The day after tomorrow I’ll be on my way to New Orleans for the World Horror Convention. I should get there just in time for the opening ceremony, where I will be talking for a few minutes about the Grand Master, whom I profiled in the convention booklet.
On Friday, I’m on a panel at 9:00 a.m. and another at 3 p.m., plus a reading at 10 a.m. and a Kaffeeklatch with David Morrell at 2 p.m. I’ll be at the mass signing from 8-9 p.m. on Friday and working at the HWA table from 5-6 p.m. on Saturday. The Stoker banquet is that evening. So, a busy schedule. I’m looking forward to catching up with a lot of people I’ve met before, some I know from online interactions only, and some that I don’t know.
Last weekend, I turned in an essay for a collection that will come out next year (probably) and wrote my Storytellers Unplugged essay for next Monday. I also posted reviews of Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen and If You Were Here by Alafair Burke. I didn’t plan it, but the next book I picked to read is by Burke’s father, James Lee Burke: Light of the World. It’s a Dave Robicheaux novel, but it’s set in Montana, which is a change of pace. I also wrote a review of the first episode of Under the Dome, which I’ll send to FEARnet for publication next week. Once I finish my review of Kelly Braffet’s novel I think my obligation list will be clean for the first time in ages (other than for an essay that’s due late in 2013).
I received my second semi-annual royalty check for The Road to the Dark Tower last weekend. Now that the book has earned out its advance, every copy means that I get a little bit of dough. Nearly nine years after its publication, it’s still selling well, which is gratifying. It will be interesting to see what happens after six months of going head to head against The Dark Tower Companion.
We had a heavy rainstorm on Sunday afternoon, one of those prolonged soaks that really does some good. Fortunately I got the lawn mowed before it started. I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain. More rain today, which isn’t at all a bad thing because we’re on the verge of the hot dry season and we’ll be glad for every drop we got when that starts.
Finished watching Orphan Black. It takes a stronger science-fiction turn in later episodes, but I still recommend it as a character study and a tour-de-force performance by Tatiana Maslany, who beat out some very strong contenders (including Clare Danes) for a Critics’ Choice Award last night. The first season ends with a shocking confrontation and a cliffhanger.
We watched Promised Land starring Matt Damon and Frances McDormand on the weekend. I had never even heard of it before, but the trailer was the best of a bad lot that we went through on our OnDemand system. Damon plays a “closer” who is sent into farming communities to snap up natural gas licenses. Most of these communities are moribund, so the infusion of cash is much needed. However, the issue of fracking and groundwater contamination comes up and Damon ends up going head-to-head with an environmentalist for the soul of the town, which is the gateway into a new state for Damon’s company. It also has Lost’s Titus Welliver, Hal Holbrook and Rosemarie DeWitt as the love interest. It’s a little preachy, and it’s odd to see Damon on the “wrong” side of an issue for a long time, but there is a good twist toward the end and all is right with the world when it’s over, except the company is still fracking and killing farm animals.
Only two more episodes of Mad Men left for the season. Just when it seems like Don might be getting things sorted out at work, he gets caught doing something that could wreck his personal life. I’m watching The Killing with one eye on something else, but the puddle of corpses was intriguing enough to keep me interested. A new season of Major Crimes started last night, and the mystery had a good twist at the end. I still think the concept of forcing plea bargains isn’t nearly as compelling as the way Brenda forced confessions, but it’s not a bad show. It lumbers on like Law & Order.
