I’m going through the last third of my novel – and I thought I’d share one of my reference photos for the location of the closing chapters.
The place alone suggests a number of possibilities for action.
Smashwords, LibreOffice and Me – doing it with Style
So I just set up my account on Smashwords.
It’s now 18 months I’ve been a self-publisher through Amazon Kindle, and now I’d like to widen my horizon.
So far I’ve been quite intimidated by the Smashwords formatting rules – they have a fame for being complicated and not exactly user-friendly. That, and the fact that the Smashwords system requires me to upload a .doc file – being a Linux user, I don’t use MS Word, and that could lead to formatting troubles.
But now it turns out I can upload an .epub file too – and that’s much easier for me, as the epub is often a by-product of my own coding of my books for Amazon. Continue reading
The Blurb Muse
Some guys have all the luck.
They write, and have a muse.
And I don’t mean a girl they fancy, and they are trying to impress with their writing – no, I mean they actually have this spirit that gives them Inspiration.
Isn’t that great – some of us have only perspiration to fuel our writing.
The way these artsy guys talk about it, their Muse is something out of an Alfons Mucha print – rosy-cheeked and classy, wrapped in a simple dress, golden hair piled-up in some kind of Edwardian do, barely treading ground, bathed in soft light, spring breeze caressing her.
The Muse suggests these guys their lofty stories – not narrative but Literature, not entertainment but Art.
She gives them her support in homeopathic doses, doling out one painful sentence per day, so that they don’t write much, usually taking months for a short story.
Then you go and read these guys’ blurbs, and synopses, and they leave you aghast. Continue reading
Once all eyes were upon us; people wondered what we were going to do next. Now people do not care what we do, as they do not care for our goals; they no longer watch us. Therefore, we have all the privacy in the universe. We can be as diabolical, as cruel and as crafty as we want; we no longer have to worry if our schemes are socially acceptable; we are in control. Think of it, my friends.
Other People’s Pulps – Two by Jess Nevins
One of the best catches in my Lucca expedition was Strange Tales of the Century, by Jess Nevins.
This massive 500+ pages trade paperback is two things into one – and both are just great.
Strange Tales of the Century is a supplement for the Spirit of the Century roleplaying game of pulp action and adventure.
As such, it offers the reader a wide selection of characters, options, new stunts and perks and what not.
It also details the world between 1935 and 1951 from a pulp-fictional point of view.
I personally do not play the FATE System or Spirit of the Century, but the sourcebook is flexible enough to act as a much needed supplement for the old Aeonverse game Adventure! (that’s how I’m going to use it), or as a sourcebook for any other pulp/adventure game. Continue reading
Shanghai Express
It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily.
Roger Ebert called this line from Joseph von Sternberg‘s Shanghai Express “a masterpiece of understatement”.
Von Sternberg went to Shanghai, in order to research this movie. He described his experiences in a book called Fun in a Chinese Laundry.
Weird chap, that von Sternberg guy.
The story is set on the Shanghai-Beijing Express, in the thirties, as was and revolution rage across China.
But war and revolution are not as shocking, for the travelers on this train, than the presence among them of notorious prostitute Shanghai Lil.
Then one of them finds out she’s his former girlfriend. Continue reading
Total Eclipse
Ok, a belated Sunday post.
Fact is, you see, I just discovered my friend Claire is also a singer (swell girl, lots of talents).
And what are friends for, if not for providing inspiration?
So, here’s Christina Bianco, humbly proposed as a role model for my friend Claire.
Karavansara 