Hey! May is almost over, and that means that it’s nearly time for me to give away whatever Dark Journeys you want.
In fact, today is the very last May stop for Jennifer Hudock. Head to Scrivener’s Circle and find their interview, and leave a comment!
And if life kind of got in the way, and you got behind on the tour, have no fear! I’m out of town at the moment, so I won’t be drawing until sometime around the second of June. Take a few minutes and catch up on the tour!
Occasionally life has moments that I swear belong in a movie or sitcom. Maybe you have them too. And, if you’re like me, when those moments happen, your first thought is “What just happened?” followed closely by”Who NEEDS to hear about this first?”
I had one of those moments the other day. I was almost running late to run an errand before work, when my gas light determined my absolute first errand of the day. So I headed to the bank, picked up cash (which I rarely carry) and then the gas station, knowing that my “first” errand had moved to sometime the next day.
The closest gas station is one I’ve used forever and now all the time because of my commute. And of course this day it was full, because that is how it would be in a movie. I drove around the station once, and found a lone pump recently vacated.
The broken pinpad discouraged anyone else from braving it and forced me inside. I generally dislike going inside because it requires me to actually talk to people I don’t already know – one of my least favorite things to do. But I had to get gas before I could do anything else, so I headed inside.
Everything seemed normal about this pit stop, with the exception of paying cash inside. Until I headed back to my car with my change, ready to leave. That’s when a nicely dressed guy in a decent car slowed down between the little building with the register and the first row of pumps to get my attention.
Because I was at a gas station, I stopped to talk to him, because generally lost people ask for directions at gas stations. And, despite disliking meeting people I don’t already know, I like to be helpful.
Except he wasn’t lost. He leaned toward the passenger side, where I was standing, and told me that I was quite attractive and wanted to know my name and if he could have my number to call me and maybe have coffee.
And I kind of panicked. The number of times I’ve been hit on in my life is negligible to the point of being never. It simply doesn’t happen. I don’t know why (though I suspect the not liking to meet new people has something to do with it), but I also don’t really care that I never get hit on as I dislike meeting people I don’t already know. So I started thinking of ways to get out of the situation because I was not giving my phone number or having coffee with a random guy who stopped at the gas station to talk to me across his car.
I gave him my first name, because that’s pretty much public knowledge. I told him that I was sorta seeing someone and that I was running late for work (which were true enough that I didn’t feel like a complete liar). And when he asked again if he could have my number, I shook my head no. I thanked him for the compliment, and told him again that I was running late for work and headed to my car. He drove out of the gas station as I jumped in my car and locked my door.
And then I sent my text messages and twitter post. Because these types of moments have to be shared. I mean, who hits on someone when they are driving out of a gas station? And where were the movie cameras? Because how does something like that happen in real life? And how could I not share this with the world?
As much as the moment itself was awkward, I’m not sad it happened. It’s on my shortlist for Most Bizarre Moment of My Life, and Most Random Moment of My Life. And it’s a funny story I get to share with people. And that’s what I like about life – the funny moments you can share with people. Especially when you meet someone for the first time.
picture of Ban Ban Springs, QLD borrowed from Wikipedia, because I couldn’t find mine.
I read mostly science fiction and fantasy. I watch a lot of fantasy and science fiction movies and tv shows. And I listen to mostly science fiction and fantasy podcasts (with a darker, horror bent).
And I’m telling you that so you know I am very willing to suspend my disbelief.
You want to throw someone out of an airlock and pick them up alive in 30 seconds, I’m with you. I’m not tied to hard or soft science fiction; I love both. Want magic and elves and faeries and Dream to be real characters interacting with everyday people? Sweet. I’m very well versed in the lore and am looking forward to seeing what you do with the conventions. I’m even willing to go with changes to the rules that have been set up over the history of writing, if you’re doing something interesting (I’d put up with sparkly vampires as long as you can kill them with a wooden stake and don’t break your own rules to tell a stalker story).
But what I’m finding is that I don’t like to discover what genre you’re in half way through your work. If your work is a short story, then I can go with the whole thing and find out at the end, but that’s because you aren’t a significant time commitment. And I generally pick up books in the science fiction/fantasy section, which gives you more time too. But if you’re a movie or a tv show, I better have the same idea you do in the first 15 minutes or the first episode.
And as I come across more stories, I find that I need to have a better idea of what kind of science fiction or fantasy you are. There are different rules, and I need to know what to falls under the contract of willing suspension of disbelief in your story.
I realized this last night when I was watching the finale of Lost. I watched the first couple of seasons, but then left the show, as the lack of answers was too frustrating. But since I knew everyone would be talking about the finale, I made an effort to see it. I caught most of the recap, and felt prepared enough to watch the end without being too confused over all the new characters and plot developments.
And I as I watched the final episode, I kept thinking of the fifth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (you read that right) where the brackets all start closing and the variables become constants. And it dawned on me that Lost was not primarily science fiction, like I’d initially thought, but it was fantasy.
I’d never thought Lost was hard science fiction, because really what actual scientific explanation could there be for an island that doesn’t exist on the maps with all the satellites in orbit and Google maps . But the idea of the magnetic field, and the company that worked on the island seemed to fit into soft science fiction. And I can go with that. That’s more like Eureka, and while there’s some scientific basis, it’s really mostly made up. Like hard science fiction and fantasy had a kid.
I’ve talked about Jennifer Hudock and her work here before. And I told you how she’s hopscotching from blog to blog to promote some of the really cool things she’s working on currently.
Well, I had a chance to talk with her the other day, and it was fun and a little random.
We started talking about her family, and I asked her if she ever self-censored her work knowing that her daughter might read her work (some of her horror is very intense). Her response was very even-minded. “Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t because she is 15 now. And she watches a lot of horror and she reads a lot of horror. She recently just got into Stephen King and Stephen King’s stuff can be pretty brutal and pretty dark.
“And she’s listened to the Zombie Chronicles, and that’s pretty adult in a lot of places. Mostly when she does have questions about things, it’s a nice medium to open up conversation to get her thinking and talking about more adult subject matter.
Remember that Blog Tour I told you about the other day? Well today is the first day!
And because I love Jennifer Hudock’s work, and I want you to check out the other blogs she’s stopping by (because the authors are all pretty nifty), I’m offering you this deal.
Stop by each of the May Blog Tour stops, leave a comment and you get entered into my random drawing for a free Dark Journeys story. Yep. You follow Jennifer Hudock around, read the various interviews, leave a comment, and potentially walk away with a Dark Journeys story of your choice on me! (And here’s a neat secret – I’m not the only one offering a deal)
And in case you miss my first post, here’s the schedule again. Enjoy the tour!
May 2010
May 14, 2010: Jim – Yes, THAT Jim
May 17, 2010: Edward G. Talbot
May 19, 2010: Morgan Elektra of Trickster Moon Productions
May 21, 2010: Ramblings of English with Chandra Jenkins
May 24, 2010: Paddy’s Wanderings with Patrick Pillars
May 27, 2010: Drew Beatty
May 29, 2010: Scrivener’s Circle with David Sobkowiak and Laura Frechette
“What is a blog tour” you asked? (yes I can hear you through time) One of the coolest ideas I’ve heard of in awhile.
I’ve talked about Jennifer Hudock and her Dark Journeys collection here before. But let me sum up: Jennifer Hudock is a fantastic podcast novelist and she is publishing a collection of her short stories online through Amazon and Smashwords.
In order to promote her collection, she is traveling through the Internet and visiting various blogs and podcasts. At the end of this post, you’ll find the current list of stops. But I’ll tell you one of the stops now:
Jennifer Hudock will be here May 21!
Each host asks their own questions, so, just like in real life, each stop will be different. You know you’ve always had questions to ask an author when you ran into one, and here’s your chance! Leave your questions in the comments, and I’ll do my best to find answers.
Get ready for a fun couple of weeks of learning about Jennifer Hudock and Dark Journeys! This is gonna be good!
May 2010
May 14, 2010: Jim – Yes, THAT Jim
May 17, 2010: Edward G. Talbot
May 19, 2010: Morgan Elektra of Trickster Moon Productions
May 21, 2010: Ramblings of English with Chandra Jenkins
May 24, 2010: Paddy’s Wanderings with Patrick Pillars
May 27, 2010: Drew Beatty
May 29, 2010: Scrivener’s Circle with David Sobkowiak and Laura Frechette
No. I’m not talking about the plant (though it is one of the cooler plants you can have in your house). It’s the newest show at the Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton, Ca. Kellesimone Waits is the artist highlighted in Venus Fly Trap, that runs through the end of the month.
Her artwork is very interesting. The women in her paintings look awkward in their poses. I may be projecting, but most of the faces also seem uncomfortable and a little sad at their state.
You see, every woman is portrayed in a bikini. A very tiny bikini.
I’ve never been comfortable around lots of women in bikinis, but I didn’t know why until I was standing in the Hibbleton. I become one of the many people looking at these women displaying themselves as though they were the wares of a swap meet vendor. And I don’t want to be that, even unintentionally.
Kellesimone’s work forces the viewer to become one of the many potential buyers, which is very interesting. To view her art is to become a voyeur. Her art presents a seemingly open picture of the women, but the aspects of what makes these women human are hidden. Their backgrounds are bland and revealing as much as their outfits reveal their bodies. It traps the viewer to thinking that they know the the people being portrayed, but there isn’t enough information to truly know the women.
I wonder if the element of unknown knowing comes from her life. Kellesimone Waits is the daughter of Tom Waits, and through much of the show and discussion of the show, her father became the focus. He showed up late to the opening, but as soon as he did, a nearly awed hush overtook the crowd. Which was quickly replaced by fervent discussions on the best way to ask him for a photo or autograph.
And Kellesimone’s artwork faded to the background. Tom Waits’ body language communicated that he was not overly excited by the attention he was drawing. But he remained gracious, and I liked him even more for that.
The art show was very fun, and I like what Kellesimone Waits was doing with her artwork. The show’s up until May is over, so if you’re in the area, you should check it out. And if you do wander through the show, let me know what you think!
The other night, I was chatting with my friend, and for reasons that must have made sense at the time, I said “it is what it is.”
I learned very quickly the ire this phrase brings forth in my friend when he adamantly scolded “Never use that phrase again!”
I don’t know about you, but one of the many reasons I could never be in an organized hierarchy, like the military, is because my first response to orders is to ask why while plotting how to repeat my offense. Or at the very least irk whoever is attempting to command me.
But since this was my friend, I decided to simply ask why before I began plotting.
His argument is that the phrase’s redundancy renders it meaningless. “Of course it is what it is,’ my friend said. ‘You don’t say the car is a car because what else would it be?”
And I can see his point. The phrase is tossed around to appear intelligent or deep (another of his points). But that isn’t how I use that phrase most often.
One of the ways I use the phrase is in affirmation of the trueness of something. I’ve found that often people and things do not always act in the way they are designed or intended to. People can be unspeakably horrible to one another and we call them inhuman. This would be un-true in my head.
More frequently I use the phrase as a sign of my resignation to events beyond my control. It’s a kind of reminder to myself that there are moments in life that I cannot control, so I need to not worry or stress out over them.
And maybe my use of the phrase is laziness or lack of creativity with spoken English (I am a writer and reader and not a speaker). But I find it meaningful, and really, that’s all that I care about. What else is language for but communication, and who else do I have to communicate with more often than myself?
So I’ll continue to use the phrase for myself, and I’ll smirk at the way it would annoy my friend. But I will probably be more hesitant when I utter it, because my friend’s point holds true – it is redundantly meaningless. Whether I use it intentionally around him will depend greatly on how mischievous I’m feeling in that moment.
A couple of weeks ago I joined a community for creative type people called The Creative Alliance.
Jennifer Hudock and James Melzer created the space and a group of people (including me) moved in and set up. Everyone seems very friendly and supportive, in the way new groups have.
Much like Alice, I’ve been exploring this new land rather tentatively. I’ve been reading (some of) the posts to the forums, followed the links to members’ blogs, and expanded my Twitter feed. And I’ve learned a great deal, pushed myself to trying commenting more on the blogs I read, and am being held accountable to post something here at least once a week.
I’m not sure where this whole new community is headed, but I know I’m not alone. I have offline communities of creative people that I toss ideas around with, but many of them have not transitioned quite yet to online. It’s nice to find a group online that is also supportive of my endeavors, and whom I can support in return.
If you’re a creative type person, and you want a community that wants to help you become the best creative type person you choose to be, check out The Creative Alliance. Free and fun, it’s one of my new favorite places to hang out online.
Today’s the day! Today is the day comic book stores all across North America give away free comics.
I first heard about this day last year from Twitter, and it’s what pushed me back into comics. And I’m not sad about that at all.
So get out and support your local shop and have fun! Hope to see you at the store!
