Can you remember the first time you listened to a full album from beginning to end?

Side 1 to Side 2? Before you call me an old-timer, I realize albums don’t really exist anymore, not for most people. Sure, vinyl’s hot again with Gen Z, just like DVDS and VHS tapes are. Everything comes back around. But even I’ve adjusted to listening to individual tracks on playlists that streaming music channels or radio provide. I rarely listen to entire albums anymore, but I’m changing that.

Not just with the physical albums that my wife and I listen to, but even with streaming music. I’m making a conscious effort to listen to my favorite albums from beginning to end. And not just concept albums, either. Full albums from my favorite bands that I haven’t heard before.

All of this got me thinking about the first time I heard some of these records. What follows are a list of a few of my album recollections, in no particular order.

1. Led Zeppelin: In Through The Out Door

I must’ve been in junior high when I went to the local public library and glimpsed this album cover in the record rack. Yes, back then you could not only check out books to read, you could borrow record albums. The cover intrigued me, and of course I’d heard Zeppelin on the radio before. “Stairway to Heaven,” anyone? Returning from the library, I put the record on my parents’ stereo system and was blown away. From the opening track, “In The Evening,” to the last song “I’m Gonna Crawl,” I was hooked. I listened to the album many more times before I had to return it to the library. I may have even accidentally scratched it.

2. Roxy Music: Avalon

By the time I was in college, I’d seen some of Roxy Music’s videos on MTV, like “More Than This,” “Avalon,” and “Angel Eyes.” I was living in the dorm when a fellow resident loaned me a cassette tape he had made of Avalon. He was a big Roxy Music fan and told me this album was a great entry point. I listened to it from beginning to end and was entranced by Bryan Ferry’s smooth vocals, the lush sounds of Phil Manzanera’s guitar work, and Andy Mackay’s saxophone and oboe. In addition to the title track, “Take a Chance with Me,” “More Than This,” and “Tara” are my favorites. The album still holds up and is a true classic in my mind.

3. Rush: 2112

Junior high again. My family was on summer vacation. We had gone to Kansas City, MO to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Two of my cousins were older boys who were into rock music. They told me I had to listen to this album by Rush. It was a concept album about a future time when music was outlawed. During our week and a half visit there, we must’ve listened to this full album at least ten times. I was already a Rush fan, but hearing tracks like “Overture,” “Temples of Syrinx,” and “Passage to Bangkok” made me a lifelong listener.

4. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

I was in high school when I discovered Pink Floyd. At the time, The Wall had just been released and “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” was getting heavy airplay on the radio. I wanted more, so I dug into Floyd’s back catalog. Sure, I’d heard “Money” on the radio, but not the rest of the album. WOW. The first time I listened to all of Dark Side, I was wearing headphones and the music washed over me like a warm wave. It’s probably my favorite Floyd album, with Animals coming in a close second. With killer tracks like “Time,” “The Great Gig in the Sky,” and “Breathe (In the Air),” this album is one I can listen to on endless repeat until the day I die.

5. The Smiths: Meat Is Murder

My first year away at college, I was listening to lots of music I hadn’t heard before. I was familiar with The Smiths, but this album put them on the map for me and many others. I was already a fan of “How Soon Is Now?,” which was released in the US as part of the compilation Hatful of Hollow. Can you believe “How Soon Is Now?” Was originally a B-side? Crazy. Anyways, Meat kicks off with Johnny Marr’s driving guitar and Mike Joyce’s punchy drums in “The Headmaster Ritual” and comes to a close with Morrissey’s vegetarian anthem, “Meat Is Murder.” Another great album I can listen to over and over. The US version of the album added “How Soon Is Now” as the first track on Side 2, which was a welcome addition, too.

So let’s raise a glass to the era of listening to albums from beginning to end. This isn’t a complete list of my favorite albums by any means, but it’s a start.

What are some of your favorite albums that you can listen to from beginning to end?

ICYMI:

The latest from me:

• “Time Smudges” is part of the Time is a Dog’s Breakfast call over at Pistol Jim Press (Big thanks to Craig Terlson and Pistol Jim Press)

• Pleased as punch to be part of THE SPECULATIVE DETECTIVE AGENCY, pubbed by Diversion Books and edited by Richie Narvaez and Matthew David Goodwin. The book drops on Oct. 6 this year, pre-order your copy today.

• “Broke Down South of Dallas” is my crime fiction drabble for Mythic Picnic (Big thanks to Nathan Pettigrew for pubbing)

• “Price is Right Rules” in Dark Yonder #11 (Big thanks to Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt for pubbing)

What I’m Reading:

SILVER NITRATE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’m digging it so far!

What I’m Writing:

Working on my novel, and short stories when I stall on the novel. And this Substack.

What I’m Watching:

Recently I rewatched SORCERER, directed by William Friedkin. This was my third watch and it still holds up, WOW. What a film. Steeped in mood, atmosphere, and tense action sequences, like the one on the rickety bridge, am I right? Damn, what a classic.

That about does it. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Today, I’m talking about a pattern I’ve noticed in the last handful of novels I’ve read. These books were all traditionally published in the last four years by the Big 5 or reputable imprints. By established authors. I’m not going to name any names, so you’re out of luck there. What’s the thing about these novels that’s raised my ire? The endings.

More specifically, the endings just haven’t been that satisfying to me. I get it, endings are tough. They need to make narrative sense and sum up the book in one way or another. It’s difficult to stick the landing, I realize that.

Before you make a fuss and call me nit-picky, let me just add the caveat that this could all be on me. My problem. Maybe I’m fixated on the big boom third acts of Hollywood movies and TV. Perhaps I’m searching for a book to always go out with a bang. So you can disregard anything I’ve got to offer. Fair enough. But I also wonder if this is part of a larger trend.

Don’t get me wrong, these last five books I read have all kept me turning the pages, they’ve been vivid with details and great characters. Twisty plots and intriguing situations. These books had all of those ingredients. Their endings just didn’t blow me away. They kind of fizzled out and left me asking, “Is that it?”

Now you might ask whether this is to blame on the traditional publishing industry. These books I’m talking about were all released by major publishers or imprints, with all of those resources behind them. Are the editors to blame for these limp endings? Are they rushing these books to publication? Pressuring the authors?

Like I said, this could all be my problem. Maybe I was looking for a conclusion that didn’t align with the author’s intent. After all, it’s their story. I’m just the person reading it.

Another thing worth noting is the fact that these books with unsatisfactory endings were from authors with name recognition. Not debut authors brand new to the scene, but seasoned writers with numerous novels under their belts. So what gives? Is this all tied to the idea that you can’t please every reader? Not everyone’s going to like what you create, the characters you build up, or the way you end your story. I get it. But what are the odds of me reading five books in a row with weak endings?

Is genre to blame? Again, don’t accuse me of being a literary snob. I love reading from a broad spectrum of genres. These novels I’m talking about all fall into the crime fiction/mystery/thriller category. And a horror title as well. So if this weak ending phenomenon can’t be blamed on genre, what’s the cause, then?

I’m not sure. Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but that’s all I’ve got. I don’t have a well-reasoned treatise on how the trad publishing behemoth is to blame for everything. Or whether this weak ending syndrome is also present in indie publishing as well. I can’t say. Maybe it’s just the law of averages. Out of the thousands of books that get published every year, not all of them can be great. I understand that. Perhaps my next move is to read a handful of novels from small presses to compare and contrast with. That might give me an answer.

As I mentioned before, this could all be my own problem. Maybe by coincidence, I just happened to read five books in a row whose endings I didn’t like or agree with. The next five I read could be amazing and satisfying from beginning to end. I get it, I’m not going to fully enjoy every book that I pick up to read. Life’s too short to complain, or give 1-star Goodreads reviews, or return e-books (who does that?). That’s not me. I just thought it was worth bringing up here, to see if anyone else has had a similar experience. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments, if you choose.

How many recent books have you read where the ending wasn’t for you?

ICYMI:

The latest from me:

• “Time Smudges” is part of the Time is a Dog’s Breakfast call over at Pistol Jim Press (Big thanks to Craig Terlson and Pistol Jim Press)

• Pleased as punch to be part of THE SPECULATIVE DETECTIVE AGENCY, pubbed by Diversion Books and edited by Richie Narvaez and Matthew David Goodwin. The book drops on Oct. 6 this year, pre-order your copy today.

• “Broke Down South of Dallas” is my crime fiction drabble for Mythic Picnic (Big thanks to Nathan Pettigrew for pubbing)

• “Price is Right Rules” in Dark Yonder #11 (Big thanks to Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt for pubbing)

What I’m Reading:

SILVER NITRATE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’m digging it so far!

What I’m Writing:

Working on my novel, and short stories when I stall on the novel.

What I’m Watching:

Recently I watched PROJECT HAIL MARY, which was fun. Also watched documentaries on Billy Idol and Paul Reubens. The Reubens documentary hit me much harder. What a creative talent he was. I will forever be a big Pee-Wee fan.

That about does it. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

What do you do with your time between writing projects?

Do you dive right into the next thing, or do you pause for a bit to think about what’s next? I often don’t go straight into writing my next piece, unless I’m on a tight deadline. Usually I take a short breather to read, watch movies, or work on Substack posts like this one.

I should mention that I don’t write for a living (yet), and I do have a day job that pays the bills. So, yes, I can afford the luxury of taking a break between writing projects. Inevitably, though, as soon as I finish one project, another one beckons. Typically it’s a short story. But this time, it’s my novel idea that’s calling my name. I’m currently in the note-taking stage, I’ve got plenty of ideas, but I’m vetting them over and over in my head. Working on a loose outline. Thinking of the characters I want to focus on.

When I get stuck on the novel, which has been a lot recently, I’ll revisit my backlog of short stories. These are all stories that are either half-baked, or just keep getting rejected. I’m often working on at least a handful of short stories in various stages of development at any given time. This batch approach has served me well.

In the early stages of my writing career, I’d work on one story, send it out, then wait for an acceptance or rejection. I spent all that time waiting and wondering. Not good. Now I send out stories as I finish them, because there’s always another one ready to be worked on. This keeps my mind occupied and not worrying about whether another story’s going to be accepted or not. I keep track of all my submissions, and usually forget that I’ve sent a story out until I get a rejection or acceptance for it. The idea is to keep the pipeline moving so you never think about it.

Even with my story pipeline workflow, I take breaks between projects. It could be a few days or a week. Just enough time until I hear the writing calling me back again. It’s always good to pause and recharge the batteries, and I find it often helps my writing when I do get back into it.

Just a short post this week that hopefully gets you thinking about your process.

So how do you spend the time between your writing projects?

ICYMI:

This upcoming weekend I’ll be attending the New England Crime Bake conference up in the Boston area. It’s my first time, so I’m looking forward to meeting up with old friends, and making new ones. If you’re attending and see me, say hello! I’m always up for meeting fellow writers and talking shop.

My story “Bad Man Down” is part of the Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025! Honored and grateful to be part of this stellar lineup of crime fiction authors. Available wherever books are sold. Get your copy today!

On November 22, you can find me the Plymouth Meeting Book Fest. If you live in the Philadelphia area, come check it out! I’ll be selling books and signing too. More info here.

My latest work out in the wild:

• “They Eat Their Own” is part of the Myopic Duplicity anthology here (Big thanks to Jeff Circle and Chris Ciulla)

• My story “Bad Man Down” is included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025, edited by Don Winslow and Steph Cha. Available at bookstores everywhere or online here.

• My BAMS ‘25 interview with Cold Caller Press here. (Big thanks to Alex Mattingly)

• “The Swivel” is up at A Thin Slice of Anxiety here (Big thanks to Cody Sexton)

• “Safety Patrol” at Pistol Jim Press here (Big thanks to James Maxwell)

What I’m Reading:

I’m reading ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias. Good stuff.

What I’m Writing:

Working on my novel and re-working some short stories.

What I’m Watching:

It’s Noirvember, so you know what that means. I’m currently making my way through the Blackout Noir collection on the Criterion Channel. Some great pulpy movies in there.

That about does it this time. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

It’s been a minute since I posted here, but there’ve been a few things going on. I hope you are well and dealing with the shitshow that is living in America right now. I remain cautiously optimistic, but that’s another story for another time.

Today, I’d like to talk about the positive things happening in my life right now. I hope you’ve got some going on too. For starters, since we last spoke, I was invited to be part of a crime fiction collection called Myopic Duplicity. It was my first time getting asked to the anthology dance, and hopefully it’s not my last. While short stories have been my jam so far, the ask for this collection was something more than a short story. The editor was looking for a novelette from me.

What’s a novelette, you say? It’s fiction that falls somewhere between a short story and a novella, ranging from 7,500 to 18,000 words. Why this length? Well, the publishers of Myopic Duplicity, Jeff Circle (of The Writer’s Dossier fame) and Chris Ciulla (from Leonardo Audio) were looking for longer stories because this project was being released in both ebook and audiobook formats.

This meant a voice actor would be reading my story! I’ve written and directed short films before, so I’ve heard actors speaking my dialogue, but this was something else entirely. A fully fleshed out story, with a voice actor reading all the parts? Sign me up.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. When Jeff Circle first contacted me in late February 2025, he asked if I’d be interested in being part of a crime fiction anthology about characters forced to break the law or a moral code as a means to an end. He mentioned that I was recommended by Chris Ciulla (thanks again, Chris), who liked my writing. I’d met Chris at Bouchercon Nashville in 2024, and spoke at length with him about being a voice actor and the work he had done. We had a great conversation.

I said yes, of course to Jeff’s gracious invitation, and a week or so later, he emailed out the overall theme for the anthology and revealed the contributor list. I was floored to be a part of such a roster of talented authors—Eric Beetner, C.B. Bernard, C.W. Blackwell, Wes Browne, Mindy Carlson, Ash Clifton, Libby Cudmore, Erin Flanagan, Rob Hart, Terrence McCauley, Matt Phillips, M.E. Proctor, C. Matthew Smith, Christopher Swann, and Tony Wirt.

I had submitted stories to plenty of anthologies over the years, but I’d never been asked to contribute to one. This was a whole new experience for me. After I said yes to Jeff, I immediately began to doubt myself. Could I write a story longer than 5000 words? The longest one I’d ever written was around 8K, and that was in draft form. I even asked Jeff if my story could come in on the short end of the word count, 8K. He said of course, but since this was an audiobook as well, the voice actors wanted something of substance to read for the project.

The prompt for the collection was multi-faceted, so that various stories could emerge from it. I chose the idea of covering something up when it’s against your nature or personal code to do so. How far would you go to protect something or someone that you care about?

I already had the skeleton of a story that I could use as a starting point. It just needed to be expanded—really expanded. The story was one that I’d been working on intermittently for the last 5 years. Yes, you read that right—5 years. I’d get stuck, then put it aside to work on something else. That’s how I do things.

So I had a basic story, but now I had to flesh things out. The plot changed quite significantly, the characters grew in scope, and I also added additional characters. Much of the original storyline isn’t there anymore.

After thinking about my story, taking notes, and working on an outline for several weeks, I began drafting. It was now early April 2025. The deadline was May 31. I had my work cut out for me. To make the deadline, I decided to join the 5am writing club. It was hard at first, but within 2 weeks, it became a habit and felt good accomplishing so much before my day job even started.

A month and a half later, my first draft came in at around 17K words. That meant I had about 2 weeks for revisions. Could I do it? The deadline was looming, and I didn’t want to miss it. To make things even more challenging, my wife and I had planned a trip to Los Angeles to visit family and friends at the end of May, just before the submission deadline. My goal was to send Jeff my story before we left for our trip.

I did finish revising the story a day before our L.A. trip and sent it off to Jeff. When we arrived at LAX a day later, I checked my email. Jeff had already read my story and included notes. I was impressed. Jeff’s feedback was very positive, he thanked me for not killing off one of the main characters (if you’ve read the story, you know who that is), and he had some constructive things to say about the story.

Once we got back home after our trip, I began working on the edits. They took me another few weeks and my story grew to just over 18K words. And here I was unsure whether I could write something longer than a short story!

I turned in the revised version to Jeff and he said it looked great. A few months later I was contacted by a gentleman named Philip Anthony Rodriguez. He was the voice actor who would be reading my story for Leonardo Audio. This was yet another personal touch that made this anthology a very special experience.

I expected my Zoom call with Philip to be a 20 minute discussion, but instead we spoke for nearly an hour about living in L.A. (Phil’s a working actor, check out his resumé here), the places in Burbank I mention in the story, and about what the characters could sound like. He brought great ideas to the table, I told him what I thought, and we both collaborated in the best way. As we hung up from our call, I was excited to hear what Phil would do with the material.

Several months later, the Myopic Duplicity ebook was released at Bouchercon New Orleans. I couldn’t make the conference this year, but purchased my copy immediately. Now I could read the other stories in the anthology written by my friends. I’m still making my way through the collection. Order your copy here.

Chris Ciulla, being the hardest working man in the audiobook business, also produced another anthology at the same time, edited by the talented Scott Blackburn! Titled Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, and Bad Intentions, this collection was released along with Myopic Duplicity. It features stories by Nick Kolakowski, L.S. Goozdich, A.M. Adair, David Moloney, J.B. Stevens, Laura Brashear, Keith Roysdon, Meredith R. Lyons, Ashley Erwin, and Jason Allison. You can order Fighting Words here.

The audiobooks for both anthologies were released in the first week of October. I listened to my story as narrated by Phil Rodriguez, and it did not disappoint. I even got choked up in spots as Phil told my story of Gabe Garcia, Levanya, and the dark events unfolding at the Wildlife Waystation. Take a listen if you have the chance.

Writing short stories and longer pieces each contain their own challenges. Is this too much information for the reader? Is it not enough? It’s a fine line, but one that you should try. If you’ve only written short stories up to this point, try writing something longer. If your focus has been on writing novels, try a shorter thing, like flash or a short story. Whatever the result, it may give you a new perspective on storytelling, I know it did for me. Needless to say, I’m working on my first novel. We’ll see how that goes.

ICYMI:

Coming up in November, I’ll be taking part in the Plymouth Meeting Book Fest. If you live in the Philadelphia area, come check it out! More info here.

My latest work out in the wild:

• “They Eat Their Own” is part of the Myopic Duplicity anthology here (Big thanks to Jeff Circle and Chris Ciulla)

• My story “Bad Man Down” is included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025, edited by Don Winslow and Steph Cha. Available at bookstores everywhere or online here.

• My BAMS ‘25 interview with Cold Caller Press here. (Big thanks to Alex Mattingly)

• “The Swivel” is up at A Thin Slice of Anxiety here (Big thanks to Cody Sexton)

• “Safety Patrol” at Pistol Jim Press here (Big thanks to James Maxwell)

What I’m Reading:

I’m reading stories from Myopic Duplicity, and BAMS 2025.

What I’m Writing:

Working on a speculative piece to submit to an anthology. We’ll see what happens!

What I’m Watching:

I rewatched THE PARALLAX VIEW, the ‘70s paranoid thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula (ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, KLUTE, etc.) and starring Warren Beatty. Such a great movie, and I love the compositions in this one. What a canvas. Check it out if you can.

That about does it this time. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Have you ever encountered a work of art that you just connected with immediately? That just appealed to you in every way and was firing on all cylinders? It could anything: a painting (for me, it’s Hopper’s NIGHTHAWKS), a song, a book, or a movie. A creative piece of work that fused with the neurons racing through your brain?

For me, one such piece of art is the movie Buckaroo Banzai. Or perhaps I should use its full title: THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION.

Now, stand by to witness the fanboy dial being turned up to eleven. Uninterested folks can stop reading now. You’ve been warned.

The summer of 1984 was a banner time for movies. So many releases that are now considered classics: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, GHOSTBUSTERS, GREMLINS, THE KARATE KID, THE NEVERENDING STORY, PURPLE RAIN. It was a great time for movie fanatics like myself.

In August of that year, what was billed as a sci-fi adventure film was released without much fanfare. I had read about BUCKAROO BANZAI in Starlog magazine and was anxious to see it. I may have seen a few TV commercials for it too. Lucky for me, my two best friends were also interested in checking it out.

We went on opening weekend and the theater was practically empty. I think there were about five people total there to watch the film. Granted, 20th Century Fox didn’t put a whole lot of marketing money behind the film, so that could’ve been the reason. Another reason for the lack of turnout? The studio just didn’t know what they had on their hands. BUCKAROO BANZAI isn’t easily classifiable. Just ask anyone who’s seen it.

After watching the first ten minutes of the film, I knew it was for me. The 80s vibe, the sense of humor, all of it was hitting home for me. And talk about a cast! Peter Weller (pre-ROBOCOP), Ellen Barkin, Jeff FUCKING Goldblum, JOHN LITHGOW!, Carl Lumbly, Clancy Brown, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Pepe Serna, Robert Ito (of QUINCY fame), Vincent Schiavelli, and many others you might now from their later careers. Even Russian standup comic Yakov “What a country” Smirnoff has a bit part in the movie.

We just connected with the movie in so many ways. The War of the Worlds subplot. John Bigbooté’s strange Italian accent (see more on that here). The Lectroids. My friends and I laughed out loud at many moments int the film. Sadly, we were the only ones doing so, but we didn’t care. We knew this movie was something special.

Unfortunately, the moviegoing public didn’t agree. BUCKAROO BANZAI failed to meet Hollywood expectations and it faded away several weeks later. But before it left theaters for good, my friends and I saw it one more time on the big screen and enjoyed it again. The movie was chock full of jokes and references that warranted multiple viewings. Throwaway ideas and dialogue that were never followed up on. The Kolodny Brothers? The Rug Suckers? What’s that watermelon doing there? It had all the makings of a cult classic. For more on that, take a look at Keith Roysdon’s excellent piece on the movie here. He’s also a big fan, I’ll mention.

In addition to closing with a great end credits scene, BANZAI teased us with the promise of more. Like a James Bond movie foreshadowing the return of its protagonist, BANZAI presented us with its own version. A simple title card that previewed a sequel: “Buckaroo Banzai Against The World Crime League.” Could it be true that we would see Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers in another adventure?

Sadly, it was not to be. Regardless, after it disappeared from theaters, BUCKAROO BANZAI slowly began to take on a life of its own. It became the hidden gem that not many people knew about. Mind you, these were the days before the internet. Before social media. If you met someone and found out they were a BANZAI fan, it meant you were part of a secret club. Like being a full-fledged member of the Blue Blaze Irregulars. If you know, you know.

The following year, BUCKAROO BANZAI was released on VHS for the home video market. I remember renting it and making a copy for my own personal library. I’d even picked up the novelization of the film by screenwriter Earl Mac Rauch and read it cover to cover. The book contained even more tidbits that never made it into the film. One of them was the fact that the surgery scene in the beginning of the film took place in El Paso, Texas, where I grew up. Needless to say, I was excited and proud to be a part of the BANZAI legend in some way, no matter how small. I had become a full-fledged BANZAI fanboy.

The cult following surrounding BUCKAROO BANZAI kept growing into the 90s when I attended the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time. The event was mind blowing, a massive gathering place for so many movie and comic book nerds. I’d never seen anything like it before. There were also BANZAI fans there, as I discovered.

Back in those days, enterprising merchants at Comic-Con would sell bootleg VHS copies of movies and TV shows. Cartoons from the 70s. TV commercial compilations from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The Star Wars Holiday Special. DVDs had not entered the home video landscape yet. Another item these video nostalgia dealers offered were alternate versions of theatrical movies. This is where I learned about the original cut of BUCKAROO BANZAI, which contained an opening scene that had been editing out for the theatrical release.

A deleted scene? From this movie? I had read about the scene, which was a flashback home movie. In it, Buckaroo was a young child. His parents were putting the finishing touches on the original Jet Car for its first test run. Robert Ito played a younger Dr. Hikita, and Jamie Lee Curtis played his mother.

Needless to say, I purchased the bootleg video without thinking twice. Later at home when I watched the tape, I felt like Indiana Jones discovering some ancient relic. An unseen piece of one of my favorite films. The scene is all backstory, introducing us to Buckaroo’s parents, the Jet Car, and not much else. It’s only a few minutes long, too. Looking back now, I can see why it was cut. Years later, it would make its way onto the DVD release of BANZAI.

A few years later, BANZAI would make another appearance at Comic-Con. It was 1997, and there were rumors of Fox developing a TV series titled BUCKAROO BANZAI: ANCIENT SECRETS AND NEW MYSTERIES. A frickin’ TV show? Yes, please! I was stoked. A presentation was scheduled at the Con. A Hollywood visual effects house was going to show a clip of something rumored to be from the show. There was a buzz around the Comic-Con floor. What could this be?

The conference room was packed as the presentation began. So many other BANZAI fans jammed into a tiny space. It was nice to see others who loved the film. After a few words, a short video clip was shown. At the time, it looked amazing. The clip was created using state of the art computer graphics for 1997 and was a proof of concept, nothing more. The VFX house that created it were also fans and wanted to show Fox what they could do. The Jet Car makes several appearances in the clip and the audience cheered when the car appeared onscreen. It was amazing. BANZAI was coming back.

Like many projects in Hollywood, the Fox show never materialized and the cult classic would lay dormant again for several years, alive only in the Banzai Institute newsletter and the internet message boards that fans put together.

In the early 2000s, I was working in the entertainment industry, helping to produce DVD releases for the home video market. I worked at the Pacific Ocean Post DVD Center, where my manager had family ties to the Criterion Company. His mother had co-founded the company, and as a teenager he assisted in the production of their famed laserdisc collection! Criterion invented the audio commentary and my manager had worked with such filmmaking legends as Martin Scorsese, Paul Verhoeven, and Ridley Scott.

From the moment I started working at the DVD Center, I bugged my manager to produce a Special Edition of BANZAI. MGM, who owned the home video rights to the film, was a client of ours. My manager had seen BANZAI, but he wasn’t convinced he could get the budget necessary. I told him I wanted to be involved with the production of this Special Edition. But it never happened.

What did happen was that another freelancer friend who designed and produced DVD menus for the studios showed up one day to use our videotape decks. I helped him to set up the equipment for video capture and guess what movie he was working on the DVD menus for? BANZAI. I asked him what he was planning for the menus, was he doing 3D animation of the Jet Car interior? Was it going to be the inside of a Lectroid ship? I hit him with all the ideas I could think of on the spot.

He smiled and told me he admired my enthusiasm, but that MGM wasn’t paying for a top-notch treatment, they just wanted the bare minimum. BANZAI was cheated once more. After the DVD was released several months later, I purchased it immediately. MGM did do some things right on the DVD. They included a behind the scenes documentary, a retrospective documentary, deleted scenes (like the original opening with Jamie Lee Curtis), and they even included the Jet Car TV trailer for the series that never happened.

Once again, BANZAI faded back into obscurity. But high profile admirers keep appearing. Kevin Smith of CLERKS fame is a big fan of the movie, and was also attached to a BANZAI TV series in the mid-2010s. Sadly, that never came to fruition either. BANZAI remains stuck on the fringes of Hollywood. Probably for the best, I’m guessing. Any new incarnation could never match the original.

In 2021, Earl Mac Rauch (the writer of BANZAI) announced that a new BANZAI novel would be published by Dark Horse in 2022. Its title? BUCKAROO BANZAI AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE ET AL. A COMPENDIUM OF EVILS.

Of course, I pre-ordered the hardcover book. When it arrived, I was shocked to discover that it was a 624-page tome. I still haven’t cracked it open to read. But at least it’s in my library. Reviews of the book were not good at all, but I’m not sure it matters. At least another BANZAI story is out in the world.

So that’s where the BANZAI legend currently sits, waiting for someone else to take up the mantle. Even if it never comes back in another incarnation or “reimagining,” we BANZAI fans will always have the original film. And we’ll always have our imaginations to picture what adventures Buckaroo is up to now. Remember, “no matter where you go…there you are.”

What creative piece do you connect with most?

ICYMI:

Coming up next week, I’ll be taking part in the Skippack Book Festival, my first as an author. If you live in the Philadelphia area, come check it out! More info here.

In other news, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Not long ago, I was privileged to read from my story AHUIZOTL as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here. Check it out!

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Reading stories by Richard Matheson. I also just picked up HEY YOU ASSHOLES by Kyle Seibel, and DIARY by Chuck Palahniuk.

What I’m Writing:

Working on a longer story for a project that I can’t talk about just yet. But it’s going to be a good one! Stoked to be part of the ToC on this one. Watch this space! I’m also subbing short stories to publications, we’ll see what happens.

What I’m Watching:

I watched THE INSIDER recently for the first time. I’d heard a lot about it, and it delivers on every front. Michael Mann is a favorite filmmaker of mine and he doesn’t disappoint with this one. Great performances from Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, and so many others.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Back in the day when I was in college, March was all about one thing—spring break. And in Texas, that meant driving down to the Gulf of Mexico and visiting the Fort Lauderdale of the Southwest, Padre Island. Being the odd duck, I never went to Padre Island for spring break. Instead, one year I went in the opposite direction to visit my best friend in Chicago.

It was 1980-something. I don’t remember how I paid for the plane ticket, I’m sure I got some help from my parents. But I didn’t have any hotel costs, as I’d be staying in my friend’s dorm room for the week. He was attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. We had planned it for months, and I was excited to see Chicago for the first time.

As my departure date got closer, I researched Chicago and the places I wanted to see. Not only was it the location for many of my favorite movies like The Blues Brothers, The Untouchables, and every John Hughes movie, it had great architecture, and old movie theaters. Older than anything in Dallas, which was the nearest big city to me in college.

Several days before my trip, I began to feel a cold coming on. Congestion and watery eyes. Mid-term exams had just ended, and maybe it was the sleepless nights studying, or the stress of doing well on my tests that knocked out my immune system. The day before I was to leave, I was feeling horrible. But I couldn’t cancel my trip, could I?

I chose to tough it out and move forward with my plans. I boarded the plane with a head full of congestion and a king-sized Kleenex box. As we ascended to flying altitude, the air pressure made my sinuses feel like they were full of concrete. If you’ve ever flown sick, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

After a flight that seemed to take forever, my plane touched down at O’Hare. My friend was there to pick me up, and we took the train into the city. Night was falling as we walked from the Clark/Division stop to his dorm. It was cold. Then it began to snow. This was spring break? I was used to Texas weather, where we hardly got any snow. And to top it all off, I was as sick as a dog. How would this trip go?

We got to my friend’s dorm and it looked like stately Wayne Manor from the Batman TV show. The bronze plaque out front said “Hefner Hall.” Then my friend told me it used to be the old Playboy Mansion! Hugh Hefner had donated it to the Art Institute when he moved Playboy HQ to the west coast. It was surreal.

Each of the massive bedrooms in the mansion had been divvied up into separate living spaces for three roommates. And one bathroom for each room. Not much privacy. It was co-ed, with the women living on a separate floor. The kitchen was a communal one, with large stainless steel counters and refrigerators. I had never seen a kitchen so big.

In the basement was the famous swimming pool. Next to it was a bar with a glass window behind it that looked into the bottom of the pool, so you could see who was swimming underwater. The pool was closed off, as some student had gotten hurt there several years before. So no swimming was to be had.

I got to meet my friend’s dorm mates, an assortment of Midwesterners and other folks from across the country. It was the first time I’d ever met women with names like Anastasia, and Bronwen. Back in Texas, women had names like Laura and Kimberly, nothing too exotic.

My cold was at full strength now, so I did my best not to get anyone sick. I partook in some drinking with this newfound group of acquaintances, so you could say I did some spring breaking. But these people were all serious about their art, too. It was nice. I had a similar scene back at my college, with all of my film school buddies. It all reminded me of Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast,” about the 1920’s creative scene in Paris.

As the week wore on, I mostly hung out with my friend, attending some classes with him, going to screenings, and blowing my nose constantly. My friend was a Painting and Drawing major, so most of his classes were art-related. But he was also taking some film classes. It was here where I saw the work of several experimental filmmakers for the first time, including Stan Brakhage, and Maya Deren. Eye-opening, as I’d grown up on mainstream movie fare.

This trip was also the first time I’d ever been to a repertory movie theater. It was the Music Box, a grand old palace from the 20s. Back in Texas, there weren’t too many theaters like the Music Box, except for the Granada Theater in Dallas.

For me, Dallas seemed like a big city. But Chicago was even bigger. Lots more stuff to see, it seemed. I didn’t go to every class with my friend, I wanted to see some of the city on my own. I went to the Art Institute and saw many of the artworks I’d only read about in Art History class. Pieces like Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks,” Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” and so many others. At this point in my life I hadn’t been to New York City yet, but Chicago seemed to rival the Big Apple in so many ways.

While my friend was in class, I also explored the city’s architecture. From Marina City to the State Center (designed by Helmut Jahn), there was lots to see. St. Patrick’s Day happened while I was in town as well, so I got to see the Chicago River dyed green. I was in a bookstore on Printer’s Row when I noticed something red and green out of the corner of my eye in the large window I was standing close to. I looked up to see a hundred men marching up State Street, all dressed like leprechauns and blowing bagpipes. It was the St. Patty’s Day parade.

Five days later, my spring break in Chicago came to an end. It was time to leave and head back to Texas. My cold was just about gone now and I was getting used to the chilly temperatures. My friend took the train with me back to the airport and we said our goodbyes. I’d see him again soon back in El Paso for the summer break. I had a great time, and it’s where my love of Chicago first began.

Back in Texas, spring was in full swing. The highs were in the upper 60s and everything was coming up green. The flowers were blooming, the grass was coming back. The complete opposite of what was going on in Chicago. Then I got sick again from the temperature change, I think. I caught another cold and was miserable once again when classes started up after the break.

What were your spring breaks like?

ICYMI:

Coming up next month, I’ll be part of the Skippack Book Festival, my first as an author. If you live in the Philadelphia area, come check it out! More info here.

I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Not long ago, I was privileged to read from my story AHUIZOTL as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here. Check it out!

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

I picked up MONEY SHOT by Christina Faust, and SILVER NITRATE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

What I’m Writing:

My latest stories keep getting rejected, so I’m doing some revising and resubmitting. It only takes one yes. I’m also working on a longer story for a project that I can’t talk about just yet. But it’s going to be a good one! Stoked to be part of the ToC on this one. Watch this space!

What I’m Watching:

We rewatched AMADEUS recently. I hadn’t seen it in years. What a movie. And the music rocks, too. Outstanding performances from F. Murray Abraham, and Tom Hulce.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

I’ve been called a film snob so many times throughout my life that I’ve lost count. I used to tease people about their favorite ultra-popular movies and say things like, “How can you like TOP GUN?” 

I don’t do that so much anymore. These days, I don’t like to cause trouble. But my cinematic tastes are discerning, for sure. I don’t care for everything I see. But who does? And I don’t movie-shame people for liking what they like, either. Life’s too short for that.

I haven’t seen every popular movie, either, which throws my friends for a loop sometimes: “You’ve never seen THE BOURNE IDENTITY?” I’m just not interested in watching everything. TITANIC? I’ve only seen bits and pieces. Do I really need to see all of it? I’d rather watch TRUE LIES or TERMINATOR 2 instead. Up until a few years ago, I’d never seen IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. I loved it, by the way.

Everyone has their own taste in music, movies, anything. Do I look down my nose on other people’s tastes? I used to. Back in college, I considered films to be the true art form, whereas movies were the populist variation. Snobbish, to say the least.

Nowadays, I use the terms “film” and “movie” interchangeably. “Film” does sound a bit more highbrow than “movie,” but to me it just doesn’t matter anymore. Why should it?

A movie is a film is a movie. All of it is cinema. Back in the early days, they called them motion pictures, or just “pictures.” It’s still the illusion of reality, projected or streamed at 24 frames a second. 

This all came up again like acid reflux recently when Martin Scorsese made a comment about never having seen the Marvel movies. Theme park rides, he called them. Not “cinema,” like the films/movies of Fellini, Bergman or Kurosawa. Granted, the MCU may not be tackling every issue that the great masters of world filmmaking did, but they have their own truth to them. 

Calling a work of cinematic art a “film” wraps it in a blanket of elitism: “Oh, you wouldn’t understand it, it’s a film. Go back to your FAST AND FURIOUS movies.” “‘Movies’ are for the masses, with no nutritional value to them, not like a good Tarkovsky film.” Untrue.

So once a movie snob, always a movie snob? Perhaps. At least I don’t make fun of people’s tastes so much anymore. Whether you call them films or movies, it makes no difference. Once upon a time, it really did matter to my younger self. But those days are behind me.

What do you call them? Movies? Or films?

ICYMI:

I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Recently, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Short stories from Richard Matheson, and Agustina Bazterrica.

What I’m Writing:

Revising and resubbing several stories. Also working on a story for a project that I can’t talk about yet. Stay tuned!

What I’m Watching:

In memory of Gene Hackman, we’ve been going through his filmography. THE CONVERSATION is a great one, I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it. Such great character work from everyone in the cast, especially Hackman, and the always great John Cazale. Even a very young Harrison Ford appears in the movie! Great audio design as well. Writer-director Francis Ford Coppola was firing on all cylinders when he made this. Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. Check it out!

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Last week or so, Vince Gilligan, the writer/creator of BREAKING BAD and BETTER CALL SAUL said that he wants to see more heroic characters on television. He also added that he’d rather be known for creating inspiring characters rather than anti-heroes like Walter White. I don’t necessarily agree. I enjoy writing, reading and watching unlikable characters.

I’ll never forget one of the comments I got from a writing group after reading an excerpt from a story of mine. “I don’t think I like this character,” said one of the members. I was taken aback at first. How dare someone not like my protagonist? In my story, the character was a self-centered lothario who only viewed women as conquests and had referred to them as “chicks.” This is what inspired the reader’s comment.

Keep in mind, this fictional character did not reflect my own attitudes towards women. This was a character in a story. But this reader seemed to think that my writing was an extension of my own views. My knee-jerk response to this feedback was to be offended.

Later that night after the writing group, I began to feel prouder of the reaction I got. At least the reader felt something, right? My goal was to make the character realistic, which doesn’t always result in a feel-good character vibe. To make every character likable in every story you write is doing yourself a disservice as a writer. So is writing about anything non-offensive or off-putting.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s room in this world for all kinds of writing. For example, writing that plays it safe and doesn’t ruffle any feathers. This is fine. But that’s not the kind of work I’m doing or want to do. Maybe if it’s a fairy tale I’m writing. But even then, I’d still manage to sneak in a little weirdness or horniness into the mix. It’s just my nature. And besides, to not add those prurient elements is just plain boring to me. Real life can be boring enough. To each his own, of course, but give folks something different, is what I say.

So when I say I like writing unlikable characters, I don’t mean they’re one-dimensional villains. At least I try not to write them that way. How many movies or TV shows have you seen where the villain does nothing but bad things and all you can do is hate them? Pretty boring. This might work for some viewers, but not me. A GREAT villain thinks they’re doing something right. In their mind, they’re the hero of their story.

Take for example the Apple+ TV series BAD SISTERS, which my wife and I started watching and enjoy a lot. The villain of the show is John Paul, the husband of one of the Garvey sisters, a tight clan of Irish ladies who look out for one another. SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen Season 1:

The character of JP (John Paul) is written is such a way that you hate him from the first time you see him. He mistreats his wife. To him, everyone’s an enemy, and he fucks around with people. He can’t stand his wife’s sisters. And they can’t stand him. Unbeknownst to him, all of the sisters call him “the prick.” All of this is very dark comedy, and it’s done well.

And although JP seems like a one-note character at first, as the show progresses, you notice several things. JP always thinks he’s doing the right thing. He’s protecting his family. Although he gives his wife backhanded compliments all the time, he does seem to love her. But does he? He also only wants the best for their daughter. So he opposes her wearing sexy clothing, or attending a Lizzo concert. Any normal father would react the same way, right? But JP also messes with his sisters-in-law in nefarious ways, interfering in their personal lives with often dreadful results. He’s a bundle of contradictions.

To top all this off, JP is so mean, he’s funny. You end up laughing at him and his deviousness, because you can’t believe someone could be so cruel. Yes, it’s over the top at times, but it never strains credibility. He is a scarred individual, certainly. If JP were written as a one-note villain, we wouldn’t see any of the tender moments between him and his wife, or his love for his daughter. These elements are what make him more dimensional.

JP’s an unlikable character, for sure, but because we see the different facets of his personality, we start to empathize for him. He’s still a monster, but at times, we feel sorry for him. Same thing goes for Tony Soprano in THE SOPRANOS, or Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) in GOODFELLAS. These are truly despicable people who do nasty things. But they’re funny, they feel things, and we begin to identify with them.

All of this is what I strive to do with the unlikable characters that I write. That tension between liking someone who does bad things is what keeps me coming back for more. A goody-two-shoes character is fine, but they won’t hold my attention for very long. You might say, what about Superman, he does nothing but good things, and I’m sticking with him. Yes, but even Superman falters from time to time. In the first Superman movie, he gets so upset at Lois Lane’s death that he spins the Earth backwards to reverse time and bring her back to life! If you watched Superman II, he wants to be with Lois Lane so much, he gives up his powers! He also breaks bad in Superman III temporarily, wreaking havoc across the world, doing things like straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa, among other things. He’s not perfect, even though he’s got superpowers and is bulletproof. Even though he’s an alien, he still wants to fit in and be more human.

This is why I like unlikable characters and enjoy writing them too. Of course, I enjoy likable characters as well. Either way, my goal is to always give my characters loves or hates or flaws. After all, isn’t that what keeps us interested? I could go on and on with this topic, but it’s time for me to go.

I’ll leave with a quote from Chuck Palahniuk (author of FIGHT CLUB):

“Don’t write to be likable, write to be remembered.”

How do you like your characters, likable or unlikable?

ICYMI:

I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Recently, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Just finished POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson, check for my review on Goodreads soon. Next up: RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett, followed by I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson.

What I’m Writing:

Working on a new crime fiction story for an upcoming project.

What I’m Watching:

We watched COMPANION, co-starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, with Harvey Guillén. While the movie starts off with a bang, it gets more and more ludicrous as it goes. By the final act, things pick up again, but the movie doesn’t quite stick the landing. Entertaining, but not much to it. Sophie Thatcher shines in her role. She’s the best part of the movie.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Inside of me there are two writing wolves—screenwriter wolf, and fiction writer wolf. Ever since I was a kid, they’ve been battling for control of my psyche. Right now, the fiction writer wolf is winning, but that hasn’t always been the case. What’s your story?

Let me backtrack a bit to the beginning. The movies were my first love. Isn’t it this way for most of us? The first movie I can remember seeing at the theatre was Walt Disney’s PINOCCHIO. It was a re-release back in the 70s, when Disney figured out they could make even more money by putting their classic films back out for newer generations to discover. I was just a toddler at the time, but I marveled at the world presented to me on the big screen. The ocean waves seemed so realistic, the giant whale was frightening, and the puppet who wanted to be a real boy was endearing. I was hooked on the movies from that point on.

My parents loved movies, too. They took me and my sister to all of the classic Disney films, as well later ones like THE MONKEY’S UNCLE, HERBIE THE LOVE BUG, and THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, to name just a few.

My love of reading came not long after. I devoured one book after another, and was part of the many reading clubs at school. My mom took us to the library and the bookmobile to check out more books. I looked forward to perusing the Weekly Reader, and the Scholastic Book Fair. I re-read lots of books again and again.

In the third grade, I began writing creative stories for class assignments. I still have the originals somewhere. Scrawled in freshly-learned cursive handwriting on notebook ruled paper. The first story I remember writing was about a jet pilot on a mission where not much happens. I still had much to learn in terms of escalating action.

Nevertheless, movies were still a part of my weekly diet, ranging from Disney comedies to Godzilla matinees. There wasn’t much else G-rated fare for a kid my age to see. Of course, that all changed in the summer of 1977, when a movie called STAR WARS came out of nowhere and took the world by storm. The space opera was rated PG, which meant I had to beg my parents to take us to see it. After weeks of this, they relented and gave in. All of us were blown away.

Seeing STAR WARS was an epiphany. I began to realize that movies weren’t just improvised. They were crafted by an entire team of people working together to create something. Most of all, I learned that movies were WRITTEN by someone. The actors weren’t just making up the dialogue as they went.

It seems obvious now, but to my younger self, this was mind-shattering. I loved reading books, but now I wanted to make movies, to write them. This is where the other writing wolf in my brain made its first appearance.

Over the next thirty years, I would find myself ping-ponging between wanting to write for the screen, and to write for the page. Which path should I pursue? Which one was the best use of my time? I wrote short stories in high school that I never finished. But in college, I wrote short screenplays that I did complete and made into films. This seemed to be the way to go.

After college, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of screenwriting. I had written 95% of a script in longhand on legal paper, which I had planned to use as a spec script to get other writing work. I had no connections in Hollywood. But my plan was to make some, and shoehorn my way into the screenwriting business.

Life has a way of changing your plans. I got a job in the post-production side of the business, which meant a steady paycheck, but mind-numbing work. Making video copies of TV shows, commercials, and movies. I met lots of interesting people, many with similar aspirations. While working my day job, I still tried to get writing assistant gigs, or other things.

Like the time I applied to Sony Pictures for a mailroom job. I got a call weeks later, but the position in the mailroom was gone, and in its place was a seasonal spot as a studio lot security guard. I went in for the interview anyways, but it wasn’t for me. The security manager I spoke to even mentioned that it was strictly forbidden to pass along any scripts to anyone coming onto the lot. No handing off your spec script to Steven Spielberg or any other bigwig happening to come in through the front gate. I guess this was a regular occurrence. After all, it was the movie industry.

After years of this kind of job searching, I wasn’t writing any screenplays. I talked a lot about writing, but wasn’t doing much of it. I met other aspiring screenwriters, but they were all miserable. They couldn’t break in to save their lives. The spec script craze blew up and then subsided in the mid to late 90s. Once the way for new writers to break into Hollywood, specs were losing their cachet. The studios weren’t buying them anymore.

I began to think about writing fiction again. After all, writing a story or a novel meant something was finished, a whole piece unto itself. Unlike a screenplay, which didn’t mean much unless it was made into a movie or TV show. Screenplays typically didn’t get published or put on bookstore shelves. My fiction writing wolf reared its nasty head once more.

And it’s stayed that way for a while now. Sure, I still get the urge to take a whack at another feature film screenplay. But the business has changed drastically in the last ten, twenty years. There are seemingly more opportunities, especially for the streaming market. But it’s not like it used to be, with most feature films going straight to video on demand without much fanfare. Episodic TV seems like the way to go these days.

Instead of screenwriting, I’ve remained focused on writing fiction these days. It may not be as exciting or as lucrative as writing for film and TV, but I’ll take it. Although selling the movie rights to one of my books would be nice, it’s not the end-all, be-all for me. For me, it means the world to see how readers react to my work, whether they laugh, cry, love, or hate. Isn’t this what any writer wants, whether it’s for film or fiction? To get a reaction from a viewer/reader?

Another reason for writing fiction is to create a body of work that I’m proud of. Will my stories ever have the reach of a movie like STAR WARS? Not likely. But who knows, I could write the next bestseller that gets made into a hit movie. Then, both writing wolves would finally be satisfied. Or would they?

So there you have my tale of two wolves. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few of my writing heroes from both worlds of film and fiction: John Huston, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, Frances Goodrich, William Goldman, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett, Paddy Chayefsky, Rod Serling, Fran Walsh, Paul Thomas Anderson, Edgar Wright, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Raymond Chandler, Flannery O’Connor, Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett, TC Boyle, George Saunders, Kelly Link, Amy Hempel, and so many more.

What are the two writing wolves inside of you?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Last week, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Nearly done reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. Reading stories by Harlan Ellison, and Flannery O’Connor. I’ve also just started RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett.

What I’m Writing:

Working on stories for my 1999 L.A. collection, as well as revisiting some sci-fi and horror pieces I wrote a while ago.

What I’m Watching:

Watched THE GORGE last night, co-starring Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller. Fun popcorn movie that’s part action, romance, and sci-fi/horror. Probably not a classic, but it’s a good time. And you’ve got Sigourney Weaver too!

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Every month or so, there seems to be a new call for another anthology, some of them from A-list editors, and some from amazing publications. It’s always tempting to submit to every one of the calls that sound interesting. After all, who wouldn’t want to be part of a ToC (table of contents) co-edited by Chuck Palahniuk, or some other heavy-hitter in the fiction world? But maybe you shouldn’t submit to all of them.

Before the hate mail comes in, I just want to clarify one thing—I am NOT against submitting your fiction to anthology calls. Nothing of the sort. I’m just telling you my story. I’ve been caught up in the endless loop of submitting work for anthologies and feeling like I never get my own original stories finished. If your calling is to sub to anthologies and nothing else, more power to you. Nothing wrong with that at all. But if you’re like me, you may start to wonder if it’s worth submitting to all of them and running yourself ragged in the process.

Today, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of submitting to anthology calls. As always, your mileage may vary.

The pros

1. The biggest positive to submitting and being included in an anthology is the exposure. Most authors who get chosen for anthologies all vary in writing style, craft, and approach. Some of them may be veteran writers, while others are new to the scene. It’s beneficial for you as a writer, since your work will be seen by new readers not familiar with your work. In a sense, you’re riding others’ coattails by making it into the ToC of an anthology. Or they could be riding your coattails, who knows? In the end, it all works out for everybody.

2. Writing to a deadline. I’m a slow writer. I never get my stories done unless I impose my own deadlines. Even better if it’s an external finish time. Anthology calls force you to manage your time and get to the end, if you plan on making the deadline, that is. I’ve subbed to calls where I was working on a story until the last minute of the last day, hitting “send” at the last possible second. It’s a “pencils down” feeling that’s like no other. You gave it your all, and now you’re going to let the chips fall where they may.

3. Shaking the writing cobwebs loose. Say you’re in a writing rut. Maybe the words aren’t coming easy. An anthology call might be the solution for you. With a theme and/or writing prompt, your brain gets to work on a different problem. You can still make it your own, but now you’ve got some guardrails to help you.

4. Getting paid (hopefully)! Most anthologies offer a nominal payment for making the cut. Hey, now you can tell everyone that you’re a paid writer. Sounds good, right?

5. You’re in a published book! For writers who have only been published online, or never before, it’s a great feeling to see your words on the printed page. It’s also nice to be able to hold something in your hand and tell family and friends that you’re a part of it. This never gets old.

The cons

1. Get ready for your expectations to be brought down to earth. After I made it into my first anthology, I thought, “Now the world is going to recognize my writing talent!” That isn’t how it happened. To date, that anthology has gotten a handful of reviews on Goodreads. The myth I’ve heard is that only other writers read anthologies. I don’t think that’s entirely the case, though. I’ve seen lots of anthology reviews from folks who were strictly readers, and love reading all kinds of things.

2. The endless cycle of submitting. At any given time, there seems to be a myriad of submission calls for anthologies. Some of them happening even in the same month. Again, I’m not bagging on solely subbing your work for anthology calls, I’m just calling attention to the fact that you can spend all of your time doing this. Your own work can take a toll if you’re only subbing to anthology calls. I’ve taken breaks from anthology calls to focus on my own work, and it’s been a good thing. You can easily get caught up in subbing to multiple anthology calls and feel like you’re not doing the work you really want to do, in my opinion.

3. This one’s the flip side to #3 in the Pros list above. An anthology typically has a theme and/or a prompt that needs to be followed. You can still apply your own experiences to an anthology prompt, which often results in a great story, I think. And yes, it’s important to be flexible. But the story didn’t start in your head. It started with the prompt. No idea is original, I won’t argue that. I’m being nit-picky, but something in my twisted head always tells me that if a story doesn’t come from my own idea, it isn’t really mine. We can argue about this one if you like.

4. Your own stories may suffer. If you spend all of your time writing to submission calls for various themes, that’s great! But what if there are other stories you want to tell? Stories that may not fit into an anthology? When do you write those? I’m a notoriously slow writer, so if I’m working on a story for an anthology call, I’m typically not working on anything else at the same time. Nowadays, I try and balance the anthology calls I choose to write for. When I see these sub calls being promoted, and take a closer look, I always ask myself the same questions. Do I have a story that already fits the call, or one that can be slightly altered to fit? Do I have the time to write something new for the call? Or should I ignore the call, and focus on the stories that I want to write? These points are always running through my head when I read about submission calls.

5. Rejections can hit hard. Especially if the editors are people you highly admire. If you submit to a Chuck Palahniuk-edited anthology and your story gets passed on, how will you react? When I began subbing to anthologies and got rejected, I always thought the worst: “Such and such editor thinks I suck!” Not the case. Luckily, the rejection letters I received were personal ones, simply stating that the work wasn’t for them at this time. Editors of anthology calls are often looking for something specific. If your story doesn’t fit their expectations, it won’t get accepted. Makes sense, right? If the call is for horror, you don’t send in a rom-com story. Unless there’s body horror in it, I suppose. You just can’t take it personally. Also, with any submission, anthology editors aren’t looking for anything that’s too far off the mark. I’ve taken chances and swung for the fences with some of my anthology submissions. But I have yet to make it in with any of these stories. My guess is they were just too far left field to be considered. Which also makes sense, as anthology editors are often looking for some consistency in the stories they choose to include.

Wrap-up

After all this talk, do I still submit to anthology calls? Of course I do. I’m just a bit more discerning these days, that’s all. Not like when I first started, which was a trying experience. I also love being part of an anthology with other talented writers in a ToC. And I enjoy promoting any collection that I’m in.

On the flip side, what if you don’t have time to submit to an anthology call? No problem there, either. I typically weigh the cost versus the effort. Life is short for all of us. There will always be another anthology you can submit to.

Again, I’m not bagging on solely subbing your work to anthology calls, I’m just calling attention to the fact that you can spend all of your time doing this. Your own work can take a toll if you’re only subbing to anthology calls. I’ve taken breaks from anthology calls to focus on my own stories, and it’s been a good thing. You can easily get caught up in subbing to multiple anthology calls and feel like you’re not doing the work you really want to do.

Instead, what I try to do is focus on my own stories, and then see if they fit any submission calls that are out there. I also sub these stories to other publications as well.

I’ve also started stories for anthology calls that never got finished. Is that a fail? I don’t think so. The end result is that I have part of a story that I can come back to and complete. That’s a positive, wouldn’t you agree?

I’ve gotten caught up in the submission call merry-go-round many times, and felt worn out. They can take a lot of your energy. All I’m saying is they are good in moderation. If that’s all you want to do, that’s fine too. I just find that my own work doesn’t always fit what an anthology is looking for. Regardless, I keep trying, and keep submitting. And you should too.

What are your thoughts on anthology submission calls?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Last week, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is up for another week, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Still reading stories by Harlan Ellison and Flannery O’Connor. I’ve also just started RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett.

What I’m Writing:

Working on some stories for my 1999 L.A. collection, as well as revisiting some sci-fi pieces I wrote a while ago.

What I’m Watching:

Nothing worth noting as of last week, I’m afraid. Tune in next week!

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Like other kids growing up in the 70s and 80s, my weekly reading diet consisted of the latest superhero comic books from Marvel, DC, and the myriad of other companies putting out material at the time. Superman was one of my favorites, even as I grew older and started reading X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil.

I was also going to the movies a lot, and studying the posters for upcoming releases at my local movie theater. Watching Saturday morning cartoons was also a pastime, with classics like SUPER FRIENDS, and BATMAN being among my favorites. There was also the old Superman TV show starring George Reeve. What kid didn’t like Superman?

As I got older, I began reading movie magazines like FAMOUS MONSTERS, STARLOG, and others. Back in the day, this is how you found out about upcoming movie releases, and maybe even see some production stills. This was how I discovered SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. The film had a complicated history, which you can read about here, with the cast and crew in a constant state of flux.

A hero reborn on the big screen

Released in December 1978, the film, budgeted at $55M (the most expensive for its time), became a box office hit and was the second highest-grossing film of 1978 in North America.

So I’d read about the movie in STARLOG, and convinced my parents to take the family to see it. I was floored. From the eye-popping opening credits and John Williams’ thundering score, I was pulled into the story. My parents and sister enjoyed it too.

There was A-list talent in front of and behind the camera as well. Director Richard Donner. Composer John Williams. Cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth. Screenplay by Mario Puzo (the Godfather writer), David & Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton.

And what a cast. Marlon Brando, Susannah York, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Glenn Ford, Terence Stamp, Margot Kidder. And in the title role, an unknown named Christopher Reeve.

As I mentioned before, when the movie was released, I was becoming a teenager, with all of the accompanying feelings and frustrations. Like a visitor from another planet, I too, felt like I was on the outside looking in. Trying to be normal like everyone else. Which is why several scenes in the film hit me on a gut level.

There’s a touching scene early in the film where Lara debates with her husband Jor-El about whether Earth is the best place to send their son. “He will look like one of them,” argues Jor-El. “He won’t be one of them,” Lara says, saddened. “He’ll be odd, different. Isolated, alone.” Jor-El looks his wife in the eyes and says, “He will not be alone. He will never be alone.”

Another scene that hits me every time is the one where a teenaged Clark Kent has a heartfelt moment with his father, Jonathan, played by Glenn Ford.

Clark has just cleaned up after football practice and raced home to beat the group of kids who made fun of him and didn’t invite him out. Jonathan chastises Clark for showing off again. Clark talks about all of the things he can do, like scoring a touchdown every time he’s got the ball. “Is a bird showing off when it flies?” he asks his father.

Jonathan tells Clark the story of his arrival on Earth and how they kept him a secret for fear of losing him. He tells his son, “You are here for a reason. I don’t know what it is, but I do know one thing. It’s not to score touchdowns.”

Watching this dialogue between father and son chokes me up every time. I felt the same way, not because I was a talented athlete who wasn’t achieving my potential. But I connected with the search for purpose. What was I on this planet to do? I didn’t know yet. Who ever knows, at that young age? But deep down, I knew I wasn’t here to score touchdowns either.

Reliving the movie

Back in those days, home video didn’t exist just yet. So the only way you could rewatch a movie was go back to the theater. And that I did. I must have seen SUPERMAN at least three or four more times before it left theaters. Often, I’d ask my parents to drop me off and I’d watch it alone. That was never a problem for me.

The merchandising for the film also ramped up and I acquired as many items as I could. Behind the scenes magazine editions, diorama cutout books, I collected them all. I also saved my allowance money to buy the soundtrack LP with the John Williams score. Nowadays, merchandising for a movie consists of collector’s edition popcorn buckets. Not so popular are magazines or things you can build with your own hands.

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE spawned several sequels. After SUPERMAN II, they got worse. I don’t even think I’ve seen the last sequel, SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE. Sadly, they weren’t up to par with the original.

The Superman legacy

While the moviegoing public lost interest in these films, Superman would pop up in other media. On TV, there would be live action shows like SMALLVILLE, LOIS & CLARK, and SUPERGIRL. There would be tons of animated shows as well, like SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, JUSTICE LEAGUE, and others.

On the big screen, we’d see Superman again in films such as SUPERMAN RETURNS, MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, and JUSTICE LEAGUE. Also coming out this summer is James Gunn’s take, simply titled SUPERMAN.

I don’t have to tell you that my all-time favorite is still Christopher Reeve in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. It was the first major big-budget superhero film, and it started a trend. Compared to today’s CG extravaganzas, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE is handcrafted, an analog relic from a different time.

That’s why I love the film so much. It’s a shining example of the movie making era before digital imaging took over, made with blood, sweat, and tears. It’s also the story of how a talented group of people helped us believe that a man could fly.

What’s your favorite Superman incarnation?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Two weeks ago, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here.

My latest stories out in the wild (or soon to be):

• “Head Over Heels” will be out this month over at Punk Noir Magazine, part of their Bloody Valentine call. This one was a lot of fun to write.

• “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

• “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

• “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Ever since watching WILDCAT (Directed and co-written by Ethan Hawke), I’ve been reading from the Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor. Great stuff. I’ve also been reading Harlan Ellison stories from his Greatest Hits collection.

What I’m Writing:

Working on some new pieces that will be part of my linked story collection set in 1999 Los Angeles, tentatively titled END OF THE CENTURY. If I stall on those, I may end up starting the novella I’ve been thinking about as well. Who knows?

What I’m Watching:

Revisited MEMENTO over the weekend, an early Christopher Nolan film, if you recall. It still holds up as a noirish, puzzle piece of a film about a man with short-term memory loss seeking vengeance for his wife’s murder. Great performances by Guy Pearce, Carrie Ann Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Jimmy Stewart from Mars

On January 15th, 2025 we lost an icon in the worlds of film, art, and music. As I write this, it’s been 10 days since he left us, and he’s still a part of the social media news cycle. Fans, collaborators, and fellow filmmakers continue to talk about him and his impact. It means we miss him already. I know I do.

Lynch himself would probably find all of this touching in his own unique way. It means something that in one of our bleakest times as a country, we’re holding onto him. He was an artist who showed us the many faces of darkness, as well as the light of hope. He would probably shrug off the adulation and say he was just being true to his vision. For David Lynch, there was no other thing to be but himself. We should all take heed.

Beginnings

The first time I encountered Lynch’s work was in high school, back in the 80s. I’d grown up on a steady diet of Disney films and Godzilla movies. Then one day, I met a fellow film nerd in my Journalism class.

His name was Mike, we sat next to each other and he had brought in some movie magazines to look at while we had some free time in class. I noticed he had issues of Fangoria and Cinefantastique on him (more on the great movie magazines of the past in an upcoming post!). Also, issues of Film Comment, and Premiere. I had seen these on the newsstand shelf, but never purchased any.

We began talking and discovered we liked the same kinds of movies. At home, his parents had cable TV with HBO and Cinemax. So he videotaped a lot of movies that came on every month. He told me he had just the movie for me.

That movie turned out to be Lynch’s ERASERHEAD.

As he handed me the VHS tape, Mike told me I should probably watch it on my own, without any parents around. He said they probably wouldn’t like it. One weekend night after everyone went to bed, I watched it. I didn’t understand a lot of it, but I was drawn into its world of visuals and sounds. The film’s landscape was bleak and dreary. And it was dealing with the very adult themes of fatherhood and sex. How in the world did this movie ever get made?

Months later, I did screen ERASERHEAD for my parents. They held on as long as the miniature chicken scene, when Henry goes over to Mary’s for dinner. “You cut ‘em up just like real chickens!” With that scene, my parents both got up and went to their bedroom to watch the Tonight Show on their own TV. Lynch wasn’t their cup of tea.

Hooked on Lynch

After watching ERASERHEAD, I was drawn to Lynch’s style of filmmaking and the subject matter he tackled. My taste in films had broadened, and Mike and I began renting movies from video stores and making copies for ourselves.

It was our own film school, in a way. In addition to reading about movies, we were watching the works of such pantheon filmmakers as Eisenstein, Chaplin, Keaton, Tati, Fellini, Kubrick, Truffaut, and Godard to name just a few. We were also watching the films of up and coming filmmakers like Spielberg, Carpenter, Argento, among others. I was also keeping an eye open for more Lynch films.

The next Lynch film I saw was THE ELEPHANT MAN. I saw it on HBO and was surprised to see Mel Brooks’ name listed on the film as a producer. The BLAZING SADDLES guy? I’d learn more about Brooks’ involvement later, but was again floored by the film. Lynch was working in the Hollywood system now, but still managed to put his own touch on the work. The lush black and white cinematography, the sound design, the superb acting all pulled me into the tale of John Merrick. At times frightening and touching, it was a prime example of a filmmaker coming into his own.

Several years later, I was nearing my high school graduation. I had read Frank Herbert’s novel DUNE and learned that Lynch was directing a film adaptation. I was over the moon. How would Lynch approach it? Would he be able to imbue his own angle to the subject matter?

DUNE was the first Lynch film I saw on the big screen, and again, I was amazed. It was also the first time I’d read a book and then watched the film version of it. Lynch chose to omit parts of the book, which I began to understand. How can you translate 600 pages of prose into a big studio film?

The film still had touches of Lynch in it—the sound design, Paul’s trippy spice visions, the Guild Navigators, the pug that Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck carries into battle with him. Even the film’s score by rock band Toto seemed like a calculated choice by Lynch.

Sadly, the film didn’t do so well at the box office, and Lynch swore afterwards that he would never make a big budget Hollywood film again. Even George Lucas offered Lynch a chance to direct RETURN OF THE JEDI, which Lynch graciously refused. Now THAT would’ve been interesting!

Evolution

In the time after DUNE was released, I went away to college and was living in the Dallas area when Lynch’s next film came out. BLUE VELVET was advertised as a mystery thriller, but I knew it had to be something more. It was a smaller film, produced by Dino DeLaurentiis. Gone was the big budget financing Lynch had for DUNE. He was going back to basics, it seemed, working with less money.

I saw BLUE VELVET at the General Cinema Northpark West I in Dallas and was not disappointed. I remember several moviegoers leaving the theater ten minutes into the movie. Not true Lynch fans, I thought. His work was not for everyone. But the film did manage to capture the zeitgeist and put Lynch back in the spotlight. The film’s depiction of the darkness underlying small town life had struck a nerve. It also introduced audiences to the wonder that is Kyle MacLachlan. Laura Dern also shines in her role and would become a frequent collaborator with Lynch.

Several years after BLUE VELVET, Lynch and collaborator Mark Frost would conquer the world of broadcast television. TWIN PEAKS became a worldwide phenomenon. I videotaped every episode, and along with everyone else, I hungered to solve the mystery of Laura Palmer’s murder. While I thought the first season was amazing, I felt the second season got even crazier and complicated, shrouding questions within more questions. ABC then cancelled the show. It was a miracle that Lynch and company even got something like it on primetime television.

With the ensuing years, I managed to catch every Lynch film in the theater, with the exception of TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME. WILD AT HEART was a crazy, love letter to the Wizard of Oz infused with the storytelling of Barry Gifford. LOST HIGHWAY was a blaring jazz explosion on identity and desire (the male companion piece to MULHOLLAND DRIVE, I think).

By this time, Lynch had cemented his reputation as a unique voice in film and TV. His work was dark, and sometimes horny, but wholesome as well. Then he threw everyone a curve ball and made THE STRAIGHT STORY for Disney Studios, no less. The film was based on the true story of Alvin Straight, an Iowa man who goes to visit his estranged dying brother one last time in Wisconsin. The hitch? No driver’s license. So instead of driving a car, Straight drives his lawn mower, which only goes as fast as 5 miles an hour.

Even with material so unlike his own, Lynch paints a powerful portrait of simple American life with pathos and intensity. Stunning performances from Richard Farnsworth, Harry Dean Stanton, and Sissy Spacek elevate the film even further. A great film, if you haven’t seen it. It’s also Lynch’s only G-rated film!

Later years

In 2001, MULHOLLAND DRIVE was released in theaters. I saw it on the big screen, of course, and again was blown away by it. Who else but Lynch would cast Billy Ray Cyrus as the other man in a love triangle? Equal parts funny and terrifying, the film also put Naomi Watts on the map and seemed like a more palatable and feminine variant of LOST HIGHWAY. Both of which would make a great Lynch double feature.

I remember reading that MULHOLLAND DRIVE was originally planned as a TV pilot for ABC. After executives screened a cut, they cancelled the proposed series. Lynch then found financing to make it into a feature film. It’s now regarded as the high point of Lynch’s career. It’s definitely in my top 5 films of his.

Not content to sit on his laurels, Lynch continued working on multiple projects. I haven’t even mentioned his artwork, his TV commercial work, his web series work like DUMBLAND or RABBITS. The man never stopped putting stuff out.

His next feature film (and ultimately his last) would be INLAND EMPIRE, a 3-hour experimental psychological thriller shot on digital video and released in 2006. Starring Laura Dern, this tale of a woman in trouble is both confounding and surreal. I saw it on the big screen twice, even convincing my girlfriend (now wife) to watch it with me the second time. She enjoyed it as well.

Lynch’s last work in television would be TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN in 2017, which aired on Showtime. I have to admit, I haven’t seen all of it yet, but I plan to remedy that situation shortly. What I have seen of the show indicates another exploration of identity, and the darkness that lies within all of us. Classic Lynchian themes, to be sure.

The ultimate artist

David Lynch personified the uncompromising artist in full touch with his powers of observation and technique. Will there ever be another like him? Not likely. What Lynch put on the screen were the images burned in his brain and made physical. They often didn’t make sense in the conventional, logical way. But beneath the surface, stripped of any imposition of rational thought, the images and situations he presented just clicked. They unlocked our deepest fears, our innermost desires, and ultimately, our brightest joys. I am glad to be alive in the same era as Lynch, and to be able to witness his unconventional, ambitious talent. Us weirdos need to stick together. Nowadays, even more so.

It’s quite fitting that Lynch shares a birthday with another cinematic dream artist, Federico Fellini. I like to imagine that the two of them are now sharing a meal together, smoking, and talking about the next films they plan on creating.

Rest in peace, Mr. Lynch. You are missed.

What’s the thing you like most about David Lynch’s work?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Last week, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is up for another week, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.B. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

I’m still reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. Good stuff so far. Thompson has a real knack for dialogue and characterization. This is the first book of his I’ve read to date, and I’ve got others by him on my TBR list. I’ve also been reading stories by Flannery O’Connor and Harlan Ellison.

What I’m Writing:

Revising a few stories, including my Hedy Lamarr sci-fi piece. It’s been rejected a few times, but I’m tweaking it some and will be sending it out soon. I’ve got other drafts of stories I need to revisit as well.

What I’m Watching:

Over the weekend we watched WILDCAT on the Criterion Channel. Directed and co-written by Ethan Hawke, this atypical biopic of Southern Gothic author Flannery O’Connor stars Maya Hawke in the title role and doesn’t disappoint. Other great performances in the film from Laura Linney, Cooper Hoffman, and Steve Zahn. If you’re interested in O’Connor’s life and work, it’s worth a watch.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of Fervent Curiosity. My name is Victor De Anda and this is my newsletter.

Is laughter the best medicine?

Yeah, I know. With all that’s going on in the world right now: conflicts, wildfires, the incoming administration, the death of a cinematic titan (more on that in an upcoming post), I want to talk about humor this week. After all, it’s good to laugh, right? No matter how dark or depressing life can get, one can always find the joke in there if you look hard enough.

This is the story of my journey into humor—my influences, my inspirations, and my reasons for bubbling up the funny stuff in my writing. You may disagree, and that’s fine. Let’s get started, shall we?

The early years

Like most kids, the first thing I remember laughing at was a scene in a Disney movie. Or maybe it was Sesame Street. Either way, I saw something that made me laugh, it could’ve been a funny voice or expression. There were also the requisite bodily function jokes that you heard in school—fart jokes, vomit jokes, you name it. Why are these so funny to us? Are we laughing at ourselves, and our fragile bodies? It’s possible.

As I grew older, my taste in comedy evolved as well. I began to understand irony. Bad TV shows or movies that were funny because they were bad. So bad they were good. I adore the old Godzilla movies to death, but you’ve got to admit the idea of a guy in a suit tearing down model buildings is funny. It would also be a very cool job to have.

I was also starting to get the idea of parody in my early years. I can remember going to a friend’s 12th birthday party. His mom took all of us to the movies. What did we see? THE BIG BUS, a parody of the AIRPORT disaster films, about a nuclear-powered bus that’s journeying from New York City to L.A.

The trouble starts when the bus collides with old farmer’s truck (a la AIRPORT ‘79). I don’t recall much of the movie, but one scene sticks out to me—the bus ends up perched precariously on a cliffside. In order to shift the weight and keep from falling over, the bus captain decides to flood the kitchen cabin with soda from the dispensers. Stockard Channing plays the flight attendant, and I can remember her wading waist deep in a room full of Coke. At the time, it was funny as hell to me.

Cable TV was another source of comedy that I began to watch—Laurel and Hardy, The Little Rascals, Abbot and Costello, The Three Stooges. I began to understand and appreciate physical comedy more.

When I became a teenager, my taste in comedy changed again. I was seeking out more unique things to absorb. I discovered the National Lampoon comedy albums, and later the magazine. When you look at the comedy talent behind the Lampoon albums, the list reads like a who’s who of comic geniuses for the next generation: John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest, Tony Hendra, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer, etc. Albums like LEMMINGS, and THAT’S NOT FUNNY, THAT’S SICK fed my soul. They were very adult, and very funny. Of course, my parents had no idea what I was listening to in my room.

Another definitive moment was when my 17 year old cousin took me, my sister, and her sister to see ANIMAL HOUSE. It was the first R-rated movie I’d seen, and boy did it deliver. I didn’t understand all of the jokes, but it certainly made an impression on me.

I think it was a year or two later that I would make the ultimate comedy discovery: Monty Python. My world was never the same. From the TV series to the films to the comedy albums, I adored Python. This was a different brand of comedy. It was sometimes physical (The Ministry of Silly Walks, anyone?), but could also be surreal and intellectual as well. Their material was irreverent, silly, and always punched upwards. They were my people.

Sometimes, I’d try to get my dad to watch Monty Python. But he didn’t get it. He preferred Benny Hill, which was funny too, but on a much broader level. For my dad, the Pythons were just too smart for their own good. To each his own, I say.

Later years

So began my appreciation for British TV humor, which lasts to this day, with such gems as RED DWARF, THE KENNY EVERETT VIDEO SHOW, ARE YOU BEING SERVED?, LITTLE BRITAIN, THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, SPACED, and PEEP SHOW, to name a few.

Back in North America, there were great comedy troupes putting out amazing television work as well. SCTV, THE KIDS IN THE HALL, MR. SHOW, and THE STATE were some of my favorites. I could list many more, but I don’t want to bore you.

What’s this got to do with writing?

So if you’ve read my fiction, I always manage to sneak in some humor. Most of the time, I’m not even trying. It just comes from the characters and the situations I’m describing. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, no matter how dark or how serious life gets, there’s always a joke in there somewhere. I think fiction should reflect that.

After all, humor is how we avoid the heavy emotions, right? It lets us forget about our worries for a brief moment. My humor tends to be on the grim side, which may not be suitable for many readers. But I like to think that my tribe is out there—the folks who like their comedy dark. And if you don’t, well different strokes for different folks, I say.

I’ve also heard from other writers that humor is difficult for them. Speaking for myself, I’ve never had that issue. But I think the reason for that is because of all the dark comedy that I’ve watched over the years. Ingesting all of this humor has sharpened my focus on seeing the grim but funny side to life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I had more time here, I could talk even more about humor and its place in fiction.

What kind of humor or comedy do you enjoy?

ICYMI:

I had the privilege of taking part in a Crowdcast with the editors and some of the writers in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology. It was a lot of fun and so great to hear the other authors reading their work. The Crowdcast link will be up for the next two weeks here.

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

I’m still reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. Things are starting to heat up now.

What I’m Writing:

I have a short story out on sub, waiting to get feedback there. Also ready to sub: my Hedy Lamarr sci-fi piece. Then it’s onto revising and sending out some more stories.

What I’m Watching:

I still can’t believe we’ve lost David Lynch. I’ll be writing a post about this next time. We watched TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME on the Criterion Channel, and it did not disappoint. It had been a long time since I saw it last, but it was great seeing it again. A brutal, heart-wrenching look at the last days of Laura Palmer, which Lynch pulls off with equal amounts of pathos and violence. I do think MULHOLLAND DRIVE is his magnum opus, but this film also ranks among his top works.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Drummer extraordinaire

Five years ago on January 7th, we lost one of the best (if not the best) rock drummers in the world. And a pretty damn good lyricist as well. Of course, I’m speaking of Neil Peart, one-third of the Toronto-based prog rock trio Rush.

I still can’t believe he’s gone, or that I’ll never be able to see one of my favorite bands perform live again. I’ve seen Rush live at least seven or eight times throughout my life. Back in the 80s when you had to buy your concert tickets in person, I even camped out overnight for Rush tickets with a group of friends. It was a chilly night in El Paso when we did that, but well worth it.

The first time I heard Rush was on a summer trip to visit family in Kansas City, Missouri. My older cousins were playing the hell out of two albums during our visit, Rush’s 2112, and Pink Floyd’s THE WALL. I may have heard some Rush on the radio, but there wasn’t exactly a hit single being played from the 2112 album. Maybe “Passage to Bangkok?”

Back then I was a nerdy kid who read comic books and science fiction. I liked STAR WARS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. I had never heard any science fiction rock music before. And that is what 2112 was. I was immediately hooked. Where else could you listen to a concept album about a future where music was outlawed and how one individual chose to fight back?

Hooked

When we got back home from this summer trip, I began listening to more Rush music. And more importantly, I began to listen to the lyrics, which I discovered Peart wrote. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson wrote the music. Together, they formed a rock trio like no other. And they were each masters of their instruments, Geddy on bass and synthesizers, and Alex on lead guitar.

Peart’s lyrics evolved over the years. I’ve read criticism of his early work, how it was nothing more than D&D stories of elves and wizards. But it was cool. Sure, Rush wasn’t the only band writing about such subject matter. Back in the 70s, so were Styx, Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath, to name a few.

Rush wasn’t content to stay put in one musical style either. They experimented with different musical approaches, always with the same craftsmanship. They used more synthesizers on albums like SIGNALS and GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, they even did some rap-style stuff with “Roll The Bones,” off the album of the same name. No one could accuse them of churning out the same stuff over and over.

While the band regularly put out new albums, they really cemented their reputation as a live band, touring almost constantly. It was always a great experience seeing them live. Where else could you see a stadium of Rush nerds all air-drumming to YYZ at the same time? The Rush concert scene in I LOVE YOU MAN nailed it on the head. I’m just damn glad I got to see Rush perform parts of 2112, HEMISPHERES, and all of MOVING PICTURES. There’s been nothing like it for me since.

Consummate showmen, Peart, Lee, and Lifeson were master technicians. But they also had a corny sense of humor. Their pre-concert films were always a laugh, and they weren’t above making fun of themselves. They took the music seriously, but not their egos. A rarity in rock music, I think.

Peart left behind a legacy and a life philosophy that I’ve always tried to take to heart. He was a lifelong learner, it’s what fueled his writing, his music and his attitude.

Someone once said, “The day you stop learning is the day you stop living.” I think Neil embodied that thought in spades. Rest in peace, Professor.

Some of my favorite Peart lyrics:

“Marathon” (Power Windows, 1985)

You can do a lot in a lifetime

If you don’t burn out too fast

You can make the most of the distance

First you need endurance

First you’ve got to last

“Countdown” (Signals, 1982)

Lit up with anticipation

We arrive at the launching site

The sky is still dark, nearing dawn

On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night

With roving searchlight beams

This magic day when super-science

Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

“Losing It” (Signals, 1982)

Some are born to move the world

To live their fantasies

But most of us just dream about

The things we’d like to be

Sadder still to watch it die

Than never to have known it

For you, the blind who once could see

The bell tolls for thee

Are you a Rush fan? What are some of your Rush stories?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

It’s a Dark Waters Vol. 2 roundup! On Saturday, Jan 18 at 8pm ET, tune it to a Crowdcast discussion/reading with some of the authors from the latest Dark Waters anthology, including me! For more info, check out the Dark Waters website here for more info!

Hope to see you there.

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

I’m still reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. I also picked up THE DAY OF THE LOCUST by Nathanael West again. Good stuff.

What I’m Writing:

Sent out a short piece, we’ll see if it gets picked up. Then it’s back to doing some final revisions on my Hedy Lamarr sci-fi story. After that, I’ll be revising short stories from my upcoming collection, and a detective story too.

What I’m Watching:

Part of the Columbia Noir collection on the Criterion Channel, MURDER BY CONTRACT was a recent watch for me. Martin Scorsese cites it as a favorite of his, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a streamlined piece of dark noir that is shot in crisp black and white. Vince Edwards stars as war veteran who becomes a hitman for hire with a strict code of ethics. He’s a smooth killer who makes his way up the ladder until he gets an assignment that rattles his nerve.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Upshifting your writing

If you’re a writer reading this, how do you know when your work’s gotten better? When you’ve reached the next stage in your writing? Are you even able to tell when your writing is more powerful, more dramatic, more scary, more humorous? Is this something that you can recognize in your own work? This is a topic I’ve been pondering for a while now—how do I know when I’ve achieved the next level in my writing?

This is a constant struggle for me. On the one hand, it’s tempting to stick to what’s worked before. But that isn’t where I want to be. I want to keep pushing my writing forward in new ways, to get even better at it. Isn’t that what any writer wants?

I heard a podcast interview with Craig Clevenger (author of MOTHER HOWL) where he mentioned that he writes every story as if it were his last. That is a great way to think about creating, and something I strive to do with every story. It’s the only way your writing improves. Do I succeed every time? No.

But I do try and swing for the fences (to use a corny baseball metaphor) with every story I write. How else can you make your writing better? Push the envelope, or else you risk staying in the middle. Who wants to stay in third gear all of the time, when you can upshift into second? This is the way you level up, I think. NOTICE I didn’t say this is how you master your writing craft, because mastery is not the end goal here. Not in my opinion.

Even writers who have been doing it for fifty, sixty years will tell you that they haven’t “mastered” the craft. They may have gotten very good at characterization, or mood, or dialogue. But have they achieved perfection with every component of their writing? Not likely. Why? Because we all have our own strengths and growth areas. How much you lean into either of those is up to you. Not great at dialogue? Try writing a piece that’s nothing but characters talking. See what happens. What if you’re not so great at writing atmosphere or mood? Don’t run away from it, try giving your stories a bit more of a vibe with each one you write.

Have you achieved that next step with your writing?

I think that to really understand if your writing is getting better, you need to get feedback. You need to hear from readers about how your story is making them feel. Imagine yourself as a movie projector, presenting images and feelings into the heads of readers. Is what they’re receiving the same thing that you hoped to transmit into their heads?

Jordan Harper (author of EVERYBODY KNOWS, SHE RIDES SHOTGUN, etc.) has a great analogy for this, he says that you are putting your dream into someone else’s head. And in order to do that, you cannot “break the dream.” In other words, the world and characters you present in your story must feel like they are all made of whole cloth. If anything in your story feels out of place or out of character, you risk “breaking the dream.” Revise or eliminate anything that doesn’t stay in sync with the “dream” of your story. Easier said than done, sure.

Which is also why Jordan Harper says:

For me, the feedback I get from readers of my work tells me whether I’m hitting the targets I set. Whether it’s beta readers or the great readers out in the wild, their comments are how I gauge my success. Did my story achieve what I sought out to achieve with it? The only way to know is how it made readers feel. So even though you can feel like you’re trying something new, or pushing the envelope, ultimately it’s your reader who can tell you whether you’ve succeeded or not. There’s plenty more on this subject that I could discuss, but that’s my time here.

What are your thoughts on pushing your writing to the next level? How do YOU know when you’ve reached the next stage?

ICYMI:

As of November last year, I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work when you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

It’s a Dark Waters Vol. 2 roundup! Check out the Dark Waters podcast soon for a group discussion with some of the authors from the latest Dark Waters anthology, including me! This is going to be a lot of fun and will be memorable, I’m sure.

My latest stories out in the wild:

• “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.B. Turner)

• “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

• “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

I’m still reading POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson. Good stuff so far. Thompson has a real knack for dialogue and characterization. This is the first book of his I’ve read to date, and I’ve got others by him on my TBR list.

What I’m Writing:

Revising a few stories, including my Hedy Lamarr sci-fi piece. It’s been rejected a few times, but I’m tweaking it some and will be sending it out soon. I’ve got other drafts of stories I need to revisit as well.

What I’m Watching:

My wife and I watched quite a few movies during the Christmas/New Year break. Some good ones, some not so good ones. One oddity we watched was THE PAPERBOY, directed by Lee Daniels. It’s got a talented cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, David Oyelowo, Zac Efron, and believe or not, John Cusack! All of them are portraying backwoods Southerners all involved in a sordid tale of sex, criminality, and murder. It’s an odd story where Nicole Kidman pisses on Zac Efron after he’s been stung by jellyfish, and where John Cusack’s idea for playing a white trash murderer includes being unshaven and wearing a fright wig of a hairdo like Nicolas Cage in RAISING ARIZONA. Hint: It doesn’t work. This movie is currently on the Criterion Channel, as part of their Nicole Kidman collection. With an A-list cast like this, it’s a shame they’re let down by the story at every turn. But it’s definitely a different role for Nicole Kidman.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

As this year comes to a close and another one is upon us, I’m taking the time to reflect. I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I do like to set goals. I also like to go over what I’ve accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) in the previous year. So let’s do this, shall we?

Wins and losses

A LOSS: One of my goals for 2024 was to finish my short story collection, tentatively titled END OF THE CENTURY. It’s a series of linked stories, all set in Los Angeles during 1999, when Y2K had the world in a mixture of panic and ambivalence about what the future would bring. If you’re keeping track of the stories I’ve been publishing lately, they’re all set in the L.A. of 1999. Coincidence or not?

While I have quite a few stories to go for this collection, I’ve renewed this goal for 2025. For accountability’s sake, I’m motivated to complete this collection next year, come hell or high-water. I’ve been thinking about it long enough. Time to finish this sucker and move on. I’ve got other fish to fry as well. I’ve got longer fiction ideas that have been on the back burner for too long.

A WIN: I subbed more stories this year. Flashback: In 2023, I didn’t submit many stories for publication. I was stuck in an endless cycle of revision, and only subbed 2 or 3 stories that year. Just one story was accepted.

I made a pledge to sub more in 2024, and that I did. I subbed 25 times and got 4 stories published! That may not seem like much, but it’s a personal best for me, and one that I’m looking to beat in 2025. So look for more stories from me out in the wild.

A WIN: Bouchercon Nashville. Even though the venue was not optimal (I learned that I would never make it living inside of a dome), the event was still a great experience for me. I got to know many of my Twitter writing friends even better, make new friends, and just talk about writing with them. It doesn’t get any better than this. Yes, the dome sucked and the food wasn’t great, but at least I got to go to Waffle House.

Tough year

This year was rough with the passing of a family member as well as several longtime friends. I also had some health issues, and was laid off from my job. Then the election happened. Through all of the shit that’s happened this year, I’ve realized more than ever that life is short, and that our time here is limited. It’s even more important to put stuff out there.

On a bright note

Sorry to bring the room down with the previous paragraph. At heart I’m a positive person, and despite all the bad stuff that happened this year, there were lots of good things that occurred as well. (See the WINS listed above). I hope 2025 will be a better one on the writing front, and for all of us overall, especially with the new administration coming into office.

So I’d like to wish you the very best for 2025. Thank you all for reading my work, and reading this newsletter. It means the world to me. Let’s all have a safe and prosperous New Year together and do some great work.

What are your goals for the New Year?

What I’m Reading:

I’ve started reading BECAUSE THE NIGHT by James Ellroy. His prose always crackles, and this book’s no different. I grabbed it from one of my favorite secondhand bookstores in the area. Don’t you just love what you find at a used bookstore?

What I’m Writing:

More of the same here. Working on some new stories, and revising others in the hopes of sending them out soon.

ICYMI: December had been a great month for new stories from me. My story “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here, I’ve got a flash piece “Frank is typing…” out at Roi Faineant here, and finally, my Arctic thriller story “Diamond Dust” is out now in Yellow Mama here.

What I’m Watching:

My wife and I went to see Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU and it did not disappoint. The film looks amazing, sounds great, and features a standout performance from Lily Rose Depp. Bill Skaarsgard as Count Orlok is creepy as hell too. The only nitpick I have with the movie is Willem Dafoe. He’s always great, but when he first shows up, it took me out of the film. Instead of thinking, “oh here’s this doctor who’s into the occult,” it was more like “oh hey, it’s Willem Dafoe!” Has Dafoe reached that level in his career? Perhaps not, for he’s able to disappear into other roles in films like THE LIGHTHOUSE and INSIDE, for example. Maybe it’s just me.

And if I had my druthers, I do prefer Wim Wender’s version of NOSFERATU. And Coppola’s DRACULA is in another class altogether.

That about does it for this week. Wishing you and yours the happiest of New Year’s. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

Can you remember the first time you got rejected? For me, it was the third grade. I was in love with a girl named Mary Jane. She had ocean-blue eyes and brown hair tied into pigtails. When she smiled, a dimple appeared on her rosy cheek. She was the bee’s knees, as they say.

Did she know who I was? Not even close. I wasn’t on her radar, even though we sat in the same classroom all day, every day. How could I get her to notice me? I was too shy to go up and talk to her at lunch. What if I introduced myself and she just ignored me? That would’ve been embarrassing. So instead, I did the next best thing—I wrote her a note.

Back in those days, there was no texting or posting on social media. No, this was strictly analog. Using a pencil or a ballpoint pen, you scrawled out a message in your best handwriting on ruled notebook paper, folded it up five or ten times, and asked your classmates to pass it on to the recipient.

I thought about the contents of my note to Mary Jane for at least a few hours that fateful day. My note would be a masterpiece of prose, a poem that would touch her heart and soul. With my writing, I’d sum up all of my hopes and dreams for life, and ask her to share it with me. What did my note to her say? It was simple and brief. It read: “Mary Jane: Will you marry me? Signed, Victor.”

After writing this message, I folded it up and handed it to my classmate. I looked on with anticipation as the note passed from person to person in the middle of our Social Studies lesson. Mary Jane sat at the table next to mine, a world away, it seemed.

The note finally made it into her hands. I watched her unfold it and read my message. Without even the slightest expression on her face, she scribbled a response and folded it back up. The note then made its way back to me.

After what seemed like an eternity, the note was in my hands again. Did Mary Jane also want to spend the rest of her life with me? To share our experiences together? After some hesitation, I unfolded the note. There, in smeared red ink was her response. It was also short and to the point. It said: “NO.”

I was heartbroken, and it would take me a week to get over the feeling. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was my first rejection. Let’s discuss.

An all too familiar feeling

Whether you’re just starting out as a writer, or have published numerous books, you’ve experienced rejection. We all have. Is there any writer who hasn’t? These days, does Stephen King ever get rejected from his editor when he turns in a book? Maybe? Does he ever hear, “What the fuck is this, Steve?” I’d like to think so. No one’s above rejection, right?

When I first got serious about writing and submitting my short stories, I’ll admit, I was afraid of rejection. How could someone not like my story? How dare they turn me down? Then I slowly began to realize that editors weren’t rejecting ME, they were rejecting the work. Two completely separate things.

Rejection is so subjective. What one editor doesn’t care for, another might like. A story rejection just gives you the opportunity to submit it somewhere else. Rejection doesn’t necessarily mean your work sucks. Try not to take it so personally. No one said the writing life was an easy one. Where else can you pour your heart into something and have an editor summarily reject it? It either works or it doesn’t for someone. To coin a phrase from writer Jordan Harper, “that’s why it’s called art, friendo.”

At least they’re not rejecting your face

Imagine pursuing a career as an actor. What a tough business. When casting agents and producers tell you no, they ARE rejecting you. You may not have the right look. You might be too short or too tall. How do aspiring actors deal with this? You can’t change your face or the length of your legs, unless you do something drastic, right?

At least with writing, you can revise your words if a story keeps getting rejected. But should you? I often see rejection as a note that something in the story may not be working. If just one editor rejects your story, that doesn’t mean you should revise it. Send it somewhere else and see what happens. If THIRTY-FIVE editors reject your story, then something might be wrong with it, or just isn’t clicking.

At the very least, rejection helps me look at a story again with fresh eyes. Just do the best you can. Revise or not, it’s up to you. If it’s a story you believe in and don’t think one word needs to be changed, send it to five more places. See what happens. Sometimes I’ll tweak a story just a little and send it out again. I’ve never rewritten a story from scratch after it’s been rejected once. I just send it somewhere else.

Keep swinging

But what if a story’s been rejected ten, twenty, thirty times? Then what do you do? Is the story badly written, or is it just not working for editors? Is it too much, or not enough? What I try to do with every story I write is to swing for the fences. Push the envelope. You never know what might happen. Why not go for it? As writer Craig Clevenger says, “Write each story as if it were your last.” I’m trying to follow those wise words.

What happens if you swing for the fences, but no editor wants the story? I’ve subbed some batshit crazy stories for anthology calls, but one out of five gets accepted. Why? Who knows. Maybe the story I sent was too much. Or not enough. Or maybe it just didn’t make sense to the editor. The point is, you never know why your story gets rejected. Just don’t take it personally. That is the road to ruin, and one of the hardest lessons to learn. At least it was for me.

I’ve even gotten to the point in my writing career where I set yearly goals for rejections. Does anyone else do this? I wear the number of rejections I get like a badge of honor. It’s all you can do to push away the pain, am I right? I find that gamifying your rejections makes the medicine go down easier.

To walk the walk, I’ll tell you how many short story rejections I’ve had in the last two years: 97. The number of acceptances? 12. I’m no good at math, but those odds aren’t the best in the world. That’s just how the writing cookie crumbles.

And I’m not even talking about the criticism of your published work. When your stuff does get published and lives out in the world, it will receive varying degrees of praise as well as hate. Again, it’s all part of the game. I’ll talk about criticism in an upcoming post.

It’s about time for me to wrap this up, so I’ll let you get on with your life. But before I go, a great quote:

“I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.”—Sylvia Plath

What are your thoughts on rejection? How do you handle it?

What I’m Reading:

I’ve started reading BECAUSE THE NIGHT by James Ellroy. His prose always crackles, and this book’s no different. I grabbed it from one of my favorite secondhand bookstores in the area. Don’t you just love what you find at a used bookstore?

What I’m Writing:

Working on some new stories, and revising others in the hopes of sending them out soon.

ICYMI: December has been a great month for new stories from me. My story “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here, I’ve got a flash piece “Frank is typing…” out at Roi Fainent here, and finally, my Arctic thriller story “Diamond Dust” is out now over at Yellow Mama here.

What I’m Watching:

Another recent rewatch for me: BARTON FINK. It’s been a while since I saw this, what a movie. Wonderful performances from the entire cast, which includes John Turturro, John Goodman, John Mahoney, Judy Davis, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Lerner, etc. Set in the 1940’s, this tale of a New York playwright who comes out to Hollywood to write “for the pictures” is equal parts comedy and dread. How do you make a movie about writing feel interesting to an audience? This is definitely a way to do it. If you’re a fan of the Coen Brothers and haven’t seen this film yet, please do so as soon as possible and get that Barton Fink feeling in you!

That about does it for this week. Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

If you’re a writer and you’re reading this, you know the feeling, right? You sit down with the page, ready to write the next epic tale of love and revenge…and then nothing comes out. How do you deal with it? I usually force myself to crank out some words, even if they’re shitty ones. A page full of crap looks better than an empty one to me. Let’s discuss.

Morning pages

What are morning pages? Writer Julia Cameron created the idea in her book THE ARTIST’S WAY. It’s a daily stream-of-consciousness writing exercise intended to get the creative juices flowing before you dig into your main project.

For me, it’s a chance to warm up and keep my handwriting muscles in shape. I typically write my morning pages in longhand with a fountain pen. What do I write about? Whatever’s on my mind, that’s what. It doesn’t matter. No one’s going to read it anyways.

Around four or five years ago, I read an interview with Neil Gaiman where he talked about doing all his drafting in longhand with a fountain pen. A fountain pen?? I’d written stories in longhand before, hell, I even wrote an entire screenplay in longhand on legal pads. I probably won’t do that again. But I’ve written plenty of things by hand. Things like journal entries, and my morning pages.

Unless I handwrite regularly, my muscle memory fades away. There are times when I get back to writing by hand after a long break, and it feels super awkward. Like trying to steer a fire engine from the rear compartment—strange. Eventually, my hand gets used to holding the pen and forming somewhat legible letters. Writing with a fountain pen is an acquired skill too, it took me a while to learn the right angle and grip to produce the best inflow.

I digress. So, morning pages are what I do to unstick myself before the real writing begins. Does it work all the time? No. What it does do is get me in the mindset that not every word I write is precious, which is important, at least in the beginning. I was also a journalist in high school and college, which helps reduce my attachment to words the first time around, I think. So don’t get attached to your words. They can be revised, shaped, molded.

Shitty first drafts or revise as you go?

In her seminal writing craft book BIRD BY BIRD, Anne Lamott talks about her belief in the “vomit draft,” or “shitty first draft.” In other words, just pushing out words, getting them down on paper or on the screen with no regards to their quality. A page of bad words is easier to edit than a blank page.

When writing the first draft of a story, I do try to get through it as fast as possible. But sometimes, I just can’t. I want to make each sentence a good one before I move forward. In my early days as a fiction writer, I would often get bogged down in a story this way and never finish. I was so consumed with making the first page sing, that I never completed anything. I’ve got a graveyard folder of incomplete stories like this. One day, I’ll get back to them and finish them. One day.

Zadie Smith has said that she works on the first paragraph of any story or novel until the voice sounds true to her. That means revising and polishing until those first sentences shine. Once she gets the voice right, the rest of the piece flows better for her.

Other writers like Joe R. Lansdale revise as they create their first draft and never go back. With each new day’s writing, he looks over what has been written before and revises it. This way, when he completes a first draft, it’s not really that, but a series of constant revisions.

These two methods of beating the blank page are just a few of the tools you have at your disposal as a writer.

Take in other art to unblock you

When I’m stuck and nothing’s working, I’ll often do something else entirely. Watch a movie, read a book. Listen to music. I’m a big music person and often find inspiration just listening to things I’ve haven’t heard in a while. I think it was Stephen King who said when the writing’s not going well, try reading. Oftentimes, reading good stuff will inspire you to get back to the page. I’m paraphrasing this King quote, so sue me if I got it wrong.

Whatever works for you

To get unstuck, I’ve tried each of these methods with varying degrees of success. And I keep trying others, like pulling an exercise from THE BOOK OF SURREALIST GAMES, or any number of writing prompts out there on the web. There’s no “one size fits all” way to help you start when the writing’s stopped coming.

All I can suggest is to keep trying different things until you find the method that works best for you. There’s plenty more that’s been written on this subject, but I’ve got to finish this piece, so I’m going to leave you with some great quotes instead.

“The first draft of anything is shit.” —Ernest Hemingway

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”—Terry Pratchett

“Every first draft is PERFECT because all a first draft has to do is exist.”—Jane Smiley

“First you make it, then you make it good.”—Jordan Harper

What happens when you’ve gotten unstuck and written something, but it just doesn’t work? That’s a whole different story, and one that M.E. Proctor addresses in her excellent post here. Check it out!

How do you get the words flowing when you’re stuck?

What I’m Reading:

I put down POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson a while ago and now I’m picking it back up again. I’ve taken to reading 4-5 books at a time now, leaving one when it slows down and coming back to it later. Not sure if it’s the best way to read a book, but that’s what I do.

What I’m Writing:

Still working on a horror piece for a submission call. I’m currently stuck on it, so I may try some unsticking methods to help kickstart it again.

This month is a first for me in terms of publishing. I’ve got 3 stories coming out. Crazy, right? My story “Ahuizotl” will appear in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology (out on Dec 20), I’ve got a flash piece “Frank is typing…” out at Roi Faineant here, and finally, my Arctic thriller story “Diamond Dust” is out now at Yellow Mama here.

What I’m Watching:

Just rewatched IN BRUGES, what a film. Outstanding performances by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. Just as great as the first time I saw it in the theater. I’d forgotten how hard it goes. Great crime film with equal quantities of humor and pathos.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this, please give me a mention or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

For me, the name Joe Frank (1938-2018) brings up memories of dark L.A. nights spent listening to his hypnotizing voice on KCRW. Imagining the stories he was telling. Frank didn’t host the typical public radio program. His show was a different animal altogether. Like all great art, it was a by-product of his obsessions, his experiences, and his neuroses.

Frank’s world was one of loneliness, despair and heartbreak. It was also one filled with passion and absurd humor, with the existential meter dialed up to eleven. All of the highs and lows of life, along with everything in between. He was a movie director without a film camera. An artist who painted cinematic pictures with his voice and handcrafted background music loops. Oftentimes, it was like listening to a dark lullaby that nestled in your brain and wouldn’t let go. That was Joe Frank’s magic. He was even described by the L.A. Weekly as “a radio artist in a field of one.”

Old friends in new places

In the early 90s, I’d moved to Los Angeles from Texas. It was quite the culture shock for me. Everyone I met in L.A. seemed to be from someplace else. Now I was becoming a transplant as well. I didn’t know very many people in town, only a few other ex-Texans. One of those friends had moved out to Southern California about a year before I did. His name was Gerry.

Gerry lived in Newport Beach, about an hour’s drive south from my apartment in the Fairfax District of Hollywood. Back in Dallas, we would often talk about movies, but didn’t hang out much. Now we were living in the same town again.

I got a job in Hollywood working the graveyard shift from 12-8am. So I didn’t spend time with many people during the day since I was sleeping. For my first 6 months in L.A., I spent most weekends driving down to hang out with Gerry. He was a Renaissance man with many interests ranging from Brazilian jazz to foreign films. We would often go out for dinner and drinks, talking about writing, reading and music. During one visit, he told me I should listen to Joe Frank, a radio person I’d never heard of.

Gerry thought I would find Frank’s radio confessionals irresistible, and he was right on the money. I began listening to “Work In Progress” every Sunday morning on KCRW, the public radio station in L.A.. If I missed an episode, the repeat would air the following Saturday night. Frank’s monotone voice coupled with his signature background music loops wrapped around you and never let go. I was hooked.

Others like you

In my early L.A. years, I really connected with the running themes in Joe Frank’s work. I didn’t know many people, and my job on the graveyard shift insulated me from the world. I was alone most of the time in a city filled with 3.5 million people. But there was always Joe Frank’s show to look forward to.

Not long after I started listening to Joe Frank, I befriended a co-worker who turned out to be an ardent Frankophile, as Gerry called them. His name was Pat and he’d been listening to Frank longer than I had. He too, had a friend who introduced him to the show (RIP, Mike).

Pat and I would tape record the episodes off the air if the other couldn’t do it and vice versa. Sometimes we’d both tape the same program. The title of each Joe Frank episode wasn’t always given, so we would make them up based on the show’s content or story. Often, Pat and I would laugh at the titles each of us would give the same episode. For example, Pat had titled one episode “Jesus Girl,” while I had named it “The Girl at the End of the Bar.”

Pat and I even had the opportunity to see Joe Frank read from his new book in 1993 at the Book Soup bookstore on Sunset Boulevard. “The Queen of Puerto Rico and Other Stories” had just been published and Frank was reading from the book and signing copies. It was a thrill speaking to Frank in person afterwards. He was very gracious and seemed to be surprised at the turnout, which was quite packed. Almost like he couldn’t believe the impact he was having on the world. I still have my copy of his book, and Frank’s inscription makes me laugh every time I read it. In it, he wrote: “Thanks for listening and buying this book!”

Live and in person

Over my next 25 years in L.A., I listened to Joe Frank and saw him perform live twice. The first show I saw was in the late 90s at the Wadsworth Theatre in West LA. I’d bought two tickets and hoped to take a woman, but she had to bow out. On the night of the sold-out performance, I ended up loitering outside the venue, hoping to find a single woman looking for a ticket. Like something out of a Joe Frank story.

I figured if she was a Joe Frank fan, she’d be okay with a stranger offering her the chance to see her idol, no strings attached. I’d give her the ticket to her just so she could enjoy the show. However, no single woman ever showed up, and I ended up eating the cost of the ticket. So I went in by myself. It was still a great show, even with an empty seat next to me.

The last time I saw him perform was in 2011 at the Village Studios in West LA. The same recording studio where Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumours, and where so many other great records were made. By this time, I was married. My wife knew what a big Joe Frank fan I was, and had gotten tickets to the exclusive show sponsored by KCRW. It was a small audience, with only 60-70 people in attendance. The historic Village Studios was the perfect venue for a Joe Frank performance. Among the celebrities in the audience were writer-director Michael Mann, who sat in the row ahead of us. Frank’s fans came from all places.

I would see Joe Frank in person several times over the years I lived in L.A., outside of his shows. I saw him at Saint John’s Hospital twice, where he must have been in cancer treatment. I even rode an elevator with him. He was wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses indoors. The building I worked in at the time had recording studios where he must have been doing voiceover work.

As I stood across from him, just the two of us in the elevator, I searched for something to say. I didn’t have anything. “Enjoy your work?” “Really big fan?” Both very true, but in the heat of the moment, just weak words. What I wanted to say couldn’t be uttered, so I chose to leave the air empty. When we reached his floor and the elevator doors opened, I watched him walk out without saying a word. Afterwards, I mentally kicked myself. How could I let the opportunity pass by without saying anything?

An artist like no other

So these are my Joe Frank stories. He’s left behind a legacy of thought-provoking work, and has influenced countless other artists in multiple disciplines. Not just in radio, but in film, theatre, music, writing and beyond. He’s been an inspiration to me, to my writing, and feels like a kindred spirit as well.

If you’re interested, you can listen to his work at joefrank.com. You can also find his work on YouTube.

Are you a Joe Frank fan? How did his work affect you?

What I’m Reading:

Finishing up THE LUNACY COMMISSION, by Lavie Tidhar. Tidhar’s a favorite for me, his work runs the gamut from sci-fi to alternate history to crime fiction. Check out his work if you can.

What I’m Writing:

Currently I’m working on a horror piece for a talent-packed submission call. We’ll see what happens. Watch this space!

In terms of new stories coming out, there are two that will be out this month. My story “Ahuizotl” will appear in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology (out in mid-December), and my Arctic thriller story “Diamond Dust” will appear in Yellow Mama (also mid-December).

I’ll be posting links for these on all the socials once they’re live.

What I’m Watching:

Yes, it’s December, but that doesn’t always mean all I watch are Christmas movies. Some of them, sure. I tend to prefer Christmas-adjacent movies, like GO, DIE HARD, or BRAZIL. One recent watch that I really enjoyed is THELMA, with June Squibb, and Richard Roundtree. It’s got a great cast that includes Parker Posey, and Malcolm McDowell! A funny, action movie with seniors, and a touching take on what it means to get old. Check it out!

That about does it for this week. If you liked this, please give me a mention or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

When’s the last time you went to the mall? My wife and I went to the King of Prussia mall about a week ago, but we hadn’t been there in over four years. COVID was our biggest reason for not visiting, but we really didn’t need to go, either. With the advent of online shopping and delivery, running to the mall hasn’t been the top choice.

Regardless of the current frequency of my mall visits, I’ve been fascinated with them ever since my childhood. Before I could drive, I bugged my parents to take us to the mall. It was the place where I discovered my fascination with movies, where I witnessed the latest fashions (Chess King, anyone?), where I wasted tons of quarters at the video arcade, and where I fell in love on a weekly basis.

The history of the mall

Did you know the first outdoor shopping mall in the US was Lakewood Center in Lakewood, California, built in 1951? It looked more like your current outlet shopping mall, open to the elements. A year later, Victor Gruen, a Viennese-born architect was commissioned to build the first fully enclosed, climate controlled shopping center. Gruen had designed retail spaces before and saw the future of shopping areas, but none of his visions ever came to fruition. This commission was a chance to make good on his ideas.

His creation, Southdale Center, was located in Edina, Minnesota, and opened to the public in 1956. Southdale contained a feature that we all take for granted today — a large center court capped by a skylight. Can you imagine a mall without one of these? Other enclosed malls would follow, the King of Prussia mall outside of Philadelphia came along in 1963. In Dallas, Northpark Center would debut in 1965. Distinctly an American creation, the indoor retail mall would become a meeting place for bored youth, as well as consumers looking for a one-stop shopping experience.

The same, but different

Whenever my family traveled to other cities during summer road trips, my sister and I always had a request. Whether we were in Dallas, Phoenix or Los Angeles, we desperately wanted to see what the local mall had to offer. “They’re all alike,” my dad would counter, “Just the same old stores!” But they weren’t the same stores, we’d argue. How could they be?

Different regions of the country had different chain stores in the malls. Some of the complexes were built differently. Some of the malls even had ice skating rinks, which none of the ones in our hometown had. Sure, many of them had the same anchor stores—JC Penney, Montgomery Ward, to name a few. But they had their own peculiarities too. Can you say the same for malls today?

A place for everything

In my youth, malls were the place to see and be seen. Who can forget hanging out with friends at the video game arcade playing Centipede and Tempest? Trying on, but not buying the latest fashions from Chess King? Working up the nerve to talk to the girl working the counter at Hot Dog on a Stick? My friends and I could walk the mall for hours and often did. We were never bored.

The movie memories of my youth are also intertwined with the mall experience. In the 70s, theater chains figured they could put multiple screens in a mall and make even more money than with their standalone theaters. Thus, the multi-screen cineplex was born. It’s where I saw the movies that shaped me—STAR WARS, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, ALIEN, EXCALIBUR. Quite a change for my parents, who grew up going to the drive-in, or the single screen movie palace.

The other place in the mall you could always find me was the bookstore. Whether it was B Dalton or Waldenbooks, I was there. I bought my first issue of Film Comment (with GREMLINS on the cover) at the Whitwood Mall in Whittier, California.

I saved up my allowance money, and the cash I earned from cutting lawns to buy the Star Wars Album and Star Wars Sketchbook at B Dalton in Cielo Vista Mall. I read filmmaking books at the bookstore too. I couldn’t afford to buy them, but would spend hours poring through them. And I was never asked to leave the store.

Malls were (and still are) great places for people watching, too. Micro-cultures evolved at the mall, ranging from “mall rats” to “mall walkers.” Mall culture became a part of pop culture, affecting music, television and movies. The mall became a mutual gathering place. Not just for bored teenagers, but for survivors hiding from the zombie apocalypse in DAWN OF THE DEAD, for mad scientists demonstrating their time machine in BACK TO THE FUTURE and for black suited musician/felons evading police during a crazy car chase in THE BLUES BROTHERS.

Different times

Nowadays, there seem to be fewer new malls being built. Has their popularity waned? Depends on where you go. The demise of the brick-and-mortar retail store has contributed to many malls closing or being abandoned altogether. Some areas, hit hard by the bad economy, stagnating wages, and crime have forced retailers to leave the once bustling mall environment. When an anchor store like Sears or JC Penney leaves a mall, the remaining stores struggle with increasing rent costs and less foot traffic. Often, these malls don’t survive.

With fewer malls being built, the larger ones appear to be thriving for now, many of them remodeling and rebranding in order to attract more customers. On the other hand, dead malls are becoming commonplace, but some have found second lives as office spaces, churches and community centers. Mall developers have learned to adapt or die, but will there ever be anything like the shopping mall again? Will they evolve into something else?

What are some of your favorite mall memories?

What I’m Reading:

I’ve stalled on THE DAY OF THE LOCUST (Nathanael West), but will get back to it. If a book loses your interest, do you revisit it or just forget about it and move on? Just got THE KILLER INSIDE ME by Jim Thompson, looking forward to that one.

What I’m Writing:

Revising and drafting more short stories. Also beginning preliminary work on some ideas for novels/novellas. Watch this space!

In terms of new stories coming out, there are two that will be out this month. My story “Ahuizotl” will appear in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology (out in mid-December), and my Arctic thriller story “Diamond Dust” will appear in Yellow Mama (also mid-December).

I’ll be posting links for these on all the socials once they’re live.

What I’m Watching:

Watched A REAL PAIN, really enjoyed it. Jesse Eisenberg writes, directs, and co-stars in it, along with Kieran Culkin. Both turn in great performances.

Also did a rewatch of Michael Mann’s MANHUNTER. Such a great film. I didn’t realize comic actor Chris Elliott has a bit part in it! So many great performances in this, wonderful filmmaking as well.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please give me a mention or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.