Express yourself Mario here:

I'm surprised by the need for people to express themselves artistically, even though as a writer I am one of those folks who's got voices constantly chattering in my head and they won't shut up until I put their stories on the page.

For example, last night I passed a coffee shop where a folk musician was rocking out on a mandolin. Considering the venue, he was probably playing for tips. I'll bet this gig was the high point of his week even if it did zilch to pay his bills.

We see how artists express themselves but we seldom ask why, especially if they do something that seems a bit left field.

Photo credit: Westword

This last week I attended an exhibit at the Art Salon by the graphic artist Alon Paul. He put together an exhibit titled Muse:365, his homage to Madonna (Ciccione--the singer). What Alon had done was create images of Madonna, one a day for a year. I could think of other, more conventional outlets for my art, and the concept of the show seemed a little unhinged for sure.

Then I read Westword's article on Alon and the show, and what I discovered turned my head around. Alon was the son of a single mother. She was only seventeen when he was born, and as Alon wrote, "It was a kid raising a kid." The lack of money was a constant challenge and so Alon grew up in the finest trailer parks, as he put it, of Nebraska and Wyoming. They moved twenty times before his sophomore year. It was a rootless existence and Alon felt adrift, confused, and neglected by society. At the age of seven he discovered Madonna and became inspired by her drive and defiance to critics and popular opinion. She became the compass to his life, and Alon recognizes that his obsession with her is his crazy, but it's a good crazy.

Denver chalk art Larimer Square, 1st Place, credit Facebook Alon Paul

If Alon wanted success then he had to emulate what Madonna has done. Work hard. Focus. Shun the negative. When he decided to honor her with a show, he failed twice at producing work. Alon decided that if Muse: 365 was important, then completing the art became an exercise in discipline and sacrifice, and serves as an example to all us creative types.

For a taste of Alon's vision and Muse: 365 at the Art Salon, check out this YouTube video:



Big congrats to writer pal Rudy Garcia who scored a reading and signing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque for his novel, The Closet of Discarded Dreams, Saturday, September 29, 2012. Rudy proves you can nurture obsessions with interests other than Madonna and still find success.

Next weekend, I'll also be in Albuquerque, though for Bubonicon 44. Check out the schedule and say hello.

Labels: Alon Paul, Art Salon, Bubonicon 44, Madonna, Muse: 365, Rudy Garcia

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:49 PM  2 comments

  I love fall... The colors, the smells, the chill in the air. Yesterday I saw my breath in the morning. Beautiful.






I love the way families get involved in these things. Don't know who this cutie is, but he's got a great costume, doesn't he?




Ready to do a little Christmas shopping? The new Neiman Marcus catalog is out. How about an Assouline custom-build library for a mere $125,000.00?


If you live in New York, this is a much anticipated annual event: Penguin's Warehouse Book Sale.


“The Penguin Group will hold its annual warehouse book sale Nov. 12 and 14 through 19 at the former Maines warehouse on Terrace Avenue in Conklin.

"The sale runs from 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12, 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 through 18, and 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19. There’s no entry fee and items are priced as low as $1. Cash and checks only will be accepted, and checks require two form of identification, including one photo ID.”


It's almost here...anyone else participating?

And once you get that novel finished, here's a new resource for you--

Avon Books Announces that Digitized "Slushpile" Creates New Opportunities in Publishing for Aspiring Authors --

Check it out here


This weekend Mario and I will be at MileHi Con at the Hyatt Regency - Tech center. Big book signing is on Friday evening at 8 and it's open to the public.



From one of our favorite blog commenters, Vickie: Cranium's up!!! James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter are going to on next week's episode of Supernatural!!!! *happydance*

From the website:

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) meet Maggie Stark (guest star Charisma Carpenter), a witch who has unleashed her wrath on a small town, resulting in numerous deaths. Sam and Dean track down her husband, Donald (guest star James Marsters), to see if he can help. Donald tells the brothers that Maggie is mad at him for having an affair and is taking it out on the townspeople. Phil Sgriccia directed the episode written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming.

That's tomorrow Buffybuds so get those DVR's set!!

And one last note of caution to all you writers out there:

Labels: Art Salon, Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, MileHiCon, NaNoWriMo, Neiman Marcus, Penguin Warehouse Sale, Supernatural

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:40 PM  4 comments

  My two tribes Mario here,


Father's Day makes me a little extra wistful for my old man and reflect on how different my life is versus the way his turned out. He died at 51, under circumstances that I'd rather explain in another blog.

A big difference is my circle of wonderful friends. I can't imagine my dad, or a man of his generation for that matter, having the web of informal acquaintances that I have, especially with women (no hanky-panky...really). It's not unusual for us--in groups or paired up--to have dinners, go to the movies, road trips, even indulge in some crotch couch-surfing. And we talk about everything, mostly about stuff that during my father's time, would've been delivered in a plain brown wrapper.

It's a lifestyle (outwardly irreverent and pervy but inwardly, we all work our asses off--being a Bohemian ain't cheap) made possible because I'm blessed to live in Denver, where I've found my two tribes: Writers and Artists...who both happened to have hosted spectacular soirees this weekend.



My writer tribe--in the guise of the Lighthouse Lit Fest--convened in the beautiful Montclair Civic Building (located way the hell out on east Colfax) for the Final Agent's Reception. Executive Director Michael Henry, in his snazzy linen suit, emceed the literary carousing.
<--one handed reading...erotica, no doubt




Harrison Candelaria Fletcher and Andrea Dupree kept the conversations smart and bubbly.

Anticipating that I might be drinking a bit (with so much free booze, who could resist?) I took the bus, the infamous 15L, a.k.a. the Colfax Ghetto Cruiser a.k.a. the Vomit Comet.

And then there's my artist tribe...


...who circled the ponies at The Art Salon's reception for The Bold and the Beautiful-Colorful Works by Wild Women. Geishas, koi, pretty birds, and a post-apocalyptic fruit bowl (for when your food feels scared and lonely).





Karma Points for writer pimpage! --> From Publishers Lunch:

Kevin Hearne's IRON DRUID urban fantasy trilogy set in Tempe, Arizona, featuring a rare book salesman, herb peddler, and 2,000 year old druid - the last of his kind - who has been on the run for over two millennia from a very angry ancient Celtic god; the first book HOUNDED primarily features the many Celtic gods; HEXED will focus on Coyote and the Bacchants; HAMMERED will be about a plot against Thor (everybody hates Thor), to Anne Clarke at Orbit UK, by Evan Goldfield at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (UK and Commonwealth).

Chuck Wendig's BLACKBIRDS, in which a woman is cursed with the ability to foresee how people will die, but without the ability to save them --until she foresees a death that forces her to try to change fate, and MOCKINGBIRDS, to Lee Harris at Angry Robot, by Stacia Decker at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (World English).

Not that I'm much on resolutions, but seeing as I'm always telling writers to read, read, read, I decided that it's best if I lead by example. So this week's offering is another splendid book by the amazing Sherman Alexie. First published in 2000, The Toughest Indian in the World is an anthology of Alexie's short fiction. As befitting the title, the works are one-two knockout punches, first a left with humor then a haymaker loaded with poignancy. He'll beat you senseless and you'll love the pounding. Now go read.

Labels: Art Salon, Chuck Wendig, Kevin Hearne, Lighthouse Writers, perviness, Sherman Alexie

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 3:04 PM  4 comments

  I gots the devil in me.
Last week, I asked if during the process of creating, are we playing God?

Labels: Art Salon, Mark Henry, Patience, the devil

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 3:56 PM  2 comments

  Why do we like to play God?
Mario here:answer because upon reflection, they do. Back in the sixth grade, Mrs. Anderson paired up the students in her English class, with the assignment of writing a book (more of a booklet, about 20 pages). I was teamed with Stuart Williams and we were both crazy about Star Trek (the original series). While the other students were writing and illustrating their books about lost puppies, Santa having his sleigh stolen, what-have-you, Stuart and I got busy creating a science fiction saga. When it was time to turn in the books, he and I didn't have ours. Since Stuart and I were good students, Mrs. Anderson asked what we'd been doing for the last six weeks. We showed her a thick binder filled with drawings, schematics, crew rosters, star charts, uniforms, story boards of battle scenes. Basically, we'd been overwhelmed by what turned out to be a star ship epic. Even though we hadn't completed the assignment, we'd done more work than everyone else, and she gave us A's.

Labels: Art Salon, big black Love Stick, Creating, Mark Henry, playing God, Scorned Love

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 2:19 PM  8 comments