"Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" is now available for the Kindle from Amazon.com.
"Exile..." contains ten short stories featuring Helman Graff, a character popularized in my first book, "The Feast of Catchville." Each one of the stories features illustrations by Nate Fehlauer, and all of those illustrations are included in the Kindle version.
I've been told that more of my books will be available for the Kindle very soon, and I'll of course give you a heads up when that time comes.
Here's the link for the Kindle version of "Exile..."
http://www.amazon.com/Exile-Collected-Helman-Graff-ebook/dp/B004A156JA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1288753628&sr=8-2
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
ALL HALLOW'S READ
Recently some guy named Neil Gaiman came up with a great idea that I've taken a definite shine to, and it's cool enough that I'd like to pass it along to you as well.
The idea is simple. Gaiman's named it "All Hallow's Read," and all it entails is giving your friends and family members a scary book on Halloween.
You know, as the years progress and my library size increases, it never ceases to amaze me how I can always encounter a new horror novel that I've never, ever heard of each time I go to a great book store, a thrift shop, a garage sale, or what have you. With that in mind, no matter how well read in the topic your friends or relatives might be, there's always something out there that they haven't read. Guaranteed.
Of course, it's almost more fun when it comes to your friends and family members that aren't all that well versed in the genre. Herein lies the perfect opportunity to present them with the cream of the crop, the must reads, the books that will assure them little to no sleep on the last night before November reigns.
So, whatever your situation presents you with, All Hallow's Read sounds like a kickass way to celebrate Halloween. Kudos Neil for coming up with it. I'm celebrating, and I hope you will too!
Here's a link to Neil's original idea: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/10/modest-proposal-that-doesnt-actually.html
The idea is simple. Gaiman's named it "All Hallow's Read," and all it entails is giving your friends and family members a scary book on Halloween.
You know, as the years progress and my library size increases, it never ceases to amaze me how I can always encounter a new horror novel that I've never, ever heard of each time I go to a great book store, a thrift shop, a garage sale, or what have you. With that in mind, no matter how well read in the topic your friends or relatives might be, there's always something out there that they haven't read. Guaranteed.
Of course, it's almost more fun when it comes to your friends and family members that aren't all that well versed in the genre. Herein lies the perfect opportunity to present them with the cream of the crop, the must reads, the books that will assure them little to no sleep on the last night before November reigns.
So, whatever your situation presents you with, All Hallow's Read sounds like a kickass way to celebrate Halloween. Kudos Neil for coming up with it. I'm celebrating, and I hope you will too!
Here's a link to Neil's original idea: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/10/modest-proposal-that-doesnt-actually.html
Friday, September 24, 2010
Twenty-Two Years and Counting
All right, let's go back a ways. Let's go back twenty-two years to when I was an innocent fifteen-year old. Someone, and for the life of me I can't remember exactly who, borrowed me a cassette tape called "Garage Days Re-revisited" by a band called Metallica.
Up to that point, my musical tastes had been largely banal. Nick at Nite told me that the Monkees were pretty "swell" - and I loved listening to them. I'd dipped my toes into the Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses well a bit too, but I wasn't head over heels into them like some of my peers.
Then came Garage Days. When I heard that first Hetfield hum at the beginning of "Helpless" followed by Lars' ensuing drum beat, I was interested, but it was the Krunch that got me; that metal guitar Krunch that I became instantly addicted to and haven't been able to shake for almost a quarter of a century.
I bought "...And Justice for All" a few days after hearing "Garage Days," and I can remember lying on my bed, listening to the "Blackened" intro, looking at the four guys wearing black on the folded out tape insert, and wanting to be them. I remember listening to and reading the lyrics, lyrics more intense and intelligent than any I'd ever heard before. Lyrics filled with anger and honesty, lyrics filled with powerful disdain. At fifteen, this band was just what I needed. I worked my way back through Metallica's catalogue, picking up "Ride the Lightning," and "Master of Puppets," and "Kill 'em All."
Oh, those were good times.
I started wearing black. I started drawing poor imitations of Pushead skulls on my notebooks at school and on the bottom of my skateboard. I learned how to play bass and formed a band with some friends.
As I said, Good Times.
Metallica was my gateway band into the thrash metal world.This was all before the internet, kids, and when you wanted to find out what was going on in the world of your favorite band, you had to pick up Metal magazines at the newstand, which I quickly did to keep up with the Cap'n's of Krunch. In the process my eyes were opened to Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, Pantera, D.R.I., the Misfits, and so many more. I'd found my musical niche, a niche that perfectly reflected my attitudes and sensibilities. For a misfit that didn't know where to look for camaraderie and community, Thrash was a godsend. The music gave me a spark of identity, and the courage to do whatever I wanted without fear of scorn.
Okay. Fast forward twenty-two years to August of 2010. I went over to St. Paul with a friend of mine to see Testament, Megadeth, and Slayer live at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Before the show, Dave Mustaine, the lead singer and guitar virtuoso of Megadeth was siging his autobiography at a Borders in Minneapolis.
Despite what anyone thinks about Mustaine's demeanor or attitude, no one can dispute that he is one of the founders of the thrash movement, so I was stoked to meet him at the signing. After standing in line for close to two hours, I finally got up to the table and said, "Hello, Dave."
"Hello, Scotty." - (my name was on a post-it in the book)
"Just wanted to say that I really like your music. I've been listening to you guys and thrash metal in general for twenty-two years."
At this point, Dave stopped signing and thought for a moment before saying: "Twenty-two years. That's a long time, man."
I smiled. "Yes. It is."
"Well thanks for your support, Scott. I really appreciate it."
"Sure man. Have a great show."
And that was that. My encounter with Dave Mustaine. It was cool. Later that night, Megadeth put on a good show, and Slayer killed - no pun intended.
At thirty-seven years old, I like lots of different kinds of music. I listen to everything from Johnny Cash to Gwen Stefani to Lagwagon. And I still listen to Thrash Metal. And it's still my favorite.
Up to that point, my musical tastes had been largely banal. Nick at Nite told me that the Monkees were pretty "swell" - and I loved listening to them. I'd dipped my toes into the Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses well a bit too, but I wasn't head over heels into them like some of my peers.
Then came Garage Days. When I heard that first Hetfield hum at the beginning of "Helpless" followed by Lars' ensuing drum beat, I was interested, but it was the Krunch that got me; that metal guitar Krunch that I became instantly addicted to and haven't been able to shake for almost a quarter of a century.
I bought "...And Justice for All" a few days after hearing "Garage Days," and I can remember lying on my bed, listening to the "Blackened" intro, looking at the four guys wearing black on the folded out tape insert, and wanting to be them. I remember listening to and reading the lyrics, lyrics more intense and intelligent than any I'd ever heard before. Lyrics filled with anger and honesty, lyrics filled with powerful disdain. At fifteen, this band was just what I needed. I worked my way back through Metallica's catalogue, picking up "Ride the Lightning," and "Master of Puppets," and "Kill 'em All."
Oh, those were good times.
I started wearing black. I started drawing poor imitations of Pushead skulls on my notebooks at school and on the bottom of my skateboard. I learned how to play bass and formed a band with some friends.
As I said, Good Times.
Metallica was my gateway band into the thrash metal world.This was all before the internet, kids, and when you wanted to find out what was going on in the world of your favorite band, you had to pick up Metal magazines at the newstand, which I quickly did to keep up with the Cap'n's of Krunch. In the process my eyes were opened to Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, Pantera, D.R.I., the Misfits, and so many more. I'd found my musical niche, a niche that perfectly reflected my attitudes and sensibilities. For a misfit that didn't know where to look for camaraderie and community, Thrash was a godsend. The music gave me a spark of identity, and the courage to do whatever I wanted without fear of scorn.
Okay. Fast forward twenty-two years to August of 2010. I went over to St. Paul with a friend of mine to see Testament, Megadeth, and Slayer live at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Before the show, Dave Mustaine, the lead singer and guitar virtuoso of Megadeth was siging his autobiography at a Borders in Minneapolis.
Despite what anyone thinks about Mustaine's demeanor or attitude, no one can dispute that he is one of the founders of the thrash movement, so I was stoked to meet him at the signing. After standing in line for close to two hours, I finally got up to the table and said, "Hello, Dave."
"Hello, Scotty." - (my name was on a post-it in the book)
"Just wanted to say that I really like your music. I've been listening to you guys and thrash metal in general for twenty-two years."
At this point, Dave stopped signing and thought for a moment before saying: "Twenty-two years. That's a long time, man."
I smiled. "Yes. It is."
"Well thanks for your support, Scott. I really appreciate it."
"Sure man. Have a great show."
And that was that. My encounter with Dave Mustaine. It was cool. Later that night, Megadeth put on a good show, and Slayer killed - no pun intended.
At thirty-seven years old, I like lots of different kinds of music. I listen to everything from Johnny Cash to Gwen Stefani to Lagwagon. And I still listen to Thrash Metal. And it's still my favorite.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
WGO or 9ML!!!!
So we'll title this one either "What's Going ON?" or "Nine Months Later..." - either one would work.
I see in the last post I was giving a laundry list of reasons why I wasn't blogging more. I suppose I could do that again, or I could just blog.
So what's going on? In the writing world, I continue to work on the final Delving book. Beyond that, well, everything is up in the air. There were a few other projects on deck, though whether or not they'll get written is really something TBD - that's to be determined.
What's happening in the larger writing world is certainly worth commenting on. It seems that Leisure has all but folded. When I first got into the professional writing racket almost a decade ago, Leisure was a company to shoot for. Now I'm hearing via all the author-written obits that the pub wasn't so esteemed behind closed doors. Let me say that they did a decent job of keeping that fact hidden from prying eyes. Wait a minute, before I get a deluge of hate mail, let me clarify something: a lot of my favorite authors have written books that I've loved under the Leisure banner. However, I didn't read everything Leisure put out, and apparently some "critics" have stated that not everything that Leisure put out was noteworthy. I guess you could really say that about any house, however, so perhaps the point is moot.
Everyone is talking about E Readers: "What's the price point going to be?" "Will the Ipad topple the Kindle?" "The conventional book is dead." "The Big Chains will fold because of the ebook."
The funny part is, I've never seen anyone sitting around reading an ebook. Perhaps I just live in an "e" resistant part of the country. Perhaps not.
I listened to a Studio 360 podcast yesterday in which Johnathon Franzen was interviewed. He stated that he thought the stagnation and loss of steam the white house was experiencing over the last six months only confirmed the fear that the country was "ungovernable". I thought that statement was genius.
I watched a Monster Quest program earlier this afternoon about crocodiles, and their return to power. A prehistoric crocodile, essentially the exact same model as the current crocodile, only forty feet long, fed on dinosaurs. When the dinosaurs died out, so did the "super" croc. Now, however, crocs are rising in both population and size again. Interesting program.
Contrary to popular opinion, I'm NOT going to be a Yeti for Halloween. If you think you can guess what I will be, take a shot.
There is a MOOSE on the horizon, and I can't wait to unleash it on you. More on the MOOSE project later.
Apparently I'm in a band again. We've named the outfit "Looking For Two's" and it's a compilation of my old friends, Jed (the Colorado Kid) and Aaron (the Original Duluth Shredder) and Pete, the brains behind the beast. I'm playing bass mostly, but guitar on a few tunes. So far we've got a wedding and two bar gigs booked. Sweet.
This has been fun. I hope you've enjoyed it. Let's do it again, soon.
I see in the last post I was giving a laundry list of reasons why I wasn't blogging more. I suppose I could do that again, or I could just blog.
So what's going on? In the writing world, I continue to work on the final Delving book. Beyond that, well, everything is up in the air. There were a few other projects on deck, though whether or not they'll get written is really something TBD - that's to be determined.
What's happening in the larger writing world is certainly worth commenting on. It seems that Leisure has all but folded. When I first got into the professional writing racket almost a decade ago, Leisure was a company to shoot for. Now I'm hearing via all the author-written obits that the pub wasn't so esteemed behind closed doors. Let me say that they did a decent job of keeping that fact hidden from prying eyes. Wait a minute, before I get a deluge of hate mail, let me clarify something: a lot of my favorite authors have written books that I've loved under the Leisure banner. However, I didn't read everything Leisure put out, and apparently some "critics" have stated that not everything that Leisure put out was noteworthy. I guess you could really say that about any house, however, so perhaps the point is moot.
Everyone is talking about E Readers: "What's the price point going to be?" "Will the Ipad topple the Kindle?" "The conventional book is dead." "The Big Chains will fold because of the ebook."
The funny part is, I've never seen anyone sitting around reading an ebook. Perhaps I just live in an "e" resistant part of the country. Perhaps not.
I listened to a Studio 360 podcast yesterday in which Johnathon Franzen was interviewed. He stated that he thought the stagnation and loss of steam the white house was experiencing over the last six months only confirmed the fear that the country was "ungovernable". I thought that statement was genius.
I watched a Monster Quest program earlier this afternoon about crocodiles, and their return to power. A prehistoric crocodile, essentially the exact same model as the current crocodile, only forty feet long, fed on dinosaurs. When the dinosaurs died out, so did the "super" croc. Now, however, crocs are rising in both population and size again. Interesting program.
Contrary to popular opinion, I'm NOT going to be a Yeti for Halloween. If you think you can guess what I will be, take a shot.
There is a MOOSE on the horizon, and I can't wait to unleash it on you. More on the MOOSE project later.
Apparently I'm in a band again. We've named the outfit "Looking For Two's" and it's a compilation of my old friends, Jed (the Colorado Kid) and Aaron (the Original Duluth Shredder) and Pete, the brains behind the beast. I'm playing bass mostly, but guitar on a few tunes. So far we've got a wedding and two bar gigs booked. Sweet.
This has been fun. I hope you've enjoyed it. Let's do it again, soon.
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