I'm finding it impossible to keep up with all the various sites and blogs I maintain. Therefore, from now on I will be posting reviews on my author site PepperWords. Everything that is here will remain here as an archive, but for anything at all new, hop on over to my author site. That's also where you'll continue to find my monthly IWSG posts and any information about my books or writing in general. One stop shopping as they say!
I'll be posting a review of Mary Poppins Returns soon, so don't miss it.
Showing posts with label web sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label web sites. Show all posts
12.22.2018
5.23.2015
Tarot Readings
Yes, I do give readings. You can order one on my Tarot site. I'll be expanding to add Past Life Karma astrology chart readings soon as well.
Please also follow me on Facebook, as I post daily cards and guidance. And on Twitter at @amstartarot
Please also follow me on Facebook, as I post daily cards and guidance. And on Twitter at @amstartarot
4.15.2014
Random Stats
Every now and then I like to look at my site stats. A lot of people visit this site, 150 to 200 unique hits a day on average.
Today I decided to look at my All-Time Most Read Posts.
Today I decided to look at my All-Time Most Read Posts.
- My review of R.I.P.D. (Why? Anyone? I'm far from the only person who thought it was a bad movie.)
- My review of the Summerland Concert Tour.
- My Matchbox Twenty album art reveal for North.
- My recap of Elementary's "The Woman/Heroine" (Season 1 double-header finale).
- My coverage of the first episode/chapter/whatever-you-call-it of Parade's End. (The later posts about the doughnuts are way better, guys.)
- More Matchbox Twenty: "She's So Mean." (It's grown on me. But my kids still think the song is about me.)
- My review of Thor: The Dark World.
- My recap of AHS: Coven episode "The Axeman Cometh." ::shrug::
- My recap of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Girl in the Flower Dress."
- My meandering thoughts (not really a review) of Wreckers.
As you see, a kind of strange amalgam of stuff. I should do more music coverage maybe? For a while the Train concert from Berkeley was on the list; it only got bumped by Wreckers this past week.
Also this past week? Like, 20 or so hits for Oblivion. What was that about?
Seriously, people, enlighten me. What is it about these posts that draw you in? Then I can give you more of what you seem to like.
4.05.2014
11.19.2013
Apologies. Blogger Sucks Again.
Evidently Blogger is having issues with the way text wraps and breaks. They are ostensibly "working to resolve the issue." Until then, there is not much I can do except wonder what they did in the first place that would cause such a problem.
If they don't fix it soon (because I've had Blogger issues go on for, oh, 18 months), I will try a new template. It won't be as "dynamic," but perhaps less problematic.
ETA: I gave up. So while this template may not be as cool as the old one, at least it is functional.
If they don't fix it soon (because I've had Blogger issues go on for, oh, 18 months), I will try a new template. It won't be as "dynamic," but perhaps less problematic.
ETA: I gave up. So while this template may not be as cool as the old one, at least it is functional.
10.15.2013
On Creativity
I was reading this article on Salon.com and I have to say . . . Isn't it interesting that creatives cannot make a living at their work? If you are not a big-name writer or director or what-have-you, if you are not a member of that elite, then it is unlikely you scrape together many pennies doing what you (I assume) love to do. (And for the purposes of this write-up, I'm talking about people who are artists and/or creative for a living.)
Even the "big" screenwriters will turn up at conferences if it means free food. The creative pool is growing steadily smaller, even as more and more people are trying to jump in. Thing is, as studios get increasingly risk averse, they fish for only the biggest writers, directors, actors. (There are more actors that make big money than, say, writers, but there are still many struggling actors out there in the world, too. These have my sympathy.) What this means is, even screenwriters who once could get steady gigs . . . can't. So they supplement their incomes with appearances.
And there are more and more of these conferences every year, too. The industry is creating its own market. People want to "break in" so they go to conferences. But fewer people are able to break in. So there are more conferences . . . And still fewer results.
You see it with film festivals, too. Every tiny town on the map has a festival now. And with competitions. How many of those are there now? Only a few really mean anything in the industry, but as more and more independents make movies and write scripts and hit walls in Hollywood, more and more towns and . . . whoever the fuck comes up with competitions . . . will take up the slack by luring these hopefuls toward their limelights, rather like will-o-the-wisps leading unsuspecting travelers into a bog.
The Salon article talks about the literature that has sprung up around creativity, books like Imagine by Lehrer (which I have read), and how so many of the books use the same handful of anecdotes to illustrate big creative breakthroughs. The Post-it Note story for one. The Swiffer for another. And is it any different in the writing world (or directing, or other creative endeavors)? The story of the guy who wrote the one big script or novel and sold it for a million? You hear it over and over again, but does it prove anything? Except that it happened once? How about the one in which Stephen King's wife rescues his manuscript from the trash. Okay, but . . . So?
Is creativity valued? Not really. People want more of the same, more of what they already like. Make it a little different, not a lot. And studios and publishers want more of what they can sell, which is predicated on what they've already sold. So more of that, please, for them. (Television is sometimes more willing to take a chance, but that is because they also have more ability to kill a project and cut losses if it starts to go south.)
The only time creativity gets applause is if and when it succeeds. Then it becomes another anecdote for the oft-repeated list. But that's only on the rare occasions creativity is given the opportunity to succeed. Because few people want to take a chance on a book or movie that is truly out of the ordinary. Most really creative work doesn't see much daylight. If the book gets published (even self-published), if the movie gets made by a group of friends working together on weekends, even still the chances anyone will read it or see it are slim. And God help us every time a creative piece fails. Because then the studios and publishers are all the less likely to take a chance on the next screenplay or manuscript that shows originality.
So if there's a class of creatives, we're pretty low in the hierarchy.
Even if you look at people who problem solve creatively . . . Companies get antsy when it's suggested they do something differently. And the more radical the suggestion, the more antsy the company gets. So, no. I don't think creativity is all that valued. Anywhere.
Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. The ideas people eschew today may be seen as invaluable tomorrow. Alas, we can only live in the here and now.
Even the "big" screenwriters will turn up at conferences if it means free food. The creative pool is growing steadily smaller, even as more and more people are trying to jump in. Thing is, as studios get increasingly risk averse, they fish for only the biggest writers, directors, actors. (There are more actors that make big money than, say, writers, but there are still many struggling actors out there in the world, too. These have my sympathy.) What this means is, even screenwriters who once could get steady gigs . . . can't. So they supplement their incomes with appearances.
And there are more and more of these conferences every year, too. The industry is creating its own market. People want to "break in" so they go to conferences. But fewer people are able to break in. So there are more conferences . . . And still fewer results.
You see it with film festivals, too. Every tiny town on the map has a festival now. And with competitions. How many of those are there now? Only a few really mean anything in the industry, but as more and more independents make movies and write scripts and hit walls in Hollywood, more and more towns and . . . whoever the fuck comes up with competitions . . . will take up the slack by luring these hopefuls toward their limelights, rather like will-o-the-wisps leading unsuspecting travelers into a bog.
The Salon article talks about the literature that has sprung up around creativity, books like Imagine by Lehrer (which I have read), and how so many of the books use the same handful of anecdotes to illustrate big creative breakthroughs. The Post-it Note story for one. The Swiffer for another. And is it any different in the writing world (or directing, or other creative endeavors)? The story of the guy who wrote the one big script or novel and sold it for a million? You hear it over and over again, but does it prove anything? Except that it happened once? How about the one in which Stephen King's wife rescues his manuscript from the trash. Okay, but . . . So?
Is creativity valued? Not really. People want more of the same, more of what they already like. Make it a little different, not a lot. And studios and publishers want more of what they can sell, which is predicated on what they've already sold. So more of that, please, for them. (Television is sometimes more willing to take a chance, but that is because they also have more ability to kill a project and cut losses if it starts to go south.)
The only time creativity gets applause is if and when it succeeds. Then it becomes another anecdote for the oft-repeated list. But that's only on the rare occasions creativity is given the opportunity to succeed. Because few people want to take a chance on a book or movie that is truly out of the ordinary. Most really creative work doesn't see much daylight. If the book gets published (even self-published), if the movie gets made by a group of friends working together on weekends, even still the chances anyone will read it or see it are slim. And God help us every time a creative piece fails. Because then the studios and publishers are all the less likely to take a chance on the next screenplay or manuscript that shows originality.
So if there's a class of creatives, we're pretty low in the hierarchy.
Even if you look at people who problem solve creatively . . . Companies get antsy when it's suggested they do something differently. And the more radical the suggestion, the more antsy the company gets. So, no. I don't think creativity is all that valued. Anywhere.
Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. The ideas people eschew today may be seen as invaluable tomorrow. Alas, we can only live in the here and now.
7.22.2013
Blogger Book Fair: Day 1
Today is the first day of the Blogger Book Fair. I have this great interview with ML Weaver up on PepperWords, and then Tammy Theriault has also interviewed me over on her site.
Unfortunately, I have the world's worst web hosting service, and so of course today of all days my site goes down because Network Solutions (more like Network Problems) is having issues with their SQL database. They've told me they "expect" to have it fixed "some time today." Because they're helpful like that.
But please don't give up! Do try to go read the interview with ML Weaver! (I can't even access the Word Press dash to steal the post and repost it here, that's how much NetSol sucks.) I've been getting reports of spotty access, so maybe, just maybe . . . Think of it as roulette? Spin and win?
And BBF is ALL WEEK, people! Great stuff on my site, and I'll be telling you where to find content by yours truly being hosted by other great authors and bloggers. And visit the BBF site to find more great stuff, too!
Unfortunately, I have the world's worst web hosting service, and so of course today of all days my site goes down because Network Solutions (more like Network Problems) is having issues with their SQL database. They've told me they "expect" to have it fixed "some time today." Because they're helpful like that.
But please don't give up! Do try to go read the interview with ML Weaver! (I can't even access the Word Press dash to steal the post and repost it here, that's how much NetSol sucks.) I've been getting reports of spotty access, so maybe, just maybe . . . Think of it as roulette? Spin and win?
And BBF is ALL WEEK, people! Great stuff on my site, and I'll be telling you where to find content by yours truly being hosted by other great authors and bloggers. And visit the BBF site to find more great stuff, too!
7.09.2013
Site Template Issues & Potential Move
A quick apology if you're trying to read this and are only getting the nasty grey-and-white template. For some reason my customizations are not showing up. At least, they aren't in Chrome; when I open this site in Safari, my red template loads properly. (Note: it seems to be an issue with the latest Chrome update, but considering Google runs both Chrome and Blogger, one would think they could make these work together properly?)
Blogger has been having template design issues for almost a year now, which is very frustrating for someone like me who has used Blogger for a long time and so has a lot of content here. However, I am considering moving spooklights over to my PepperWords site in some form or fashion (I also need to migrate PepperWords to a new host, so there's a lot going on, on every side). I hope if/when I do move, you'll follow my reviews to its new home. More to come as things develop.
Blogger has been having template design issues for almost a year now, which is very frustrating for someone like me who has used Blogger for a long time and so has a lot of content here. However, I am considering moving spooklights over to my PepperWords site in some form or fashion (I also need to migrate PepperWords to a new host, so there's a lot going on, on every side). I hope if/when I do move, you'll follow my reviews to its new home. More to come as things develop.
6.12.2013
A Note About the Site Template
Sometimes, when this site loads, it does some weird default version that doesn't carry all the styles. If you're looking at a monochrome grey version of this page right now with no cool font for the post titles, that's what has happened to you. In order to get the correct style for this site, you will need to go click on "spooklights" in the site banner. The site should then reload with the correct styles. Note that it will still have charcoal and grey, but the post titles will be in a funky font and the date banners will be red.
It's no big deal if you choose to read this site in the default template. (Dunno what's up with Blogger, btw, since this has been an issue for months now.) You're not missing any particular "cool" feature. But if design says something about its creator . . . Or something about "intent". . . Actually, I don't know anything about design theory. ::shrug::
It's no big deal if you choose to read this site in the default template. (Dunno what's up with Blogger, btw, since this has been an issue for months now.) You're not missing any particular "cool" feature. But if design says something about its creator . . . Or something about "intent". . . Actually, I don't know anything about design theory. ::shrug::
6.04.2013
The Strangeness of Site Stats
I just have to pause for a moment and reflect upon the sometimes seemingly illogical peaks and valleys of post popularity. I periodically check my site statistics, seeing where people come from and such, but every now and then I find myself asking, WTF happened there?
Like today, suddenly everyone wants to read about Big Red Soda. Why? My Big Red post was the second most-read today, even though it's over two months old.
And then The Decoy Bride has a spot on the all-time most-read posts. What's that about? How is it that that movie gets so many hits for this site?
Some things make sense: my Elementary and Revolution (and, once upon a time, Smash) posts have always been good for site traffic. Okay, sure. But why do the Parade's End posts come up at least once a week?
Though it's my concert reviews and Matchbox Twenty coverage that gets me the most hits (looking at the lifetime of the site).
I like to look at where people are visiting from, too, and while there are the usual places—the U.S. and the UK and I'm apparently quite popular in Russia and Germany—every now and then I get a bunch of hits from somewhere different. France was active today. Are they the ones wondering about Big Red? A couple weeks ago there were lots of hits from New Zealand. ::shrug:: (Actually, I've noticed NZ comes in spates and figured out that particular pattern. But it's still interesting.)
It's also fun to see what people search for in finding the site. Most are pretty mundane, like titles of shows and episodes, but "Revolution TV stupid" is one that made me laugh. Also, "Jonny Lee Miller hairy arms."
Finally, I'm always curious when I see how many people click on my contact info. It's the imaginative writer in me, but I picture these people hovering, trying to decide whether to take that step and send me an e-mail. I do get a few, which is nice. Some may even be from New Zealand. Though I never thought to ask.
Like today, suddenly everyone wants to read about Big Red Soda. Why? My Big Red post was the second most-read today, even though it's over two months old.
And then The Decoy Bride has a spot on the all-time most-read posts. What's that about? How is it that that movie gets so many hits for this site?
Some things make sense: my Elementary and Revolution (and, once upon a time, Smash) posts have always been good for site traffic. Okay, sure. But why do the Parade's End posts come up at least once a week?
Though it's my concert reviews and Matchbox Twenty coverage that gets me the most hits (looking at the lifetime of the site).
I like to look at where people are visiting from, too, and while there are the usual places—the U.S. and the UK and I'm apparently quite popular in Russia and Germany—every now and then I get a bunch of hits from somewhere different. France was active today. Are they the ones wondering about Big Red? A couple weeks ago there were lots of hits from New Zealand. ::shrug:: (Actually, I've noticed NZ comes in spates and figured out that particular pattern. But it's still interesting.)
It's also fun to see what people search for in finding the site. Most are pretty mundane, like titles of shows and episodes, but "Revolution TV stupid" is one that made me laugh. Also, "Jonny Lee Miller hairy arms."
Finally, I'm always curious when I see how many people click on my contact info. It's the imaginative writer in me, but I picture these people hovering, trying to decide whether to take that step and send me an e-mail. I do get a few, which is nice. Some may even be from New Zealand. Though I never thought to ask.
3.24.2013
I'm Still Mad At You, Variety
Remember when I told you how your new site sucks?
Your response has been two-fold. (1) You've opted to cease publishing the daily paper version of your magazine. (2) In your final print edition you put in a little how-to for your new site.
Guess what? That didn't make things any better.
You wrote about how your redesign makes things easier. For whom? What your redesign does is make things busier and uglier. You've got three columns of varying sizes going down the page, and then those are sometimes cut across by horizontal columns . . . It's a basket-weave mishmash of information.
Oh! But I'm supposed to use these little navigation buttons at the top of the screen. Considering there's so little organization to the content of the "front page" of your site, one would think clicking over to the section one wants to read about would make things easier. But if I click on the + one thing happens, and if I double click on the text something else happens. How fun. By which I mean "obnoxious."
What about VScore? So, you know, I can get that data I used to be able to get right on the front page when I came to the site? Your how-to tells me this is where to go for ratings and such. Except when I click on it, all I get is "Coming Soon . . ." How soon is soon? Things move fast in Hollywood, and numbers are key, but apparently VScore is still waiting for a greenlight. I give it a MeScore of F.
Yes, yes, I do realize that the far right of the front page has some box office info. Some being the key qualifier here.
I'd say I'm averse to change except I'm usually quite adaptable. It's when the changes are for the worse that I get grumpy. And if I, a 30-some-year-old, finds navigating your site to be the online equivalent of hacking through a jungle with a blunt machete, I'm pretty sure the old guys in the executive suites hate it just as much if not more.
Except they probably have interns to find that info for them.
So hey, Variety: I and the interns all hate you right now. Just sayin'.
Your response has been two-fold. (1) You've opted to cease publishing the daily paper version of your magazine. (2) In your final print edition you put in a little how-to for your new site.
Guess what? That didn't make things any better.
You wrote about how your redesign makes things easier. For whom? What your redesign does is make things busier and uglier. You've got three columns of varying sizes going down the page, and then those are sometimes cut across by horizontal columns . . . It's a basket-weave mishmash of information.
Oh! But I'm supposed to use these little navigation buttons at the top of the screen. Considering there's so little organization to the content of the "front page" of your site, one would think clicking over to the section one wants to read about would make things easier. But if I click on the + one thing happens, and if I double click on the text something else happens. How fun. By which I mean "obnoxious."
What about VScore? So, you know, I can get that data I used to be able to get right on the front page when I came to the site? Your how-to tells me this is where to go for ratings and such. Except when I click on it, all I get is "Coming Soon . . ." How soon is soon? Things move fast in Hollywood, and numbers are key, but apparently VScore is still waiting for a greenlight. I give it a MeScore of F.
Yes, yes, I do realize that the far right of the front page has some box office info. Some being the key qualifier here.
I'd say I'm averse to change except I'm usually quite adaptable. It's when the changes are for the worse that I get grumpy. And if I, a 30-some-year-old, finds navigating your site to be the online equivalent of hacking through a jungle with a blunt machete, I'm pretty sure the old guys in the executive suites hate it just as much if not more.
Except they probably have interns to find that info for them.
So hey, Variety: I and the interns all hate you right now. Just sayin'.
3.11.2013
Odds & Ends
One of my Sherlock Holmes stories is free on Amazon Kindle at the moment. Go get it here.
And then read my other stuff (including one other Holmes story, the novella version of my award-winning screenplay St. Peter in Chains, and the brand new and highly rated K-Pro), all of which is listed here.
And if you still want more Sherlock stuff, just for fun you can go over here.
And then read my other stuff (including one other Holmes story, the novella version of my award-winning screenplay St. Peter in Chains, and the brand new and highly rated K-Pro), all of which is listed here.
And if you still want more Sherlock stuff, just for fun you can go over here.
3.03.2013
Variety's New Site
Sucks.
Seriously, Variety, you've just made it more difficult for me to find anything. So what reason do I have now to frequent your site? Um . . . Hold on a sec . . . Oh. None.
I've tried multiple times since your "relaunch" on Friday to find ratings information. You know, that little chart that was on the front page of the old site? Can't find it on the new one.
Instead, I'm being subjected to annoying ads that have no "close" button.
I get Daily Variety in the mail, of course, but since they can't seem to get it to me on a regular basis, I had been using their web site to keep updated. Alas, with this revamping now even the site is incapable of making itself useful.
And so I will need to go elsewhere for my info.
Seriously, Variety, you've just made it more difficult for me to find anything. So what reason do I have now to frequent your site? Um . . . Hold on a sec . . . Oh. None.
I've tried multiple times since your "relaunch" on Friday to find ratings information. You know, that little chart that was on the front page of the old site? Can't find it on the new one.
Instead, I'm being subjected to annoying ads that have no "close" button.
I get Daily Variety in the mail, of course, but since they can't seem to get it to me on a regular basis, I had been using their web site to keep updated. Alas, with this revamping now even the site is incapable of making itself useful.
And so I will need to go elsewhere for my info.
2.28.2013
Facebook is Sinking
So. After being told by all the presenters at SFWC that one must have a Facebook presence . . . Other writers are announcing they're leaving and/or at the very least reducing their usage of the site.
Also, teenagers no longer think Facebook is cool.
Well, that's the problem with catering to a fickle consumer. And teens are terribly fickle.
Meanwhile, I've been doing less and less on Facebook and Twitter because, hey! Real life! It's out there, keeping me busy. So busy, in fact, that I can't actually be bothered to take the time to tweet or post a status about everything I'm doing. Funny how that happens.
And I'm not interested enough in what other people ate for dinner, or what cute thing their kids did, or in seeing pictures of places they went, to check in as regularly as I used to when I was bored, either.
Let's face it (and I've said this before): Much of social networking is about hearing yourself "talk," and being the star of your own show. It's reality TV in cyberspace, everyone editing their lives to showcase the greatest possible amount of drama. Or, alternatively, boring their presumed audiences with narratives about their housework, errands they've run, etc.
Then there are the people who use social networks as a platform for causes, or to shill their wares. (I'll admit I'm guilty of this one in terms of promoting my books, scripts, sites. But I try not to be too obnoxious about it . . . And as an aside, did you know it takes an average of seven discreet moments of exposure to prompt someone to act on something? That means it would take some combination of a tweet, a Facebook post, a magazine ad, someone mentioning it, seeing it in an e-mail, reading a review, and seeing it mentioned on a blog to get someone to buy a book or see a movie or contribute to your Kickstarter or whatever.)
Anyway, is it any wonder Facebook is sinking? Everyone is tired of everyone else's drama or lack thereof, and they are dissatisfied with the lack of interest everyone shows in their lives. You do the token "Like" thing now and then, but really? You don't much care, right?
The one thing I've found Facebook good for (besides letting people know when and where my books are coming out) is keeping up with people at a distance. Now instead of typing a bunch of e-mails, I can post a succinct status update that lots of people can see. And I can customize who sees it, too. (Apparently a common reason for leaving Facebook is lack of privacy and/or control of one's data.)
But that's a personal thing. I abandoned my "official" author Facebook site because I couldn't get any use out of it. I'm sure that's my fault somehow, not understanding how to "leverage" the system and bend it to my will, but whatever. My book sales are good, my screenwriting is going well, so I can't complain that no one "Liked" my Facebook page. Well, I can, but to what purpose?
Facebook will really need to rethink its uses, and its users, if it wants to survive.
Also, teenagers no longer think Facebook is cool.
Well, that's the problem with catering to a fickle consumer. And teens are terribly fickle.
Meanwhile, I've been doing less and less on Facebook and Twitter because, hey! Real life! It's out there, keeping me busy. So busy, in fact, that I can't actually be bothered to take the time to tweet or post a status about everything I'm doing. Funny how that happens.
And I'm not interested enough in what other people ate for dinner, or what cute thing their kids did, or in seeing pictures of places they went, to check in as regularly as I used to when I was bored, either.
Let's face it (and I've said this before): Much of social networking is about hearing yourself "talk," and being the star of your own show. It's reality TV in cyberspace, everyone editing their lives to showcase the greatest possible amount of drama. Or, alternatively, boring their presumed audiences with narratives about their housework, errands they've run, etc.
Then there are the people who use social networks as a platform for causes, or to shill their wares. (I'll admit I'm guilty of this one in terms of promoting my books, scripts, sites. But I try not to be too obnoxious about it . . . And as an aside, did you know it takes an average of seven discreet moments of exposure to prompt someone to act on something? That means it would take some combination of a tweet, a Facebook post, a magazine ad, someone mentioning it, seeing it in an e-mail, reading a review, and seeing it mentioned on a blog to get someone to buy a book or see a movie or contribute to your Kickstarter or whatever.)
Anyway, is it any wonder Facebook is sinking? Everyone is tired of everyone else's drama or lack thereof, and they are dissatisfied with the lack of interest everyone shows in their lives. You do the token "Like" thing now and then, but really? You don't much care, right?
The one thing I've found Facebook good for (besides letting people know when and where my books are coming out) is keeping up with people at a distance. Now instead of typing a bunch of e-mails, I can post a succinct status update that lots of people can see. And I can customize who sees it, too. (Apparently a common reason for leaving Facebook is lack of privacy and/or control of one's data.)
But that's a personal thing. I abandoned my "official" author Facebook site because I couldn't get any use out of it. I'm sure that's my fault somehow, not understanding how to "leverage" the system and bend it to my will, but whatever. My book sales are good, my screenwriting is going well, so I can't complain that no one "Liked" my Facebook page. Well, I can, but to what purpose?
Facebook will really need to rethink its uses, and its users, if it wants to survive.
1.28.2013
[Re] Introduction
Cross posted from PepperWords.
This is in response to a blogfest going on today:
This is in response to a blogfest going on today:
I'm M. I used to live on the East Coast [of the US] but now I live on the West Coast and travel semi-regularly to London besides. I hope one day to have a flat in London that I can live in half the year and rent out the other half.My hair has been brown, red, blonde, pink, purple, and is currently a mix of auburn streaked with blonde and blue and purple. I like to keep people guessing.
I'm originally from the South. I don't like cold or snow. I do love to swim and travel.
I'm a Sherlock Holmes aficionado and write bestselling Holmes stories but also write other things, including a series of novellas about a gay British spy. I've had plays produced and one of my screenplays won a contest and got a professional table read at Sundance a few days ago.
On top of all this, I also write reviews of television, movies, books, and music here [note: this refers to the site you are currently reading] and have started a site for flash fiction here (feel free to submit something).
Just for fun I sometimes carry Sherlock dolls. They have their own blog from which to complain of my treatment of them.
My children honestly believe I can turn into a big, white, fire-breathing dragon. It's probably wrong and will mess them up for life, but I allow them to continue believing this because it works to my benefit in getting them to behave.
I'd say I'm crazy, but I feel I'm too aware of my neuroses to be truly insane. That is to say, in order to be really crazy, you can't know you're crazy. Right?
And if you want to know what I look like (for some reason I get a number of e-mails asking about this), click on the Gallery tab at the top of the page [note: this refers to the PepperWords site]. (Hair color subject to change without advance notice.)
10.15.2012
Places: Texas
I'm pretty familiar with parts of Texas, having lived in the Austin area for a good portion of my life and then outside of Dallas as well. I won't, however, say I "know" Texas because it is a very large state and I have not seen nearly all of it.
What I like most about Texas is the food. There is a lot of it, and a lot of different kinds, and most of it is good. That is to say, even the places that aren't the best are usually pretty decent, and often a lot better than stuff you'd find most anywhere else. There's Mexican, Tex-Mex, barbecue, "country" (i.e., chicken-fried steak and gravy), chili, steakhouses . . . And a large amount of Asian food, Caribbean, and so forth. And certainly seafood, though it's best to take your chances with that near the gulf rather than inland.
I am back in Texas for two reasons: to move the remainder of my belongings from Houston to San Francisco, and to attend the Austin Film Festival. This means my posting here and on PepperWords will be erratic (though I've scheduled some posts for PW that you won't want to miss). Once I'm home and have caught up on things like Revolution and Elementary, I promise I won't fail to post something here for you. And if I have time and opportunity, I'll also try to put a little AFF patter in the mix.
See you on the other side.
What I like most about Texas is the food. There is a lot of it, and a lot of different kinds, and most of it is good. That is to say, even the places that aren't the best are usually pretty decent, and often a lot better than stuff you'd find most anywhere else. There's Mexican, Tex-Mex, barbecue, "country" (i.e., chicken-fried steak and gravy), chili, steakhouses . . . And a large amount of Asian food, Caribbean, and so forth. And certainly seafood, though it's best to take your chances with that near the gulf rather than inland.
I am back in Texas for two reasons: to move the remainder of my belongings from Houston to San Francisco, and to attend the Austin Film Festival. This means my posting here and on PepperWords will be erratic (though I've scheduled some posts for PW that you won't want to miss). Once I'm home and have caught up on things like Revolution and Elementary, I promise I won't fail to post something here for you. And if I have time and opportunity, I'll also try to put a little AFF patter in the mix.
See you on the other side.
2.18.2012
The Annotated Entertainment Weekly
We still get Entertainment Weekly because I hate their Web site. HATE it. It's ugly and badly organized. Would it kill them to consider tabs across the top so I don't have to slog through a bunch of reality television crap I don't give a shit about? Jesus. Seriously, I HATE EW.COM.
Okay, so rant over, here's the thing: I do enjoy EW's iPad interface. It's very nicely done. BUT . . . I can't annotate it.
See, our copy of Entertainment Weekly comes on Fridays, and it's a house rule that I get to read it first. Then it goes on the bathroom shelf for reading material. And sometimes I like to leave little notes for people to find . . .
It's sort of an Easter egg hunt.
Now when the EW people make it possible for me to add comments to the iPad version? We're golden.
Okay, so rant over, here's the thing: I do enjoy EW's iPad interface. It's very nicely done. BUT . . . I can't annotate it.
See, our copy of Entertainment Weekly comes on Fridays, and it's a house rule that I get to read it first. Then it goes on the bathroom shelf for reading material. And sometimes I like to leave little notes for people to find . . .
It's sort of an Easter egg hunt.
Now when the EW people make it possible for me to add comments to the iPad version? We're golden.
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