Comic Books Galore! (Visiting Mom and Dad)

I don't read comics anymore, but I sure used to. For the last three weeks I've been on a work trip, which blissfully coincides with where I grew up. I've been staying with my folks in the same room I was raised in, albeit with a much different decor aesthetic (mom didn't dig bikini clad women, wtf?). I'll be getting on a plane later tonight to head home.

In packing up, I stumbled across a few boxes in the closet. I thought some of you might get a kick out of what I found:

Is that the first issue of almost every one of Image's launch titles? Yes, yes it is.

Spawn #1, Cyber Force #1, Spawn #1 Signed

Youngblood #1, WILDCATS #1, Shadow Hawk #1, Shaman's Tears #1

StormWatch #1, The Maxx #1, Savage Dragon #1

Team 7 #1, Brigade #1

Tribe #1, Savage Dragon #1 (alternate?)

And then some old Marvel favorites:

Cable #1, X-Men #1 signed by Jim Lee

Quasar #1 (LOL?), X-Force #1, Hawkeye #1

 Did they actually MAKE these comics? And did I read them?

Turok #1, Darker Image #1

ALF, ThunderCats, KingArthur

As it turns out I own something like 250 different comic books. Lots of G.I. Joe and X-Men and New Mutants. I was also very in to Image at one point, who knew?

It was a fun trip down memory lane. I got a kick out of it, hope you did too.

Peter V. Brett Says Some Stuff

Peter V. Brett wrote an interesting blog post about several things. The point that came through clearest for me was the fact that even as a New York Times Bestseller, he's still a huge fan who loves nothing more than a new book showing up on his doorstep.

'...every time I get a package, there is a little thrill. Has another of my international children come home in the form of some translation of a Demon Cycle book? It is the new Joe Abercrombie book? A manuscript version of the NEXT BIG THING writer? There is no wrong answer.'

Brett also talks about Shawn Speakman's forthcoming anthology and his need to get get more exercise to keep his life insurance premiums down. While discussing the latter, he mentioned listening to a podcast,

'...with The Functional Nerds interviewing Justin Landon (@jdiddyesquire) and Paul Weimer (@PrinceJvstin). I’ve run into Justin at a couple of conventions this year, and am convinced he is brilliant, as well as a great guy. His review site, Staffer’s Musings, has some of the best written reviews out there. Landon has read literally EVERYTHING, and remembers it all, plus he has something of a journalism background, and it really shows in his writing and general professionalism.'

Well, that's nice, isn't it? And before anyone calls me out, yes, I am a blatant self promoter. 

Oh, and only six months or so to go until The Daylight War hits shelves. I'm stoked. How about you?

Interviewed by Another Blogger - What?

Mieneke from A Fantastical Librarian invited me to answer some questions about me, my interest in genre fiction, and blogging. I was all too happy to reply, because let's be honest, who doesn't like talking about themselves?

She asked a lot of questions, but the one I found most fascinating was, "How do you think blogs and reviewers fit in the book business?" I've written about the topic at some length before, but I think my answer sheds some more light on where I stand.

With the decline of the bookstore the vast majority of people moving forward will buy their books on-line. Decline in bookstores, means a decline in conversation between two people who love books. Ask anyone out there, what's the best way to sell books? Their answer is always, "Word of mouth." Well what happens when people stop running into each other in the stacks? When book store employees aren't there to recommend stuff? When book clubs stop meeting in person? The answer is blogs. Blogs are the new conversation. 

Did we ever imagine even ten years ago that on-line dating would be acceptable? That it would become one of the primary ways by which the modern single thirty something meets other modern single thirty somethings? No way! That shit was fringe! In that same way, I think publishers are slow to recognize the importance of blogs now and in the future. I don't think blogs today are a major reason in to whether or not a book is a success. But, that's changing. Moving forward their importance is only going to grow. Amazon and Goodreads will always be the Match.com of book conversation. But, if the publishers want the blogging equivalent of eHarmony, a network of people who target specific readers, they're going to need to start interacting with and treating blogs like major outlets. Because like it or not, we're the word of mouth in a digital age.

What do you think?

Read the interview in it's entirety at A Fantastical Librarian! 

Some Personal News and Giveaway Winners

This has been a long week. My father-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few weeks ago and this past Thursday he had surgery to remove it. Thankfully, the tumor was located in the head of the pancreas which allows for a surgical procedure known as the Whipple. Without boring everyone with the gory details, it's an amazing operation that basically rewires the entire digestive system removing parts of the pancreas, stomach, and small intestine. For patients lucky enough to catch the cancer before it spreads, the Whipple is a life saving operation.

From my daughter's Christening.

I've spent most of the last four days at Johns Hopkins. I can't explain how blessed we feel to live 45 minutes from the hospital where this surgery was perfected. Dr. John Cameron, the man responsible for it, has done 2,000 of them himself. For a cancer as rare as this, that's a mind numbing total. Considering my father-in-law's surgery took nearly eight hours from start to finish, you can appreciate how staggering that figure is.

The truth is we won't know how successful it was for some time, but the doctors are optimistic they were able to remove all the cancerous tissue. My father-in-law is already up and walking, doing his best to recover quickly. Nevertheless, he'll be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation starting in a month or so, to give him the best chance of winning the battle. 

He's sixty years old, relatively young in today's medical age. It seems so unfair to strike a man so fundamentally good. He immigrated from Colombia when he was 18. Worked two jobs most of his life to support his family and put both his children through college. He graduated from college himself two years ago. I don't know that I've been prouder of someone. He's been my daughter's primary caretaker since the end of my wife's maternity leave and he's teaching her to become as good a person as he is. Something she's already trying to pay him back for.

I write this mostly as an exercise in reminding others, and myself, of life's fragility. We don't have nearly long enough, and too often we don't say the things we need to say to those we love until it's too late. My own father is sixty himself, and I can't imagine losing him. It's hard to even write it. It's a sappy reason, but I think it's a good one.

I also write it to remind everyone of the importance of early detection. My mother is a breast cancer survivor largely because she never missed a mammogram (she was only 45 when diagnosed). And now my father-in-law has a chance to survive one of the deadliest forms of cancer because he went to see someone at the first sign of stomach pain. So let's all try to be a little better about never missing our annual exams. I can't spare the readers.

***

On a brighter note, as if anything wouldn't be brighter, I've got some giveaway winners to announce! Last month I hosted a giveaway for a copy of G.J. Koch's Alexander Outland: Space Pirate. I'm happy to announce the winner of that is:

Eric Schwartz, Kentucky, USA

I also have the winners from the awesome giveaway of two full sets of David Anthony Durham's Acacia Trilogy courtesy of Random House. The winners are:

 Susan Meek, Oklahoma, USA

Andrew Stewart, Virginia, USA

Thanks to everyone who participated. Stay tuned next month because I've got some huge stuff planned that's hopefully going to knock your socks off.

Happy Mother's Day and Giveaway Winners

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I try not to under appreciate mine. This holiday has become increasingly complex for me in recent years. Mom, wife (mother of my child), and mother-in-law. It's a triumvirate that used to be a single. I'm not complaining, but it seems like they're ganging up on me. Right?

in any case, I just got back from brunch the family and I'm a lucky guy.

Yes, that's Diego. No this photo wasn't from brunch. How awesome would that be? No, that's not me inside the suit, nice try though. Do I look like I can pull off the one strap backpack? Please.

***

I also pulled the winners of the recent "clear the shelves" giveaway! The winners are:

Kevin, NC, USA

Galena, MI, USA

Elias, Oviedo, Spain

Congrats! I'll be getting your books out Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving, What's Coming, and a Giveaway Winner

Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving!  If you don't live in the States, umm... happy late November!  I'm posting this on Wednesday because I'm not going to be anywhere near a computer tomorrow.  Instead, I'll be stuffing my face and watching football.

So, the year is almost over and that means it's time for the 'Best of 2011' lists to start trickling out.  We've already seen some of the major review groups (Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, etc.) put out their lists, and the Goodreads fan vote is ongoing.  This year I'm planning on doing a series of awards.  I'm going to call them the Juice Boxes.  See if you can keep up here... so there are the Hugos.  My name is Justin.  Put those two words together and you get Jugos.  Jugo in Spanish means Juice.  The Juice Awards sounds like something O.J. Simpson would bestow on someone, so I added the box.  After all, who doesn't like Juice Boxes?

I'm going to be doing a short list (5) for each of the book awards and then just pick a winner in the industry categories.  I'll be doing a separate post for each category with a goal of having them all done before Christmas (we'll see).  My award categories are as follows:

Best eBook Press
Editor of the Year
Cover of the Year
Best Book I Read This Year Not Published in 2011
Most Disappointing Book (2011)
Debut of the Year (2011)
Book of the Year (2011)

I reserve the right to add nonsense awards at any time.  I'll probably also be doing a 'summary' post breaking down the 'stats' of this years collection of reading.  Stay tuned!

                                        

I am pleased to announced the winner of my most recent giveaway of Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Son and Shadow's Lure courtesy of the fine folks at Pyr:

Tim Lewis, OR

Congrats Tim!  They should be winging their way into your home, or heart, or hearth very soon.

Thank You, Giveaway Winners, and Awesome Stuff

First of all, I want to say a sincere thank you to the readers of this blog.  This past month I saw my total hits double from the previous month to something that borders on respectability.  I'm still a tiny fish in a smallish pond of genre bloggers, but it's nice to know that some people are enjoying what I have to say.  I hope to have lots more interesting things to say in the weeks ahead... well... more things to say anyway.

                          

Second, congratulations to the winners of a signed copy of The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer:

Yagiz Erkan, Cork, Ireland

Chris Hawks, MN, USA

Respond to my e-mail with your mailing address by week's end or I shall give it to the alternate winner!  Your books will be soon winging their way into your hearts.

                          

Third, my daughter and I had a kick-ass Halloween.  She was Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty for the uninitiated) and I carved a pumpkin for the first time as a daddy.  My wife was there too.

Going to the Fair and Giveaway Winners Announced

I went to the National Book Festival this weekend.  It's a pretty impressive event and something I suggest to everyone who meets the following criteria: likes historical or biographical non-fiction, has children, and doesn't mind crowds.  The Mall was set up with a tent for each section - Fiction & Mystery, Graphic Novels, Poetry & Prose, Contemporary Life, et. al.  Making up the largest part of the event was a robust Childrens section.  Penguin Books, Scholastic, and PBS Kids all had a huge presence   It was great to see so many kids out at a reading event or maybe more importantly so many parents bringing their kids to it.

Yes, this is a terrible picture of the

Fiction & Mystery tent. Heavy on the

old people.

Unfortunately, the only adult genre writer in attendance was Neal Stephenson (although there was a few more among the young adult crowd).  I picked up a copy of his new novel Reamde intending to get it signed and giveaway on the blog.  But, I couldn't justify leaving my wife and daughter to go wait in line.  I'm still probably going to give the book away though - I'm not storing this monster at my house.

As a side note, if you have plans to visit the District of Columbia in the next few weeks, I'd suggest waiting.  The Mall now looks like someone roto-tilled it and then sowed it with turds.  Just saying...

More important than my "zany" weekend (overstatement of the year), I have the result of my first giveaway - two signed copies of T.C. McCarthy's debut novel Germline are on their way to:

Richard Auffrey, Stoneham, MA

Nicole Osier, Ironwood, MI 

I have to admit I was hoping this would go to some international folks since so many giveaways are US/UK restricted.  Alas, the random number generator of doom has it in for my readers from South Africa, Australia, and exotic Canada.  There's always next time.  Maybe we'll make the next one international only - if your face America!

What I did this weekend...

I haven't posted in six day, but I have a good excuse.  I flew to San Francisco to spend a long weekend with an old friend (also, the best man at my wedding).  He moved to San Francisco about a year to take a job with LucasArts.  I had to sign a NDA to even get in the building.  What follows is my video essay of a trip to Skywalker Ranch and LucasFilm in the Presidio.  Sometimes it pays to have friends.

First we went to Skywalker Ranch which is located across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.  After a long drive up a windy mountain road, we arrived.

Welcome to Skywalker Ranch. This is the "Main House" where
the executive offices are located.  Going to the second floor will
get you an official reprimand.

This is the reverse view from the front door of the "main
house."  I think this guy George Lucas has some money.

But not enough to afford a more current phone?  Seriously,
these phones were all over the place.  And they weren't props,
I checked for a dial tone!

Considering this is a book blog, I had to check out George's
bookshelves.  Mostly classics.  There's also a reference library
filled with books about visual mediums.  I didn't photograph it
because there was a librarian giving me stern looks!

Is that the original model of the AT-AT?
Yes, yes it is.  And some Willow armor.

A close-up of the AT-AT foot with inscription from the crew.

Is that the REAL crystal skull?
Yes. It's a good thing it's behind
glass, or I would have found out
if it was glass - by dropping it.

So these are the original lightsabers.  Coolest thing I've
ever seen?  It's quite possible.  I actually hopped around.

Skywalker Sound.  This is the primary working building on
the Ranch.  All of the film (except Clone Wars) and video game
work is done at the Presidio properties.

Francis Ford Coppola has vineyards on the Ranch.  He and
Lucas are old homies.

The THX guy tried to scare me by jumping out of the bushes
inside Skywalker Sound.  C'mon.  You're not Darth Vader, bro.

This is Ewok Lake.  The guy in front of it is the largest Ewok
EVER!  I didn't think Ewok's could swim.

This is the Archive.  Inside these barns are all the relics
from Lucas' projects.  In the event of a fire on the Ranch
all the oxygen is sucked out of the buildings.  To enter the
Archive requires super sekret approval from the boss.

Skywalker Ranch is a working ranch.  These are some of the
horses.  Big, medium, and little.

Then we went to LucasFilm.  The campus is broken up into different parts - ILM, LucasFilm itself, and LucasArts.

Me and LegoGeorge.  He whispered sweet nothings into my ear.
I responded by asking, "Are you fucking serious about Binks?"

The answer was, "yes."  I disagreed vehemently.

However, I do love Han Solo who was available for high fives.

Then R2-D2 was all, "Don't leave me hanging
Justin!"  But he doesn't have any hands.

Me and my boy Yoda chilling outside of the LucasFilm campus.
He was all like, "Muscles don't matter Justin." And then I was
like, "Oh yeah? Flex in your face Yoda!"

Obviously, I didn't photograph everything.  As someone who works in a building that is a tourist attraction, I'm particularly aware of the difficulties of having visitor's running around with a camera.  I tried to be sensitive to that.  Thus I do not have pictures of any of the working rooms that I saw (they're amazingly awesome ).  Nevertheless, it was an awesome indulgence of my nerdom.  Thanks to the Lucas folks and my friend.

I now return this blog to its regularly scheduled books reviews.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July

We sure did!  My daughter and I at the 8th Street Parade here in D.C.