Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Thank you all for the ring compliments.  :-) I know I had mentioned we
were going to melt down our rings and have them redesigned, but after
pulling them out of storage and looking at them,... well, we got
sentimental and misty eyed, adn decided to keep them. We had a
wonderful local jeweller order us the four stones - they all match in
colour and intensity - and then set them into the original rings.

There has been a lot of handwaving going on since Thursday - heheh.

Michaela - Neil recommended Briar Rose as a good Yolen book to start
with, and I'll heartily second it. I like the concept of the series
it's a part of, and really found the way she handled the subjects...
just delightful!  (I don't want to give much away, it's really a book
to be read in a comfortable pillow pile, with a blanket and mug of tea,
all in an afternoon,...)

I went thru a bit of motivation issues the last few days,... sort of
hit by how depressing the job market is, and how unlikely it is I'll be
able to do anything enjoyable with writing before my unemployment runs
out, and all sorts of depressing thoughts like that. Basically, I
don't want to go back into the software industry and end up dedicating
9 hours a day to a company, another 2 or 3 in getting ready for work
and commuting, and then having at most 3 or 4 hours a night to fit in
friends and relationship and dinner and all of that.

But really, where does that leave me - don't want to sacrifice my life
to a job, doubt I can do any "real" writing to support myself in such
a short time,... pfffh. It left me in not a very good place mentally,
that's where it left me.

I ended up talking to a friend last night whose father did freelance
writing for many years. He suggested a few referrence books and other
things for me, and had a few words of encouragement. That, coupled with
a bit of inspiration unknowingly given, seems to have loosened the
writers block plaguing me. Words aren't exactly flowing freely, but
last night I wrote for the first time in weeks - simple and not much to
it, but I wrote which was the important thing. Or perhaps the
important thing was that it was fun and natural.

I don't know where I'll end up in a few months,... but I do know I'll
always regret it if I don't try.

So, Pamela, that's where I've been and what I've been doing.  ;-)
-Kelly
  

    
ok i can't help it you guys.  i'm truly sorry about the shameless
plug, but i just want you to know that our CD can now be purchased
online at www.cdbaby.com/theendless.  for those of you who have been
curious, you can now get a copy, and then because you are so smart and
witty you can write a glowing review so that other people will want it
as well, RIGHT?  that's all, i promise to quit bugging.

Linda:  d'oh!  sorry.  *blushing*  stupid king of gondor...

i don't think i've ever even SEEN a gooseberry.  *sniff*

Neil, is Death:HCOL still going forward?  haven't heard you say
anything in a whiles.

i guess i'm going to have to look into this Izzard thing, since you
all can't stop freaking out about him.
-adriana
  

    
Pamela - given the pseud you used, you saw "Dress to Kill", which is
the latest tape that's available.  I have been informed (by the lovely
lady in NYC I've been corresponding with for the last couple weeks)
that "Circle", his most recent tour, was filmed, but I don't know
when/if it will be released.

Neil - well, I can understand "Ambassadors" being your favorite,
especially since you came in at the beginning and had rather special
company to watch it with.  Having started at "Dress to Kill", it was
hard to scale back the expectations - you see glimmers of what will
become Izzard signatures in the future, but he just doesn't have the
energy and command that developed (astonishingly quickly) in later
shows.  I still enjoy it from a "look how far he's come" perspective.

Adriana - as soon as the cashflow situation improves (soon), I'll make
my way to cdbaby - look forward to hearing you.

And you absolutely owe it to yourself to look into the Izzard thing -
the only reason you might regret it will be the lighter state it will
eventually leave your wallet in.

Kelly - good energy sent your way, I'm sure we'll all be pulling for
you in the coming months.  If there's anything you need, even if it's
only some words of encouragement, don't hesitate to ask.
  

    
E-mail from Jen:

::pops head in for a bit::  

Hi everybody!

Loved Game of You, can never understand it when I hear people say that it's 
the most unpopular or whatever.

Kelly - totally feeling you on the writing thing.  I had about 4 days 
completely to myself a couple months ago which enabled me to get totally 
hyped up and set major goals writing wise and then school started and 
roommate returned and work and...  I'm getting back to the whole being 
discouraged thing.  Of course, during those 4 days my little writing group 
finally laid down some ground rules and we're not allowed to shave until we 
get published, so even with the discouragement I've at least got some 
motivation.  It really scares the writers block away.  "Dear god, can't wear 
tank top, want to wear tank top... must polish stories!"  But anyway, much 
luck, and it's cool that you seem to have some supportive friends there.  And 
since the topic has turned to writing...

How does everyone here feel about online markets versus getting printed in 
something you can actually hold in your hands?  Bad points?  Good points?  
Bad or good experiences?

Jen.
  

    
Pamela,  I haven't read The Wooden Sea yet, but there's a book with
Frannie called Kissing the Beehive. It's realistic and fantastic - I
would like to see that done as a film. A non-Carroll book I'd like to
see on film, if it were done well, is A Confederacy of Dunces. What a
loopy ride that would be. If you haven't read it, I do recommend it.
It's just a really wonderfully written, utterly demented comedy.
Sometimes it's even repulsive. I loved it.

Adriana,  I'm off to purchase your music. I can't wait to hear it!

And, as a side note, my uncle just got a part on the only television
show I watch - Law and Order. He's such a goofball actor, and it's so
fun to see him on TV. But from what he describes, this part is a sort
of intense and not-funny one. I'm glad anyway. He called last night, so
excited to tell me, because he knows I like that show. heehee
  

    
Maure - congrats for your uncle. *note to self, get an agent, dammit!*
Maybe I need some similar thing to Linda's "no-shaving" rule.... like,
 "no sex until I get an agent"
...
no, that would be too cruel. I just can't face it.

As for the Izzard tapes... I think I'll wait until they're out on
DVD... I really hate buying tapes nowadays... especially if I have any
hope of their being released on DVD in the foreseeable future.

Still... I'm quite glad that I picked up a few fairly rare things on
tape when I had the chance. I've got a copy of Erik the Viking that I
got used at a video store, and now I discover that it's virtually
impossible to buy new on DVD OR VHS in the United States.

go fig...
  

    
E-mail from Michaela:

Neil/Kelly – Briar Rose? Hmm.. it does sound interesting from the
reviews I read. But I guess I’ll start with the Books of Alta after
all. I have to be in the right kind of mood for Holocaust novels. Right
now I’ve really had my fill of the subject just watching German TV
– lots of  documentaries were shown during the last two years
because of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. When I was a
teenager I went through this guilt phase and read many books dealing with
the subject one way or another. Right now I think I’ll work my way
around this particular book until I feel I am ready for another infusion.

Neil – thanks for mentioning the Eddie Izzard CD sets. I found I
can order them from Amazon Germany, at least one of them.

re gooseberry jam: Made some myself, too. We have gooseberries in our
garden. Gooseberries are weird in a way – the skin can be so sour
and hard, but when they are really ripe they are soft and mushy and
totally sweet inside.

As to house owning/builders: We bought a house, which is really the big
and relatively new stable attached to an old farmhouse, last year. Part
of the building has been an apartment for about 20 years – we
don’t live in the stable part ;). The farm belongs to very good
friends of mine, two brothers. Which is a very good thing, cause we
ripped out our kitchen; it was way too small and we tore down some walls
to make way for a big one. Other flaws led us to actually take out the
floor in that room and the big living room. Most people don’t
realise we mean it when we tell them that we have sand for a floor
downstairs. Luckily we  do have some rooms on the first floor, so there
are habitable parts. All our cooking is done in our friends’
kitchen though. Cooking for 4 people is more fun than cooking for just
the two of us anyway. No idea how long this will go on – another
friend of ours is going to do the kitchen and living room floor and
ceiling and he is quite busy. It is worth waiting for him though. He is a
genius when it comes to designing and building. I think the most
enjoyable part of having a place of your own is knowing you can do
whatever you like, nobody is going to stop you :)

Michaela
  

    
Neil - I realise you're booked, writing-wise, thru 2005, but it's a
bit disappointing the juicer dream couldn't have gone into a short
story somewhere. I can hear the rather droll tone and slight sarcasm in
my head; it would have been lovely.   :-)

Rick - thanks. I got nicely yelled at by a former editor friend last
night, who told me to be a lot more specific when asking for criticisms
of my work. Like, actually ask for criticism, instead of throwing the
person what I've been working on, yelping "eeep!" and running from the
room.

Apparently this makes it hard for people to be honest.  ;-)
-Kelly
  

    <scribbled by dfowlkes Tue 3 Jul 12 10:14>
  

    <scribbled by dfowlkes Tue 3 Jul 12 10:14>
  

    
Am I a bad person for being thrilled that the CONSTANTINE movie is
stalled because it's lost its director and, more importantly, that Nick
Cage may soon follow?

Is it right for me to harbour an insane desire to start singing from
my cube and dancing and scaring my co-workers?

I ask you...
  

    
Oh, Tara, we'd never think you a bad person.........
  

    

I'm thinking that <dfowlkes> may be too modest to direct you himself to
the topic he started in g life - #140 - so I'm gonna do it for him.
  

    
neil said: "wait until you Get The Builders in, and you discover that
all the jokes about taking twice as long and costing twice as much
aren't jokes." Since when does it only take twice as long as they say?
Judging by the work done on my parents' yard and their bathroom I'd
think twice as long and expensive as the estimate is lucky indeed!

Oh great, I logged on to post something, started reading, and have
totally forgotten what I was going to post about... and instead, I'm
craving gooseberry jam and wanting to watch Snow White again.

squeaks, who heard one of the best covers of "Eleanor Rigby" ever.
  

    
Kelly -- Glad to hear you've gotten past your writer's block. If you
ever need another pick-me-up, check out The Written Word and Writer's
Prompts. The Written Word
(http://www.topica.com/lists/TheWrittenWordEZine/) is a daily quote
list aimed at writers, editors and publishers. Today's quote was
particularly fitting: "Being a real writer means being able to do the
work on a bad day." --Norman Mailer. Ain't that the truth? Writing
Prompts (http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/365prompts.asp) is
published daily by Writer's Digest. Visit the Web site or sign up to
the monthly mailing list for "idea joggers and brain starters" to get
your writing going.

Jen -- I love getting published, doesn't matter if it's online or in
print. Just make sure you choose markets that pay for your hard work
and talent.

Maure -- I'm a Law and Order fanatic. Let us know when your uncle's
episode runs. I'll look for him.

Tara -- You're not a bad person. I like Nick Cage, but he's not my
first pick for John Constantine. In fact, I think the actor who plays
Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer should get the job.

Neil -- Great story on the juicer. I wonder...what would "American
Gods" taste like when juiced?

Jade Walker
  

    
No, Tara, you're not evil, just a girl after my own heart.....

bwaaaahaaaahaaaa!

I'd have had to shoot somebody if Hellblazer got made with Cage.  And
I don't even own a gun.  Who has time for all that paperwork?

This may be what the 5 day waiting period is all about.

Mary (who wants to juice Good Omens, except she's afraid the taste of
No Alcohol Lager would dominate the flavor....)
  

    
Or, "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful".  Sheesh.
  

    <scribbled by dfowlkes Tue 3 Jul 12 10:14>
  

    
Maure: way nifty! What's your uncle's name? I only seem to catch L&O
every blue moon, but I'll definitely keep an eye out. These days, the
sum total of my regular TV diet is Farscape, Angel, Buffy, and The
Naked Chef.

On the juicing topic, I'd prolly juice my "JavaScript For Dummies" and
O'Reilly JavaScript book, and possible a few Flash books.

I like reading fiction too much to skip the fun of turning pages, but
I sure as hell would love to drink books that would make my job easier,
instead of struggling and crying and swearing because I can't
understand the DOM or trying to figure out why I can't assign an action
to a button in Flash half the time.

I don't have a programmer's brain. I'd like one. But I don't have one.
Maybe I could juice a programmer's brain, and that would help?

If I could choose a Constantine, I'd still go for Callum Keith Rennie
(Hard Core Logo, Double Happiness, Last Night, Twitch City, Due South
wiry little blond guy with experimental hair). But I'm not a studio
head, or a director, casting director, or even so much as a PA. So I so
have no say. 

Still, one can dream... 
  

    
Dan,  do get thee an agent! But, as a sort of very very typical
warning, my uncle has been a struggling actor for lo these past twenty
years or so. He is one of many blue-collar actors (a label I stole from
Bruce Campbell's book) who work and work, and sometimes even work
steadily, but rarely get that certain level of fame that motivated them
in the beginning. 

Jade,  I'm not sure which episode number it is, and I don't know what
it's called yet, because they haven't filmed it yet. As soon as I know,
I will post it here. I love L&O, but usually watch the re-runs on A&E
because I don't know what time the show is on, and don't watch TV
enough to find out. I know he is playing a dad of a junkie whose
boyfriend sells her body for drugs. :/

Tara,  his name is Ned Luke, although at some point he changed it and
changed it back again and twisted it up and mangled it. I think he's
back to Ned Luke though. He has a listing on www.imdb.com , which is
kind of cool, although it is incorrect in one of its credits.
  

    
Tara - It's ok. I think most of us feel the same inside... 
I mean.. Nick Cage as Constantine? that's just wrong. I like Jade's
idea though... he's got something of that Constantine dark sexual charm
that could work quite nicely.

Squeaks - have you remembered what you were going to post about yet?

Maure - fortunately, I have no desire to be famous. Fame seems to fuck
people up pretty regularly, and my life is complicated enough as it
is. I would, however, love to be a regularly working actor... as in,
don't need a day job. I'd also love to be involved with projects with a
greater consistency of quality than I have been lately. It seems like
I'm running about 50% shows I'm really proud of and excited about and
50% shows that are just resume fillers. *sigh*
  

    
Dan, I'd like to be even where you're at right now.  Feel proud that
you are even getting IN shows.  You've got an excellent track record so
far, it seems.  Even the filler is for a purpose.  

Maure, when i went to imdb i couldn't find Ned Luke.  can you post the
linky link?  did i mention how much i love you, by the way?

Now I don't mean to freak anyone out but i just read in Backstage this
last week that Constantine is set to being shooting in March.  Did
this news just come in after that?
  

    
Neil:  The 'the story so far' in the introduction to The Sandman
Library: The Doll's House seemed like a clear nod to Martha.  Is it?

Re: Builders.  Luckily, my husband's pretty good at much of that, so
it keeps outside vendors to a minimum.  But part of my job requires
that I oversee all renovation projects, and there was one that did
indeed cost twice the original amount, was supposed to take 4 months
and took *18* and changed my life in the process.

Hi, Jen!

Kelly: It's the new serfdom.  It's impossible to live any kind of life
after you subtract the 9-10 hour work day, the 2 hours commuting, the
showering, the cooking, the cleaning, the grocery shopping... I'm lucky
if I have one hour to myself every day, and we don't even have kids. 
And I haven't had a single whole weekend to just R&R or "compost" since
sometime in September.  For anyone with creative juices, it's a living
hell.  Neil once said that hell is a blank sheet of paper, or a blank
screen.  And I can appreciate what he means.  But given a choice
between hell as a piece of paper, and hell as not even being able to
*get* to the piece of paper because we owe our soul to the butcher, the
baker and the Mobil station... I think I'd rather be in his, honestly.

Maure: I'll definitely read BEEHIVE as soon as I can.

DanGuy:  It is NEVER silly to be craving more books.  Otherwise, I'm a
very silly person.  Oh.  Nevermind.  With no silliness whatever, I
wish you good luck with your job, though.  It was very scary living
through all the Disney layoffs over the past year and a half.

Tara: No, see... that's exactly the sort of thing I love about you. 
All the best people care enough about books to jump up and down and
yell in their cubies about it!

Jade: Thanks for the website links!
  

    
FYI, for anyone near L.A. reading this...

Ian McKellan will be signing LOTR books at Book Soup on Sunset
tomorrow, Saturday at noon.  Contact Book Soup for more details:

http://booksoup.com/

-P
who is begging a friend for a signed copy, because she'll be out
walking the financial tightrope called house-hunting
  

    
Adriana,  his entry, I found, is actually under his new name, which is
sort of the old name: Ned von Leuke:
http://us.imdb.com/Name?von+Leuck,+Ned
And it is something very grand to be loved by Adriana Roze! heehee

Dan,  my uncle has had times when he could support himself from the
money he made acting, but most of the time he was a "______ and an
actor." He's done a little of everything now. I think he would envy you
your time in live theater, though.