I had a book signing at Murder By The Book in Houston on Saturday afternoon for The Blue Religion, which is officially published today. It was a beautiful day, so many people found other things to do, but the turnout was pretty much what I expected for a non-name local author. I signed about 10 books for people who were at the store, another six or seven for people who had pre-ordered the book but weren’t in attendance, and the rest of the store’s stock at the end of my talk. I had seven or eight people who sat through my hour-long presentation, asking questions and generally appearing to be interested in what I had to say. They were inquisitive and interactive, which made the time pass quickly. It was a lot of fun, and I covered a wide range of subjects, from my research into the police departement procedures to how and when I write, to writing crime fiction versus horror.
The other book the store stocked for the signing was Corpse Blossoms. The store manager calls Creeping Hemlock Press his new favorite small press, and they plan to have Tom Piccirilli in later this year to sign The Fever Kill.
I hadn’t realized that Jonny Lee Miller, the actor who plays Eli Stone in the TV show of the same name, used to be married to Angelina Jolie. She costarred with him in Hackers. I also hadn’t realized he was British (he was in Trainspotting). I watched Thursday night’s episode on Friday, but I haven’t seen the special episode from last night yet.
We watched Across the Universe this weekend. We hadn’t realized that it was going to be a musical, with the actors singing the songs—we thought there was just going to be a lot of Beatles music in the soundtrack. However, we quite enjoyed it. Some of the interpretations of the songs were original and stunning. I loved the sultry, steamy, sexy rendition of “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” Joe Cocker’s “Come Together” was fun, as was Bono’s “I Am the Walrus.” I would be interested to hear how the writers put the movie together, because the songs seemed to fit into the storyline so well. None of the lyrics seemed forced or inappropriate for that part of the story. It was funny-surreal at times, too.
I finished Trauma by Patrick McGrath (review to come soon) and started The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay. It’s about an eighteen-year-old girl from New Zealand who goes to New York City after her mother dies and starts working in a bookstore reminiscent of The Strand (where the author once worked). She apparently comes into a lost Herman Melville manuscript. It’s a slow-paced story, concentrating on this lost girl’s discovery of the world and herself, and lots of Melville allusions (one of her coworkers is an albino, for example). No tattooed aborigines yet.
Natalie (Big Brother) is a real nut case. I hope their scheme to get her out of there this week works. At present, the only monkey wrench that could get into the works is if she wins POV. I don’t know how they put up with her for all that time. She’s not the only one who’s a little off kilter, but definitely the worst. I’m still rooting for Sharon, even though she’s still an underdog according to the numbers.
It’s the middle of April and yet the temperature has been dipping down into the forties overnight. In Texas. Seriously.
