The Summer At Supper

Last night while having supper, Francine, Alexander and I discussed each of our favourite memories from this past summer. While we all agreed that we did plenty of fun things, we tried to come up with what one of our favourite moments from this past summer was.

For me, it the afternoon we all spent in Science North, particularly when we built the giant skyscraper of Lego Duplo blocks.

Francine suggested the afternoon we had a picnic in the park in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Alexander said that his favourite memory from the summer was cutting the lawn with Daddio.

Why am I not surprised?

Da Count - Sing Me A Rush Lullaby, Dad

When Alexander was a baby and had trouble falling to sleep, I used to sing to him.

I found that songs sung in a soothing fashion would often lull him into a gentle sleep. There are only so many classic lullaby songs a man can go through, so after one or two of the "standards" I would often switch over to some other songs that I knew really well.

I would regularly sing Are you Lonesome Tonight? famously covered by Elvis, Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers and If I Had a Million Dollars by Bare-Naked Ladies.

Of course, I pretty much know the lyrics to most of the songs by Rush, so there were a few Rush ballads that I ended up singing to him on a regular basis. Madrigal, Tears and Closer to the Heart.

Madrigal is one of my favourites for a bedtime lullby. One of Rush's shortest recorded songs, here's how it begins:

When the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward

When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you

- from "Madrigal" by Rush from A FAREWELL TO KINGS (1977)

Interestingly, Alexander loves listening to Rush, particularly when we're driving somewhere together. Of course, his favourite would be the opening sequence (or the opening two movements if you prefer) from 2112 (Overture and The Temples of Syrinx). We always have a grand time blasting that in the car and doing both air guitar and air drums to it. There's also a "basement rec room" version that we do where I crank it on the stereo and manipulate three different lights in time to the music.

However, with the exception of the sequence "Discovery" where the hero in 2112 finds the ancient guitar and starts gently playing on it, the song 2112 is a hard-hitting rock song that wakes a person up, doesn't gently settle them down.

And back to the concept of settling down, a few nights ago, when he was having trouble sleeping, Alexander spoke quietly from the darkness of his room. "Sing to me, Dad." That was interesting. He hadn't asked me to sing for a long time. Usually, he would ask me to tell him a story. But this time he wanted a song.

"What would you like me to sing?" I asked.

"A Rush lullaby."

Sigh. For a long-time Rush nerd, does life get any better than that?

HNT - Ghost Walk

I'm delighted to be hosting an upcoming ghost walk and horror author extravaganza at Titles Bookstore, McMaster University.

Dubbed "Haunted McMaster" we have joined forces with the good people behind Haunted Hamilton's Ghost Walks to present a fantastic evening of free macabre entertainment.

Along with a free guided custom tour of the McMaster campus by one of Haunted Hamilton's ghostly tour guides, Titles bookstore will be hosting 9 different authors each doing a talk/reading from their work.

The inspiration behind the event came to me when I read an advance reading copy of Brian Keene's novel GHOST WALK a couple of months ago.

Set in the town of LeHorn's Hollow, this follow up to DARK HOLLOW takes place on a haunted attraction. As Halloween approaches, folks appear from miles around to check out Ken Ripple's spooky ghost trail, which is set in a wooded area believed to actually be haunted. And, as you would expect from a horror novel, there really is something evil and dark lurking in the woods.

I was pretty sure that Brian, with a young baby in the house and dozens of projects on the go, likely wouldn't be able to make it all the way up to Hamilton, Ontario, for the event.

But I figured since his fiction inspired the event, I should at least try to involve him some way.

So I worked with his publisher to get some signed copies of GHOST WALK and several other titles by Brian to use as special door prize giveaways during the event. That, and we're also launching a special "buy GHOST WALK and win a real ghost walk" promotion -- between September 22 and October 31, if you buy Keene's GHOST WALK or DARK HOLLOW or any of the books featured in our author extravaganza on October 10, you'll be automatically entered into a draw to win free tickets to a full length Haunted Hamilton Ghost Walk.

The event, which takes place as Titles Bookstore (Gilmour Hall, McMaster University - 1280 Main Street West in Hamilton) begins on October 10, 2008 at 7 PM will include the above mentioned ghost tours of campus and feature readings/talks/book signings by the following authors:

• Kelley Armstrong - author of the bestselling "The Women of the Otherwold" and "The Darkest Powers" series
• John Robert Colombo - "Canada's Mr. Mystery" and author of "The Big Book of Canadian Ghost Stories"
• Richard Gavin - author of "Omens"
• Sèphera Girón - author of "Borrowed Flesh" "House Magic" and "Hungarian Rhapsody"
• Michael Kelly - author of "Scratching the Surface" and contributor to The Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories 1 and 2
• Gregory Lamberson - author of "Johnny Gruesome"
• Gord Rollo - author of "Jigsaw Man"
• Simon Strantzas - author of "Beneath the Surface" and contributor to The Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories 1 and 2
• Edo van Belkom - author of the Aurora Award & Silver Birch Award winning "Wolf Pack" series and "Be Afraid: Tales of Horror"

This should be a fantastic evening of fun and chills with readings and talks from a wonderful selection of writers. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

So, thank you, Brian. Both for the inspiration for this event as well as for continuing to scare me shitless . . .

20/20

Late last week I accomplished the first half of a goal I had set for myself in mid August.

I lost 20 pounds.

It took me just about two months to do so, averaging about 10 pounds per month. Not bad.

Now I have another 20 pounds to go.

I set the goal after a freaky little health scare that occurred back in August. Things turned out to be okay, but after considering that my overall odds were better if I maintained a proper weight, and realizing I was 40 pounds overweight, I set the goal to get that weight off and keep it off.

To illustrate the point -- I'm 6 foot 3 inches and weighed 240 lbs. That represents a BMI (body mass index) of about 30. Body Mass Index is defined as the individual's body weight divided by the square of their height. A BMI of 30 and above represents obesity.

I'm now hovering near 220 lbs, which represents a BMI of 27.5. Still overweight.

I'm continuing to work toward 200 lbs (BMI of 25) which is still just above the "normal" range and considered in the overweight category -- I might be better served to shoot for 195; however, 200 is a nice round number, and while BMI is a relatively good index of obesity, it doesn't actually measure body fat -- and taller people typically report a BMI that is uncharaceristically higher than their actual body fat levels. About the only place I'm carrying a lot of fat around is on my stomach and waist -- and while that stomach is still there (although I don't look quite as pregnant as I did two months ago), I have seen it drop significantly.

To reach this goal I haven't done anything dramatic. I have merely done a few things:

1) Regular exercise - I've been trying to get on the treadmill 3 times per week, running and walking for a minimum of 20, preferably 30 minutes. I'm now back up to 3 Kilometer runs - it has been 4 years since I could regularly run 5 K during a 30 - 45 minute workout session. When I'm on the treadmill I keep trying to push myself to beat the distance from my previous session. (AND, I'm listening to audio novels on my mp3 player while doing so -- so it's accomplishing two great things -- exercise and getting more "reading" done)

2) Stop just throwing food indicriminantly into my mouth. Francine noted that I would often just toss stuff into my mouth without being aware what I was doing. A cookie here, the crust off Alexander's bread there -- all those little "empty" calories really do add up

3) Increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and water -- (ie, filling those cravings with foods that are good for me and don't pack on unnecessary calories)

That's pretty much it. I've also slightly decreased my intake of bread products (not completely, because I love bread too much -- just limiting my portions) and I'm also making simple yet crucial decisions about what I'd like to consume. For example, would I rather have a slice of chocolate cake or drink a beer?

Anyone who knows me knows I'll be opting for the beverage.

And that's the great thing about this simple structure I'm following -- I'm watching the food I'm eating and eating more healthy -- but I'm still allowing myself to drink beer whenever I want.

And I'm losing those extra pounds.

If all goes well, by the end of October I should be nearing or at the 200 lb mark.

Black Ink Horror XXX

I was pleased many months ago when Black Ink Horror editor Tom Moran accepted my short story "Switch" to appear in an upcoming issue of his magazine. At the time of the acceptance, Tom told me that it would appear in Issue #5.

But I was delightfully surprised to learn that it has since been moved into the special full-color XXX issue which is limited to 100 copies.

"Switch" is the story of a psychiatrist who, in attempting to cure a misogynistic patient, undergoes an experimental treatment in which their consciousness switches bodies.

The story is an erotically charged tale with some very brutal and extremely adult content. To date, it's my nastiest published work, and I can't wait to see how it looks in this special edition of Black Ink Horror.

Here are the details from the publisher's website about Black Ink Horror XXX which is available for pre-order:

This special, full-color edition of Black Ink Horror is devoted to horror stories of the extreme variety. Sex and gore abound in this 50 page, highly collectible edition. Each of the five tales is accompanied by three illustrations. This one is not for the prudish or easily offended--we cut our artist loose on XXX, and they left nothing to the imagination. For added collectibility, this issue will be printed by Chris Hedges of Insidious Publications ( http://www.insidiouspublications.com/ ) fame. Chris prints and binds all of his books by hand, and his work is just stunning.

NOTE: Tony Karne's cover art was so sick, we had to blur some of the action to make it clean enough to post on line. The real covers will NOT be blurred....

XXX is limited to only 100 copies. We expect this one to sell out quickly, so be sure to reserve your copy ASAP. We expect the books to ship in late August/ Early September.

50 pages / 8 x 5 / Saddle stitched / COLOR!

[EDIT: Switch is now available as an ebook for 99 cents]

 

Da Count - School With Dad

Last night in the midst of starting the lawn cutting activities for the day, I remembered an important errand I was supposed to have taken care of at work. Given that the day had been filled with tons of distractions, I didn't remember until close to 7 PM.

But when I did, Alexander and I jumped in the truck and headed down to McMaster to take care of things.

Our store is open this time of year until 9 PM to ensure that students have ample time to get their course materials and other needs. When Alexander got there we skirted on and off the sales floor and through several areas that are off limits to most people who visit the bookstore on campus.

During our visit, I was impressed at how much Alexander remembered about his many previous visits, and how animated he gets when he talks about going to dad's work.

And I was delightfully reminded of the times I spent going to the school with my own dad when I was a young lad. My father was the chief custodian at Levack District High School, and often when the school was closed (particularly during the Christmas to New Years break), he would visit, do a quick tour, check the furnace to ensure it was running properly, and just do some basic rounds.

I loved visiting the school with him -- it was a great treat. Though I wasn't in high school yet, I had visited most of the high school and seen rooms that most other students attending LDHS would never seen in all their years there.

Some times, when my dad's work would take more than fifteen minutes or so, I'd get to go into the gym and shot basketballs while waiting for him to finish. It was fun, but also a bit early to be inside this large building and huge empty room with no other sounds than the echo of my footfalls and the bouncing ball. (The stuff of a good horror story, methinks)

In any case, this week I'm counting the multi-generational concept of heading to the school with dad. Also, given that today is also Hamilton boy Neil Peart's birthday (drummer and lyricist for Rush), I should end this post with an appropriate quote used in the song Circumstances from the Hemispheres album: "Plus ca chance, plus c'est la meme chose." (The more that things change, the more they stay the same)

Project 2996 - Sept 11, 2008

For the past couple of years I have participated in Project 2996 -- a collaborative effort made by bloggers all over the world to remember and celebrate the lives of the 2996 people who lost their lives on Sept 11, 2001.

In the past two years I took some time to remember Raymond Meisenheimer and Deora Francis Bodley. (Click on the links of their names to read my posts about these two unique individuals)

This year, I'd like to remember David Reed Gamboa Brandhorst.


David was 3 years old when he and his two adoptive fathers Daniel Brandhorst and Ronald Gamboa lost their lives on United Flight 175. The family was returning from Boston to Los Angeles, where they lived.

Daniel Brandhorst was 41 years old and worked for Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Ronald Gamboa was 33 and managed a Gap store in Santa Monica.

David, their son, who was adopted in 1998, was named after Daniel's brother. The young lad shared both the spirit and intellectual curiosity of his two daddies.

Given the fact that society still hasn't properly accepted the fact that two people of the same sex can love and cherish each other, Daniel and Ronald had to not only overcome all the usual slings and arrows a couple overcomes to get together, but had to also overcome those extra hurdles thrown at them by society.

But they did it, and they did it successfully.

They also overcame the societal obstacles in their desire to be fathers, to unconditionally love a child. And by all accounts, they were wonderful fathers to young David, a bright, loving and curious child with a whole world of possibilities ahead of him.

I have shed tears thinking about the loss of David and his two fathers, but Project 2996 isn't about bemoaning a loss, it is about celebrating the lives of those lost of September 11, 2001.

Their triumph is proof that love reigns strong, that love can conquer all, and that love endures. Let this love they showed, to each other and to their beautiful little boy, be an example to the rest of us. And may we never forget that important lesson.

None of the victims will be forgotten so long as we remember them.

HNT - Book Heist

It's been expectedly busy at the bookstore these past couple of weeks. Back to school always brings long days, endless hours of helping first year students find their appropriate course materials, and unpacking carton after carton of textbooks.

We call it the September Rush -- and it's definitely a rush -- a rush of activity, a rush of text material, a rush of students. (Yet, sadly, no Geddy, Alex and Neil)

Early last week, during some welcome week activities, a group of students on a scavenger hunt had to acquire a picture of themselves stealing books. They asked if I would pose with them, pretending to be chasing a group of them attempting to steal books.


Fun pics and a good group of kids.

FYI, despite the angry look on my face and the big stick I was swinging, no students and no course materials were hurt in the staging of these photographs.

Characters You Never Saw

Francine and I were watching a re-run of Home Improvement the other night. One of the continuing bits from the show we remembered enjoying was Tim's neighbour Wilson, the wise eccentric man next door who always offered Tim advice over the fence in his back yard.

(Often, the advice was completely over the top of Tim's head -- one of the funny recurring bits from this was that while offering the advice, Wilson often quoted a line from some ancient philosopher, and later in the episode, while Tim was attempting to regurgitate it, he would get the quote completely wrong in some hilarious fashion)

Because Tim mostly saw Wilson over the backyard fence, you only ever saw the top of his head and his eyes -- you never saw his whole face.

They continued with that motif whenever Wilson appeared in the series even outside of the "back yard" setting -- where either his face would be hidden behind some sort of prop, or, as I remember, during a Halloween episode, was completely covered in face paint.

Thinking about Wilson made me remember other television characters that you perhaps never actually saw, but whom played some sort of role in the show.

The first I could think of was Charlie from the original television series Charlie's Angels. In this series, Charlie (whose voice was played by John Forsythe) was the mysterious boss who would offer assignments to the main characters over a two-way radio.

You never saw him. Okay, minor correction. There were a few episodes in which you saw Charlie, either his back or from a distance -- but you never did see his face. And it continued to perturb the angels because they never saw him either.

Of course, one of the longest running characters you never saw could likely be Norm's wife Vera from Cheers. Norm was one of the main characters, a perpetual barfly who spent most of his waking hours on the very same stool in the Boston bar. There were numerous references made to his wife Vera -- so much so that she became a recurring character in the show, included in actual plot situations.

But, masterfully, you never actually saw Vera.

Okay, let me correct myself -- there was actually an episode or two that I remember seeing Vera Peterson in. You see Vera's legs in one episode, and in a Thanksgiving episode, the only time you see her, her face is covered by pie.

There was at least one moment during the long running television series in which you heard her voice -- on an answering machine. And here's an interesting trivial fact -- the voice of Vera was played by Bernadette Berkett, actor George Wendt's real-life wife)

Of course, one of the most memorable and actual "real" characters you never see came in the sequel to Cheers, the similarly long-running Frasier.

Nile's wife Maris was, like Vera, often talked about, but pretty much never seen. Like Vera, she was the butt of many jokes -- but, unlike Vera, Maris was used much more in the plotline of episodes of Frasier, as Niles eventually divorced Maris and she ended up causing no end of troubles in his life and did feature prominently in many of the episodes.

There were a few times that her character appeared on screen, but, in classic "Vera" style, you never did see her. One time she was completely covered in bandages, and the other time she was hiding in a large crate.

Yet, despite her non-appearance, it was fascinating how much of an effect this off-screen character could have. There were messages from Maris to Niles (like a tossed glass of champagne in his face), there was the whole divorce and the continuing emotional rollercoaster nightmare following it, and of course the fact that she is wanted for murdering her boyfriend.

It's amazing how much these characters who never really appeared in a television show could stand up to the test of time.

Da Count - Giving Back To Web 2.0

Today's society is so used to getting so many things for free from the internet. We're very privileged and I think that we often took advantage of free services, free information and free entertainment a lot more than we even take time to acknowledge or give back to.

Because the range of free information, services and entertainment is so vast and varied, I thought I'd hone in on just a small range of services that I regularly take advantage of and appreciate tremendously.

The Writing Show (Podcast for Writers)
- Offering information and inspiration for writers, this podcast features interviews with authors from various types of writing (ie, different genres and a variety of different forms of writing) as well as instructive advice and tips on honing your writing skills.

Ralan's Webstravaganza (Writing Market Information)
An easily searchable, browseable listing of various speculative and humour fiction markets updated regularly.

Podiobooks.com (Podcast - Entertainment)
Free serialized audio books. Tons of great free books you can subscribe to and download. A great way to discover authors you might not have already heard of.

These are JUST THREE of the free services and entertainment offerings from Web 2.0 that I regularly enjoy and take advantage of. There are more. But I thought I'd pause to acknowledge these three for now and suggest a way that I might be able to help ensure they keep running.

I sincerely believe that the average person, like me, can give back, give thanks and show appreciation for those things being offered.

And here's what you can and should do for each service you enjoy and regularly benefit from.

1) Let them know. Send the creator/owner/originator an appreciative email or leave a comment letting them know how much you appreciate what they're doing and what it means to you.

2) Spread the love. If you enjoy it, let others know about it. Tell friends, colleagues, etc. Post about it on your own blog or social networking platform so others can learn about it and benefit from it.

3) Donate. Donating just $1.00 via an easy and secure method such as PayPal goes a long way.

Consider this. Most of the people operating these free services are doing it as a labour of love. It's something they believe in and believe others will benefit from. And they're often putting endless hours into it and perhaps the only benefit they're reaping is perhaps learning that others appreciate it.

So if half of everyone who benefited from using the services donated $1.00 every six months or perhaps even just once a year, even THAT would go a long way towards helping ensure they could afford to keep the services running.

I recently learned that one of the services I donated $1.00 to gets over 100,000 hits per year. If just 1 in 10 people donated $1 to that service, this would offer the person running it enough money to pay for the server space and other incidental costs that they incur by putting countless hours of their energy and passion into providing a service that benefits others.

I would therefore like to propose to the internet community an annual "free service donation day." Set it on the 15th of a month. Why not the forthcoming 15th of October? Maybe call it the "Ides of October" or "Web 2.0 Thanksgiving" or something like that -- and on that day, take a few minutes to acknowledge one or more of the free internet services you enjoy, spread the love about them and donate $1.00 towards the service. Perhaps pick one or pick your favourite three.

In the examples I'm using here, donating $1.00 to the services I have acknowledged would cost me $3.00. Not much. About a cup of coffee. And how many hours of entertainment and information have those three services brought me over the years? Gee, that's a ton of stuff I'm getting for a measly $3.00. But wow, my $3.00 could go a long way if even half or a quarter of the people who benefited from these services offered.

It's a simple concept. Doesn't cost much. And it could make a world of difference for the person or persons offering that free service to help them keep it running so that we can continue to benefit from them. Think about it. Give it a shot.

HNT- Islands In The Stream

Yesterday was the birthday of an old friend from high school whom I haven't seen in at least 12 years or so. When I saw (on Facebook -- gotta love the fact that this social networking tool gives you the chance to note and wish friends a happy birthday) that it was Jane's birthday and wanted to write something witty on her "wall" I remembered that back in high school we had entered an "air band" contest as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton singing "Islands in the Stream."

Of course, back in grade 12 I had a beard -- so all I needed to do was add a little of that special "grey" (or "gray" if you're in the US) spray to my hair and beard, throw on a sport jacket and a pair of jeans and I was Kenny. Jane found an old "country girl" style dress, threw a couple of balloons under her dress for good measure, and she was Dolly. The picture below is from the 1987 LDHS (Levack District High School) yearbook.

We didn't win.

But we had a good time. And rehearsing was a hoot because every time we tried to look lovingly into each other's eyes during key moments in the song one of us would inevitably crack up and we'd have to start over. (Hmm, perhaps that's why the yearbook photo of us performing the song shows us with our eyes closed).

Jane and I both ended up living in Ottawa after high school and hung around with the same group of friends while in college. For a lark, we reprised the role at one of the group parties/dances. That was fun, too. Every time I hear this song on the radio, it makes me laugh and think about the fun we had.

And when I hear the song, or think about the day this photo was taken, there's another fun memory that always comes to mind. My teacher and friend, Jim Turcott was, naturally, the DJ behind the scenes of this air band contest. As his side-kick at the time, I'd been helping him set up and tear down the production that afternoon. I remember Jim kept laughing every time he looked at me across the large giant speaker we were carrying (I still had all my make-up on after the performance and these speakers were so large that as we were carrying them all you could really see of the other guy was his head, neck and shoulders over the top of the speaker) -- that set us both into giggling fits enough that a few times, weak from laughter, we almost dropped the speakers.

After we'd slid the speakers into the back of his van, and sat to take a quick break, I asked him what was so funny. He flashed a wry grin and said. "It's just startling to see you like this. At least I have a good idea of what you'll look like when you're forty."

I'm not quite forty yet, but Jim was pretty close in his observation. The last time I grew a beard, there was a heck of a lot of grey mixed into it.

Of course, we were both wrong about the hair; since I've lost most of it since I was 17.

Things That Make You Go Hmm

The CCRA (Canadian Campus Retail Association) has just launched Weird Blame -- a campaign to try to set the record straight on the confusion regarding the high cost of textbooks and other issues related to course materials that continue to frustrate students.

After several decades of trying to work through the same issues year after year, the group of CCRA stores (a network of over 20 university and college stores located across Canada) thought it was time to use a bit of humour and a chance for students to win some really cool prizes (like a Segway Personal Transporter) to set the record straight.

This one minute video (which appears at www.weirdblame.com) kicks off thought processes by highlighting the very strange market forces by which the textbook industry operates.



Check out the video, take the short quiz and if you are a student enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution, then don't miss the opportunity to enter for YOUR chance to win some great and truly strange/weird prizes.

Da Count - Flying Toast

I love the fact that my son's mind is constantly tuned in to the "imagination station" -- ie, he's not gaining thrills from watching too many television programs or videos but that he's getting them from the wonder of the things his mind can come up with.

Here's a perfect example.

A few weeks ago, when he was helping me make toast, he was getting frustrated when the toast popped up.

"No, it didn't work!" he shouted, and pushed the lever on the toaster back down.

I was watching and could see that the toast was a little too light. I hadn't realized he preferred his toast dark and "well done" like his old man.

When the toast popped back up a few minutes later, much much darker and on the verge of burning, he shook his head, gave a frustrated grunt and said. "It didn't work! Try it again!"

"No," I panicked, reaching forward to stop him from pressing the lever down again. "It'll burn. There'll be huge billows of smoke. The fire alarms will go off. Mommy will be upset. I'll be sleeping in the garage again."

"But it didn't work!" he shouted, very frustrated.

"What do you mean? The toast is dark. It worked."

"No it didn't. It didn't pop up."

"Sure," I said. "It popped up. Look."

"No, it didn't," he insisted, crossing his arms. "The toast is supposed to fly up in the air, do a loop de loop and then land on my plate."

I finally understood. You see, my mind was tuned to mundane reality, instead of my four year old's very cool Imagination Station, so I completely missed that fact.

But it really made me start to wonder. Flying toast would be a really cool thing. Why hasn't someone designed a toaster with two settings. One, a setting to determine the darkness of the toast and. Two, a setting to determine how much force will be applied when the toast pops up.

That way you'd be able to control not just the amount of toasting that occurs, but whether or not you want it to pop up normally, or the fun, thrilling, flip through the air way as desired by my son (and now by me).

Now wouldn't that be a cool thing?

This week, I'm counting how fortunate I am to be able to reap so many benefits from tuning in to my son's Imagination Station. :) Thanks, Alexander.

HNT - Hulk

At the CNE last week, Alexander and I had our chance to get our photo taken with the Incredible Hulk as part of a Symantec promotion.

We did one serious pose.


And one silly one.



Of course, with Alexander and Daddio it's really hard to tell the difference between silly and serious.

Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday.

The Shit You Pull Out Of Your Ass

How's this for a catchy line from an interview?

So, why do you think anyone would pay to read the shit you pull out of your ass?

In a recent interview with Andrew Pyper about his new novel The Killing Circle, Claire Cameron gets away with asking that question without offending him.

Why?

Because she's quoting one of her favourite lines from Pyper's new novel -- a fantastic thriller that I quite enjoyed.

The interview, which was posted on BookNinja runs about 13 minutes and is a great one, particularly when Andrew starts talking about the seeming reluctance of the "decision" makers at the gates of "Canadian Literature" to open the doors to a wider spectrum of fiction (ie more, commercial, genre or plot-driven fiction). Or, as he puts it half tongue-in-cheek "books with a plot."

This interview is a great discussion about Pyper's new novel and about his work in general (which is a fantastic cross-over between literary fiction and thriller fiction) and is definitely worth checking out. Right click here to download the interview.

Speaking of literary thriller crossover's the interviewee herself, Claire Cameron is also a talented writer and the author of The Line Painter.

Back In Green

I have to say that though we didn't go very far for our vacations this year, we certainly packed our days with lots of fun.

Day trips were the big thing, particularly day trips with a cooler packed full of goodies to enjoy wherever we went. And we went to a lot of places for day trips this past summer: Ontario Place, St. Thomas, Niagara on the Lake, Port Dover, the CNE, Science North, Mike's cottage. Of course, we even missed a few other day trips we'd hoped to take but just couldn't fit in: Winona Peach Festival, Dynamic Earth, Canada's Wonderland -- well, there's always next summer.



And this morning I'm heading back to work -- just in time for the very quick ramp-up to the beginning of the September Rush period at Mac.

I'm already becoming jealous (green with envy so to speak) of my alter-ego who is still back there in the recesses of my mind and enjoying those long fine days spent with his wife and son . . .

MiniBookExpo Review - Guerrilla Publicity

A short while ago I started following a fascinating blog movement started by Alexa Clark, the genius behind the "Cheap Eats" series of books that profiles great restaurants in various cities (like Toronto and Ottawa) where you can get a decent meal without breaking your pocket book. It works this way: Books are offered out on the MiniBookExpo blog, bloggers claim them, get them, read them then post a review. Or, for full details, read the full rules here. The following is a review from a book I claimed:

Guerrilla Publicity: Hundreds of Sure-Fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars - Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman & Jill Lublin

Here is a book that I was definitely looking forward to reading from two different points of view. One, as a writer, I wanted to check it out and see what benefits I could reap learning new and strategic methods of garnering publicity for my writing projects. Second, as a manager of an independent bookstore, constantly up against the large corporate booksellers and the "Amazon's" of the world, with large amounts of cash at their disposal for publicity and promotions, it's always good to determine surefire methods of capturing attention.

This second edition of Guerrilla Publicity (headed by Jay Conrad Levinson, creator of the Guerrilla Marketing series) comes out six years after the first edition's release. I was rather excited to see that the new edition addressed not only traditional media outlets but also a slew of Web 2.0 publicity options, including podcasts, blogs, social networking sites, etc.

In terms of learnings, I benefited greatly from reading this book -- the introductory chapters, especially, help lay the groundwork out for the concept of what it means to create a clear and consistent message for delivery. I was also impressed with the snippets of Guerrilla Intelligence, Guerrilla Tactics and Guerrilla Tales blocks of text scattered throughout each of the chapters. They either nicely summed up or offered specific and concrete examples related to the points being addressed in the main text.

Personally, I gained more insight from the more traditional methods of garnering publicity than I did from the Web 2.0 strategies discussed. I didn't realize, until after I read this book at how much information I've been able to distill from various sources over the years. For example, I have gained tremendous insights listening to various podcasts like the Tee Morris podcast "The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy" in which he specifically discusses methods for writers to get the world to notice YOUR books over the several hundred thousand others being offered out there. And in terms of understanding social media and networking sites, having attended various Campus Stores Canada and Canadian Booksellers Association workshops and conferences these past several years, I have gained tremendous knowledge of applying digital strategies for my business.

However, for someone who hasn't benefited from jam-packed information sessions, conferences and professional workshops, Guerrilla Publicity does offer a comprehensive and concise introduction to using digital technologies and the internet to garner attention and publicity.

In conclusion, Guerrilla Publicity is definitely a book I would recommend to writers and business owners alike. There is much intelligence on publicity strategies to be learned from the book. And it contains not only a series of low-cost stategies for garnering attention and publicity, but also offers very clear guidance on maintaining focus and a consistent "brand" in all communications.

Da Count - LEGO Space

One of my favourite all time "toys" from childhood, and one that I never properly outgrew, would have to be LEGO. Of course, when they introduced their LEGO Space collection in the late 70's I was beside myself with joy.

At different times over the years, my parents bought me both the Galaxy Explorer and the Space Cruiser sets which I remember spending countless hours playing with in typical LEGO fashion (ie, first using the instructions to build the main design for the set, then trying out countless different versions of new types of spacecraft using the existing blocks from both sets)

Last week when we were home visiting my Mom, I'd been talking to Alexander about my great collection of LEGO and particularly the LEGO Space kits I had -- so when we finally found them packed away in a few different boxes in the basement, we were both jumping for joy.

We spent one whole afternoon creating the kit designs and then playing with them on the living room floor. While I know Alexander had a great time and was devastated when we left the LEGO at my Mom's place when we parted for home, I had just as much fun. (Can't you tell from the giddy smile on my face in these pictures?) What a great time for both of us.


This, of course, has reinvigorated my love for all things LEGO and I'm doing everything I can to hold myself down from going out and buying every single space-related LEGO kit I can get my hands on. I have to admit, however, that I'm not as excited about the more recent offerings in LEGO Space (right now it's the Mars Mission series). I'm still enamored with the more classic offerings, but perhaps I'll get used to them if we purchase a few kits and start playing with them.

I was also able to find some interesting information about the history of this series on Wikipedia which includes a nice breakdown of the different themes offered over the past few decades as part of the LEGO Space collection, as well as this group of like-minded folks passionate about Lego Space.

Right now Alexander is thrilled to have me playing LEGO with him, getting right into designing and building then playing with different creations. I think when Alexander keeps wanting and getting different LEGO kits as he gets older my main challenge might be trying to get myself in on the LEGO action in our home without him saying: "Dad, you're too old to be playing with my toys!"

HNT - Domestic Olympics

I'm on vacation this week. Which means, mostly, that I have more time to work on chores. And since we spent a few days at my Mom's house earlier this week, it meant that Francine, Alexander and I had a chance to help my Mom out with a few things that needed to be done around her house: like cutting the lawn, weeding the garden, making minor repairs around the home and of course, washing the car.

As always, Alexander was right in the thick of things, eager to lend a helping hand to whatever task needed doing.


This week's HNT post is supposed to have an Olympic theme. I suppose that trying to tie in a series of chores into a "domestic Olympics" kind of event is the closest I could come.

But just think about it -- athletes race through a triathlon-like grouping of events and are measured both on the time to completion as well as the quality of the work. The outdoor events could include cutting and then raking a lawn, washing a vehicle, then painting a garage door. The indoor events might involve doing a load of laundry, dusting and vacuuming a living room then sweeping and mopping a kitchen and hallway.

There'd be no shortage of companies willing to sponsor such an event. And just think, if you got enough guys much younger, better looking and in far better shape than me, dressed in tight, revealing clothing, there'd likely be a huge demographic of viewers for it -- sort of a soft porn for women kind of event.

Da Count - Home For A Skirmish

I'm continually amazed at how lucky I am to have the job I do. Sure, it's a lot of work, I put in a ton of hours, but man oh man, the payoff is incredible. The fun that I get to have, the interesting things I get to work on are just phenomenal.

For example, earlier this summer on a day off, I was at the Family Festival in Westdale and there was a band playing on the stage central to all the family fun activities going on. They were quite good, very talented, and played a diverse range of music -- all fantastic songs. The band's name was Skirmish.

When the band broke after their first set I started chatting with the lead singer -- listening to the various songs they'd played in the first set made me wonder if we could book them for one of the special events we were planning at the bookstore. After chatting for a few minutes, I learned that the lead singer, Kenny, was none other than a Physics prof at McMaster. Yeah, kinda cool. A physics prof by day, a rocker at night. The bass player, Kari is also a prof and happens to also be an associate chair of the Physics dept.

After learning this, I just HAD to book them for some September Rush events (no, not the band with Geddy, Alex and Neil -- although having a Rush event at my store would be quite awesome) -- "Rush" is a term campuses use for those first few weeks in September when the school's population suddenly explodes and it's complete mayhem and madness on campus.

Because students have to line up to get into the store, go through the process of finding and carrying a big whack of textbooks and course materials, then get back into line to purchase these items, we're always looking for ways to make the experience a bit less tedious and perhaps even fun. We often try to get in free samples of product handouts to pass out to them and have installed Plasma screens near the cash desks of the main store so that for our 10 to 20 minute loops, they can be informed, entertained or at least distracted by changing images.

But this year, I'm delighted to note that the local Hamilton band Skirmish will be performing two sets of acoustic solo and acoustic duo performances at three of our locations during those first few days of Rush.

On September 2nd they'll be playing at T29 (Temporary bookstore location for 1st year Arts & Humanities texts) from 2 to 4 PM.

On September 3rd they'll be playing in The Tank (a large warehouse sized textbook store where all upper year texts are sold) from 1 to 3 PM.

And on September 4th, they'll be playing at Titles main store (where during Rush we will be selling the 1st year Math and Science texts) in Gilmour Hall from 3 to 5 PM.

Here's a video (featuring a musical track of the band covering the Spirit of the West song "Home for a Rest") announcing the event. I'm quite delighted that we're able to do this, but also particularly tickled that some of the students there are going to be shocked to learn that the rocker belting out awesome cover versions of some great songs is none other than the guy who'll be teaching them a couple of days later.



This week I'm counting how fortunate I am to work at a great place like McMaster University and that my role at Titles Bookstore allows me to work on some really fantastic projects.