New York, New York

Another virtual trip to New York--in the pages of Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland. (Check out her site here, though quite out-of-date, it is still chock-full of info, excerpts and artwork). The character of Clara is a wonder--smart, caring, and independent...Especially for the 1900s. I loved Vreelands attention to detail, from the intricately described mosaic patterns and glass-blowing techniques to the clothes Clara and the "Tiffany girls" wore. Though I will say that I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as Luncheon of the Boating Party or The Forest Lover, and my friends have echoed that sentiment.
Diane, a voracious reader friend, told me she "tried to read" the book but lost interest and never finished it. I almost gave up in the first fifty pages too, which I think was the fault of editing, rather than writing. (I also spotted more than a few glaring editorial errors, such as using the word "careening" for "careering" three times!) It never fails that if an author has gained some prominence (been on bestseller lists, won awards) she stops being well edited. Editors begin to fear the author, I guess, which is not good for the author at all...but the one who really suffers is the reader.
However, I'm being picky--big surprise--and I still recommend the book. How many books nowadays deal with a woman finding herself in a man's world, without turning into some sort of tough moll or cop or killer. This character, Clara, is an artists, down to her bones, but she is also a "modern" woman of her time--forced to make hard choices in life and love. And what a character LC Tiffany was; you'll definitely never look at a Tiffany lamp (or window) in the same way again.
Last but not least, I so enjoy New York novels--I loved strolling the familiar streets again, especially with the added attraction of the Gilded Age setting. It was a perfect follow up to Edward Rutherford's New York, The Novel which I enjoyed so much recently.
Here onboard the "Watchfire" (currently moored in beautiful Coronado, California) the latest news is the addition of a canine crew member named "Ready." It has been fun re-learning how to be a dog "owner" not just a dog lover. I'll try to find some dog books for an upcoming post.
Hasta pronto!

A Writers Conference and a Readers Contest

Yes, it's here--the Southern California Writers Conference begins tomorrow, up in Newport Beach. So, I'm finishing up my advance reads and polishing up my class notes. Packing can wait...And I've been reading SUCH fun stuff! Not only the advance reads--though a couple were VERY good--but also a book of essays and other nonfiction musings by a good friend who is also a fine writer (Can't say who, for now, as the manuscript is still being submitted to agents and editors, and so is still technically "under wraps.")
Nothing cheers me more than great non-fiction writing, which is why one of my workshops this weekend is "How to Write and Sell Gripping Nonfiction." (See my last post for info on the other SCWC class I'm co-teaching.) I think that too many new writers think that nonfiction is somehow the domain of doddering academics and dust-covered biographers. And it just ain't so! Some of the best books I've ever read have been nonfiction: "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"; "Under the Tuscan Sun"; The Log From the Sea of Cortez"; and "John Adams," to name a few exceptional works in different categories.
Speaking of my reading list, "Wolf Solent" is moving slowly and has been set aside for now--I may or may not return to it when I'm less swamped with "to do" reading lists. However, I am very much enjoying reading a new-to-me classic "The Way we Live Now" by Anthony Trollope, on Kindle.
And now, on to a contest...Readers Digest is sponsoring a "Life Story" contest where the entries must be under 150 words. (Winner gets $25,000) I think one must be on Facebook to enter, read, and vote for the best story; here is the link to my contest page. For those who have not yet succumbed to the relentless pressure and joined Facebook, here is my entry, which I called "Always/Siempre":
Married just six months, we took off for Mexico on a 26 foot sailboat. My grandfather once said “If you want to get to know someone, take a long trip in a small boat.” Suffice to say, we got to know each other. In the Sea of Cortez, the unspoiled beauty and the warmth of the people were the perfect backdrop to our honeymoon. Perhaps more importantly, we were in love and full of romance, so we found love and romance wherever we went. One day in an Immigration office (not known for either sentiment) I met a not-so-newlywed officer who talked about his beloved wife of ten years. He taught me the words “luna de miel” (honeymoon) and “siempre” (always) so he could admonish us to remain “siempre luna de miel.” We’ve
never forgotten his advice; it’s been twenty-two years, and we’re still on our honeymoon.
That's it--now you try writing a story in 150 words--it's great writing practice. And if you love the results, submit it--you might win $25k!
hasta pronto!

An award-winning anthology and more

Turns out I've been too busy to keep up with all my "children" (not the soap opera)...
The anthology for which I was prose editor, A Year in Ink vol 3

has won a San Diego Book Award in June.
It really is a fine collection of writers and their writing, both poetry and prose, and I'm so proud to have it selected for this honor. I see that my friends Judy Reeves, Laurel Corona, Nelson Copp, Ken Kuhlken, and John Woods also won awards, and "Best of the Best" winner was Drusilla Campbell, who I met at SCWC. I sure know a lot of good writers! See the list of winners here.
And for those who wonder what I've been up to that has kept me too busy for awards news, check out this video link to my new Kickstarter film project.
hasta pronto,

Depressing novels, new and old, and "singing fish"

Depressing sells books.
Nothing new here, but it never ceases to amaze me. My latest case in point is The Gathering from 2007...by Anne Enright, winner of the Man Booker Prize. The poverty and ignorance that pervades all modern Irish tales is one thing--sometimes those themes can be written in such a way as to be uplifting, even...but why does every post-modern novel (or is it post-post now?) published have to revolve around the lingering effects (depression, drugs, alcoholism, suicide) of some sort of childhood abuse?
I am also reading Crime and Punishment (click here for a public domain ebook), which isn't helping. Dostoevsky didn't just blame everyone's parents and teachers--and policemen and priests--he blamed society itself for the evils of society.
Both of these novels are gorgeously written, at times, but they are a sure cure for insomnia if taken in large doses. This is quite helpful when a loud hum goes through the hull of one's boat from about 2 am to 4 am, leading you to speculate on everything from illegal underwater generators to mysterious undersea divers and what they might be up to. Some local Catalina Harbor fishermen suggested it was the sound of local fish, "Midshipmen" by name--but we pooh-poohed that answer...Finally Googled "midshipmen fish" and "hum" and got this from wikipedia:
"Mating in midshipman fishes depends on auditory communication; males during the breeding season broadcast a sound usually described as a hum, generated by rapid contractions of the muscles in the swim bladder. The sound can be kept up for up to an hour, and is loud enough to be heard by (and to puzzle) people on nearby land and houseboats; the hulls of the boats tend to amplify the sound to sleep-disrupting levels. Reproductive females develop a selective sensitivity to this sound, and respond by laying eggs in the rock nest of a singing male."
Solves that mystery, and just goes to show what you can learn while out and about in a boat...The whole article, complete with illustration of the ugly devil is here.
hasta pronto!

Summer Reading Book Review: "Tinkers"

I'm not sure what it is that Pulitzer Prize judges look for in selecting winners, but it doesn't often coincide with popular taste--in fiction, at least. This year's choice, "Tinkers" a gorgeously written short novel by Paul Harding, won't change that.
As for me, I usually love one winner every other year...I thoroughly enjoyed 2008's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books), couldn't get into 2007's winner, The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Alfred A. Knopf), but I adored 2006's choice March by Geraldine Brooks (Viking). The books honored since 1948 are listed here, for those who care.
There's nothing wrong with Tinkers on a technical level--though some teachers might say none of the characters changed or grew noticeably; the writing is superb, but it never moved me, nor did I feel as though I ever got to know any of the characters.
I'm only a couple of chapters into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I already know I'll like it tremendously. I am beginning to get to know a couple of characters already, and the story is intriguingly convoluted. Some would say that the two books are so different that one should not compare them, but dang it, why else have a blog, if not to state one's opinion?
Most works of "literary fiction" read like assignments from an MFA writing program, and that bothers me--it especially bothers me when those books get all the awards and honors (because those sell books) but I needn't worry about the late Stieg Larsson's trilogy, as the three books are all solid bestsellers.
I do love that "Tinkers" was published by a small independent press, and that he's a debut novelist (he also has an MFA Iowa writers workshop!). Clearly, many people have loved the book, and I am certainly glad to have read it.
A note to those who wonder why I link to Amazon to buy books--if I'm so hot for independent bookstores and libraries, why promote Amazon?
Well, it's simple: I fervently hope you will buy these books from your favorite indie bookstore, or any bookstore, for that matter, but more important is that you actually buy books--from whomever!
Support booksellers and publishers alike, if you can, but without publishers the book business as we know it is dead and gone. Amazon is widely considered the enemy is much that is written about the modern book biz, but they at least pay their bills, and often on time--which is more than I can say for the chain bookstores (due to their intricate, no labyrinthine, billing and returns "process) and many of the indie shops (due to slow-to-stagnant cash flow).
Hasta pronto!

Short Summer Reading List and Some Recommendations

It takes a while for summer to feel like summer in Southern California...And this year the "June Gloom" has lasted well into July, shocking many of the tourists shivering on our beaches. But summer reading lists are always hot, so here goes:
My Short-List of Summer Reading:
Tinkers by Paul Harding
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
I'm only a couple of chapters into "Tinkers", but the book is beautifully written from page one (guess that's why it won the Pulitzer Prize, huh?). The other two I'm looking forward to on the strength of "popular" acclaim.
Odd to have 3 books on my reading list and not one woman author, but this summer started for me with "The Lacuna" which I'm still touting (along with C.M. Mayo's wonderful "Last Prince of the Mexican Empire.") And of course you know I've been re-reading some Austen this summer, one of my favorite authors.
As usual I'm reading some other classics as well, and I just finished The Old Curiosity Shop, by Charles Dickens, which I had never read. It was not his best story, by far, but it's full of strange, wounded, quirky characters who combine to make the whole book memorable. Some of his best "bad guys" are in his "worst" books.
There are some good new books out for young adults, too, and my friend John O'Melveny Woods' "Return to Treasure Island" is one of them. Obviously, it's a sequel to Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and a great deal of fun. The Foreword was written by LeVar Burton, who approached the book with caution, as did I, but was won over completely (well, duh, he wrote the Foreword, right?). Perfect for parents and kids to read together, this swashbuckling adventure story could lead to teenage boys actually wanting to read for fun...The author offers a free download of the original "Treasure Island" and a short prequel called the "Spanish Galleon" on his website, along with videos and puzzles, so there's family fun in the offing!
Another fine book out this summer for a mature Young Adult audience is Gary Winters' The Deer Dancer . I talked about this title before...But there are so few literary books written for this key audience, and even fewer are written about a Latino or Indian protagonist. The book recently won Best Book of the Year in a national contest and the honor is well-deserved.
I'm reading some good manuscripts this summer, too, and I'll expound on them at a later date...It's probably best for me to know when books will actually be coming out before going on and on about them.
hasta pronto!

Union-Tribune Arts and Books Demise, and Some Reasons for Hope

It's been a week since we heard that the San Diego Union-Tribune was firing its Arts and Books editor, Robert Pincus. Maybe "letting go" is what they call it. The new editor, Jeff Light, had a lot to say about the whole story, and here is his letter about the layoffs.
See how the Huffington Post weighed in on the story here.
I'm actually as concerned about the layoffs of Border beats as I am about the Arts cuts, though I will certainly miss Bob Pincus in all his many capacities. How is zero border coverage here in San Diego a good plan for the future?
Meanwhile, some of us here are still trying to help San Diego become a world-class literary and writing center--even a partial list is long: San Diego Writers, Ink; San Diego City Works Press; Read Local San Diego; the Southern California Writers Conference and the La Jolla Writers Conference; the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild; the Publishers and Writers of San Diego; the San Diego Book Awards Association; City College and Grossmont College (and SDSU, UCSD, & USD); dozens of hard-working, passionate independent bookstore owners and managers, and, of course, Sunbelt Publications and some other small presses.
The latest entry onto the local literary stage is Thorn Sully's A Word With You Press, which has a website worth visiting--there's lots of cool stuff to read and some fun contests for writers, too.
I guess I just wanted to say that there is a tremendous amount of wonderful work being done here by San Diego's literary community, not to mention great potential and promise...In spite of appearances to the contrary.
Hasta pronto!

Book Awards and Desert Travels

The month of June began with a fun evening at the San Diego Book Awards. Six of my "book babies" won top prizes, and many others took honors--our small press had fourteen finalists, between our published and distributed books.

I'm very pleased that Chasing a Dream in the Galapagos won first prize in the Travel category, because it isn't the usual thing for that genre. The author weaves together the story of her journey with a larger tale of the natural history of, and current conservation work in, the islands, plus a great deal of Darwin history and evolution lore, and enough of her personal family story to make you care.

Another winner was our popular history of the Cuyamacas written by Leland Fetzer, San Diego's busiest archivist, and author of four books on the region's history, place names, and even local gold mines.

And last but not least, the adorable Santa Claus and the Molokai Mules won for best children's picture book. I'll remind the world about this book come November--it's the perfect gift for any kid, surfer or wanna-be...Two cookbooks and an anthology we distribute also won awards: Flying Pans, Cicciotti's Kitchen, and Lavanderia an electic anthology of poetry, prose and art. For more on the San Diego book awards click here to go to their site and see the full list of books that took honors.
After basking in the limelight of the awards, and the validation of my peers, I took off some time and went on vacation!
Vacationing is odd when you live in one of America's vacation spots. We don't go looking for palm trees, gorgeous beaches, or sunsets over the waterfront, since we pretty much get that on a daily basis living on a boat in So Cal. We're drawn more to deserts, and there are some great desert locales near enough to drive over for lunch (or dinner). Luckily, this time we took a week, and drove to Palm Springs, where I had some "work" to do...Visiting a few resorts and bookstores in the area, touting Sunbelt's popular desert titles, like Palm Springs Legends by Greg Niemann. Russel and I visited Greg to pick up his manuscript for the upcoming Las Vegas Legends.
Anyway, there were umbrella drinks, and lazy pool-side days spent reading magazines and chatting with friends, and a big party with the usual fabulous fare. Our P.S. buddies really know how to live, and we love to visit--but not TOO often...Then we drove north to the Mojave Desert and through some starkly beautiful scenery, playing rock and roll and marveling at the amazing stands of Joshua Trees, enroute to visiting old friends with a new home in the Antelope Valley.
We are working on a new screenplay, set in the high desert, so this was the perfect setting for brain-storming about new plot lines. One day we took a hike by the California Aquaduct and talked about Chinatown (the link is to a book which contains Towne's original screenplay--arguably one of the best screenplays ever written) and the Owens Valley water debacle of years gone by.
Back home to work and more writing--we threw out much of the screenplay and are reworking it much leaner, and cleaner. Ahh, editing...
hasta pronto!