Category: Random

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

One of our family friends, 24 years old, is in Iraq for a year. We were glad to know that, if he had to have an injury, it was from falling off his top bunk. We sent him a big Ace bandage, with the words “Bottom Bunk or Bust” written in ink.

Other news…

The last 3 days have felt like a Coen Brothers movie. Do you ever have those rare moments when things just open up and suddenly, everything makes sense? All the events seemed to interrelate, which the Coen’s do so well within their scripts.

People I met 16 years ago are approaching me, asking about doing some artistic projects together in the next few years. Disappointments which occurred 8 months ago now make sense, and I met new people this weekend who needed to hear that the hellish interlude does eventually end.

Somehow it all is beginning to come together…which is cool (and yet frightening) in a way.

Project updates. I am returning to the book today. I’ve set it aside for a week and am itching to return to it. This next round of edits will take longer, and I plan to do one more final polish before sending it out.

Have a great week, everyone!

Recently, I’ve found myself envious of filmmakers. A talented production designer can decorate a room with specific artifacts, immediately conveying a mood, time, and what to expect. All without one word spoken. Damn, I’m jealous!

Novelists don’t have that luxury. We must use words to convey information, all while not using too many. A certain author (who shall remain nameless—let’s just say I was required to read her in high school) spent 5 pages describing a leaf. A &^@!* leaf!!! What made it worse? The leaf wasn’t important, which drove me crazy. I vowed to never describe a leaf in my work unless it was central to the plot.

All art forms have their challenges. The key is to use what works for you, and you CAN benefit from all those filmmakers you might be jealous of.

Some of the best nature footage is shot at early dawn or dusk. Many times, the photographer has to wait hours in the cold dark to get ‘that one shot.’

How does this benefit the novelist? Find movies which are filmed where your book is set. Let those directors and cinematographers wake up at the crack of dawn to get the amazing footage on film! Rent the movie and use the visuals to spur your description of a place.

For example, my current work in progress is set in Savannah, Georgia. While I’ve been there many times and have pictures, I can’t just drive there every time I need visual stimulation. That’s where movies come in.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Directed by Clint Eastwood. For outdoor scenery, this movie didn’t help me much. But there are a few scenes in the River Street bars, and those helped immensely. Seeing John Cusack’s amber-colored beer glowing as he sipped it, the dark mahogany tables and intimate bar settings helped spur description for a few scenes I needed.

The Gift
Directed by Sam Raimi, co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. Both who make more money than me, so let them stand in a swamp at four in the morning to get that footage!

The opening credits of this movie spurred more description than I could have hoped for. I think the sequence lasts about six minutes, and I must have played it over and over, frantically writing down what I saw on screen. Eerie Cypress trees, swampy water with tree reflections, alligators swimming in the water, etc. There’s not any way I could have gotten this footage myself, but by watching a few minutes on film, it gave me the visual stimulation I needed to write about an area which was on screen.

Of course, Hollywood takes liberties with all films, so make sure you verify scenery if you’re writing a key scene. But as an extra visual stimulation, I found the movies can be a valuable resource.

More later!

Sorry for the blog’s hiatus. It’s been a crazy few weeks.

Publicity can be a strange thing. Once it begins to snowball, people don’t question things anymore. The cycle of attaining something becomes so all-important that we don’t ask ourselves what we’re doing along the way. An example? Parents who knock everyone down as they scavenge the aisles at Christmas. Another interesting example is below.

We had a brief stay in Savannah last weekend. This lovely historic town is one of my favorite spots in the world (hence why Book 3 is set there). On Sunday morning (Mother’s Day) we had reservations for 10 people at Paula Deen’s restaurant, Lady & Sons. For those who haven’t heard of Paula Deen, she’s a regular on the Food Channel. She also made a cameo film appearance in Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown playing Aunt Dora with great Southern authenticity.

Our reservation was for 10:30 am. We showed up at 10:20 am.

“Oh, the restaurant doesn’t open until 11, but you’re checked in.”

“So you booked us a reservation for 10:30, but you don’t open until 11?”

“Right.”

I paused. Was I the only one who thought this was odd? “So what do we do now?”

“Wait outside.”

Only one problem. Several tornadoes and severe thunderstorms were passing through. So dozens of us huddled underneath awnings, trying to keep dry while we waited to enter this magical palace of Southern cooking we’d heard so much about. At one point, I questioned whether it was a restaurant or a maze for mice and Paula Deen was the ultimate scientist, laughing at our every move.

They shuffled us from the side awnings, to across the way, to the center of the street while we waited for our names to be called. My mother-n-law nailed it right on the head when she said, “I just love being treated like a sheep.”

But then I remembered something. This restaurant always had a long line, and rumors of 2-3 hour waits. So the people who see the long lines become convinced they should go there. And the cycle perpetuates. But I must say, the woman is doing something right. The food was absolutely incredible. Other than feeling like a meandering stick of butter when I walked out (probably because that is what most of her food was made with), it was a great experience. I just find it strange that all the hubbub keeps perpetuating to the point of accepting reservations for a time when they aren’t open.

More tomorrow!

Ahhh. Hear that? It’s the sigh of an eased mind, after 5 months of insanity. Other than book 3, some chaotic things have been happening, and it’s been my life goal to prevent the knots in my stomach from having fistfights with each other. (Note to self: I could make a fortune writing a book on how to deal with insanity’s stress and write a book at the same time!)

But as of this morning, things are done, and we’re MOVING ON…

Today is the day “Delirious” (Tom DiCillo’s latest film) comes out on DVD – the extended version w/commentary and extras. I’m sad to say that I don’t have a copy in my hands right now, simply because today has been busy. I’m also finding some stores don’t have it in stock, so I must peruse metro Atlanta tomorrow to purchase this wonderful gem.

DiCillo’s commentaries are fantastic. I always learn something new, and he’s one of the few directors I can tolerate on a commentary. Most put me to sleep. The last one I watched (Johnny Suede), I laughed so hard, I spewed a bite of spaghetti across the room. While this thrilled my German shepherd, I think the Southern bi-law committee would be appalled. But then again, I break many of the standard Southernisms, so perhaps it’s for the best…

“Delirious” stars Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi, folks, in one of his best performances. Not many actors could play the role of a paparazzi and be empathic, but he does.

He’s also one of my favorites. While Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears are making headlines with stupidity, Steve Buscemi, Morgan Freeman and Sela Ward made headlines with human decency. After 9/11, Buscemi returned to his local firehouse and became a firefighter helping out at Ground Zero. Morgan Freeman and Sela Ward, both who grew up in Mississippi, helped volunteer and raised public awareness after Hurricane Katrina. I consider all 3 of them my heroes.

In nostalgic news, for those who attended and remember, 13 years ago today, we enjoyed an incredible party where I wound up dancing the Electric Slide in a wedding dress. Thank God there wasn’t uTube in those days. Yep, 13 years today. Time flies when you’re having fun. And going insane. And having fun…

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! More blogs to follow!

Indie #11 – Delirious by Writer/Director Tom DiCillo. Starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Alison Lohman, Gina Gershon, and Elvis Costello.

A few other familiar faces appear in the film: Kevin Corrigan from “Living in Oblivion” (another DiCillo film) and his TV series “Grounded for Life.” Also Callie Thorne, who played a regular role on Denis Leary’s TV series, “Rescue Me.”

Watch the preview.

View the web site.

“Delirious” opened in theatres last summer and the DVD release with extras/commentary is coming out this Tuesday, May 6th. Blockbuster released a limited, no-extras DVD version, so I rented it a few weeks ago, and can’t wait to purchase the DVD on Tuesday. My only regret is that I have a web of entanglements occurring that morning and I can’t purchase the DVD first thing.

This film contains so many gems of poignant life advice, writer/director Tom DiCillo should get an honorary psychology degree. It’s no secret that I love all of DiCillo’s films, but this one is well and truly one of his best. His perception of the human condition and the meshing of two worlds radiates on screen with amazing performances by the cast.

Let’s face it. Not many people can play the role of a paparazzi with empathy and dimension. DiCillo’s script and Buscemi’s acting pull it off. I found myself wanting to reach through the screen to hug Buscemi’s character at times. Not a feeling one usually has for the paparazzi.

Buscemi plays this role with an emotional range I’ve never seen before. I always liked his acting. My impression of him as a human being skyrocketed when I learned he returned to the New York Fire Dept. where he once worked, volunteering to help out after 9/11. So rare in today’s celebrity world, where most stumble in and out of rehab in the midst of their life dramas. Buscemi gives the performance of a lifetime in “Delirious.”

This is the first movie I’ve seen Michael Pitt in where he isn’t playing a charming sociopath. Every frame of film brings out the soul in his eyes—not an easy task. The acting was amazing, by all the cast.

Check out this Indie! I recommend you purchase it but at least rent it and listen to the commentary. DiCillo’s sense of humor and commentaries are gems as well :)

Have a great week, everyone!