Ink Gorilla has moved

Howdy everyone,

Things came together over at the new site quicker than I thought. You can find the Ink Gorilla over here, now.

Please redirect your feeds accordingly. I'm still tweaking some things, so bear with me as I settle in.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you at the new place!

This Site Will be Moving

I'm in the process of updating my blog and transferring it to a hosted domain. For those of you following along in RSS, I wanted to give you a heads up that Ink Gorilla will be moving.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!

Zombie Day!

Rigor Amortis has launched today, and you can get your very own copy on Amazon.

As of right now, we're ranked #77 top sellers in horror! Wow.

Big thanks to my editors Erika Holt and Jaym Gates for bringing this fine collection to, uh, life. Also major props to my fellow contributors John Remy, Galen Dara, Kaolin Fire, Wendy Wagner, and many many more! I can't wait to get my copy!

Today's pretty busy, but stop back by next week for more zombie musings.

My Own Personal Zombie Week: Why do we Love Zombies?

Rigor Amortis, an anthology of zombie romance, erotica, and horror from Absolute XPress, debuts on Friday. I'm very pleased to have a story appearing in the collection.

A good friend of mine asked me recently what attracted to me to zombies. Why did I write about them? I recoiled in horror. "I'm not attracted to them at all," I insisted. 

Frankly, zombies have never been my thing--I prefer (non-sparkly) vampires and werewolves, ghosts and unspeakable horrors from beyond. We all know how zombie stories end: we are consumed or we live to be consumed another day. Hey, just like real life. 

Of course, in recent years, there's a new breed of zombies shuffling down the block. Zombies in games like Left for Dead and films like Zombieland pursue their prey rather...vigorously. 

Back to my friend's question. Obviously my kneejerk answer isn't fully honest. I mean, I wrote a story about a zombie stripper, so I have to find them at least a little compelling, right?

I got to thinking about society's fascination with the undead, how these monsters mirror the angst of the culture they inhabit. You can't get a much better encapsulation of the Victorian psyche than the modern vampire. They are pale (almost consumptive), with unearthly beauty and a disdain for the rigid social and sexual mores of the late 19th century. In the 1950s, we start to see undead who are mindless, shuffling masses, or slaves to sinister masters with nefarious plans for wholesome young Americans. The zombie mythology was already firmly established, but I can't help wonder if fears of the "Communist Horde" didn't influence the way zombies were portrayed back then.

21st century zombies are brutal predators. No longer content to amble up to the brain-pan for a nosh, they leap out of the shadows and devour us with flashing teeth in explosions of blood and gore. We, the ultimate consumers, are just so much chum to be eaten.  

There's always something sexy about predators in the stories we tell ourselves, isn't there? And Power is a potent aphrodisiac. Compare the Victorian vampire versus the 21st Century Zombie. What does it say about our cultural state of mind when we invite these monsters to share the most intimate of embraces?

I'm looking forward to seeing what my fellow contributors say about that come Friday. 

I'd love to hear your own thoughts in the meantime. 

Rigor Amortis (putting the 'rot' in erotica)

I'm very pleased that my story "Take it Off" will appear in Absolute Xpress' upcoming zombie erotica anthology, Rigor Amortis. For some of you reading this blog (or watching my Twitter/Facebook streams), this is old news: but now I have a shiny new link to the official website! Click it, you know you want to!

I'm delighted to be included with so many talented (and twisted) authors. Many thanks and congrats are due to editors Jaym Gates and Erika Holt for all their hard work in bringing this anthology to, er, life.

You'll be able to get your copy starting October 1 on amazon.com and smashwords.com



(The author assumes no responsibility if you experience sudden cravings for brainnnnnssssss upon reading...) 

Unintended Benefits of Clarion West: No. 37 in a Series*

*(actually the first in a series, but there will be more.)

I expected to go to Clarion West and whip my writing into shape. I also expected that my body would surely suffer from lack of sleep, the endless hours of slaving away at an overheating laptop, my body sustained by poor choices of sustenance such as Fritos, moon pies and ice cream.**

As it turns out, I lost about 8lbs at Clarion West, and it wasn't due to stress, either. I didn't have a car in Seattle, so most of the time I walked wherever it was I needed to go:  the coffee shops to write, to fantastic Korean hot-pot shops to slurp noodles, to the zoo (with a little help from the bus)...

I probably walked 2-3 miles a day and sometimes more. It made a big difference to my mood, my stamina, and general well-being. I've found that since I've gotten back to L.A. ("Nobody walks in L.A!") that I've been restless without those daily walks.  I'm going to the gym 3-4 times a week, but it just isn't quite the same.  Pushing for more active weekends helps.

My diet has changed a bit, too. I'm eating a lot less meat now--something I've been trying to do for awhile. Some of my fellow Clarionites were definitely an influence -- when you share meals you learn to enjoy what other folks love.

When I posted a couple of weeks ago that Clarion West changed my life, I wasn't just talking about the writing and the great new friends. This is the best I've felt in a long time, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep feeling this way.


**many gallons of ice cream were consumed at Clarion West. You have been warned, future workshop attendees.

How Stretchy is the Future?

The other day, I was listening to NPR's excellent Planet Money podcast--an episode on Prohibition and whether FDR drank moonshine before being elected president and getting the 18th Amendment repealed.

It's an amusing (and informative) show, but one of the things that struck me was the discussion on inelastic goods. These are things that people will buy no matter how high the cost rises. Some good examples are tobacco, coffee, and gasoline. Our insatiable demand for booze is one of the things that doomed Prohibition, in fact.

These are pretty classic examples, and have been more or less constant for the last century (if not much, much longer). Now I'm wondering about the next century...

What are the nearish future's inelastic goods & services? What will we be unable to live without?

I think bandwidth is a likely contender. Whatever the internet looks like in 100 years or so, we're going to want to get connected and stay connected. We seem to be on the road to augmented reality (virtual overlays on the real world through our glasses, iThingies, phones) and this information will only become more and more vital to our everyday living. See Jack Graham's excellent two-part post on shareable.net for more on that.

But what else? It's easy to believe that medical insurance (in the U.S. at least) will continue to be in high demand, despite the costs. I can imagine some life extension therapies might be high demand and high price, but I don't see them as commonly available as something like alcohol, but you never know.

Education, perhaps?

I'm also thinking if some of the worst predictions about global warming and resource depletion come true, we'll be seeing some pretty high prices on staple food crops--maybe even on the processed junk. People gotta eat.

What about water? Especially in the southwest, where drought conditions are already prevalent, how much would you pay for a glass of water? Would you have a choice?

A lot of question marks in this article, but it has got me thinking. Feel free to comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Six Things I learned at Clarion West

Some of you may stumble upon my blog looking for tidbits about what to expect from the Clarion West experience. Maybe you're thinking about applying (you should) or maybe you've just learned you got in (yay!)--but either way, you're dying to know what happens on the inside.

Here, then, is a small peek into the mysterious inner workings of the workshop.

1.  Apply steady pressure and it'll be okay.
2.  The Zombie Apocalypse is survivable. 
3.  Fear nothing, especially spiders. 
4.  Always wear a life jacket. There be sirens on the reef. 
5.  The only thing creepier than one doll's head is eighteen of them.
6.  All things in moderation. Especially sleep. Especially during Week 6.

Your experience may vary, of course.

Clarion West: There and Back Again

I'm back.

Six Weeks. At least 21,000 words written, and close to half a million words read (~100 stories). Six great instructors, and seventeen other very talented writers. Plus two wonderful administrators, at least ten guest speakers, a great cook, numerous gracious volunteers and supporters.

Uncountable great conversations with like-minded souls, too many plates of delicious food eaten (ooo fried cheese curds). Vats of ice-cream consumed, at least a few beers and glasses of wine and whiskey.  Many miles walked around Seattle (and paddled upon Lake Union).

Many, many new friends and some I now think of as "family." 

And--

Well, here's the thing. My first response is to try and boil down the Clarion West experience to all these quantifiable things so that I can more easily explain it to people. But the six weeks I spent in Seattle defy easy explanation.

I hope in the coming weeks and months on this blog to talk a little about what the workshop meant to me--but I'm honestly still too busy processing the experience right now to form a coherent summary of everything I learned during the most life-changing of all the summer vacations I've ever had. 

For now, all I can say is: If you're an aspiring writer who feels they are just on the verge of a professional career, but you feel like you need something to boost you to the next level--consider applying for one of the Clarion workshops.

It will change your life, too. 

The One Where we Update the Blog (New Acquisitions Pt1)

I'm not going to be able to blog about my time here at Clarion West very often, as the experience is too raw, too new to comment on any specifics (and I'm too busy writing, anyway). I will say I am having the time of my life with some talented, amazing people.

In the meantime, enjoy some random photos documenting my used bookstore obsession.

That is all.

Reading, Writing (and Eating)

I have a lot to do before I head to Clarion West this summer. Aside from all the normal things one does to prepare to leave town for an extended period (catch up on work deadlines, buy plane tickets, finish home improvement projects, spend lots of time with wife and cats), I have been doing a lot of reading and writing as well. 

I love a good story, and have always loved reading, but sometimes it feels like a luxury instead of something "I should be doing." As an aspiring writer, it's ridiculous to consider reading as some frivolous luxury, of course, but sometimes that old Protestant guilt kicks in. Stoopid guilt. 

One convenient consequence of Clarion West coming up is that it gives my brain plenty of ammo to use against Mr. Guilt. "Hey, I'm doing homework, bugger off!" It's working so far, and I'm knee-deep in a best of Locus Awards collection, a book of Michael Bishop's short stories, and Ian McDonald's Desolation Road. I am enjoying them immensely, and have another pile of books to dive into with wild abandon just as soon as I'm done! 

And I've been writing, too. I was well underway on a short story before I got the call about the workshop, but I hit a bit of a narrative snag. Too many characters, I think, and I'm trying to cull out a few to see if the story sags without them. In the meantime, while in the midst of painting a room we're renovating, another story hit me out of the blue, and three hours later, I had a solid draft I felt great about. A week of edits on the new one and I'm still excited. It's very different from the things I've written so far. 

I usually don't indulge those bolts out of the blue -- after all, it's important to finish what you start. I'll just make notes and leap on the new ideas when I'm done with the old ones. But sometimes a story takes you and throws you across the room and you can't ignore that. My winning entry for Clarion West was a bolt-out-of-the-blue story, and you see where that got me!

On the eating front, my wife continues her 52 Cuisines series for her blog, so that means every week we sample some of the great international cuisines that a big city like L.A. has to offer. It's rich material for the mind (and stomach) and fuels my intense desire to learn everything about everything... a good trait for a writer, I think. 

Breaking Radio Silence (Good News!)

I love to write, but blogging is hard work!

I realized it's been January since I've updated here, though I ramble on quite at length on Twitter and Facebook. Ah, the power of short-attention-span-social media! But I wanted to break radio silence for another reason, something I've been sitting on, waiting for all the dust to settle.

I've been accepted to the Clarion West 2010 Writers' Workshop in Seattle!

For those not in the know, Clarion West (along with its sister workshops Clarion*  and Clarion South**) is an intensive six week "boot camp" for writers. The emphasis is on short stories, and has a strong bias towards writing in the speculative fiction genre -- i.e., fantasy and science and weird fiction. The instructors themselves are writers and editors with loads of experience, awards, and generosity who come and teach for a week at a time.

Attending Clarion has been a dream of mine for many years, but as a freelance artist, finding the time and money to do so has always been a sketchy propostion at best. This year I carved out the time to go and took a stab at it.

I got the call on a Friday night, and I think I must have repeated "I'm going to CLARION!" every five minutes to my patient (and very supportive!) wife all weekend long. In all honesty, I'm still in a little shock and disbelief that I was accepted.

I'll be posting more here about writing and Clarion West very soon. But for now, I'd like to congratulate all my fellow classmates -- I can't wait to meet you all! To the instructors, readers, and staff of Clarion West -- thank you!

And to those of you who applied and didn't get in this time -- keep trying! 


* the original workshop that started them all!
** easier for aspiring Austrailian writers to get to...

2009: Five Books I Have Read

Happy 2010 Everyone!

We have spent the day reflecting on the year that has passed and the year that is to come. And so I've been thinking a lot about writing and reading. One of my goals (I won't say "resolution") is to keep a log of what I've read so I can better remember. No doubt some of those entries will also appear here on my blog, so keep your eyes peeled.

My final entry on the "5 Things" theme is on books I read in 2009. I read a lot, so this list barely scratches the surface of the dozens of books I've enjoyed all or in part this year. I certainly recommend them all to you, though of course your mileage may vary. Each of these transported me to their respective worlds in a memorable way.

And in no particular order...

Finch by Jeff Vandermeer

The final chapter in Vandermeer's Ambergris series, Finch is a noir detective story set in the decaying city occupied by fungal overlords. If that isn't a hell of a hook, I don't know what is. While obviously connected to the previous stories set in Ambergris, Finch stands on its own just fine -- perfect for me since it's the first one I've read.

Detective John Finch works to unravel the mystery surrounding an unusual double murder on behalf of his mushroom masters. Finch and his city really come to life in Vandermeer's staccato, tactile prose. Finch is as fallible and anti-heroic as you expect any good noir detective to be. The mystery is weird, gets weirder, and ends with explosive consequences for Finch and his city.

I was fortunate enough to meet Jeff when I attended his "Booklife" seminar in Seattle in November. He talked about the challenges of adapting the detective genre to a fantasy novel. I think he managed it quite well. Thanks Jeff!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I've already done a couple of blog entries on this, but it definitely belongs on this list, too.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Another great noir detective story, this time set in a far future where people store their minds on cortical stacks and "resleeve" them into cloned bodies whenever the old body wears out. With such serial immortality in the offing, you wouldn't think murder would be much of a problem -- just resleeve a backup stack into a new body and you're back in business (if you can afford it, that is). But former UN super-soldier Takeshi Kovacs is pulled out of deep storage to investigate why a prominent businessman was murdered. Kovacs' client? A resleeved backup of the murdered man.

Altered Carbon is an electrifying page turner, full of lurid sex and cyberpunk-style violence. It challenges fundamental assumptions of what it means to be mortal--what it means to be human--when the rich and powerful can wear whatever body they want. Protagonist Kovacs is even more of an anti-hero than Finch. Both are unwilling detectives with tortured pasts, but Kovacs is closer to his feral nature. He's a brutal, deadly opponent, wielding the memories of a thousand lifetimes like knives. He's sometimes hard to sympathize with, but that serves to make our peeks at Kovacs' vulnerable side more meaningful.

The sequels to Altered Carbon (Broken Angels and Woken Furies) are also quite good, but they didn't have quite the same impact on me as did Altered Carbon.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

My wife has been encouraging me to read this for years, and I'm so glad I finally did. It's a classic story of well-meaning white missionaries who go to Africa (in this case, the Congo) and manage to ruin their lives in the process. Told from the point of view of the Mother and the four daughters in alternating chapters, the family's disentegration under its inflexible patriarch and naivete is one of the most damning, haunting, true things I've read.

The Poisonwood Bible can at times be painful to read, but it's a tale well-worth savoring. The characterizations of the four daughters is especially memorable. My favorite was Adah.

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

A book of ten short stories, each with a different main character, but linked to the other tales by overlapping events and characters. We start and end with misguided Quasar, a member of a Tokyo doomsday cult who helps perpetrate a sarin nerve-gas attack -- yet who is not entirely unsympathetic. Through the other stories, we experience themes of reincarnation, chance, artificial intelligence, and quantum physics.

Ghostwritten is definitely on my list to re-read.


Other Notables: Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente, Folktales of China edited by Wolfram Eberhard, Soul of a People: The WPA Writers’ Project Uncovers Depression America by David A. Taylor

Still Reading: Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Trial of Flowers by Jay Lake, and Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón


What did you read in 2009?

Still so much left to read!

(dr)Ink Gorilla: 5 Things I Drank.

Continuing from the previous post, (and with all the similar caveats), here are 5 memorable drinks I enjoyed in 2009.

Blood and Sand Cocktail (Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in San Francisco)

Likely named for the Rudolph Valentino movie about bullfighters, this drink is one of my favorites, though with Scotch as its base spirit, it's an unusual one. Scotch, Orange Juice, Cherry Heering, Sweet Vermouth.

This was my birthday cocktail this year, and we had a fabulous meal at Absinthe following our drinks.

For those adventurous souls who'd like to try it out, here's the recipe.

Fernet Cocktail (for Mixology Mondays)

This is a cocktail of my own devising, my entry into Mixology Mondays "Amaro" theme a few months back. I don't include it here so much for the taste and enjoyment of the cocktail (my feelings are still mixed on using Fernet Branca as an ingredient) but for the process of developing it. I had a blast choosing ingredients, juggling proportions, and in general playing alchemist to find the perfect concoction.

Octomore Whisky from Bruichladdich

Thanks to being a member of a very active whisky-tasting club, I have had the privilege of trying a range of spirits this year, with an emphasis on single-malt scotch. Octomore is billed as one of the peatiest, smokiest beasts around, and it does not fail to deliver. I'm a big fan of the Islay malts, with their strong peat and smoke components, so it was love at first sip with this one.

Sazerac Rye 18-year old

Named as the world's top whisky by renowned whisky authority Jim Murray (beating out Ardbeg Supernova for the top spot, no less!) this is super smooth stuff, with the pleasant notes of peppery sharpness you expect from rye. Rye seems to be making a comeback -- for many years it's been eclipsed by its cousin bourbon.

Sazerac Cocktail (Rob Roy, Seattle)

I wish that Anu and Zane Apte's Rob Roy in Seattle was in my neighborhood. In Seattle over the weekend for a class, I slipped into Rob Roy late on a Sunday night and was immediately made right at home by Anu's warm welcome. She mixed me a Sazerac, a classic New Orleans cocktail that's hard to find, and even harder to find done right. Anu's Sazerac was mellow, spicy, and redolent of New Orleans' old-world charm. Believe me, I was sorely tempted to stay at Rob Roy until closing and then just head right for the airport for my 5 a.m. flight.


A Few more for the Road: 
Ardbeg Supernova (Scotch), Zubrowka-Champagne Cocktail (from our Uzbeki Feast, thanks Chuck!), Vesper Martinis (for our Casino Royale-themed holiday party).

5 Things I Ate in 2009

2009 is coming to a close, so it's naturally time for a little reflection. I thought I'd start by noting some of the most memorable things I ate. No, nothing too exotic like bugs and corn fungus (that was sooo 2008), but still some tasty morsels nonetheless. Another caveat: There were of course many wonderful things to eat in 2009, and this list only scratches the surface.

So, in no particular order....

Foie Gras Loco Moco (Animal Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA)
The classic Hawaiian favorite spiffed up with a quail egg, kobe beef hamburger, and a generous slice of foie gras (oh yeah, and Spam!) Sounds weird, but so very tasty. Everyone looked at me funny when I ordered, but those looks turned jealous when it arrived! Herself blogged a much more detailed account of our meal if you're interested in reading more about it, here. (She's the primary food blogger in the household, after all!)

Pork Belly (Palate Restaurant, Glendale, CA)
I wish I could remember the exact name of the roast pork belly dish we ate at Palate, but my memory of it remains clear: crispy on the outside yet buttery and tender inside. We were there for a special cheese-themed menu, but when one of our dining companions spied the next table enjoying this, he just had to order it. And to think, we were about to start in on the dessert course as it arrived! No worries, I prefer salt to sweet anyway.

Salcisson Alsacienne "Hot dog" (Hot Doug's in Chicago)
Mmmm. Bacon sausage with triple creme brie, creme fraiche, and grilled onions. Oh, and duck fat fries.
It was an artery-hardening experience for the ages, and so very tasty. Hot Doug's was too crowded to eat it there, so we had to carry the dogs back to our friend's apartment before we devoured them. Those fries were still crispy, though!



The dog in the foreground is the "Keira Knightley"-- a spicy polish-style dog. It was good, but didn't measure up to the gooey goodness of the Salcisson Alsacienne.

Bacon Fudge (Herself, our kitchen)

Herself loves developing recipes, and this was one of my favorites this year: a chocolate fudge with walnuts & bacon, plus a little sea salt sprinkled on top. It's seriously good stuff if you can handle the sweet/savory combo. It's not for everyone, but that just means more for me! It's very rich though, so usually one piece is more than enough.

Uzbeki Meal (Charlie Perry cooks in our kitchen)

Charlie Perry, food historian, writer, and regular contributor to the LA Times food section offered to come and cook an Uzbeki meal at our house as part of Herself's "52 Cuisines" series. There was Qowurma Palow (a beef pilaf), Ui Noni (flat bread), Oshqowoq manti (pumpkin dumplings), and the remarkable Anor Wa Piyaz Salatosi, a salad of onion and pomegranate. All of the food was excellent, but the onion salad really stands out not only for its striking appearance but also my surprise at just how tasty raw onions could be!


Sense a pattern? 4 out of 5 of these dishes contain pig (I'm counting the Spam in the Loco Moco regardless of how much pig it may or may not contain).  I'm a sucker for the oink. I've had incredible beef, wonderful duck (a whole blog in and of itself), but pork is my go-to buddy when I'm in a carnivorous mode.

So i guess 2009 was the Year of the Pig.

(as will 2010 be, no doubt!)

Honorable Mentions (ie, I remembered them too late for this list)
nduja: a spreadable Calabrian Salami, Epoisses from Epicure Imports, and Jasper Hill Farms Winnemere cheese. 


I'd better stop before this list becomes 5-0 things i ate... 

Trampling Out the Vintage (Read: Grapes of Wrath)

I finished reading John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath a few weeks ago. I'd intended to write about it a lot sooner, but long hours at work and the usual Holiday Madness torpedoed my good intentions until now.

Plus, the darn thing is just so weighty, I needed some time to think about it.

Spoiler alert: I'm going to talk a little about some plot points in the novel, so if you haven't read it, don't read further unless you mind a little revelation. 


I probably won't add any amazing new insights on The Grapes of Wrath here -- it is one of the most acclaimed and book-reported novels of all time, after all. But there a few things I'd like to talk about in terms of how it impacted me.

First, I think I was surprised by how political the novel was. I know that Steinbeck was a fairly vocal author on the Big Issues of his day, but knowing that and reading that were two different things. The interstitial chapters and their folksy monologues were just about the most damning essays I've ever read on the essential truths of the American way of life. Yet they also seemed --to me at least-- celebrations of the very thing they condemned: the small but deep ways in which Americans show their compassion to their fellow human being or look out for their loved ones. What a tangled web we weave!

Of course, much of the celebration (and criticism) of the book concerns the gloomy picture Steinbeck painted of Depression-era America. Some critics accused him of playing up the bad stuff, and Steinbeck says he underplayed it, not wanting to reveal how truly horrible the Hoovervilles and working conditions in California were at the time. I can say there were definitely parts of the book I didn't want to read because it was just so bleak. I felt like I was in an audience for a horror movie: 

"Turn back, Tom, don't get in the car!"
 or
"Aw Tom, don't talk to that deputy, you know he just wants to rile you up so he can arrest you!"

Ma Joad was the character I most identified with --  hands balled up in my lap, I sat in the cab of the Joad's Hudson Super-Six, just hoping we'd make it across the desert with the family intact. But deep down, I knew it wasn't to be, no matter how many times I told everyone it was going to be okay.

Speaking of the desert -- as usual, Steinbeck nails sense-of-place. I felt the dust under my tattered shoes, in my eyes, choking my lungs. I smelled the gasoline on the highway and the rotting metal of the scrapyard. Held my nose against the stench of the latrines in the camps and the rotting fruit in the orchards. The people they meet along the way are described in the vivid detail I expect from Steinbeck. I truly lived the journey west with the Joads. 

Finally, the image at the end of the book is one of the most talked about images at the end of ANY book -- and I was not expecting it. I'd managed to avoid any spoilers until about a week before when a friend said to me: "all I remember is there were breasts at the end."

Excuse me?!
Of course, it wasn't quite what I'd envisioned...

Rose of Sharon, barely recovered from her miscarriage, breastfeeds a starving man in the ultimate act of human compassion. It's not really clear whether the man lives or dies because of her act -- because the book ends immediately, branding that image indelibly into our minds forever.

Rose of Sharon spends most of the book a (somewhat understandably) selfish ass, so her sudden turn of compassion to me felt at first more like the author's hand than anything motivated by her growth as a human being. The scene would be perfect on a poster for the Socialist Party or in the editorial pages. (Perhaps it has been used in both places?)

Steinbeck and I probably share some of the same socio-political views, but the image felt a little forced to me -- a sudden collision between the interstitial essays and the main narrative -- or a superimposition of the final title card as the credits roll. It didn't help that I was on a marathon read at 3am, determined not to sleep until I read the final chapters and learned the final fate of the Joads.

Of course, we never do learn what happens next. They are transfigured into powerful symbols of progress and hope as John Steinbeck saw them. And as I wonder what further roads they traveled after Rose of Sharon's compassionate act, that final image has remained with me. That's what you hope for when you sit down to read a book.

Elder Geek from Beyond the Stars

As part of their kick-off to Cthulhu Month, Tor.com has a great profile of Howard Phillip Lovecraft as an Ur-Geek by Stephen H. Segal, the editorial/creative director at Weird Tales.

HPL's been a big influence on me, but I'm glad I never roleplayed in any of his horror games. I bet he was a vicious GM.

Check out all the Cthulhu related, er, madness this month over at Tor.com.

The Joad Less Traveled (Reading: The Grapes of Wrath)

Here I am, untold years out of high school and finally getting around to reading The Grapes of Wrath. (Sorry for the pun in the title. I just couldn't resist.)

It's been high on my "to read" list for quite some time, but kept dropping to the perpetual back of the line like some Jean Claude Van Damme movie on my Netflix Queue everytime something new came along. And in case you think I'm a total jerk for comparing one of the Greatest Novels Ever Written to JCVD,  I should point out that my favorite book is East of Eden. (I don't know whether that absolves my sin or compounds it...)

I just started reading, so I don't have a lot of well-formed opinions on the novel yet -- other than as usual, Steinbeck does a wonderful job of evoking character through place. Few worlds are as vivid to me as Dust Bowl Oklahoma or Salinas, CA during the early 20th Century thanks to his masterful prose. I also appreciate the way Steinbeck warms up to a good story, and brings the reader in at the speed of a fierce summer afternoon and a down-home drawl. Which is to say -- he takes his time to unfold his tales. I think it's a style I have unconsciously emulated as I've explored my own worlds; though I'm aware it isn't a popular style these days. Slow beginnings are a tough inclination to fight. 

One of the other things that appeals to me about Grapes of Wrath is the promise of another great "Road Story." Some people love the hijinx of Capers. Others, the dark excitement of Thrillers. Or the War story. Me? I love being out on the Road.

It's a pretty basic conceit to take characters from their literal happy places and thrust them out into the wilderness, but it's one that resonates strongly with me. The mystery, danger, and opportunity that lurks upon the Dark Path Through the Wood promises untold excitement. The desolate road that snakes across the sun-baked desert strips the characters down to their core -- purifying them for the final test as surely as any sweat-lodge or baptism.

I moved around several times when I was growing up, and each move began with an equal measure of dread and excitement. Good-bye to old friends. What would the new place be like? Who would I meet? What would I see?

Summer vacations to the relatives always involved extended car trips as well. Plenty of time to gaze out the window and wonder "who lives in that house? what's the view like over that next mountain ridge? what's down that dark side-road we just drove past?"

It's a big topic, and one I'll explore more in other blogs, and probably even more so, in my fiction. In the meantime, though, here's a few Road Stories I've read and loved, and a few more I want to read. These are random samplings, and probably reveal some startling gaps in my literary education. Anyone have other suggestions?

Have Read:

The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien (the ultimate fantasy road trip, even though the quest genre doesn't quite grab me like it used to)

Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure, by Michael Chabon (a perfect homage to the old road/buddy genre with wonderful illustrations by Gary Gianni)

Moby Dick, By Herman Melville (Another classic. though the roads are a little wetter!)

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart (the first of the wonderful chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler (haunting. it hit me in the gut.)

Have Yet to Read (some obvious ones here):


The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (is that too obvious?)

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac (even more obvious)

The Stand, by Stephen King (I have a feeling I'd love this one)

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, by Jesse Bullington.  (newly released and sounds like it's right up my alley)

Bonus! (one of my favorite Road Pics):

Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg (and written by Richard Matheson. I musta watched this movie a million times growing up)

Woefully incomplete lists on all counts, but the Road goes ever, ever on...

End of Summer Update

Long time, no update blog.

It's been a busy summer, and I've been too preoccupied with stuff to blog much.

Facebook is one culprit. It's too easy to post micro-updates there -- and far more convenient for my lazy tastes! I also started a Twitter Feed, so I got a little overwhelmed will all the places I could say something -- and didn't know what to say. (I've also got a LiveJournal, but hey, I can haz moar overload?)

I also was also blogging a lot about my cocktail adventures, but I eased up on the drinkin', so I haven't had many recipes or stories to tell.

But for those of you who are following along at home, here's How I spent my Summer Vacation.

1) Chicago - We spent a week in the Windy City with our friends Bryan and Sara and had a wonderful time. I think I promised to blog about our time there, and never quite managed to. As a lazy shorthand, you can at least see some of the trip here.

2) Work. The animated feature I am working on is due out March 2010, and work has gotten a lot busier as we race towards our deadline. We're well on target though, and I'm really proud of the work we have done. I haven't had much time off, and Herself and I have been sticking close to home, enjoying food, drink, and friends without breaking the bank. Read more about our local adventures at Herself's blog, The Hungry Passport. (Really looking forward to aiding and abetting Herself's '52 Weeks' project!)

3) House Stuff. Owning a home is never dull, and we've been wrestling with a number of home improvement projects. Well, that is to say, we've been trying to figure out which ones to do! We've finally settled on redoing the bathroom -- and I'm sure some of that will leak it's way onto the blog in coming months. Other than that it's mostly been yard improvement and cleaning! Yuk!

4) Gaming. We got a Nintendo Wii, finally, and we've enjoyed the heck out of Wii Sports. But it's gotten a little stale. Anyone else have some recommendations on fun party games? I'm still doing a little RPGing, but it's mostly online now, as my core group has scattered somewhat to the four winds. Thankfully, there's this free Java-based app called MapTool, which has enabled us to keep playing despite the distance. Certainly beats carrying heavy books & minis around!

5) Movies. (and TV). We've cut way back on the hours spent in front of the TV. Too many other things we'd rather do. But Netflix and Hulu have been there for us -- in particular we've enjoyed Carnivale and True Blood. I don't mind saying that I have a definite preference for shows that aren't afraid to embrace fantastical talent. Carnivale is a particular gem whose time came too soon. HBO should have let this one play out. True Blood is also good, and its sense of humor keeps it fun -- but it still feels like a guilty pleasure -- a bag of Cheetos compared to the complex feast that was Carnivale.  Speaking of guilty pleasures, my friend Ix finally convinced us to take a look at Top Chef (Las Vegas) and we've been enjoying that, too!

6) The Beach. We've been a few times this summer but not nearly so much as we'd like. Ventura's been "discovered" and you have to go a little farther afield to avoid crowds and score a little space from the teeming masses of L.A. We did manage to get to Oxnard and take a boat cruise out to Anacapa Island a few weeks ago. We'd hoped to escape the heat and the smoke from the terrible Station Fire -- but the island was kind of a desolate piece of scrub-covered rock. Not smokey, but still hot. The best part was the boat ride -- and our dolphin escort!

7). Politics. I've been reading way too much about the Health Care "debate" and the only conclusion I've really come to is that I'm sick to death of what passes for political discourse in this country. Why all the yelling, people? Both sides seem unable to get their  &$#% together to reach any meaningful resolution to the issues. Americans want reform, it seems, but are rigid in their ideological positions, and unable to see the forest for the trees. /end rant. The Ink Gorilla does not really want to discuss politics on his blog - but just couldn't help himself this once.

8) Writing. Doing a lot of offline writing, and got myself on a schedule that allows me 1-2 hours a day. I'm loving it, and have been more productive than I ever was before. It seems I'm more of a morning person than I thought I was!

Fall is officially here, I guess, and there's a lot to look forward to. My folks will be visiting in a few weeks, and it's always great to visit and find fun things to do around SoCal while they are here. You can bet that it will include plenty of eatin' and drinkin'!

Aside from that, Herself and I will be celebrating 12 years together come October! Many w00ts, all 'round.

Take care of yerselves out there.


p.s. - trying a new look for the blog. 'Rounders' template just isn't doing it for me anymore! 

Home Again!

Herself and I have returned from our long-awaited trip to Chicago. We had a wonderful time, and our friends Bryan and Sara were wonderful hosts! Thanks guys!

Head's still a bit thick from the soggy-end of this damnable cold, and several hours spent in the the timeless gloom that is modern air-travel. So no major reports tonight -- but I aim to post a few entries about our trip over the coming week. Needless to say, we ate and drank every chance we got, but we didn't have many budget-busting meals. Dinner at the Beard-nominated Publican was the culinary highlight of the trip, and we tossed back several good drinks in honor of the vacation gods.

More tomorrow & soon....