Pipe dreams

I daydream a lot, and I often berate myself for the ludicrous nature of those daydreams -- so ludicrous that they are elevated to the status of pipe dreams. But just lately, I've had a couple of these fantasies come true. So here's one more:

I used to want Dakota Fanning to star as Sylvia in a motion picture adaptation of my book, 100 Girls. Now that she's too old for the part, I'd like to see the role go to either her sister, Elle, or to Chloe Moretz.

Okay, Universe, you've got your work cut out for you.

Vintage print porn

Anyone who's visited this blog a time or two probably knows that I have a fetish fascination with the printing process. I found this video today on BoingBoing and my heart just melted. This is an old instructional film released by The Encyclopedia Britannica Films, Inc. It shows all the steps of book production in the pre-digital age. Great stuff. It makes me wish that my (theoretical) novel could be set in Linotype.

Neil Gaiman speaks wise words about Internet piracy

And there was much rejoicing

This evening I finished cleaning up the first draft of my novel, Zomburbia, and I sent it away to its first reader. It is now out in the world like some fledgling bird. A fledgling zombie bird. I feel like I'll now be able to think again about things not related to the novel. And I think I'll be posting here again with more regularity. I hope.

First up, a bit of music. This video is for a song by Lelia Broussard, "Satellite." Ms Broussard is from New York and she is part of the same scene (in my mind at least) that also includes Allison Weiss, Jenny Owen Youngs and Bess Rogers -- all of whom I've written about before, right? Either way, I hope you like this song.

Good night.

Eric Powell is my new hero

Visit and Like the Creators Front for Diversity in Comics on FaceBook.

The residency so far

My first packet of homework is due on February 7. All I have left to do is finish reading one book (less than fifty pages) and then write a reading response to it. So why do I feel like I'm already so far behind?

Part of it is that I wanted to have reread and cleaned up the Zomburbia manuscript by the first of the month. Unless a miracle occurs, that won't happen. There are also three short stories for me to rewrite. Two that I submit to publishers, and one that I will send to Jim Kelly. Jim workshopped this story with me at the latest Stonecoast residency and he's offered to look at it again once it's rewritten. He thinks it's publishable. Have I mentioned that Jim is a hell of a guy?

I also have a ton of email I still need to answer from when I was in Maine.

One of these days I'll feel like I'm caught up.

Links 1/21/11

This year is off to a lousy start, posting-wise. Not sure when that will change. I am sick. My wife is sick. My son may still be sick. It is a time of pestilence here in the Kreutz Gallardo household. But some day all will be well and I will start to write again and posting here will resume. Until then, enjoy some links to articles I've read over the last few days!

Rick Bass, who is an instructor at Stonecoast, has advice for beginning writers. Oddly, "Run away!" is not on the list.

Welcome to Project: Iceworm, a city built under the ice of Greenland.

Mexican drug lords are now importing foreign models and beauty queens as their girlfriends.

How have I been a fan of SF for so long without knowing about The Turkey City Lexicon? This lapse in my education was remedied by workshop instructor, and all-around swell guy, Jim Kelly. I note with interest, and without comment, the definition of the term "slipstream."