I want to scream!

Edvard Munch “The Scream” made in 1893, let it be known kiddies, if you paint on cardboard you too might be able to sell it for 120 MILLON dollars! 

Yup, that's it, really

You think Edvard ever thought that this work would sell for that? “Hey, hon. Check this out! It’s worth 120 million. Don’t toss out those pizza boxes!”

Picked up a few books on Grammar, by reading this you might be able to tell I haven’t read them yet! Actually I started to look at one and I’ve read about linking verbs now. Then I tossed the book aside and did a few pages of edits for my book. I’m not sure if it’s helping or making it worse. I need my editor to come back from Comic-Con so that I can hear how bad I messed things up.

To this end; I think that my idea of broken grammar should be "art" that people should mail me 120 million dollars for the privilege of owning the rites all my first draft manuscripts. For that price I'll even throw in the movie rights, go ahead, you can have them, now give me the hat made of money.

Speaking of second, third, and fourth drafts (and on and on), I'd like to say that I'm super deep into my next draft of my book. But that wouldn't be a true statement. After collecting feedback from a few places, there are a few overhauls that need to be done on the start of the book. One of the ongoing themes every published author told me; I need to make sure that every book can stand alone. I'm doing some work that should help this, but I'm not looking for a complete reboot of the book. Some of the changes that I'm doing will require a few fixes to the first book too. I'm not sure how that will look to the people have already bought my first book, but I promise that you aren’t missing anything. In fact, I can say that you have more with your current edition than the updated one.

Something that keeps picking at the back of my mind is that I watched other well published authors do all things that I'm currently doing. Such as; large info dumps, and making books that can't stand alone. I guess I'm not allowed to break these rules till I'm well established.

Dern it.

Once I'm famous I'm going to turn in a dog turd and say "Publish it, I'm the Dufalo bitch!"

AHHH the soft and fluffy dreams of authors...

Okay that was a way off subject rant! Long story short (too late), I've got a new draft of the start of how Corporate Policy and I'm about toss the first two chapters over the wall to my editor to take a look through. I have to have all these pages on my copy editor's desk by August first. (Love ya Amie!)

For all those that went to Comic-Con international it sounded like it was an epic showing, I didn't go, not my thing. The wife went, so it's just been the boys around the house over the week, we watched GUY movies, GUY pizza in, and GUY eating out! So guy hygene, lets just say the boy needed a bath by Friday :)

If they did an "All-the-Hawt-Chicks-From-All-the-Sci-Fi-Shows-That-You-Love-Con" I would be there, I'd help put it on, I'm sure I'd be arrested by the end of the first day of panels. But till they do that con, I'm going to stick to the conventions that have something to do with learning from or talking with authors in smaller settings. Orycon is this November and I'm going to go. Rusty-Con is in Tacoma Washington sometime this summer/fall? I'm going to have to see if that one is worth going to.

Books I’m currently reading:

This area is slow while I get heavy into edit mode. I have a lot of paper all around me trying to make heads or tails out of my story. Here take a look:

Ahh, my heart tries to stop just looking at it.
Wait, what am I doing with that can of air...

Ok back to books now.

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - I'm only like 1/3 through the book, maybe a bit more. It's good so far, but we haven't reached the "other shoe drops" moment in the book so I'm holding out for that.

Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan - I'm only 5% into this book, but O.M.G. (Yeah that's right, I put periods in there, what you going to do about it?) funny as hell. I can't wait to have a little more time on my hands to take this novel of hilarity in larger helpings. It was on Max Berry's reading list, so I had hope. With the limited sampling I've had, it has lived up to billing.

Movies:

2001 - That right suckers! I bought it on Blue Ray and watched it! The transfer was AMAZINGBALLS (This is the new hip word I hear. You have to follow these conversations at your coffee shop so you too can stay cool.) My brother thought that 2001 was MUCH better than 2010, now that I have watched them back to back, I think that he's totally right. My opinion has flipped someone call the papers.

Bringing up Baby - An 1938 movie that I heard about in the back of Dean Koontz's Tick Tock (PS if you haven't read this book, just put the blog down now and go read it...then come back) It's labeled by Dean as a "Screwball comedy" and I believe it was one of the inspirations for Tick Tock. (There is some other author, James Patterson that made a book called Tick Tock, don't read that one. You're reading the wrong book!) I watched the movie after ordering it on Netflix, and then turned around and bought a copy to keep for my very own! It was best movie of 1938!* (Note: This is a blanket statement with no true facts or research to back it up. I didn't even know the movie was release in 1938 till I looked it up, right now.)

Music:

Mirrored by Battles - IN LOVE! I'm trying to think of what they are like...Maybe Spiritualized? I hear a live recording of Atlas and I was hooked at once!

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple - So, Fiona, that whole thing is the title? Wow this the best CD since "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right" (bolded for your pleasure) No, now that I think about it... Wait I forgot what I was saying while typing that title.

Oh right, When the pawn... was better, but I wanted to take this moment to show people this isn't her longest title, she's cut back. I love how she use "Cuz", great way to keep that letter count down. Hell it doesn't matter what she releases, I'll buy it all, her voice is like ear crack to me.

That is enough for this week!

I'll chat with you soon!

Robert