Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
A Triple Crown
Mario here:
What I'm reading:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
We have a winner...actually two of them. Make that three. A trio of Colorado Book Award winners.
In the category of Crime/Mystery: critique pal and drinking buddy, Warren Hammond, for KOP Killer--quite possibly the best literary shiv ever.
In the category of Genre Fiction: another writer friend and RMFW champion, Cindi Myers for The View from Here.
In the category of Creative Nonfiction: fellow Lighthouse instructor and all around fountain of writer knowledge, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher for Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life.
But as we like to say here at Biting-Edge headquarters, life is not all sunshine and chocolate. Last week, one of my favorite authors, Vince Flynn, passed away, a victim of cancer. He was 47. Flynn was a regular on The New York Times bestseller list and had achieved the kind of success all writers long for. I had met him years ago at the Men of Mystery convention in Irvine, CA. What I remember: he was very gracious, a little guarded, and quite tall. Vince, we will miss you.
Mario here:
What I'm reading:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.We have a winner...actually two of them. Make that three. A trio of Colorado Book Award winners.
In the category of Crime/Mystery: critique pal and drinking buddy, Warren Hammond, for KOP Killer--quite possibly the best literary shiv ever.In the category of Genre Fiction: another writer friend and RMFW champion, Cindi Myers for The View from Here.In the category of Creative Nonfiction: fellow Lighthouse instructor and all around fountain of writer knowledge, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher for Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life.But as we like to say here at Biting-Edge headquarters, life is not all sunshine and chocolate. Last week, one of my favorite authors, Vince Flynn, passed away, a victim of cancer. He was 47. Flynn was a regular on The New York Times bestseller list and had achieved the kind of success all writers long for. I had met him years ago at the Men of Mystery convention in Irvine, CA. What I remember: he was very gracious, a little guarded, and quite tall. Vince, we will miss you.
Labels: Cindi Myers, Colorado Book Awards, Lighthouse Writers, Vince Flynn, Warren Hammond
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 9:12 PM 3 comments
Thursday, January 24, 2013
More Excuses...
I spent the last week in revisions for Anna 9 (Blood Bonds); writing a short story (One Good Deed) for Fiction River Anthology Magazine; and working on the second in my Fallen Siren series (no working title yet). It's been a long (but productive) week.
The upshot is I didn't have time to gather any pearls for this week's blog. I did see this, though, from the Examiner:
John Lennon letter from 1971 inspires new film starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Renner
Hollywood's a-buzzin' with news about a new film called "Imagine" which is set to star Al Pacino, Julianne Moore and Jeremy Renner. The movie, scheduled to start filming this Spring, was inspired by the true story of an aspiring folk musician who received a letter from John Lennon 34 years after it was written.
The letter never reached the musician at the time because it was intercepted and wound up in the hands of a collector. It was thirty-four years before the intended recipient saw it.
Al Pacino plays the musician.
I realized when I released the blog early on Thursday that I didn't mention why I would be interested in this -- I have just about everything written by and about the Beatles. I wasn't aware of the book mentioned in the article, though, The John Lennon Letters. I am now.
Amazon
New Eligibility Rules. Put your work up against the rest! The Sandy now welcomes published authors. The entry MUST be original and uncontracted at the time of the contest deadline.
No self-published works will be accepted.
Also, this year we are capping the entries at 250, so enter early!
We are doing away with snail mail entry forms this year. To enter, everyone must fill out the electronic entry form. We will still take checks mailed to the CBWriter PO Box for those who do not wish to pay via Pay Pal.
We are increasing the prize money. 1st=$60, 2nd=$35, 3rd=$15 In the interest of uniformity, we’re using only Times New Roman font this year.
The upshot is I didn't have time to gather any pearls for this week's blog. I did see this, though, from the Examiner:
John Lennon letter from 1971 inspires new film starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Renner
Hollywood's a-buzzin' with news about a new film called "Imagine" which is set to star Al Pacino, Julianne Moore and Jeremy Renner. The movie, scheduled to start filming this Spring, was inspired by the true story of an aspiring folk musician who received a letter from John Lennon 34 years after it was written.
The letter never reached the musician at the time because it was intercepted and wound up in the hands of a collector. It was thirty-four years before the intended recipient saw it.
Al Pacino plays the musician.
I realized when I released the blog early on Thursday that I didn't mention why I would be interested in this -- I have just about everything written by and about the Beatles. I wasn't aware of the book mentioned in the article, though, The John Lennon Letters. I am now.
Amazon
# # # #
A writing contest some of you may be interested in:
Crested Butte Writers' annual Sandy Writing Contest
New Eligibility Rules. Put your work up against the rest! The Sandy now welcomes published authors. The entry MUST be original and uncontracted at the time of the contest deadline.
No self-published works will be accepted.
Also, this year we are capping the entries at 250, so enter early!
We are doing away with snail mail entry forms this year. To enter, everyone must fill out the electronic entry form. We will still take checks mailed to the CBWriter PO Box for those who do not wish to pay via Pay Pal.
We are increasing the prize money. 1st=$60, 2nd=$35, 3rd=$15 In the interest of uniformity, we’re using only Times New Roman font this year.
Not much prize money but final judging will be done by editors and agents. Rules and entry forms here
# # # #
While we're on the subject of writing, check out Cindi Myers Market News for info on which imprints are buying what. Check it out here
And did I say I was finished with revisions for Anna 9-- wishful thinking!
See you next week--
Labels: Cindi Myers, Crested Butte Writers Conference, John Lennon, the Sandy Writing Contest
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:17 AM 0 comments
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Thin Gray Line
Mario here:
Growing up, we get lots of advice, all well intended, I'm sure. That advice often becomes a voice nagging at the back of our minds and over time, that mental scold can keep us from doing something it's in our better interests to do.
One of those nags came to me from Captain Kangaroo. One day he had a bug up his early-morning butt about people defacing books. He warned us young readers not to mark our place in a book by dog-earing the page corner, and to instead use a slip of paper. Reasonable advice. To reinforce that idea, at the end of the school year, when we turned in our texts, the teacher would flip through the books to make sure we hadn't defaced the pages.
What that stamped into my mind was that books were special, and I grew up revering books practically as holy objects. I've never thrown a book away, even one that was water-damaged or chewed up by the dog. Those books I passed along to a donation box, knowing full well they would toss them out--but at least there was no blood (ink) on my hands.
Where this not-marking-a-book advice became a liability was when I began to teach writing. Like my fellow scribes, I get excited whenever I discover a well-turned phrase and have decided I needed to share these sparkling gems. There are only so many words in the English language, and I'm amazed when another writer has managed to string them together in fresh ways. At first, I tried to mark the found passages with slips of paper or Post-It notes (stop pestering me, Mr. Kangaroo!), but often found myself lacking said bookmarks. After an agonizing self-debate, I've at last given myself permission to note a choice passage with a pencil mark in the margin. This way I don't slow my reading by much and can simply flip through the book to look for the thin gray lines and rediscover my buried wordy treasures. Yes, in a way, it may be considered vandalism, but it is for the greater literary good.
Here are a few of my favorites passages:
He had changed since his New Haven years. Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body--he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body.
What passages have made you go mmmm...most delicious phrasing?
Pimpage Alert!
This Wednesday at 7PM, tap into your schizo self and find a way to be at two places at once.
ONE: Julie Kazimer's book launch party for Curses! A F***cked-Up Fairy Tale. The Mercury Cafe. 2199 California, Denver. Much shenanigans planned.
TWO: Denver Diatribe, I'll be on the panel, Killing the Cow Town: Depictions of Denver in Film, Literature, and Music. With Cory Casciato, Ron Doyle, Jared Maher, and cartoonist Kenny Be. Denver Film Center, 2510 E Colfax (next to the Tattered Cover).
If that doesn't work, and in case you missed Kazimer's party, you get a chance for sloppy seconds (yum!) at a signing with Cindi Myers, Saturday, March 3, 3PM, The Broadway Book Mall, 200 S Broadway, Denver.
Growing up, we get lots of advice, all well intended, I'm sure. That advice often becomes a voice nagging at the back of our minds and over time, that mental scold can keep us from doing something it's in our better interests to do.
One of those nags came to me from Captain Kangaroo. One day he had a bug up his early-morning butt about people defacing books. He warned us young readers not to mark our place in a book by dog-earing the page corner, and to instead use a slip of paper. Reasonable advice. To reinforce that idea, at the end of the school year, when we turned in our texts, the teacher would flip through the books to make sure we hadn't defaced the pages.What that stamped into my mind was that books were special, and I grew up revering books practically as holy objects. I've never thrown a book away, even one that was water-damaged or chewed up by the dog. Those books I passed along to a donation box, knowing full well they would toss them out--but at least there was no blood (ink) on my hands.
Where this not-marking-a-book advice became a liability was when I began to teach writing. Like my fellow scribes, I get excited whenever I discover a well-turned phrase and have decided I needed to share these sparkling gems. There are only so many words in the English language, and I'm amazed when another writer has managed to string them together in fresh ways. At first, I tried to mark the found passages with slips of paper or Post-It notes (stop pestering me, Mr. Kangaroo!), but often found myself lacking said bookmarks. After an agonizing self-debate, I've at last given myself permission to note a choice passage with a pencil mark in the margin. This way I don't slow my reading by much and can simply flip through the book to look for the thin gray lines and rediscover my buried wordy treasures. Yes, in a way, it may be considered vandalism, but it is for the greater literary good.
Here are a few of my favorites passages:
John Krakauer, Into Thin Air
Confronted with this tally, my mind balked and retreated into a weird, almost robotic state of detachment. I felt emotionally anesthetized yet hyperaware, as if I had fled into a bunker deep inside my skull and was peering out at the wreckage around me through a narrow, armored slit.
Steven Hely, How I Became a Famous Novelist
Lucy’s boss, David Borer, an editor at Ortolan, was sitting next to her. Yards away in the semidarkness, you could still see the fear in his face. He was zipping his eyes around the room, as though somebody were about to reveal the secret of publishing and he was afraid of missing it. He was older than we were, fey and beaten. He looked like an elf who’s gone though a bad divorce.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsy
He had changed since his New Haven years. Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body--he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body.
What passages have made you go mmmm...most delicious phrasing?
Pimpage Alert!
This Wednesday at 7PM, tap into your schizo self and find a way to be at two places at once.
ONE: Julie Kazimer's book launch party for Curses! A F***cked-Up Fairy Tale. The Mercury Cafe. 2199 California, Denver. Much shenanigans planned.
TWO: Denver Diatribe, I'll be on the panel, Killing the Cow Town: Depictions of Denver in Film, Literature, and Music. With Cory Casciato, Ron Doyle, Jared Maher, and cartoonist Kenny Be. Denver Film Center, 2510 E Colfax (next to the Tattered Cover).
If that doesn't work, and in case you missed Kazimer's party, you get a chance for sloppy seconds (yum!) at a signing with Cindi Myers, Saturday, March 3, 3PM, The Broadway Book Mall, 200 S Broadway, Denver.Labels: Cindi Myers, Mercury Cafe, scribes, sloppy seconds
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 2:14 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I think I can, I think I can
Maybe it's because it's January, there are all sorts of blog posts and videos about motivation floating on the Internet. I'm as susceptible (or as neurotic) as the next but these two were pretty good. See if they don't light your fire.
From YouTube
From wimp.com
From YouTube
From wimp.com
# # # #
One more editorial comment. I know the anti-piracy bill(s) may be flawed...but I have one question--when did stealing become acceptable or a right of free speech???? I just don't get it.Tuesday night Mario and the rest of our critique gang went to the debut book signing of Jason Heller's Taft 2012 at The Tattered Cover on Colfax. Jason was funny, charming and as erudite as one might expect. Can't wait to read his book and if you missed his book trailers, scroll down to BE Monday Jan. 8 and check them out. The best I've seen. Hell, I'd vote for Taft. BTW, I'm sure TC has signed copies if you're interested.
Three other pals of the Biting Edge have books out this week--
Cindi Myers -- The Woman Who Loved Jessee James
Carol Berg - The Daemon Prism
J. A. Kazimer - Curses! A A F&%#ed-Up Fairy Tale
All three authors have signings scheduled at the Broadway Book Mall:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2:00 – Carol Berg will discuss and sign The Daemon Prism, the 3rd in her Collegia Magica series. Consumed with despair, the blind necromancer Dante seeks refuge in a magical puzzle -- a puzzle that supposedly fulfills one's utmost desires. But it's actually a seductive trap, threatening to unleash the very cataclysm he fears.
SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 3:00 –
Cindi Myers, The Woman Who Loved Jesse James - Jesse was a dangerous puzzle: a loving husband to Zee and a father who kept his “work” separate from his family, though Zee heard the lurid rumors of his career as a bank robber and worse. Still, she never gave up on him. And he earned her love, time and again.
J.A. Kazimer, Curses! A F&%#ed-Up Fairy Tale - Definitely "not" for baby's bedtime reading, this hilarious and irreverent take on classic fairy tales--think "Shrek" for grown-ups--combines humor, mystery, and characters only a fairy godmother could love.
And in other author news, our Seattle contingent, Richelle Mead, Mark Henry, and Kat Richardson (among others) find themselves in unfamiliar territory--they have snow!! Lots of snow. Snow that probably should be here. If your friends with them on FB or Twitter, you've already heard how they're coping. All I can say is...
better them than me.
That's it for me. Off to the gym. If you're wondering why this is posting so late or even if you're not...the fucking power has been off for two hours. No explanation. No weather problems. No construction in the area. Why would the power go off? You tell me.
Three other pals of the Biting Edge have books out this week--
Cindi Myers -- The Woman Who Loved Jessee James
Carol Berg - The Daemon Prism
J. A. Kazimer - Curses! A A F&%#ed-Up Fairy Tale
All three authors have signings scheduled at the Broadway Book Mall:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2:00 – Carol Berg will discuss and sign The Daemon Prism, the 3rd in her Collegia Magica series. Consumed with despair, the blind necromancer Dante seeks refuge in a magical puzzle -- a puzzle that supposedly fulfills one's utmost desires. But it's actually a seductive trap, threatening to unleash the very cataclysm he fears.
SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 3:00 –
Cindi Myers, The Woman Who Loved Jesse James - Jesse was a dangerous puzzle: a loving husband to Zee and a father who kept his “work” separate from his family, though Zee heard the lurid rumors of his career as a bank robber and worse. Still, she never gave up on him. And he earned her love, time and again.
J.A. Kazimer, Curses! A F&%#ed-Up Fairy Tale - Definitely "not" for baby's bedtime reading, this hilarious and irreverent take on classic fairy tales--think "Shrek" for grown-ups--combines humor, mystery, and characters only a fairy godmother could love.
And in other author news, our Seattle contingent, Richelle Mead, Mark Henry, and Kat Richardson (among others) find themselves in unfamiliar territory--they have snow!! Lots of snow. Snow that probably should be here. If your friends with them on FB or Twitter, you've already heard how they're coping. All I can say is...
better them than me.
That's it for me. Off to the gym. If you're wondering why this is posting so late or even if you're not...the fucking power has been off for two hours. No explanation. No weather problems. No construction in the area. Why would the power go off? You tell me.
Labels: Broadway Book Mall, Carol Berg, Cindi Myers, J.A. Kazimer, Jason Heller, Tattered Cover
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 2:33 PM 5 comments
