How Corruption Steals From Us and Human Movement

I have been reading perhaps too many historical texts, including revisiting Richard Hakluyt's Voyages and Discoveries, and some new-to-me-but-not-new books on the history of the world viewed by an economist. It made an interesting mental backdrop to a recent piece in the Rolling Stone about corruption and bid rigging and all sorts of nefarious acts in the corporate financial system. Taibbi's piece, and I'm not the only one to suggest it, is a must-read, regardless of political stripe, if only because the corruption is so commonplace that it could not exist like this in one aspect of the financial sector if it did not exist in others: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/notes-on-wall-streets-bid-rigging-scandal-20120622
Corruption, when it is done well, happens so quietly we don't even know we're being abused. In fact, the bribers and the bribees in this situation and many others all believed they were behaving quite honorably, because this was the way things are done, and the way everyone on their side of the table reaped the most rewards.

There are people looking into things, and they are finding things, and the things they find happening are very bad things, indeed, and I am sure this story is only the tip of the iceberg of corruption that will be unraveled in the days to come, if our economy continues to drag and we keep demanding the blood of bankers to blame.

I was reading a book about the trade of agricultural staples across the oceans of history on the one hand, and the first-person accounts of British voyages to new places and territories on the other. It is hard not to read Taibbi's piece without Empire on the mind. It is an imperial way of thinking, that if the territories do not know what they do not have then we can go ahead and take it from them. It is an imperial way of behaving, to skim and pad and schmooze in such a fashion, and harm the natives who are perceived as part of a different category of being from the brave British captains, sailors, and cabin boys whose accounts of adventure are being transcribed. The people involved, from New York do not view the people of Oakland as human on quite the same level as they see the other people in the financial services industry, who were all such smart people and good students and go-getters and whatnot, compared to those lazy schlubs in municipal government service, you see. That is the way empire thinks. Take what we can from the natives of that foreign country who has fallen under our thumb, for we are the enlightened ones who bring great gifts and they should be grateful we have brought our expertise to their shores, at all.

The Taibbi piece is also hinting at a pattern reminiscent to the flour riots of France, and most of the peasant revolutions of history. For, when there is plenty, corruption flourishes and takes root unchecked by the population that would rather be busy with their own plenty and not fighting anyone over such scraps, until such time as there is no longer plenty and peasants seek out the reasons for their lack of food in the waste generated by systemic corruption. New leaders must be installed, forthwith, and new laws! Hear-Hear!

Revolutions in history overthrew corruption in times of scarcity, like we have right now. Naturally, what immediately followed was temporary reforms that, once entrenched, commenced to re-institute or at least not disallow the return of corruption in times of plenty. In times of plenty, when there is enough food and the harvests are good, the peasants don't riot over a little corruption. It becomes common-place. It becomes the way things get done in the society. It becomes so natural, business leaders discuss their clear and present corruption even when they know they are being recorded, because it has been happening for decades.

Presidential elections, even today, seem to be about our daily bread. Do we have enough bread? Let him stay in power! Do we need more bread? Throw the bum out! Presumably, and particularly after a certain Supreme Court case was decided, no source of political power is free of the corruption that drags on the coat tails of public policy. It seems to be the natural cycle of corruption, as old as the riots of the ancient world. This is part of the natural life-cycle of all empires, and the language of empire is all over these men.

My warning then, to all lefty and libertarian-leaning voters, is to take heed that political power of any group, maintained too long, will only lead to more and greater levels of corruption. Ergo, it is best not to attach our political identities too much to any one faction. Hopefully, before the corruption comes in our preferred faction of the moment, there will be a time of great plenty to withstand the drag on the economy of corruption that is as inevitable as death and taxes. At such time, we might be best to switch allegiances around to favor not the incumbent boss leaders, but the reformers who will make great promises - and might even pass a few decent laws - before these reformers, too, suffer the inevitable end of all politicians in the complex ecosystem of human political power.

Corruption is bad. It's a theft we don't even see, and it happens all the time, in a myriad ways, based around the political influence and power of men and women who feel safe behind their wall of SuperPAC donation-receipts.

Speaking of which, I am blogging a long-ish thing today, but I have not been blogging regularly. You see, I am more interested in being a great novelist, and husband, than I am in being a great blogger. I expect this trend to continue as I begin the steps necessary to relocate to a new state, and a wedding in September, and etc. Even if I had time to blog more, I am finding the form less and less interesting, as a writer and as a reader. I prefer only to come here when I believe I can contribute something I find interesting, and I have no desire to force a number of blog posts per day/week just to meet some artificial goal of on-line activity that doesn't actually do much to aid in the marketing of books, or in my general happiness.  I am not leaving, but I am also generally disinterested in planning or posting with anything resembling regularity. More blogging will happen or it will not. 


In the mean time, I am packing to move, and planning our wedding, etc.

The Fathomless Abyss-byss-byss-byss...

Salutations mortals, and greetings from down here in the Fathomless Abyss. You don't know where that is, do you? Well, you should. The early missives with news from below trickledup from the depths via nihlex messenger a few months back. http://www.amazon.com/Tales-From-Fathomless-Abyss-ebook/dp/B006IU9A7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339799984&sr=8-1&keywords=fathomless+abyss

You might notice a price drop on your preferred eDevice. Well, the powers that be down here, underground, decided to sweeten the deal for newcomers on account of the arrival of a new letter from below, from Guillermo and Kegan O'Malley, who face the devils in the endless deep: http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Endless-Fathomless-Abyss-ebook/dp/B008BM3QJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339799984&sr=8-2&keywords=fathomless+abyss

Devils of the Endless Deep is the first follow-up to the anthology Tales From The Fathomless Abyss.

When the Fathomless Abyss opens onto an unsuspecting world, the Smog that chokes its upper regions is released. And with the Smog come the Tabagie—raiders and scavengers from thousands of different worlds and thousands of different epochs. The Tabagie get what they can, while they can, then the Abyss closes again, and no one knows how long it will be before it opens again.

When the Abyss opened on Earth in 1986, Keegan O’Malley fell in, and Guillermo Cordova floated out. Keegan is left trying to adapt to a strange new world populated by a mix of aliens from the far-flung reaches of the universe and humans from both his past and his future. And Guillermo, a 16th Century Spanish Conquistador, will have to make his way in a future world that’s no less alien.

But Guillermo knows something Keegan doesn’t.

He knows when and where the Fathomless Abyss will open next.

Philip Athans, the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation, leads a team of fantasy and science fiction veterans into a bizarre new world, and a fascinating new project: a shared world series as exotic and expansive as the infinite Abyss.

Phil Athans' is the first novella to come in this strange, underground place. Mine will be coming soon to eReaders near you.

 Soon my own, strange letter will rise up from the depths, where an ancient god sends out his profits to bring back new acolytes in a novella also dedicated to the Tabagie at the cap, in perhaps a harder time with fewer open caps to belch out smog.

Anyway, greetings from the depths! Do come visit soon! Tourist visas range anywhere from 99cents to 2.99, so there's really no excuses on your part not to come on down!

Berlin Writes Back, While I Read

I have written my loveletters to Berlin before, and find it most rare and precious that Berlin has written back. Received in the post, the latest issue of SAND, an English-language literary journal based in Berlin, containing one of my stories from the WOMEN AND MONSTERS story cycle, "Circe", and enough astounding and enjoyable and thought-provoking work that I am most pleased to be included in the issue. There is a story about a couple that attempts to sleep in the same place as famous people slept. There is poetry written sidewise and visually-stunning art. It comes packaged in a stylish paper sleeve. Were I to stumble upon this journal in the book shop, I would be sad if I did not pick it up.

http://sandjournal.com/issues

I think you should pick up a copy, and not just because it contains me. I enjoyed the other stories and poems inside.

Also, if one is so inclined and able, I recommend writing a review of the journal.

Speaking of reviewing journals, I am most displeased that google alerts has not sent me any links to reviews of the JOURNAL OF UNLIKELY ENTOMOLOGY #3, in which my short story "War Beetles" is present in fine company. This is the same magazine that was noted by the Story South Million Writer's Award, and which got me a lovely nod among their recommended stories of the year for "Arachne" in Issue #1 of this journal, last year. (Arachne is also part of the WOMEN AND MONSTERS story cycle, in case that wasn't obvious!)

It would please me to see more reviews of these things.

I will put my money where my mouth is, as I am able, and review what I can, when I can. For spreading the word about lovely things is a very important thing to do in this new media age, where that is the only true coin of the realm and might could lead to more and more lovely things in the future.

I am currently reading three books. I am re-reading MORTAL LOVE by Elizabeth Hand and it is absolutely gorgeous, lovely, and a joy to read again. I have quite nearly finished ZONE ONE by Colson Whitehead, and I love everything but the zombies who are just so... Zombie. This isn't really Mr. Whitehead's fault, that I am tired of zombies, and I think it is a really excellent book and everyone should check it out, as they are able, if they haven't already. The third book I am reading is my own, because the third Dogsland Book must needs be finished up soon, and I need to review where I have been to adjust where I am going accordingly.

So, it does look like there might be a third Dogsland book in the future, but no promises and do keep your fingers crossed because that could change in a heartbeat, as these things occasionally do, because nothing is solid, yet, and I have no details to share about that at this time beyond what is already said.

That is all.

What happens after you write a new manuscript?

Just the other day I sent the draft of a new novel to my literary agent, to see what he thinks about it. Maybe it's good; maybe it's not. Who knows if you'll ever see it?

Anyway, I know a few writers who are very productive souls are also very good at making use of the time just after they write a book to do what they need to do to get onto that next one. I noticed this, once upon a time, and tried to come up with my own method of handling the post-partum times. After I wrote LAST DRAGON, I didn't do any of these things, and it took a long time to get the second book really going. By the time I wrote WHEN WE WERE EXECUTIONERS, I had figured out a system that helped me keep myself on track, as a writer and a human, without burning out.

You see, starting your next novel right, right away is a terrible idea. Short stories, maybe, if they're really off of what you just finished, but even then, I'd hesitate to allow it for a while. Give your head a chance to rest - a week, minimum. Maybe up to a month. I'm going to make a list out of what I do. I like lists. In college, I was teased for spouting off lists all the time. Lists are fun.

Here's what I did this week, and what I am continuing to do, after turning in a novel manuscript to my agent earlier this week.

1. Clean the house - because you know how messy it will get when you are pushing through to the end of your book. And, particularly if you do not live alone, you've been spending a lot of time doing something alone, at your computer, that your family does not like when they are doing the laundry, the dishes, the yards, etc. Cleaning the house, the whole house, and every part of the house, is a great way to show your appreciation for the people in your lives. Make dinner, too, for a week. Give the people around you a sense that it's their turn to relax, and that you truly appreciate their sacrifice for your obsessions. 
2. Check your planned projects database and reorganize - I use business tracking software as if this writing thing were actually a job. I have a list of things to do, with deadlines, that e-mails me when the deadlines are getting close. White boards are great, too, if you have some wallspace! But, take time to really check and plan out what you did, how long it took you to do it, and what you think you can accomplish on your list of projects next, in an adjusted timeframe based on how you did. So, this book I turned in has been kicking around in various malformed drafts for years, but when I figured it out and prioritized it, I know how many months it took to write. I know when I started this big draft, and when I finished. I have an approximate look at what slowed me down when. I can use this data. I can plan, as if I were actually working in a day job, to manage my time and projects effectively. After writing a manuscript, turning it is, I think it is valuable to spend some serious time checking the numbers and times of things, and planning ahead the next projects that are do.
3. Read More - Your head will need a chance to rebuild its sense of reality. For at least a week, maybe more, heal your head from noveling by reading. I think it is better to do this in paper or eInk, not in backlit website or PDF, because your eyes could probably use a break from the computer screen. Give yourself a week or two of just reading like mad. You earned it. Go you!
4. Check your physical health and well-being - Writing is sedentary, and when you are thrilled to be nearing the end of a large project you might be like me and sacrifice your physical activity time for more writing time. So, don't do that for a while, and maybe sacrifice computer time for exercise time. I've gone for a long walk every morning since turning in the manuscript. That, plus the housework, means I'm getting a lot more exercise, and I'm feeling so much better already. Eat good food. Take time to prepare it. Drink lots of water (not coffee, not alcohol, not soda) or healthy, caffeine-free tea. I've seen a direct correlation between my health and the quality of my writing. I bet you will, too.
5. If You Have People In Your Life, Remember Them - Are you married? Do you want to remain married? Take time to really spend time with the people you love, because you've been lost inside your head for quite a while. Take your special someone out and do what you do together. Vacations are nice, if you can afford them. So is just going to a fancy market to buy ingredients to make a special meal together, which is cheaper than a vacation, and also lots of fun. 
6. Set a Firm Date When You Will Get Back to Work - When your head is ready, and your outline is ready, and your heart is ready, write another book. Don't stop. Never stop. The time you spend resting your head must not become a permanent repose. You know how you feel when you finish the book, and how your head feels. Plan the day, right away, when you will start writing again. I'm waiting only a week, for this one. When I finished the revisions in a crazy, crazy schedule for NEVER KNEW ANOTHER, I needed a month just to get myself back together. Every project is different, but don't let any project be the one that finishes you. Set a date, and stick to it. My business tracking software helps me stay honest. 

I hope that helps. You know, the planning is really more useful than you'd think. I'm still not perfect at it, but I'm getting better at it, and it really is nice to sit down and know how long things took, and about what I can expect next time. It's never perfect, but it's generally close enough. What it does is create a fuzzy sense that no matter how deep into the quagmire my elbows have extended, I know when things should work themselves out. And, they generally do. It's a nice feeling to have, in the back of your head. Also, there's no confusion about next projects, so I can quickly spin my head around into something planned and outlined, instead of floundering about looking for something that interests me. Having things that interest me in line already, I've found, is a very useful thing.

Oh, I poked around a little bit for software to use, and I settled on the free version (because it's only for one person) of Producteev. It works. It's cross-platform, and it e-mails me my deadlines. I like white boards better, but I don't have the space for one at the moment, where I'm staying. The only real advantage software has over whiteboards is that they will e-mail you when your self-set deadlines approach. In a perfect world, I'd probably use both software and whiteboard.

This post is about six times longer than it really needs to be, but there it is. I hope someone finds it useful.

Interviewed at Gotham Writer's Workshop

Thanks to Jenn Brissett for this interview over at the Gotham Writer's Workshop Website!

There's just a few questions, but they are good ones, and a highlight of one of my answers lies herein:

If you treat writing like a job, and think of it like one, this will also help tremendously. If you told your boss, at work, that you were feeling blocked and could not complete your tasks, they would not take you very seriously. When viewed as a profession, and a job, feeling blocked is resolved by allowing oneself to do a less-than-stellar job today, and to give oneself permission to suck, sometimes. Everyone has bad days at work, right?

One of the things I like to say is that some days writing comes so easily, like drinking cool water for hours -- like being a gargoyle in a rainstorm and the water just seems to pour out of your mouth. Other days, it is like having a tooth wedged in your head of what you know is supposed to be on the page, and writing is a pair of pliers that pulls and pulls at that stuck tooth. Everyone has good days and bad days at work. Some days are water. Some days are teeth. That's okay. That's supposed to happen.

What is never supposed to happen is giving up on your job.

What question was that for? What are the other questions and answers? What is the Gotham Writer's Workshop? All these and more can be found at:

http://www.writingclasses.com/WritersResources/AuthorAdviceDetail.php/author_id/192627

I think it is very, very important to point out the wealth of good interviews they have on that site, including Jeffrey Ford, Jeff VanderMeer, R.L. Stine, Jodi Picoult, Aimee Bender, and more. A real diverse line of writers answering useful questions for writers. What a great resource!

Coming Soon...

Nirvana Gates is the second novella set in the Fathomless Abyss...

http://www.amazon.com/Tales-From-Fathomless-Abyss-ebook/dp/B006IU9A7A

It's about a young woman who keeps chickens and sells eggs with her family, oddly enough, though the cover should be an indication that things get a little more complicated!

Art by the very talented Mats Minnhagen!

Paradise

From the arroyo side behind my sister's house, I climbed a ladder to cull the tops of the boxwood hedges that were out of reach from her yard. Two different worlds pushed against the bent, old backyard fence. On the one side, the backyard, lush with rose bushes, foreign plants like vining jasmine, an empress tree from China, and peaches, begonias, grass and grass and scrub grass and clover and grass... The dog rules the yard, pushing a soccer ball into the corners of everything, pushing out of the corners. This is a paradise. The neighbor has palm trees that shade the yard, as tall as clocktowers. On the Arroyo side, there's burrs, stinging weeds, hard-edged sunflowers and more burrs. The mosquitoes thrive. The biting flies and ants clamber all over me. I'm climbing up to get to the boxwoods from the other side of the fence.

From the arroyo, on the step-ladder, I can see the whole neighborhood, green behind their fences with grass, trees, beautiful decks and patio furniture. On my side, the arroyo side, there's graffiti along a fence. A wild animal painted it in the night, marking the line between what is and is not.

Weeds are sneaking into the fence line. On second look, it isn't grass. It's green, but it isn't grass. It's only weeds that look like grass, and some of them are getting bigger. Some of them are climbing up the sides of the house, and pushing through the slats of the fence and biting into the ground. They're sneaking in. They're taking what they can from the brown patches.

If we left this house alone for fourteen years, if this neighborhood walked out and down into the dry creek, and down to where the water pools into a small pond wrapped in brown, tall grass and dragonflies and small toads and snakes and the long, lingering, cautious look from the coyotes that live out there...

All paradises push. I'm ripping the weeds up. I'm pulling away invasive ivies. I'm back there, clipping the boxwoods.

These mountains we make that line the street valleys, these mountains we light up with Christmas lights, street lights, and headlights, rolling over the ground like slow magma, push back.

We flew home on an airplane. The ground is always leveled along the airports. The ground is kept clear and close-cropped. So much ground leveled into a desert around the palacial terminals. I leaned back and imagined riding a canoe down the arroyo, down to the river, down to the ocean, out to sea.

I imagine heaven is a place where the suburban sprawl is immense. All paradises must push. New people coming in from all over, and there's got to be more room.

There's new houses coming up. There's always new houses coming up. There's new stripmalls all over.

Paradise is a push.

Excitement, Adventure, Writing and Announcements

Hard at work or hardly working? Well, when you're inventing for a living it's definitely hard work. I am currently editing like mad, my own work and someone else's, and it is an exciting adventure story and a gruesome YA steampunk-ish thing and also I'll be pulling out the third Dogsland book, dusting it off, and looking to polish everything, everything, everything for your humble peepers, fair reader.

WAR BEETLES is out, at last. http://www.grumpsjournal.com/index.html

War beetles left wreckage like hurricanes across the plains. The battle still raged on at some far distant place over the horizon. Along the ground, in their wake, acid pooled. Smoke from the fires of war left a gunpowder stink hanging in the air, and all the fresh meat of the dead made it smell worse.

Meridian Smith, a survivor of the battle, walked cautiously over the devastation with a girl he had found in a village. He had solid boots that rode high up his legs, near to his hips, and a long duster jacket. Meridian had lost his helmet in the fight. His forehead and ears were deep red, now. He didn't think about the sunburn, though. He was too busy watching out for the ground, and for the little girl that held his hand. He had to lead her carefully, because the earth was full of holes and sinkholes and smashed bushes and the remains of animals.

Desdemona was her name, she had said. She walked beside Meridian, clinging to his hands. She wasn't brave enough to walk by herself. She was too small to traverse the fields without his strong arm lifting her over the worst of the destruction. Her shoes were not built for long travel. Meridian was surprised she hadn't complained about her feet, yet.

Announcement of something cool: StorySouth's Million Writers Award just selected ARACHNE from a prior issue of that very magazine as has just published WAR BEETLES, as a notable story of 2011!

http://www.storysouth.com/millionwriters/millionwritersnotable_2011.html

As you all know, ARACHNE came out last year in the first issue of the Journal of Unlikely Entomology, and is a part of the interconnected collection, WOMEN AND MONSTERS, available here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/89167, here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/women-and-monsters-j-m-mcdermott/1105651888, here: http://www.amazon.com/Women-and-Monsters-ebook/dp/B007R3NL3G and elsewhere!

At the moment, I am editing something that is set in this shared world, and I highly recommend checking it out, if you can!

So, this post was begun to announce good news, and has devolved into shameless self-promotion of a particularly intense variety. I mean, how many times can I say "BUY MY STUFF!" in one blog post, right?

So... You know... Buy my stuff, please?

And... Done!

That's it, folks!  One week of free eBooks is over!

I'm going to check the timestamp on the folks who e-mailed me, and see if it was before midnight, or after, when they e-mailed me. And, there are no more free eBooks available.

Fortunately for you, the titles are still available for sale, and at numerous libraries across America! You could pick up an inexpensive used copy, a new copy straight from Amazon, or even a free copy from your local library!

And, if you enjoyed the free eBook, please do consider picking up one of my other works, and please do consider telling others about the work.

Thanks,

Me.

Other Works Available

Howdy all,

I'm very pleased with the giveaway going on for a couple more days. But, one recurring theme has been surprise by folks who didn't realize I had another thing out and for sale. Another recurring theme has been folks looking for an opportunity to "tip" me, which is great, but doesn't reward my publishing partners who are a huge part of my success.

So, I thought I would take a moment to mention some of the things that I have out right now.

Beyond Dogsland, there is the audiobook of LAST DRAGON: http://iambik.com/books/last-dragon-by-jm-mcdermott/

For fans of LAST DRAGON, I think you will be very pleased by the short story collection, out from my own little micro-press (more projects are forthcoming not by me, but we are in such early stages it is not time to announce or even hint at anything...) Bad Ducky Industries. WOMEN AND MONSTERS reimagines Greek mythology in a modern, surrealist mode, and looks for the hidden corners of these stories. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/women-and-monsters-j-m-mcdermott/1033667146

DEATH MASK AND EULOGY, a novelette, is available in just about every format I can think of, http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/58545 and lots of people like that little piece. You might like it, too.

I have been working very hard in this shared world, TALES OF THE FATHOMLESS ABYSS, and I am very excited to see this project continue! There's lots happening behind the scenes, and it all starts with this collection, edited by Phil Athans: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-From-Fathomless-Abyss-ebook/dp/B006IU9A7A

Of course, both LAST DRAGON and DISINTEGRATION VISIONS are available from Apex Books! http://www.apexbookcompany.com/ And it is the rare case that it is best to purchase directly from their website, though the books are available at most major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Finally, in the forthcoming issue of JOURNAL OF UNLIKELY ENTOMOLOGY, expect to see my short story WAR BEETLES!

State of the career is pretty good, but if you want to pick up stuff, and support my career, here are some great options. Tipping is always appreciated, at sankgreall(gmail)com, but it isn't as appreciated as helping along the publishing partners that make my career possible. During a major transition at Nightshade, some things are running way behind, and I don't need to tell you that the best way to speed things up is to make noise with reviews, make some purchases with some dollars, and just generally being an advocate for ethical treatment of authors and creators in all things and ways.

Also, one could tell one's friends that free eBooks are available until the week started with my prior blog post comes to a close. That would be helpful! (And thanks to those, like www.sfsignal.com, that spread the word!)

Free eBooks of the first two novels of the Dogsland Trilogy

Just what the title says. Anyone who doesn't already have one can drop me a line and receive one or both.

drop me a line at sankgreall(a)gmail(dot)com

Offer good until next Friday.

Light Blogging, Heavy Reading

So, I haven't been blogging quite regular-like, except for the occasional announcement, and it is probably time for one of those "Why haven't I been blogging" posts that seem to prop up from time to time.

Well, I'm busy. Very busy.

Between my imminent wedding, trying to locate better housing, and my attempts to write, read, etc. I have been preoccupied with things-not-blogging.

But, I would like to take a moment to mention a few books I've read recently that I thought were the Bees' Knees.

Ralph Ellison is a hard writer to ignore, and his subject matter is the sort of stuff that takes on new resonance considering recent news from standing-ground in Florida. I particularly enjoyed the Bingo story. Standing on the cusp, like that, is something that I get, and I thought it was a well-done story of hope in an otherwise bleak, hard world.

"The Last Worders" is one of my favorite short stories, and I loved this collection. Much of it is not easy reading, in that it will involve a lot of pain and misery and human suffering ('The Pelican Bar' left me queasy, right from the get-go) but the material here is strong and powerful and Small Beer Press knows how to pick 'em.

This is an explode-y book, for people that like their serious environmental content wrapped in action and adventure. I found it hard to take the book too seriously, honestly, even when it wanted me to do it, but that's not a bad thing. It was a light, fast, fun thing that could be a fine diversion on a rainy afternoon.

My second Philip Roth novel, and an enjoyable one, though I have yet to see what the big deal about Philip Roth is, when his work, to me, with the two things I've read, is very good, but not mindblowing. In this case, the alternate history of America if Charles Lindbergh, an anti-Semite, became President just before World War II, and prevented the USA from going to war. Instead, we ally with Nazi Germany. It feels hard to believe considering the weight of literature that obsesses and mythologizes and extols upon that difficult time in the world, but it wasn't so hard to believe, really, once it got going. It wasn't such a stretch to think folks who would place Japanese-Americans in interment camps might also place Jewish-Americans into them, or strive to do so. It is an interesting thought experiment, and solid, well-researched work of alternate history. Regardless, I enjoyed it enough to recommend it, here.

Anyway, that's recent things I've been reading in between all the hectic things in my life, at the moment. (I've read a few other things, but I didn't like them enough to plug them, here.)

Anyone read anything good, lately?

Last Dragon Now in Audio!

Iambik has released, at last, the Audio version of LAST DRAGON for your listening pleasure, narrated by Cori Samuels.

Here is a link to the spot in the catalog where one could, if one were so inclined, pick up the audio edition of LAST DRAGON!

http://iambik.com/books/last-dragon-by-jm-mcdermott/

This is my first audio book, and I am much very pleased about this. Please, feel free to spread the word!

Where do the artists and authors come from? Does anyone keep track of these things?

So, when I was an adult, I learned that I went to the same high school as amazing dark fantasy author Carol Berg, which would have really blown my mind when I was actually in high school. You see, it felt like Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, TX, was - for all the many good things about the school - a place where soldiers, lawyers, and medical professionals came from, not artists or authors or creative thinkers. The curriculum was religion combined with college preparation. The creativity that happened there, at the time, felt like something for a college application, not something that people did or taught because they were truly passionate about their field.

Naturally, I was completely wrongheaded. In fact, one of my classmates is listed on IMDB as a Shakespearian actor who studied in London. One of my Odyssey of the Mind team members, last I heard, builds sets for plays and operas in St. Louis. There was at least two other authors present when I walked those halls beside me while I was there, and a few folks who dropped their life and fled to New York and LA to work in Television and Film, who are still working in those fields. One of my classmates (who I do not even recognize or remember though he did graduate in my year) just opened a movie theatre/fine dining establishment in New York. Like many high school kids who thought he was living in a suburban wasteland, I was completely and totally wrong.

College, as well, I thought I was the lone speculative fiction writer in a sea of passionate New Yorker-wannabes. Naturally, I was also wrong. Every day that passes, I learn more and more about the people I went to school with. At World Fantasy Con, in Saratoga Springs, I met someone whom I actually went to class with who was trying to start her career in Fantasy Fiction, and we exchanged memories of Dr. Pipkin, with his sonorous voice and passionate love affair with the poetry of Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Basically, I was wrong every time I ever started to believe this.

Where do the artists and poets and creative types come from? Look around you. See if you can figure it out. I bet you'd be surprised who it is.

Let me tell you something very important: We creative types are everywhere.

I was at Ace Hardware yesterday buying twine, and the gentlemen who showed me where the twine was located, when he finished helping me, went back to his conversation while stocking shelves. He was talking about Renaissance Fairs, and the costumes he likes to wear when he attends - the roles he likes to play. I smiled to myself, because it made me think that he was probably an awesome guy, who went home at night and did interesting things with interesting people if anyone bothered to ask him about it. He makes his own costumes. He researches the past and recreates it. When he's done stocking the shelves at Ace Hardware, he studies history and incorporates what he learns into his own life and costumes.

Awesome people are everywhere.

Feel surrounded? Feel like you're in a wasteland? I know some of you do. Some of you live in the suburbs of Southern Cities where politicians must talk about Jesus and the Creation of Earth some 4000 years ago just to get elected to public office. Places where people beat you up for being different. Places where ironic cool folks look down their nose at you for not listening to the right bands, or attending the right church, or voting the right way.

Take heart. When I was in the middle of nowhere, driving half an hour to go to a private, parochial school that built itself around the myth that college was meant for everyone present, I was surrounded by creative types who probably felt the same way I did. Too bad we rarely seemed to find each other. Now I know that I need to look a little harder whenever I feel that. Because cool people really are everywhere.