter Parker becomes the familiar wise-cracking wallcrawler. And while the famous "With great power…" line is never spoken, it is certainly suggested: "I have to stop him because I created him."
But what's lacking here is a sense of fun. Watch Raimi's first two Spider-Man movies. Even the scene in the hospital where Doc Ock kills the surgical team trying to remove his tentacles is both shocking and hilarious (and one of the greatest Evil Dead throwbacks ever). There seems to be a lot of big action scenes in this trailer (what would you expect, right?) without too much humor. (Yes, the line about would a cop wear a red and blue suit is funny.)
I hope Webb delivers a new take on the Webhead that still respects everything that makes the iconic character great. I'm not feeling it in this trailer, but there's plenty of time to go.
Is ComicCon coming to Ottawa?
I stumbled across the above this morning. Is Ottawa getting a ComicCon? They have a Facebook page and Twitter feed, so it sounds like the answer is yes!
How cool is this?
