Million Writers Award Top 10

Marshall Moore’s “Infinite Monkey Theorem” made the top 10 stories of 2006 for the storySouth Million Writers Award.

Read the story.

Vote for the story.

Favorite modern writers

Here’s a list of some of my personal faves. Please google these folks. They all have stuff on-line:

• Brian Ames
• Paula Anderson
• David Barringer
• Pia Z. Ehrhardt
• Ryan Kennebeck
• Caroline Kepnes
• Ryan Robert Mullen
• Kevin Sampsell
• Brian Scullion
• Bob Thurber
• Timmy Waldron

Wikidisaster

I finally signed up for a Wikipedia account and have gone into Wiki-insanity. We’re talking Word Riot plugging everywhere (though I still have to make an actual “Word Riot” entry).

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I’m going into the city tonight to drink a toast to the paperback release of Ned Vizzini’s book It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Then, at the end of the week, Book Expo America starts. I’m going to grab all the free books I can get my grubby, sausage fingers on.

Just saying…

The new version of Sitemeter looks like ass. And you have to be logged in to check your complete stats, even if you set up your account to let anyone view it.

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I’m going to Book Expo America next week. If you see me at Book Expo, high-five me and I’ll give you a nickel. I like giving away money.

Book Expo has this Facebook/MySpace type Web site for attendees. I found it very entertaining for a couple of days. Now I’m indifferent to it.

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My new thing is writing in the super early mornings after work. (I work at home from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) I’ve also taken to writing facts on index cards from the non-fiction books I’ve been reading. My brain has atrophed since college. I’m trying to un-atrophy it.

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There are kid-biting, pet-eating coyotes in my old hometown.

Paula Anderson’s almost tattoo

Found this while going through some old files on the ‘puter tonight.

Paula Anderson joked about getting the above graphic as a tattoo after we put out her chapbook.

I still miss her. A lot.

You can read all of her chapbook online (and, trust me, you should).

Rip-off artist

My book has a depressing title. But I contend that the book is not depressing, dammit, and the title should be viewed ironically. In fact, in an ideal world, you would close your eyes and see my title in pretty pink and green.

Ready.

Close ‘em.

Are they closed? Then how are you reading this, ay?

Okay open them.

Ta da!

Now you’re not depressed.

Now you’re happy.

Now my title is ironic.

I’ll PayPal $5 to whoever can guess first the TWO album covers I ripped that font and those font colors from.

Rent this movie

Saw Mysterious Skin last night. I’d heard rave reviews about it, which it far exceeded. Probably the most painful, punch in the gut movie about child abuse that I can recall seeing. Which is why it really needs to be seen. I don’t think the topic has been handled so unapologetically on film. …but I cliche. (FYI: If you’re looking for the worst, most sensationalized flick on child abuse, you can look no further than the dramatization of J.T. Leroy’s The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. Worst. Movie. Ever.)

I never though much of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s acting before, but he’s a character actor for real, dude. No more ‘Angels in the Outfield’ for the boy, no sir. The DVD had some footage of Gordon-Levitt and his co-star doing a reading from the original 1995 book by Scott Heim, which is probably horribly boring for non-book folk, but I really dug it. I have the book wishlisted now. The parts the actors read from seemed to flow really well.