A fantasy novel I've written for Wizards of the Coast's Forgotten Realms line, titled Sandstorm, will be out in Spring of next year. Various authors who've written in the line are participating in a round-robin interview, including, starting this week, me. See here?

Information wants to be free, but only so long as the information is contained in little boxes made out of oil and rare metals, designed for and marketed to white, middle-class English speakers.

An American hero, Howard Zinn, has passed away.

Poll #1510756 I'm gonna read 'em all, but which one first?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10

Which book should I read next?

 Since I've turned my attention to the ungainly and inelegant form called "novel," my short story production has dropped to nil. So the next time something of mine will see print will be my Forgotten Realms shared world fiction debut.

My short story, "Feast of the Moon" will appear in the forthcoming anthology Realms of the Dead, scheduled for release on January 5th, 2010.

2010? That's the future!

 I had originally planned to express my support for the "Blog Every Day in April" effort by not providing any distractions. I launched a parallel "Blog No Days in April" effort, but then realized that if I took a whole month off, then it would look... a lot like all the other months around here.

 Look out! Deadlines are flying all over the place around here!

 Two things that came my way yesterday.

-Describe me in one word- just one single word. Positive or negative.

-Leave your word in a comment, before looking at what words others have used.

-Copy and paste the meme to your journal to find out how people describe you when limited to one word.

Dear People,

If you don't think Leviticus 11:8 required the Steelers offensive unit to undergo ritual cleansing after the big game Sunday...

And you don't think Leviticus 19:19 means that wearing a Fruit-of-the-Loom t-shirt is the moral equivalent of raping a slave girl...

Then maybe what Jesus said in John 13:34 trumps whatever other much-translated, culturally- and historically-mysterious verses some folks use to gift wrap their hate with, eh?

Wow, what a surprise that movie was. Best fantasy film I've seen in ages--in its way, it equals or even exceeds Pan's Labyrinth.

The story itself is as old as stories, like many of the best ones, but the way the characters are staged is fascinating and not at all traditionally cinematic. There are three major protagonists (played by Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, and, a revelation, Eliza Bennett), two minor (another promising youngster, Rafi Gavron, and the incomparable Helen Mirren clearly having the time of her life), and two tertiary (Jim Broadbent in crazed crotchety mode and Sienna Guillory doing fantastic physically expressive work). All of them have their own arcs, and all of them approach the same set of problems in different ways that grow out of their personalities, backgrounds, and skill sets. The complex, but never confusing, plot is well served by a beautiful setting (the Alps around Lake Geneva and points north, looked like), a judicious use of special effects, and a deft directorial hand.

Of course, a movie that loves books is easy for me to love. Also, there's an awesome minotaur. Parents will be interested to know that we were in a theater full of kids, and it was a quiet theater, because from toddler to tween, they were all leaning forward in their seats, rapt.

Now, an aside to Brendan Fraser haters, a club the existence of which baffles me. Yes, this is the guy who made Encino Man and George of the Jungle. But he's also the guy who made Traffic and Gods & Monsters. Y'all ever heard of Peter O'Toole or Michael Caine? He's a working actor, and even when the material ain't that great, he still works it, because that's his craft and his calling. As it happens, the material of Inkheart is great.

Here's some stuff that has interested and amused me this week. Maybe some of it'll interest or amuse you.

The Mountain that Eats Men: A lengthy article at Walrus Magazine about living and dying in Potosí, Bolivia's infamous La Negra mine.

Flooding a McDonald's as Video Art: The UK based Architect's Journal previews a fascinating short film.

Gold: "The Web Series That Deals Double Damage" is a professionally produced, written, directed and (for the most part) acted series that should appeal to fans of The Guild and Kings of Kong. Sharp-eyed Colbert fans should notice a shout-out.

The Climbs of California: Specifically the cycling climbs on tap for the upcoming Tour of California, one of the finest spectacles in American sport. Some local elite riders put together this fascinating series of videos, graphs, and maps that hits at least three of my geek sweet spots.

And finally, a quote from someone whom I hope finds the peace in death he never found in letters.

I got my first ever novel advance check in the mail just now (the portion due "on signing," which doesn't exactly mean "on signing"). And some earlier-than-expected short story money as well. I remember, wow, over ten years ago now, getting my first ever writing check in the mail from Sovereign Media for my debut story in Realms of Fantasy. I used it to pay rent. I shall use this to make a mortgage payment and buy a bunch of groceries. And maybe a few books. And also possibly a bottle of champagne, since we're apparently gonna be snowed in tomorrow anyway. And maybe we'll go see some movies.

But now, since neither of the pieces these checks partly pay for are actually, y'know, done, I guess I'll get back at it.

Back in the Bluegrass, where the temperature is a humane fifty Fahrenheit and rising.

In celebration, I offer you, from the Europa Film Treasures online archiving project, this nine minute 1934 animated short from France, directed by Anthony Gross and Hector Hopin, with music by Tibor Harsanyi. Art deco! Ballet! Trains! Bicycles!

Le Joie De Vivre.

(Via Flavorpill's Daily Dose newsletter.)

Hey, take a read at this.

Now ask yourself this. "Is there something in that passage that I believe demonstrates that the writer is speaking from hate, or from fear, or from anger?"

Now know this. It's not like I'm famous or nothing. If you're reading this, then odds are pretty good that are I know you. And if I know you, even though I do a shitty job of showing it pretty much all the time, then I love you. Even if we don't get along, hell, even if we each of us think the other is a pretty despicable human being a lot of the time, I am working so hard to love you.

Finally, here's how these things fit together.

If you think those words were spoken out of hatred, then you, whom I love, are a fucking racist.

Sorry.

Update: Folks in the comments, God bless 'em, were confused as to what exactly prompted that. Well, yesterday, after the ceremonies, I went to check out Joseph Lowery's Wikipedia entry, and found this: His poem drew sharp and immediate criticism from many political conservatives for the phrase included in the poem “…when white will embrace what is right.”

And, fool, that I am, I went searching around to see what they were talking about. Bishop Lowery's "race baiting" prayer was the main topic of conversation on AM radio yesterday, apparently.

I know, I know, valuable minutes of my life...

I am filled up with joy and hope and pride and love--and I hope you are, too.

Dear fourteen-year-old Christopher,

     There will come a day, really not too long from now if you were to consider things in a scope I know you can't consider them in just yet, when you will be sitting in a high-ceilinged room lined with overflowing bookshelves. You will be reading Dungeons & Dragons manuals on a weekday morning, because it's part of your job as a science fiction & fantasy writer.

     This will be far from the coolest thing about your life.

Cheers,

Thirty-nine-year-old Christopher

PS Your straight trifecta for the Derby is Spend a Buck, Stephen's Odyssey, and Chief's Crown.

So, I put Gwenda on an airplane, bought a loaf of bread, and then kicked back for six or seven hours of sword fights and tank battles.

Prince Caspian was better than I thought it would be. Susan looks like my friend Justine. They're also both into fashion and thus, in the CS Lewisverse, have no hope for salvation. All the brown people are bad guys except for the brown person who is played by a white person. Metaphysics! But, the bit that was fan fic for the Battle of Pelennor Fields was pretty good, Peter Dinklage kicked ass, and Tilda Swinton is always Tilda Swinton (except in that last crappy Cohen Bros. movie). Plus, Eddie Izzard.

Scaramouche, wow, that's a tough one. It's gorgeous, and the climactic six minute sword fight in a Paris opera house is the best sword fight I've ever seen. The way that the production values of the commedia dell'Arte stuff get ramped up as the performers graduate to fancier venues is interesting. But wow! The gender politics and, just, basic assumptions about how people in relationships treat each other are... wow. And even setting that aside, I bow to no one in my admiration of Janet Leigh, but what kind of fool would choose her over Eleanor Parker in this movie? Also, Mel Ferrer reminded me of my friend Scott.

(But seriously. Almost sixty years ago they filmed that sword fight and there's not been a lot since that even comes close.)

And then, the real surprise (to me), The Big Red One. Who knew Mark Hamill could act, kinda? There's not much here by way of "story" in the traditional movie-land sense, though apparently somebody hacked this print down into something like one for its theatrical release thirty years ago. It's grim, and funny, and weird, and scary, and the battle sequences are confusing as hell--it's B movie cinéma vérité, I guess, and I highly recommend it. One small thing that stuck out, the way the voice over was used-- sparse and particular--was excellent. Examples: "You know how you smoke out a sniper? You send a guy out in the open and you see if he gets shot. They thought that one up at West Point." and "The Bangalore Torpedo was 50' long and packed with 85 pounds of TNT and you assembled it along the way. By hand. I'd love to meet the asshole who invented it."