Comic-Con 2012 Day 1: New writer discovered, an icon remembered, and bad movies mocked

We got up bright and early this morning and headed over to the Convention Center. Amazingly enough, the line to get badges was not a royal boondoggle, and we were able to get our badges with little difficulty. Unfortunately, we were so early that we had to line up and wait in the Sails Pavilion to wait for the vendor room to open. Ah, waiting in line - always such fun.

A nifty sign in the Sails Pavilion.

At any rate, the doors opened eventually and we made our way to the vendor room. I think that Karen was really blown away by the sheer size of the room and the number of the vendors. We walked the perimeter to get a feel for the place, and I saw a number of things I want to get (that hopefully won't be a big pain to haul home).

A Jawa on the vendor floor.

At a book vendor I got Christopher Walken A to Z: The Man, The Movies, The Legend, and saved $7 off the cover price too! At the Harper Collins booth I picked up Shadow Show: All New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury (we were heading to a panel for this later in the afternoon). While I was there I heard that Joe Hill would be doing a signing, so I threw in a copy of 20th Century Ghosts and had him sign that for me.

Then it was upstairs to a panel Karen wanted to see, a sci-fi writer named N. K. Jemisin. Haven't heard of her before, but she did a reading and her work sounds pretty interesting. After a lunch break we headed over to the Shadow Show panel, which featured Joe Hill and Margaret Atwood (still cannot believe that Margaret Atwood was at Comic-Con!). The panel was a wonderful tribute to Ray Bradbury, and probably the highlight of the day.

Yours truly and author Joe Hill.

After the panel we went over to an exhibition of all the Batmobiles, and then met up with my friends Mary and Jeremy. We had a bite to eat and compared what we'd done and what we plan to do (there are plans to all get together for the Django Unchained panel on Saturday). Then Karen and I went over to the Indigo Ballroom to get in line for Rifftrax.

My favorite of the Batmobiles on display.

The Rifftrax panel was a hoot, as the guys did their riffing on a horrible safety short from the 1970s, and then asked fans to submit their own ideas for bad movies. (My favorite suggestion was the one that was a remake of Twilight, but with all the characters getting eaten by Claymation dinosaurs.)

Some killjoys outside the con.

By now the horrible headache I'd been plagued with all day went away, and I actually had an appetite again. So we went for dinner to The Field, an Irish pub, where Karen had bangers and mash and I had a boxy with Irish bacon. It all hit the spot. Then, back to the Westgate.

Tomorrow's plan: FIREFLY REUNION! And hopefully the Game of Thrones panel.

Comic-Con 2012 Day 0: There IS joy in Mudville

My friend Karen and I took the Gold Line from Pasadena to Union Station, and from there caught the Amtrak to San Diego. This not only was remarkably hassle-free, but I had never been to Union Station before and it was a treat to see how lovely it is. If you don't believe me, here are some photos.

A lovely fountain outside the station.

Inside Union Station

The train ride was extremely uneventful, and once at the San Diego station we got a cab (whose driver obviously learned his trade in some Third World country where traffic laws are more "guidelines" or "helpful suggestions." At any rate, we made it to the Westgate Hotel in one piece.

The Westgate is a lovely place, sort of old fashioned but I am not complaining. Hey, they have free Wi-Fi and that's all we need.

The lobby of the Westgate Hotel.

The not-so-lovely view from our room (it's the City Administration Building).

Once we got checked in Karen and I made a trip to Ralph's for some food and snack items, and then over to Baja Fresh for dinner.

As for the title of this blog post, here's what it's referring to. Last Friday I had tried to get tickets for the Nerd HQ panel with Nathan Fillion. I thought I had succeeded, but it turned out that demand for all the Nerd HQ panels was so heavy that the system was overwhelmed and my tickets had been sold to me even though there were none left. Nerd HQ said they would try to see if Fillion would do another panel, at which we would be guaranteed a seat, and when I checked my email at the hotel, we got the happy news that the panel was not only a go, but was for a time when I hadn't anything else planned (I was nervous it would be scheduled during the Django Unchained panel, in which case I would have had to make a very hard decision). Hooray!

Tomorrow we'll be off to get our badges, check out the Ray Bradbury tribute panel, do some sight-seeing around the vendor floor, and hopefully catch Rifftrax Live. Should be fun!

Off to Comic-Con

Check back for nightly updates!

My book was mentioned...

As a "Book to read in the bathtub" in the Modern Senior blog. What's best is that I'm mentioned alongside Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Robert McCammon. I like it!

For the nerdier Game of Thrones fans

Check out this imagining of Season 2 as an old-school RPG. Brilliant!

The music I had in mind

For those of you who haven't read my novel The Day After Yesterday, the protagonist is a musician. At one point in the book he composes an album, titled Winter Roses.

Several people have asked what the album sounds like. I confess that while I'm able to write novels, any sort of songwriting skills elude me. I was able to come up with song titles for this fictional album, a few lines of lyrics, and some details about the songs (which ones are instrumental, which ones are uptempo, etc.). But beyond that, you'll have to use your imagination.

The closest approximation I can make to the general tone and sound of the fictional album is this song by The Civil Wars. (My protagonist is a pianist, so the album has a lot of piano on it.)

Here's "The Violet Hour" by The Civil Wars. Their whole album is great, by all means pick it up.

Comic-Con approaches! Do the dance of joy!

Yes, in just a little over a week I'll be invading San Diego to let my nerd flag fly at Comic-Con. This will be my fifth year (my first time was in 2008, as a present to myself for my 40th birthday), and I'm really looking forward to it.

Among the panels I'm hoping to catch are a tribute to Ray Bradbury, a Firefly reunion, a Game of Thrones panel, the new Quentin Tarantino movie Django Unchained, and more.

It will be my friend Karen's first time, and for any of you other first-timers out there, I have some tips.

• Remember that Comic-Con is big. Really big. The vendor floor alone is huge, and there are so many panels and signings and other things that there is no way you can do everything. Relax, focus on the things you absolutely MUST do, and try to maintain Zen.
• Keep your tank fueled. The food at the con is expensive and nasty (your best option in the convention center is the Starbucks, which has not-bad caprese sandwiches). If time allows, explore some of the eating options in the Gaslamp area, and be sure to bring snacks with you. This is an imperative if you're camping out for a panel and won't be able to get lunch. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels will keep you from getting headachy and grouchy, and also from losing all control and screaming, "BUT I'M NOT LIKE ALL THESE OTHERS I LOVE YOU!!!" at your favorite celebrity crush.
• Bring a book. You will have downtime, most often if you're waiting in line or camping out in a room waiting for your panel. Bring a book, preferably one that can do double duty and you can get it signed at the con. I'm bringing the Heat Rises book.
• Shower. I shouldn't have to mention this, but...
• Be considerate. Don't push and shove. Don't attack people in your zeal to get some free goodie. If you see a famous person on the vendor floor and they look like they're trying to just shop like any other person or get to where they need to be, don't hound them.
• Take a moment to look and listen. People-watching and eavesdropping are half the fun of the con. Observe all the like-minded nerds and marvel that you are among your own kind. Listen to what people are saying. I still smile thinking of the woman I overheard a couple years ago, who said: "You know why I love Comic-Con? Mark Hamill hugged me! I will never wash my body again!" And who knows, maybe you'll make a friend.
• Have fun. And do the dance of joy!

Oh, you sweet summer child

Don't know where this comment came from - it looks like a YouTube comment - but it's people like this who will cause Twitter to implode towards the end of Season 3 of Game of Thrones.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

"Write Like The Wind"

Now, I'm in full agreement with Neil Gaiman that George R. R. Martin is "not our bitch," but this tuneful entreaty for George to "write like the wind" is spot-on and hilarious. Enjoy!

Author interview at LL Book Review

The LL Book Review website kindly gave me the opportunity for an author interview. Read it and learn a bit more about my book, about my process, and what's next on the horizon.

The Day After Yesterday - now for the Nook!

Some books just can't be restricted to one e-book platform. That's why The Day After Yesterday is now available for the Nook at Barnes and Noble. Just $2.99.

Review: The Avengers

Reviewers, assemble at Horrorview! My review of The Avengers, AKA The Perfect Summer Movie, is up.

Ray Bradbury

We lost one of the good ones today. Ray Bradbury passed away at the age of 91.

I became a fan of Ray's work relatively late in life - for some reason it never clicked with me when I was young. But once I was properly introduced to his work I became a fan for life. His stories could be nostalgic and sweet or dark and terrifying. His use of language was unparalleled, but I think what I came to respect most was that he never spoon-fed his readers. He trusted you to understand what the story was about (think of the horrifying revelation in "The Aqueduct," a story that actually made me screech).

It seems wrong that we should lose Bradbury in June. Autumn was his time. So I'll close with a quote from "The Lake," the story that made me fall in love with Bradbury.

It was September. In the last days when things are getting sad for no reason. The beach was so long and lonely with only about six people on it. The kids quit bouncing the ball because somehow the wind made them sad, too, whistling the way it did, and the kids sat down and felt autumn come along the endless shore.

All of the hot dog stands were boarded up with strips of golden planking, sealing in all the mustard, onion, meat odors of the long, joyful summer. One by one the places slammed their covers down, padlocked their doors, and the wind came and touched the sand, blowing away all of the million footprints of July and August. ... Sand blew up in curtains on the sidewalks, and the merry-go-round was hidden with canvas, all of the horses frozen in mid-air on their brass poles, showing teeth, galloping on. With only the wind for music, slipping through canvas.

Thanks for the stories, Ray.

FREE book again!

On Wednesday, June 6, 2012, for 24 hours only, The Day After Yesterday for the Kindle will be available for FREE. Why pass up this opportunity? Get one for yourself. Get one for your Dad for Father's Day. Enjoy!

On the shelves at two more stores!

Good news, especially if you happen to be visiting the town of Solvang, on California's central coast. The Day After Yesterday will be on the shelves at both the town's major bookstores: Valley Books and The Book Loft.

I've been a customer at both places for years now, and they're fantastic places to find books, enjoy some coffee, and just relax. I'm thrilled to be on their shelves!

Describing debuts

From the Ploughshares Literary Magazine blog, this insight into literary debuts and how to describe them.

So going by this guide, The Day After Yesterday is "a touching/heartbreaking debut" which amounts to "someone dies."

Enjoy!

Writing quote of the day

"I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of." - Joss Whedon.

Review: Joss Whedon - The Complete Companion

My review of the new collection of essays about all things Whedon, Joss Whedon - The Complete Companion, is up at Horrorview.

Hours of fun, Jeeves

This should provide lots of entertainment: The Random P. G. Wodehouse Quote Generator!

It's even more fun than the Do-It-Yourself Giallo Title Generator!

The Day After Yesterday hits the shelves at Vroman's!

Pasadena's ever-awesome Vroman's Bookstore now sells my novel The Day After Yesterday as part of its local authors program.

For those of you saying, "pics or it didn't happen" - take a look for yourself.

I love Amazon and ebooks, but this makes it all seem a little more real.