Andy Luke's Blog, page 16
June 2, 2016
25/05/2016: Joyful deadlines: Blogging Axel America
Axel America is set around the November 8th U.S. elections, so I’ve plenty of reason for getting it out there soon.
Some authors disparage deadlines and writing for the market. Underneath those there’s structure, definition. In the emotional storm times, those can be something to cling to, a way forward. Late April, early May, the time between drafts, took a lot out of me; demanded time to recover. Time I’d set aside for scratching my arse and watching Babylon 5 repeats was replaced with grea...
May 25, 2016
20/04/2016: Blogging Axel America
Written back in April…
I’ve just laid down a chapter of Axel America, the final one, and wanted to share with you some thoughts and experiences on process. The novel’s an adaptation of my 2011-2012 comic book Hold the Phones, It’s Alex Jones. The comics were written through a series of story sessions with my best friend and longtime collaborator, Richard Barr and along the way attracted other co-conspirators: Benjamin Stone; Adam Lively; Geoffrey Wessel and Sean Duffield. We produced the comi...
May 11, 2016
Too much happening lately
Since last post here, the world lost John Grandidge, a dear friend off exploring the flora and fauna of the after-life, looking outposthumously from future poetry collections ofthosehe influenced; he peeks out from between the panels of my last few years of comics, of which he was an audible fan and supporter. He was my favourite drinking buddy; he warmed my soul when it was cold and weeping. He touched a multitude of people in the same way and he did it with style and love. He told us he’d c...
April 21, 2016
Enniskillen Comics Fest
I’ve told less than ten people this month, and now I can reveal I’ll be interviewing Alan Grant, the Guest of Honour at the first Enniskillen Comics Festival. Phew! Alan, is of course, a massive influence on comics, having co-written most classic Judge Dredd stories, thirty years, about ten years on the US Batman comics. He’s the author of some of my favourites: The Bogie Man; the House of Daemon, Manix and Doomlord for Eagle. He’s written Lobo and L.E.G.I.O.N. and JLA for DC, but it’s 2000AD...
April 5, 2016
Alphasmart: Built-to-last writer’s tool
I get a lot of questions about it, questions I asked a NaNoWrimo author, my tongue hanging out of my mouth like an idiot who forgets what fairgrounds are like. These computers are popular with the NaNoWrimo lot. You see, Alphasmarts are portable lightweight word processors, with fantastic battery life. They’re cheap and dependable, with documents auto-saving, (as you type), and superb functionality for restoring files that have gone skewhiffy. There’s no internet capability (except on the Da...
March 25, 2016
Universal Journey: Magic and Multiverse
My first commissioned work as an author went live today at http://universaljourney.org
The site explores the three Abrahamic faiths from an agnostic perspective: symbolism; history; stories; and legacies. I’ve authored sections on Saints David and George, but my star turn is an expanded piece on magic and the multiverse. It was an exciting opportunity to write about my own religious beliefs and I’m grateful I had the opportunity. (I’m not sure I did so since entering adesign and content compe...
March 23, 2016
Flesh Mob – Update
I made the tough decision to put novella, Axel America, to one side for a while. The notion was to have it out for Belfast Book Week, but in a nutshell, the ratio of I’d-be-a-wreck to post-production-readiness is too wobbly. I feel sure the talewill resurface somewhere. I’ve been thinking over my working habits and how it might be time to go back to shorts.
In other news, my short story ‘Flesh Mob’, is in the running for a Titania (best of anthology) prize. Here’s a pitch I found behind a box...
March 8, 2016
It’s just a job
In some respects, writing fiction is harder when it’s a job. In between the tax and benefit forms, the business of writing guides and Yearbooks, you find the market listings: the who’s publishing what this month, and how much hummus they’re paying. I simplify writing to market by thinking of it as homework, which is okay for a while. Then again, I’m not my favourite tutor, and I’m certainly not the five of them handing out this semester’s work. So I read what they’ve wrote, and I search to se...
February 25, 2016
I toured with the Jazzabelles
Saturday 13th February
Listening to ‘Snake Oil’ performed in audition at the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, which has great acoustics. The show is centred around three very talented singers: Ella (Claire McCartney), Prissy (Beccy Henderson) and Vera (Nuala Davies), the Jazzabelles. Their rise to the top of the 1950s Belfast swing scene is hampered by a cashflow problems from their manager, Vince, (excellently portrayed by Stephen Beggs), who’s not all he appears.
The Lisburn rehearsals are a pa...
February 8, 2016
My life is a whiz
Stuff I’m up to these days:
Preparing to join the Jazzabelles musical theatre group as stage-hand on their two week tour of Northern Ireland.…Wow.Here’s a great short video of The Jazzabelles rehearsing! Have a listen to the wonderful Beccy Henderson, Claire McCartney and Nuala Davies! Appearing live from the 11/2/16.
Posted by The Jazzabelles Musical onFriday, January 29, 2016
