Me on 365 Tomorrows

It's the new year! Happy New Year, blog! And some, that is none, of you will remember last year when I vowed to blog more. That turned out swimmingly, so this year I am vowing to blog less just to take the pressure off last year.

This post is not only the first of the new year, but one in which I brag about my writing going up somewhere in the vastness of the Internet. Today, my flash fiction piece "Relative Weather" is featured at the amazing 365 Tomorrows. See that's fitting what with us being in the future of 2010, where we'll all get giant blue bodies or if we're bad guys machine exo-skeletons.

Anyway, "Relative Weather" is about relatives who are trapped by weather--get it? Also, an attempt to control said weather that, as expected, goes awry. When will people learn? Probably 2010!

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 4

So it's Day Four, the final day, of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I have 18 hours...will I make it to 24 hours? See I could write action suspense. That question probably has you on the edge of your seat alone. Anyway, it will be harder today with family obligations and whatnot.

And this is my last plea to you to sponsor me: You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 3

So it's Day Three of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I've made it to 12 hours--halfway to my goal of 24 hours during the write-a-thon. Yesterday was easier, most of my time completed in a Starbucks. I know some people cringe at writing in coffee shops what with it being cliche and all. Plus the fear that such a corporate environment could seep into their writing. I just don't see it. I mean, the table over from me had a T-Rex balloon animal in the center and two guys explaining to this teenager how much money you can make as a freelance balloon animal artist and all he had to do was buy the $60 start-up kit from them and take a few hours of unspecified lessons. See there is art everywhere, even in the corporate caffeinated soul of America.

I should probably work on that 6 hour goal for today.

Thank you to those who have sponsored me and if you still want to but haven't:You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: Day 2

So it's Day Two of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I achieved my goal of writing for six hours yesterday though under duress. As Heather shopped at the Northlake Mall, I wrote in the Borders where I heard great snatches of conversation like:

Girlfriend(?): I'm not buying you another book. I got you one last year, and you didn't even read three pages of it.
Guy: But this one's about war!

Anyway, I should get started. Goal: 6 more hours today.

You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 1

It's Day One of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I have my prompt and I have my laptop and I have my goal of writing 24 hours over the next four days, so I'm hoping to get 6 hours today. Problem: the wife is off today and needs me to run errands with her. So this may be piecemeal. So I should probably stop writing this and get to work.

You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

There’s Still Time

To sponsor me in Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon. Every dollar counts. You’ll be essentially making me write for twenty-four hours straight.* You could win fabulous prizes.** Just think of the crazy things I’ll write that you can read for your low, low donation of anything you want to donate.*** Sponsor me today!****

*Straight here only means chronologically and may be stretched out over four days with breaks in between for eating, bathroom stops, sleep, drinking, video gaming, gardening, cartooning, romance novel reading, and sexual intrigue.
**There are no prizes. But you will get to see what I write during the event, so that’s sort of like a prize.
***The writing my not, in fact, be crazy, but instead only eyebrow raising. Admittedly it will probably be a domestic drama. With a band of rabid possums thrown in. One can never tell.
****Tomorrow will also be fine.

Sponsor Me in Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon

So I'm participating in the 2009 Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon which will take place December 17th through the 20th. I'll be writing for twenty-four hours over the write-a-thon. That's like a day. Though spread over four days, so not so crazy as writing for twenty-four hours straight which would probably result in my writing even worse than normal.

You can sponsor me by going here. You'll receive updates as to my progress. And I would be grateful. And thank you.

For those that don't already know, and if not, you really should: Dzanc is a non-profit independent publishing company that supports literary magazines, small presses, and funds writing programs in public schools, as well as the Dzanc Prize, which benefits not only the writer awarded it but pays for a community based project like writing workshops in prisons or cancer centers.

If you would like to get involved in the Write-A-Thon, please email Dan Wickett at dan@dzancbooks.org.

How Many Poisoning Stories Can There Be?

So it's Thanksgiving break and I'm with my wife (formerly known here as Heather) visiting the in-laws. And we also visited one of my favorite places on earth: McKay's Used Media (or some such) where you take in the books your tired of and the cd's that no longer have any relevance whatsoever and they give you credit to get more books that you might one day tire of. I'm wandering the creative writing reference aisle, and I see this catchy title Howdunit: The Book of Poisons. It's part of the Writers Digest Books on how to get your crime facts straight. I actually have the original one about police procedure and criminal acts but a whole book on poison? How many stories can one write where someone gets poisoned? Naturally, I had to have it, but then I got distracted by Norman Mailer's The Spooky Art and forgot to put it in my basket. Though I failed to get me a copy, I thought it would still make Thanksgiving-appropriate reading.

Why Would You Want to Kill the Author...Unless...

So the first issue of > kill author is up with great pieces from Barry Graham, Brad Green, and J. A. Tyler, among others. The editorial staff of > kill author has chosen to remain anonymous, claiming that the reputation of editors is getting in the way of something, what's that thing called that people don't care about having anymore...integrity?

Though the mag is literary in tone and the title comes from a Roland Barthes quote and though they deny being robots, I can only assume that they are, in fact, editors come back from the dead...zombie editors. But not famous ones like Gordon Lish or Max Perkins. No these are middle-management, zombie editors. Though don't get me wrong, they do an excellent job, especially when you consider a zombie's imprecise motor skills.

Me on Thuglit

You have always suspected that I'm tough. A bit of a bad-ass. I mean just look at my pic with me on the mean streets. And there was that time John Irving wanted to get into it with me. But now I have definitive proof because I'm on the ultra-cool Thuglit. My story "We Are All Bullets" is in the current issue (#29). It has it all, like paintball, Russian roulette, and a high school English teacher. That's pretty much all there is, right?

eSCENE

So my story "Stick" that appeared on 3:AM is featured at eSCENE: best of the Literary Journals, with the likes of Lee Smith and Ted Kooser. How embarrassing for Lee Smith and Ted Kooser.

Me on 3:AM Magazine & decomP

That's right! Excuse the enthusiasm of the exclamation point, but hot on the heels of the VAIN and THE2NDHAND publications, two of my stories are live today.

The first "Stick" is on 3:AM Magazine.


The other one "Scientist Mad" is on decomP: a literary magazine.


I'm thrilled even beyond reckless punctuation use to be a part of these two seminal magazines. Check them out. Oh and!

Ha

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. What's funny about rape? What kind of Penthouse letters would Beckett write? What kind of sex advice would you get from a third grader? How long will you laugh at the insistence between a man and his dominatrix?

You should get the only literary magazine I've read cover to cover--I was going to say "in a long time," but why lie--ever! Monkeybicycle #5.

Boisvert on Charlotte Talks

Oh, wait! I do have something to say. Rob Boisvert, the news anchor and evocative author of Long Dead Lover, was on Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins and kindly mentioned me for working with him on his excellent story collection. The poet Dannye Romine Powell added to the engaging conversation. Have a listen.

Me on This Zine Will Change Your Life

I know, I know this is getting out of hand. I apology for the rash of self-promotion: Monkeybicycle, The Potomac, and now This Zine Will Change Your Life. I'm even getting tired of myself.

So don't go to This Zine Will Change Your Life for my story "An Introduction to My Open Mike Poetry Set." But rather go there because it has been paired with a picture and a song (can you say paired if there's a total of three things?). The picture is a brilliantly punkish photo by Adam Lawrence. The song is "Hello Fuji Boy" by Oh Astro. It contains samples from Hot Chip. Lionel Richie, and Fujiya & Miyagi. That's right. You have to see it and hear it for yourself, so click, don't type your way to This Zine Will Change Your Life. I mean, really, your life--I wasn't going to say anything but since this came up--could use a change.

Me on The Potomac

So my short story "Trash" is in the Quictions section of the new issue of The Potomac that went live today. You should visit that fine journal of politics and poetry just for the picture of Hilary or the guy being attacked by a snake. I'm not sure which is more disturbing and also not sure which is politics and which poetry.

Monkeybicycle last week and The Potomac this one. I am doubly blessed.

Me on Monkeybicycle

So today or yesterday by now what with the midnight, not only did I have a poem in my pocket, but my short story "Revelation" went up on Monkeybicycle. It was a wonderful day.

Me on McSweeney’s

My short story “The Focus Group’s Transcript for My Prospective Garage Sale” is now on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Actually it was on yesterday, but yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day and apparently after spending some time in the local Irish pub RiRa’s my response was to slander the “holiday” instead of checking it out.

Change Your Life

Some people diet, some people work out, some people travel. All to change their lives, but I say that's too much work, not to mention results may vary. I propose the true way to change your life is to read.

So read This Zine Will Change Your Life, from the makers of This Blog Will Change Your Life. A great new site where a creative piece of writing is matched with an original image and appropriate song. A veritable celebration of art and life.

My Six Sentences

My story "Eyeball Witness" is now on Six Sentences! Those not familiar: it's a cool site that asks the question, "What can you say in six sentences?" Turns out what I can say has people saying, "Eew."