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 09, 2013
A sad, glitzy take on the one percent
Mario here:
What I'm reading:
Desperado by Manuel Ramos.
Here's pimpage from writer pal Rudy Ch. about one of his favorite authors, Ernest Hogan:
High Aztech, the novel of mind-altering viruses running amok in a futuristic Mexico City--renamed Tenochtitlán--is available again. It’s only $0.99 from Amazon for your Kindle. $0.99 also can get it to you just about any e-format you want from Smashwords.
And more pimpage! Film producer and Lighthouse instructor Alexandre Philippe (The People vs. George Lucas) obviously doesn't have enough to do. His new venture, FriedComics.com, goes live tomorrow! Want in on the action? Sign up for Frieda's Shit List.
The Great Gatsby, the movie.
I went to the theater worried the movie would disappoint. I'm glad I fretted for nothing. I freakin' loved it.
Sure the nags bitch that the movie isn't 100 percent faithful to the novel. Well, duh. One is a book, the other a film. Different mediums require different storytelling techniques. Unlike the 70's adaptation of this story--a real snoozefest with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow--this movie captured the kinetic, bipolar mood of the Roaring Twenties. From the opening credits to the dazzling landscapes, to the wild parties, the speakeasy scene, the hoodlums and high-rollers, the filthy down-and-out vs. the downright filthy rich, to the gorgeous Art Deco fadeout, director Baz Luhrmann delivered the cinematic goods.
A lot of wags rank on the acting. They either hated Leonardo DiCaprio or tossed him air kisses. As for the other actors, here is what Elizabeth Weitzman of the NY Daily News says about Joel Edgerton playing Tom Buchanan.
"And Edgerton’s Tom all but twirls his mustache in cartoonish villainy."
Mario here:
What I'm reading:
Desperado by Manuel Ramos.Here's pimpage from writer pal Rudy Ch. about one of his favorite authors, Ernest Hogan:
High Aztech, the novel of mind-altering viruses running amok in a futuristic Mexico City--renamed Tenochtitlán--is available again. It’s only $0.99 from Amazon for your Kindle. $0.99 also can get it to you just about any e-format you want from Smashwords.
And, until August 2, 2013, if you use the coupon code TV57H at Smashwords, you can get it for free!
And more pimpage! Film producer and Lighthouse instructor Alexandre Philippe (The People vs. George Lucas) obviously doesn't have enough to do. His new venture, FriedComics.com, goes live tomorrow! Want in on the action? Sign up for Frieda's Shit List.
The Great Gatsby, the movie.
I went to the theater worried the movie would disappoint. I'm glad I fretted for nothing. I freakin' loved it.
Sure the nags bitch that the movie isn't 100 percent faithful to the novel. Well, duh. One is a book, the other a film. Different mediums require different storytelling techniques. Unlike the 70's adaptation of this story--a real snoozefest with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow--this movie captured the kinetic, bipolar mood of the Roaring Twenties. From the opening credits to the dazzling landscapes, to the wild parties, the speakeasy scene, the hoodlums and high-rollers, the filthy down-and-out vs. the downright filthy rich, to the gorgeous Art Deco fadeout, director Baz Luhrmann delivered the cinematic goods.
A lot of wags rank on the acting. They either hated Leonardo DiCaprio or tossed him air kisses. As for the other actors, here is what Elizabeth Weitzman of the NY Daily News says about Joel Edgerton playing Tom Buchanan.
"And Edgerton’s Tom all but twirls his mustache in cartoonish villainy."
"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."
Labels: Ernest Hogan, FriedComics.com, Manuel Ramos, The Great Gatsby
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:09 PM 2 comments
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Show me your pile
Mario here:
What I'm reading: Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald.
I speak to a lot of newbeis about writing. Mostly about craft. Some about storytelling. We have discussions about technique versus craft. What I've learned is that there is no one way to tell a story. Some people get hidebound over style and throw ugly conniptions about POV shifts and exposition as if these were the most foul of human trespasses. I've come to appreciate there is a difference between writing and storytelling. Some authors are very good writers yet mediocre storytellers, and as a result, in a novel, they lose their readers. Other authors are fantastic storytellers yet middling writers. Their prose doesn't dazzle. But roll out a good story and readers will overlook a lot.
One drawback to being a writer is that I've had to retrain myself as reader. It was too easy to read a book through my critiquer goggles and get so nit picky that I missed the richness of the story. This doesn't mean I finish every book that I start. If I put a book down, it's seldom because of style but because the story lacks coherence (i.e., a plot).
One bit of advice hasn't changed in my years as a writing instructor. And that is: Read. A lot.
Read bunches in your genre and bunches out of your genre. I'm amazed when I asked a wannbe to list their favorite books and they reply that they're too busy to read. Or they want to pen a (fill-in-the-blank--mystery, thriller, historical) and haven't bothered to read one. Last year I challenged myself to read a book a week and so far, I'm on the money. Here is my TBR pile, in no particular order that the books will be consumed. Four are nonfiction, the rest novels.
If life was truly fair, then local writer Manuel Ramos would be in the end caps at Costco with Michael Connelly and CJ Box. The Denver Post gives Ramos a bit of his due in this chingaton review of Desperado.
Mario here:
What I'm reading: Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald.
I speak to a lot of newbeis about writing. Mostly about craft. Some about storytelling. We have discussions about technique versus craft. What I've learned is that there is no one way to tell a story. Some people get hidebound over style and throw ugly conniptions about POV shifts and exposition as if these were the most foul of human trespasses. I've come to appreciate there is a difference between writing and storytelling. Some authors are very good writers yet mediocre storytellers, and as a result, in a novel, they lose their readers. Other authors are fantastic storytellers yet middling writers. Their prose doesn't dazzle. But roll out a good story and readers will overlook a lot.
One drawback to being a writer is that I've had to retrain myself as reader. It was too easy to read a book through my critiquer goggles and get so nit picky that I missed the richness of the story. This doesn't mean I finish every book that I start. If I put a book down, it's seldom because of style but because the story lacks coherence (i.e., a plot).
One bit of advice hasn't changed in my years as a writing instructor. And that is: Read. A lot.
Read bunches in your genre and bunches out of your genre. I'm amazed when I asked a wannbe to list their favorite books and they reply that they're too busy to read. Or they want to pen a (fill-in-the-blank--mystery, thriller, historical) and haven't bothered to read one. Last year I challenged myself to read a book a week and so far, I'm on the money. Here is my TBR pile, in no particular order that the books will be consumed. Four are nonfiction, the rest novels.
If life was truly fair, then local writer Manuel Ramos would be in the end caps at Costco with Michael Connelly and CJ Box. The Denver Post gives Ramos a bit of his due in this chingaton review of Desperado.
Labels: Cape Fear, Desperado, John D. MacDonald, Manuel Ramos, the Highlands, the North Side
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 7:50 PM 4 comments
Monday, March 18, 2013
For less than a dollar
Mario here:
What I'm reading.
Just finishing Swamplandia by Karen Russell.
And have started On The Grind by Stephen J. Cannell.
Update your calendars! Denver Post U hosts the seminar, The Story Behind The Story. Local authors Manuel Ramos, Mark Stevens, and Sandra Dallas will discuss how they develop and research their stories. Wednesday, April 3, 5:30-7:30PM, at the Denver Post Auditorium. The event is free but you gotta sign up.
Over at Jane Freidman's Writer Unboxed, she gives us five publishing trends we scribes should heed. One of them is the usual: exercise due diligence with your contracts. With the rise and importance of ebook rights, you should see how and when you can get your digital rights back.
Thankfully, she also says that writers (and by that I understand to mean fiction writers), and especially new writers, should bag the whole author-building platform. Instead, write and write well.
What can you get for less than a dollar? Hell, it seems that won't even buy a candy bar. But you can get some darn good short fiction from writer pal, Bonnie Ramthun. 99 cents snags you her new short story, Blood Print.
What I'm reading.
Just finishing Swamplandia by Karen Russell.
And have started On The Grind by Stephen J. Cannell.
Update your calendars! Denver Post U hosts the seminar, The Story Behind The Story. Local authors Manuel Ramos, Mark Stevens, and Sandra Dallas will discuss how they develop and research their stories. Wednesday, April 3, 5:30-7:30PM, at the Denver Post Auditorium. The event is free but you gotta sign up.
Over at Jane Freidman's Writer Unboxed, she gives us five publishing trends we scribes should heed. One of them is the usual: exercise due diligence with your contracts. With the rise and importance of ebook rights, you should see how and when you can get your digital rights back.
Thankfully, she also says that writers (and by that I understand to mean fiction writers), and especially new writers, should bag the whole author-building platform. Instead, write and write well.
Labels: 99 cents, Blood Print, Manuel Ramos, Mark Stevens, Sandra Dallas, sequester, Steven J Cannell
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 9:29 AM 2 comments
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Triple pimpage
Mario here:
What I'm reading: Woe To Live On by Daniel Woodrell.
Lots to pimp this week.
First on deck.
Fellow League of Reluctant Adults pal, Michele Bardsley, has recently released her first self-pubbed ebook, Sex, Doug, and a Rocky Road.
Here's the pitch--Ellie Johnson is a Las Vegas housewife dealing with the fallout of her husband’s affair with a big-boobed Australian. As she goes from married to unmarried, Ellie embarks with her best friend on a happiness journey is messy, chaotic, and fraught with ice cream and booze. A lot of booze. Then there’s Doug. You know, the ex-boyfriend who wants to take up with Ellie where they left off more than fifteen years ago. Sometimes, life is the luck of the draw. And sometimes, life is Sex, Doug, and a Rocky Road.
If you're familiar with Bardsley other work, better bring some oxygen to help you survive the laughs.
Next up at bat.
Huge kudos to fellow MWA member Tom Holliday, for at last honchoing his biography of America's great opera composer, Carlisle Floyd, onto the printed page. The local book launch party for Falling Up: The Days and Nights of Carlisle Floyd (Syracuse University Press), will be this Friday, February 22, at the Colfax, Tattered Cover. I love this cover photo. You can truly read Floyd's expression. Man, this composing is freakin' hard work!
And clean up.
Another MWA buddy, Manuel Ramos, will bring us another of his gritty Chicano noir stories, Desperado (Arte Publico Press), to the Colfax Tattered Cover, on April 11. The background in his cover art cracked me up with its chistes.
What I'm reading: Woe To Live On by Daniel Woodrell.Lots to pimp this week.
First on deck.
Fellow League of Reluctant Adults pal, Michele Bardsley, has recently released her first self-pubbed ebook, Sex, Doug, and a Rocky Road. Here's the pitch--Ellie Johnson is a Las Vegas housewife dealing with the fallout of her husband’s affair with a big-boobed Australian. As she goes from married to unmarried, Ellie embarks with her best friend on a happiness journey is messy, chaotic, and fraught with ice cream and booze. A lot of booze. Then there’s Doug. You know, the ex-boyfriend who wants to take up with Ellie where they left off more than fifteen years ago. Sometimes, life is the luck of the draw. And sometimes, life is Sex, Doug, and a Rocky Road.
If you're familiar with Bardsley other work, better bring some oxygen to help you survive the laughs.
Next up at bat.
Huge kudos to fellow MWA member Tom Holliday, for at last honchoing his biography of America's great opera composer, Carlisle Floyd, onto the printed page. The local book launch party for Falling Up: The Days and Nights of Carlisle Floyd (Syracuse University Press), will be this Friday, February 22, at the Colfax, Tattered Cover. I love this cover photo. You can truly read Floyd's expression. Man, this composing is freakin' hard work!And clean up.
Another MWA buddy, Manuel Ramos, will bring us another of his gritty Chicano noir stories, Desperado (Arte Publico Press), to the Colfax Tattered Cover, on April 11. The background in his cover art cracked me up with its chistes.
Labels: Carlisle Floyd, Chicano noir, Daniel Woodrell, Manuel Ramos, Michele Bardsley, opera, secrets to winning lottery tickets, Tom Holliday, Woe To Live On
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 7:46 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Get a clue!
Mario here:
I have a story in the YA anthology: You don't Have A Clue: Latino Mysteries for Teens, from Arte Publico Press, edited by Sarah Cortez. A *Starred Review* in Book List gives us bragging rights.
Years ago I swore I'd never write a story set in my hometown of Las Cruces, NM, or placed during the 70's. And I've done just that in "No Soy Loco," but with a little twist: mysterious voices, alien criminals, and eye gouging (otherwise, why go to LC?) A perfect tale for impressionable minds.
Manuel Ramos also has a story in the anthology. The book launch party will be Friday, 7PM, May 20, at the Tattered Cover on Colfax. As you can see, Ramos will bring a dose of much needed class to the event.
Also on the radar, I'll be at the South Carolina Book Festival, May 14-15, presenting Saturday on the panel Fantastic Fiction! Werewolves, Vampires and Blood! with
Faith Hunter,
the ever serious Sam Morton,
and the darkly fashionable Kalayna Price.
I'm signing 11AM, on both Saturday and Sunday. More details as we get closer to the date.
My TBR is in serious need of replenishing. If you have any titles to recommend, please post. Any genre, as long as it rocked you.
In the meantime, I can't sing praises loud enough for Sherman Alexie. I just finished War Dances and have started Ten Little Indians. The story, "The Search Engine," made my Muse* cry, it was that freakin' awesome.
* Hey Muse, you lazy bitch. Why can't you give me such inspiration? But no...it's always Happy Hour for you.
I have a story in the YA anthology: You don't Have A Clue: Latino Mysteries for Teens, from Arte Publico Press, edited by Sarah Cortez. A *Starred Review* in Book List gives us bragging rights.
Years ago I swore I'd never write a story set in my hometown of Las Cruces, NM, or placed during the 70's. And I've done just that in "No Soy Loco," but with a little twist: mysterious voices, alien criminals, and eye gouging (otherwise, why go to LC?) A perfect tale for impressionable minds.
Manuel Ramos also has a story in the anthology. The book launch party will be Friday, 7PM, May 20, at the Tattered Cover on Colfax. As you can see, Ramos will bring a dose of much needed class to the event.
Also on the radar, I'll be at the South Carolina Book Festival, May 14-15, presenting Saturday on the panel Fantastic Fiction! Werewolves, Vampires and Blood! with
Faith Hunter,
the ever serious Sam Morton,
and the darkly fashionable Kalayna Price.
I'm signing 11AM, on both Saturday and Sunday. More details as we get closer to the date.
My TBR is in serious need of replenishing. If you have any titles to recommend, please post. Any genre, as long as it rocked you.
In the meantime, I can't sing praises loud enough for Sherman Alexie. I just finished War Dances and have started Ten Little Indians. The story, "The Search Engine," made my Muse* cry, it was that freakin' awesome.
* Hey Muse, you lazy bitch. Why can't you give me such inspiration? But no...it's always Happy Hour for you.
Labels: Faith Hunter, Kalanya Price, Manuel Ramos, Sam Morton, Sherman Alexie
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:54 AM 7 comments
