Ken Lizzi's Blog, page 23
October 2, 2022
Springfield Weekend. Resurrected Post.
MBW, the HA, and I returned from Mexico Friday night. Saturday we loaded up the car and drove south to Springfield, Oregon. At least the cat had one night to reunite with MBW before we abandoned her again.
Today is the is the wedding of one of my cousins. Other than the 90+ degree heat, it���s a fine day for it.
We reached Springfield around 1PM Saturday. We hit Plank Town Brewing for lunch. I like the space; open, brick and timber. The food was decent. The flights disappointed me: instead of picking from the available beers, there were three pre-selected options. I don���t object to an IPA only flight, but I���d prefer to able to sample a greater range of the offerings. The New England style IPA exceeded expectations, the other three���did not.
We still had time before we could check-in to our hotel. So we visited the Springfield museum. Springfield is, of course, the actual inspiration for the hometown of The Simpsons. I don���t care what else you may have heard, it just is. Springfield is located next to Eugene. Eugene is the college town, Springfield the blue collar town. An admirable pairing, if you ask me.
The wedding was a sprawling, family affair, the family now that much larger. Perfection would have required about a ten degree decrease in temperature. But why quibble. We had to leave relatively early during the post-ceremony festivities to make it home at a reasonable hour. Congrats to the newlyweds.
I hope that ends my travels for the near future. As much as I generally enjoy travelling, I need a break. Back to the office tomorrow.
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Published on July 22, 2018 20:26
Monterrey Writing and Beer-Tasting Excursion. Resurrected Post.
MBW is on a business trip to Monterrey. Monterrey is a vast, sprawling metropolis in Northeastern Mexico. It���s grown even larger since my last visit, not long ago. MBW brought me along with her to entertain the HA. The Airbnb we rented boasts an impressive view (when smog and clouds allow), a gym, cafeteria, and ��� most importantly ��� a swimming pool. The HA and I have spent numerous hours in the pool and we���re only at the halfway mark of the trip. I expect many more.
Look, it isn���t exactly a vacation. I���ve taken vacation days from the office for this, but I���m not out seeing the sights or sitting on a beach somewhere. What I am doing (other than HA wrangling) is getting in some serious writing time. Thousands of words so far and over two chapters completed on the current WIP (a sequel to Boss.) If I can maintain this pace for the duration of the trip I might shave a month off the expected completion date. As I have a deadline for two sequels, this is a welcome prospect.
I have also sampled some of the products of Mexico���s growing craft beer scene.
As of this writing I haven���t yet tasted the La Avenida. The Lagerita required lime to be palatable. So, can���t recommend it. The Obelisco Red Ale was a fine example of the style, rich and malty. The Minerva Vienna is one of my go-tos in Mexico, when I can find it. And it is the least expensive of the lot. (I bought more.)
Published on July 15, 2018 08:26
Denver and Westercon 71. Resurrected Post.
Denver, I hardly knew thee. That���s because I spent most of the last four plus days in the Hyatt Regency. The hotel hosted Westercon 71, yet another convention foolish enough to invite me to sit on panels and pontificate. That required I stay inside most of the time, preventing my touring the city.
I did get out for lunch a couple of times. Denver vies with Portland as a beer town. I���d hoped to hit a few brewpubs while here, but managed only two.
Dad and Dude���s is a strip mall place with an odd mash up of frontier and prohibition themes. The service lagged somewhat, but the beer and food made up for it. Recommended.
The Bull and Bush is a British themed establishment, complete with the faux Tudor exterior. The inside is dark, seventies-vintage decor. We sat outside on the patio, enjoying the summer warmth. The service was prompt and the food was good. Unfortunately I can���t speak highly of the beer.
I did get to join the family for a trolley ride in the historic heart of the city. A short excursion, but it was nice to get out.
The convention provided excellent opportunities to meet friendly and interesting genre fans, as well as the chance to chat with other writers. All names will remain undropped, but if any of you are reading this, thank you for the conversational pleasure.
My Beautiful Wife (MBW) and the Heir Apparent (the HA) took the rental car on several excursions. So at least someone had the opportunity to visit Denver and environs. The pictures look nice. We can all enjoy a vicarious tour, I suppose.
Published on July 08, 2018 08:58
Beach Weekend. Resurrected Post.
The weather has become suspiciously summer-like. You know what that means? Beach weekend.
Friday afternoon I drove MBW and the HA to Lincoln City where we met up with friends. Of course I had to check out the local brewpub, The Rusty Truck, ��for dinner. Nice, laid back roadhouse atmosphere. Good service. Excellent seafood. A pity about the beer. In fairness, the sours weren���t bad.
Saturday we purchased kites. Apparently the previous week Lincoln City hosted some sort of kite festival. I can see why. Of course, once you get the kite aloft it can grow a trifle tedious. The steerable kite provided a bit more entertainment, but given time of day and wind direction it led to staring almost directly at the sun, which I don���t recommend.
Back home. A short week starts tomorrow, then we���re off to Denver.
Next week: Westercon 71 report.
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Published on July 01, 2018 14:21
The Late Reviews Continue. Resurrected Post.
MBW was away at a conference it Atlanta. You know what that means: more reviews of films you all saw months ago. Now, working the day job, writing, and taking care of the HA can wear a man down some. So I have to admit I went to bed early a couple of times. Therefore I was only able to catch up on two movies.
First up, Black Panther. This is a film thoroughly enjoyed by many, one that resonated with a lot of viewers. I���m not inclined to tell someone he���s enjoying the wrong thing, that his fun is invalid. So, if you liked Black Panther, great. It didn���t work for me, though. There were a few good action scenes. Some of the visuals were impressive. Not all, however. The CGI fights of our titular hero looked false, like some of the early Spiderman��movie effects. The whole lost world vibe can make for cool story, but it is hard to swallow nowadays in a world encapsulated with satellites. And the writers suffered from Star Trek syndrome, with characters suddenly forgetting the technology at their disposal, thus allowing a problem to continue for dramatic purposes that they should be able to settle without difficulty. A lead character with the immense resources of an entire kingdom at his disposal ought to be in a better situation than BP allowed himself to suffer.
The setting didn���t work well for me. I had trouble rooting for a tribalistic monarchy. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Then there���s the end. If BP suddenly wished to benevolently share his country���s tech and resources, why not start with his neighbors? When comparing levels of poverty and disease, frankly Oakland doesn���t match the neediness of say, Senegal or Sudan or Namibia or���you get the picture. Start in your own backyard, man. (Yes, BP did tell the UN he was going to share with the world, but apparently the first priority was ��� California.)
I���ve enjoyed most of the Marvel offerings, so I went into BP with good will. But, as with the second Thor flick, it failed to entertain me. YMMV. But c���mon, armored rhinos?
Second, The HItman���s Bodyguard. Now this one pushed the right buttons. Near John Wick level action but with the hyperkinetic comedy snark of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Note to writers: a simple plot limits the likelihood of plot holes. There were some, if you trouble to think about it, and the action was ��� as is always the case with these films ��� implausible. No one should be able to long survive the trauma these characters do. But you know going in that���s in an action comedy. The film delivered precisely that. Plus Salma Hayek. Recommended with a couple of beers and a bowl of popcorn.
Feel free to tell me how wrong I am.
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Published on June 24, 2018 14:12
Father’s Day 2018 News. Resurrected Post.
Allow me to wish all you dads out there a Happy Father���s Day. And ��� what���s that? You wish to offer reciprocal celebratory felicitations for my having fulfilled my biological function? Well, thank you kindly. From MBW and the HA I received a card and charmingly framed photos of me with the HA. Both ladies are feeling a bit under the weather, but despite that temporary deficiency, I consider them peerless.
So, now that that���s dispensed with: News. Read on at your peril.
I will be attending Westercon 71 in a few weeks. This year Denver hosts Westercon. I���m looking forward to the convention. I���m also hoping to get a chance to see some of the city, but I imagine I���ll spend the bulk of my time at the con. If I���m not on a panel or meeting-and-greeting I���ll probably be locked away somewhere writing. If you will be in town, here is my convention schedule. MBW and the HA will be out touring Denver. I���ll be lonely. Come say hello.
Thu, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Discussing Combat in Fiction (The Shire)
Thu, 8:00 PM-8:50 PM, Humor in the Modern Action Story (The Shire)
Fri, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Relatable AND Interesting Characters(The Shire)
Sat, 4:00 PM-4:50 PM, Author Readings (15 min each)(Thunderpass)
Sat, 5:00 PM-5:50 PM, Fighting the Day Job (Serenity)
In other news, a story of mine placed as runner up in Liberty Island���s Fantastic Fathers & Magical Mothers Spring Writing Contest. The story should appear in a few days on the site. I���ll post a link on Twitter and Facebook.
Runner up! That���s right: as you���ve all long suspected, I���m number two.
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Published on June 17, 2018 14:23
September 25, 2022
What Fantasy Franchises Deserve a Licensed Beer? Plus Savage Journal 9.
As you’ve no doubt come to expect from this hard-hitting, contemporarily relevant web log, today I’m wresting with yet another vital topic of global significance. What Fantasy Franchises Deserve a Licensed Beer?
Some, of course, have already joined that exclusive club. (Probably more than I’m aware of, so I might get schooled by those of you more clued in than I.) Game of Thrones had a beer line. (I had one of those myself, the Night King Double IPA. I liked it.) I recall drinking a couple of Star Trek beers in Las Vegas at the Star Trek Experience. (Roman Ale, I believe. Though that was long ago, so my memory might fail me.) Hellboy even got in on the game, with a line of beers almost all of which weighed in at 6.66% ABV. (Full disclosure: I had a peripheral involvement in that project, drafting contracts. So take any opinion I express with a grain of salt.) The IPA was decent. I quite liked the Barley Wine (at 9.99%.) I did not much care for the Abe Sapien Indigo Blue Fruit Ale. (Which actually poured green.)
So this is a well-worn path. Who else should walk it? The Lord of the Rings seems a natural, and I could spend a lot of (enjoyable) time pondering beer names and styles. But I have to imagine that the Green Dragon, located in the Hobbiton set in New Zealand, already has this covered. Spoiling my sport. What else then?
How about Dune? Spice and beer are a natural. (No, not pumpkin spice. Bite your tongue.) A Belgian style, perhaps, with coriander. Or a spiced Christmas ale. I imagine some sort of French Farmhouse ale might yield a spice SOURdaukar. I’ll stop there, leave the rest of the naming fun to you.
What about The Expanse? Brewing with mushrooms is notoriously tricky. But it would be internally consistent with the established universe building. And certainly Amos Burton deserves a beer.
Conan? I can see a Cascadian Dark Ale called Queen of the Black Coast. And what about Balthus and Slasher? Conan needs something to drink to their shades. Pict-related names should come easily enough. Why isn’t there a line of Conan beer? Schwarzenegger, Mamoa, and Moeller would be fine pitchmen.
Lesser known properties, such as either The Dresden Files or The Garrett Files offer excellent conceptual beer hooks for those who’ve read the books, but neither are well enough known to the public at large. What do you think?
And my work? Well, that would be cool and I’d be game. But Karl Thorson would be happy enough with a Tecate.
Those of you still following the travels of Magnus Stoneslayer may continue with him below. If you’ve missed any entries, search under the Category of Savage Journal.
SAVAGE JOURNAL
ENTRY 9.
It may interest you to note, dear diary, that in order to sustain his contempt for
civilization the barbarian warrior must periodically immerse himself in it. And so I resolved today to debauch myself in the fleshpots of Bandahar. Bandahar spreads its welcoming, decadent arms a hundred leagues to the south, so I had a fair trek before me. But I am getting ahead of myself. Before I could take the first step on the journey I had to unload the two travelers who had insinuated themselves under my protection. You recall those two pests, I trust, dear diary: the mocking Yaslina and the detestable sorcerer Vetrius.
���������������������������� Shedding unwanted companions can prove a delicate proposition. A savage swordsman is not burdened by civilized man’s code of behavior (oft a slippery, legalistic credo easily evaded by those hypocrites, but that is a digression for another time) but he does possess a certain primitive chivalry. You see my dilemma, don’t you dear diary? How could I ��� once I’d taken them under my wing ��� in good conscience abandon them, despite their being, respectively, an ungrateful vixen and a loathsome practitioner of the dark arts? In the wilderness, without my strong right arm, they might not survive. On the other hand, if I spent much longer in their company, I might slay them myself.
In the end, the matter resolved itself. As my mental brow furrowed behind my stoic mask (like the visage of a stone demigod looming dispassionately over prostrate worshipers in an Agossian temple) we encountered a patrol from a frontier outpost of the Zantian Empire.
Without even a perfunctory thank you, my two leaches detached themselves from me and glommed onto the patrol. Yaslina paused only long enough to say, ���No doubt you’ve a full slate of slaying and bicep flexing ahead of you. We’ll not keep you from it longer.���
The cheek! Well, dear diary, until tomorrow, when I turn my face south to Bandahar, I
remain yours truly,
Magnus Stoneslayer.
A New Journey. Resurrected Post.
It is that time again. I started writing another book at the beginning of the week. The tentative title is Captain. It is the sequel to Boss (look for Boss in early 2019.)
A new project carries with it a farrago of feelings. There is excitement at starting a new work, anticipation to discover exactly what you���ve birthed. There is trepidation of failure. There is wary contemplation of the effort ahead, a reluctance to take that first step.
Step is an appropriately evocative word. Writing a novel is a journey, a journey of step following step with the destination always seeming to hover on the same unreachable horizon, never nearing. Until it does.
I know, of course, roughly how long the trip will take. I���ll reach the front door of The End around December. That���s a long journey. In comparison it only took Frodo three months from Rivendell to Mt. Doom. (Of course we don���t know how long, precisely, it took him to write up the details later. Probably rather labor intensive, that. Without a word processor and all.)
Anyway, I���m a bit over halfway through Chapter 1. I think. The road stretches on before me. Reaching the end of the journey is only a matter of putting one foot after the other. Over and over again.
Then again, once I do reach the finish line it���ll be time to start on another journey. I���m getting around, aren���t I?
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Published on June 03, 2018 14:13
Enjoying Freedom. Resurrected Post.
It is a weekend during which I appreciate my freedoms and liberties more than I do most other weekends. Yesterday I took MBW and the HA to downtown Portland���s waterfront to enjoy the Rose Festival. We ate reasonably good food, listened to sub-par music (sorry, kids, I know you meant well. Perhaps your voice will sound as good as it does in your imagination a few years after puberty hits.) We walked the midway, bought overpriced inflatable toys and watched performers with talent suited for the venue.
Overcast skies covered the region. So perhaps the weather hindered my enjoyment, predisposed me to a somewhat dyspeptic attitude. At least the beer was good.
Today the sun lit an azure sky. Mt. Hood gleamed white. The golf course beckoned. I drove MBW and the HA up toward the mountain to play a round. I haven���t played in an absurdly long time. I should have been miserable, frustrated, and spewing profanity. But I had a good time and played less abysmally than I had any right to expect. Wildlife roamed the course, the sun beamed down beatifically.
All is well. The beer today will be good. Thank you blue skies and sunshine.
And, of course, thanks to all who paid the ultimate price for my freedom. May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.
Published on May 27, 2018 15:05
Doings and Updates. Resurrected Post.
Here follows a miscellany of personal doings and writing updates. Please control your excitement.
My goal for the year was, I believe, to have two books out this year. That ��� spoiler warning ��� will not happen. See, there is a novel ��� ���Boss��� ��� complete, ready to go, and under contract. But the publisher wants a series, and wants to release the books on a tighter schedule than ���whenever Ken gets around to writing them.��� So I���m busily working on two sequels with the goal of releasing them all next year. That may prevent me from diving into the second draft of the ���Chale Thorson��� novel for the foreseeable future. Thus, 2018 may not see much published from yours truly, but 2019 will be chock-a-block.
I will be a panelist at Westercon this year. That runs from July 4-8. Any of you in the Denver area are welcome to drop by and say hello. Discounting the airport, I���ve not been to Denver. If I have any time not engaged in panels (or working on the sequels to ���Boss���) I hope to explore a bit of the city, check out a brewpub or two.
I had hoped to nurse along my 2000 Dodge Durango for a couple more years. Carrying two car payments held no appeal. However, my nursing skills failed abysmally. The transmission is in terminal condition. I did manage to drive it to the dealership and receive a pittance in trade-in value. So I am now the proud possessor of two car payments. Huzzah?
And now you are up to date. Apropos of nothing, here are links to sites where you may purchase some of my books.
https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Lizzi/e/B0...
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Published on May 20, 2018 13:30
