The Next Big Thing

[I was tagged for this little masquerade twice, by Jeff Bursey and Jeremy M. Davies. So here is my contribution.]

What is the working title of the book?

“The Gloop, or The Least I Can Do.”

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Nightmares.

What genre does your book fall under?

Post-apocalyptic science-fiction horror.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I like how this question comes before the synopsis. Well, I’ve always thought Morrissey would make a brilliant actor, so Morrissey.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

“A misanthropic old man lectures a young student on the nature of the world before it its destruction by the Gloop.” By “world” I mean “Chicago c. 2013.”

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

One week.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Barry N. Malzberg, J. R. R. Tolkien, zombie flicks, nightmares.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

In includes pornographic parodies of Tolkien and zombie flicks.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Dunno.

My tagged writers are:

Barry N. Malzberg, J. R. R. Tolkien, Morrissey.

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Obligatory Thanksgiving Food Blogging, Part 3

Our longest-running family Thanksgiving tradition is that my dad makes a pie for every single person who joins us for Thanksgiving. That’s right, an entire pie per person. It’s excessive and every year we promise we’re going to cut back. And this year—we finally did! My dad made only eight pies (that’s for thirteen people, mind you, still an excessive amount of pie ).

Each person gets to choose his or her pie. My choice is always apple, which is my favorite:

Besides that, we had two Boston cremes:

… a cherry …

… a French apple …

… a key lime …

… and two pumpkins …

Taken all together, here’s what they looked like:

(Why, yes, that is Turkey Hill ice cream in the background.)

And here’s what my (first) plate looked like:

And here’s the aftermath:

There’s still plenty left, if you’d like a slice! (This means you, Jeff.)

Once again, I hope you’re having a Happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you are  …

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Jeff Bursey: “On Being Noticeable and Impolite”

In the Winnipeg Review, a defense of the difficult in fiction, among other things. Jeff very kindly mentions me in the article—and in the same breath as Harry Mathews and Alexandra Chasin. I’m flattered!

(Jeff also very kindly reviewed Amazing Adult Fantasy in The Quarterly Conversation. He’s very kind.)

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Two New Reviews of AMAZING ADULT FANTASY

…by Paul Kincaid, writing at SF Site, and Jeff Bursey, writing at The Quarterly Conversation. These join two others: Matt Dube’s, at H_NGM_N, and Peter Fontaine’s, at The Collagist. (Thank you, guys!)

Amazing Adult Fantasy is available through its publisher, Mutable Sound, as well as Powell’s Books and Amazon.

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