HUGE THANKS to everyone who responded via Twitter, Facebook, comments, email, and – what was that other thing? Oh yes, actually talking to me – about my list of possible titles for the new book. There wasn’t much consensus, interestingly, and the one that I thought would do really well only got a couple of votes. I suppose I should …
God Bless You Tube
Here’s a wonderful clip of two of my favorite musicians playing a duet together at a jazz festival in Italy. Someone once called the clarinet “an ill wind that nobody blows good”, but Anat Cohen disproves that theory. She came to Columbia, MO a couple of years ago and was just delightful. As you can see from this clip, she …
Worst Movie Trailer Ever?
This may be the funniest and most preposterous movie trailer I’ve seen. Ever. What’s so promising about it is that it seems to be taking itself so seriously. Not a shred of irony that I could detect. Best line: “Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving.” Watch out, David Mamet. I may even go and see …
Title Contenders?
Well, after four or five months of frenetic rewriting, my fifth novel is nearly finished – for the second time. I’m very pleased with it, but I need your help. Before we submit the manuscript to publishers, I still need a decent title. Long-time readers may remember that my original working title was Paradise – which was the name of …
Cold.
Temperatures in mid-Missouri over the past few days have been low. When you take the wind-chill into account, we’re talking 20 degrees below – and I’m talking Fahrenheit. Nippy. There’s lots of lovely snow on the ground and the children spend lots of time looking mournfully out of the window and wondering when they’ll be allowed out to play in …
Oh, to be eight again.
My children are congenitally unable to sit straight in a chair. They drape themselves in complex and anatomically improbable configurations over and across the furniture’s arms and back. They make creative use of cushions and pillows. You know how it is. Anything to avoid just sitting there. Well, here’s something new. Hallam loves to read, but of course reading tends …
Global Warming
Apologies for the radio silence, or whatever the webby equivalent is. I’ve been busy with the rewrite of the book, which can get a little all-consuming at times. And of course, there’s been the small matter of Christmas. We are still struggling with the fresh waves of plastic crap that have come into the house. But happy kids. Anyway. After …
Best Christmas Present Ever.
The above item is a blank journal that was given to me yesterday by my friends Chris and Jennifer. Not much more to be said, really. I think the point is pithily made. I especially like it that the balloon is black. The irony is that I still do use notebooks all the time for collecting thoughts on books, and …
Book News
I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time now. One of the purposes of this blog was to keep everyone up to date with what’s going on with the new book and the publishing process. Regular readers will have noticed a conspicuous absence of anything to do with the novel of late. So what’s up? This should bring …
Blast from the Past
Ah, the irony. The above picture was sent to me this morning by a friend of ours who lives in our old neighborhood of Islington in London. This is the front table of Border’s bookstore, which was a regular haunt of ours when we lived there. The store, I understand from book trade sources (thanks, Ralph), is about to close. …