Laura Hudson of Comics Alliance did a great piece on a new Peanuts graphic novel that is being published.  You can read the article and see a few more excerpts by following the link.  I posted up my favorite page below.  As you can see, the new artists and writers capture the spirit of the Peanuts.  From what was shown in the article, I think it’s funnier than the last few years of Shultz’s work. 

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/06/peanuts-happiness-is-warm-blanket-preview/

I’d like to see more of a trailer than this, as I’d like to determine whether or not it’s worth going to the theater to see or whether it’s an “avoid even for $1 at the Redbox” special. 

 Anybody who watched Stargate Atlantis (all 10 of us) know Jason Momoa (the new Conan stepping in to fill Arnold’s fur banana hammock for this film) can fight, has enough weapons training to look like he knows what he’s doing, and has a bit of a bad-ass presence on screen.  I’m willing to give him a shot, but as I said, I’d like to see more.  From the on-set  images I’ve seen, he definitely looks more like the Conan from the old books I used to see at the library when I was a kid. 

Hey all,

I thought I would update you on the pursuit of selling a novel.  A month ago, I put my young adult novel Purgatory in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.  The winner gets a deal with Penguin Publishing and a $15,000 advance.  The first round was made up of 10,000 entrants.  Today, the list of second rounders were announced, and yours truly made it past the first round.  Now out of 10,000, they accepted 1000 novels for regular fiction and 1000 for young adult fiction.  The next round will be made up of 250 of each and will be chosen at the end of March.
I was very worried about the first round because you had to write a pitch to try and sell your novel to the group.  I am not worried about my novel itself and think it will go far but that is just me being biased.  The pitch is different from a normal query and it took a bit of work.  The next round will be judged on the novel itself and even if it is turned down, I will be given some good comments, instead of agents that send a basic rejection letter.

Here is the website if you want to see my name in lights.  Go to the blue words 1000 Young Adult Fiction and click on it.  You will find my name there.

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=332264011

Keep your fingers crossed and I will let you know about the following round as soon as I find out.

Happy New Year and welcome back to all 3 of our fans.  I hope you left the holiday season in a better place than you entered.

I’ve never been much for New Year’s Resolutions, resolutions of any kind, epiphanies, moments of reflection, or deep thoughts in general.  I know I’ve got the soul of a master procrastinator and the attention span of a goldfish, so I’ve always dismissed the practice as a waste of time.  This year I figured a little self-improvement couldn’t hurt, so I’ve made a list.  I’m curious to see how this year turns out. 

1.)  Draw more.  I started to get back into the swing of things in November and December, but got tied up in the Holiday madness and of course put this on the back burner.  I’ve found over the years that I’ve got quite a few back burners on my stove and it’s time to move a few things back to a front burner.  I’ve had ideas kicking around for nearing on 15 years now (not to mention Alan’s projects) and think it’s about time I started putting pencil to paper again.   This also includes the various assorted headers I plan on adding to our little page here.   With any luck and a little motivation, you may start to see them soon.

2.)  Play a few video games.  I was having a blast playing games and writing up reviews, but haven’t really made the time to play much since the summer ended.  Not only am I going to play some of the PS3 games I’ve collected in the last year (I’ve still got to crack the plastic wrap on a few of them), I plan on finishing them too, which leads me to item no. 3.

Assassin's Creed II

3.)  Finish what I’ve started.   Whether it’s drawing, reading, or playing video games, I can’t tell you how many unfinished activites I leave in my wake.  At work, I make it a point to not only see projects and quotes through from start to finish, I try to give them the attention to detail they need.  I’d like to apply that to my life at home as well.  So does this mean that I’ll be able to return ”Under the Dome” to Alan or “Resistance:  Fall of Man” and “Assassin’s Creed” to Keith?  I’m not holding my breath just yet, but that’s the goal.

4.)  Read more.  I made it about 1/2 way through Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” before I was distracted by a shiny object a few months ago.  Not only will I start from the begining, I’ll finish it this time around.  I’ve already set this item in motion with the acquisition of issues #0 and #1 of Lady Mechanica, my first comic in about 15 years.  Read through both in record time and plan on reading them again before issue #3 shows up.  Thanks to Erika and Vanessa of Girls Gone Geek for the tip on this one.  Great choice ladies.  I also recommend you check out their blog, as it’s a blast.

Lady Mechanika

5.)  Share the blog love.  I’ve met quite a few friends with some fantastic blogs over the last few months and plan on some gratuitous plugs this year.  Whether it’s E and V (mentioned above), Dan the Honorary Derosby Brother from Down Under from Its A Dan’s World, tribute blogs like Dave H’s Suicide Squad Task Force, a page dedicated to the DC comic of the same name, Aaron’s Iron Fist Fan page, I hope to share some of the great people and stuff I’ve found with our fans.

It's a Dan's World

6.)  Take the kids sledding this year.  I’ve been vowing to do this one since Nick was born and 14 winters later have yet to accomplish the mission.  I think it’s time to introduce the newest generation of Derosby and Dyer kids to Killer Hill.  Killer Hill was our sledding spot of choice growing up and was a half-overgrown snowmobile trail in the woods half-way between our house and the Waterville airport.  The walk to the top of the hill was a 20 minute hike through the woods, but worth every step.  The trail was treacherous, winding through the trees with an occasional stump or rock exploding through the snow right down the center of the path.  We ended up hauling at least one wounded comrade back home in a sled every time, but we turned out okay.  Right?  Okay, maybe not.

There, that should be good to start with.  Don’t want to overdo it.  The over-achiever gig doesn’t become me.  Any suggestions?  Any resolutions of your own?  Please feel free to share with us.  Again, thanks for tuning in and welcome back to DB.com.  Here’s to one hell of a 2011.

Craig.

This may end up being an overly lengthy, rambling piece but I suddenly felt the need to contribute.  I am just beginning Cemetery Dance and felt the need to write.

I must first thank Alan for getting me hooked on these authors and their books.  For the last 4 years plus all I had read was text books for masters classes and this didn’t often leave me time to read anything out of pure interest.  The books I was reading were of great professional and personal interest but weren’t the type of read that I could just pick up for a couple chapters whenever I had a few moments.

It was about the second year of my masters program that Alan let me borrow “Still Life for Crows” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  This was the first novel I read centered around FBI Special Agent Pendergast and I now can’t get enough.  Just to get a taste of what the character and his exploits are all about, try perusing this site created by another of P & C’s character’s Corrie Swanson.  http://www.agentpendergast.com/   These authors develop intricate plots entwined with exquisite details, all of which can be followed and appreciated by any reader.  Their environments are beautifully described and often span multiple time frames.  The characters are richly developed with complicated histories and connections.  While the stories can be a tad on the graphic and gruesome side, they are written not to glorify these acts of violence but to explore the human nature of criminals, victims, witnesses, and law enforcement.  I really should not try to attempt an explanation of any one of these novels.  To do so would not do them justice, and so I suggest the aforementioned website.  Most of their stories have hints of occult or paranormal mixed in, which only adds to the thriller aspect of the plots.  For me this is an added bonus, and  I have yet to be disappointed.

Another great aspect of these two authors is how they entwine all of the characters in all of their books together.  Not all appear in every storyline, but some reappear here and there.  Each book is written to be either a stand-alone novel or part of the bigger picture in the Pendergast legacy.  I wish I could suggest one in particular, but I can’t pick just one.  I really have enjoyed them all equally.  Pick up one or more but I really think everyone should try at least one.  These books combine forensic science, psychology, personal tragedy and spirutuality (as well as a myriad of other human characteristics) and do so wonderfully I might add.

The Pendergast Novels:

*  Relic (yes which was a movie that did the book no justice whatsoever although was remotely entertaining despite its lack of the Pendergast character), and its sequel Reliquary.

*  The Cabinet of Curiosities

*  Still Life with Crows

*  Brimstone, Dance of Death, & The Book of the Dead (The Diogenes Trilogy)

*  The Wheel of Darkness

* Cemetery Dance

*  Fever Dream (The newest of the series)

There are also the non-Pendergast novels which center around other characters found in the above books.  I have read only a few of these but have found them to be equally as enjoyable.  Mount Dragon, Riptide (which takes place off the coast of our home state of Maine), Thunderhead, and The Ice Limit are these titles. They both also have many works that they have written individually but I haven’t really had the chance to explore those titles yet.

Douglas has a connection to Maine since he now resides here as well as other possible Maine connections which, for me, increases my desire to read more.  I am completely hooked and can’t seem to stay away.  Here’s to hoping these two continue to write for years to come.

For the past few years, I have been working on my first novel, Purgatory.  It was indeed a process of writing and rewriting, editing and then editing it once again.  A storyboard was created, used, scrapped, redone, then finally used to create a strong finished product.

I finally completed the product in the end of July, after having both Craig and Keith read and edit it.  I then fixed all my mistakes, which were many, and placed the final period on the story Purgatory.  It was one of my greatest accomplishments as most people talk of writing a book but few get around to it.

So I sat down and wrote, what is called, a query letter.  It was a one page letter which covered several topics.  I had to give a brief, and I mean brief, synopsis of my novel.  My 255 page book was reduced to one paragraph.  This was tougher than I thought.  I had trouble because my novel is really original and has many moving parts.  After that, I had to inform the reader of who I was, in a brief biography.  Who am I?  Well this was my first novel.  After that?  Hmmm, married, child, history, video games, Mets.  These aren’t exactly selling points; especially my love of the Mets.  Basically I spent one page selling my book.  And again, this is a tough tough process.  Everything has to be perfect.

Next came the process of finding a literary agent.  Once I finished my book, I thought, “no problem with this one.  I will just send it to the agent that interests me most and wait for the request to read my manuscript”.  Unfortunately, that was my first rejection.  I re-read the agent’s website and decided that maybe my genre just wasn’t “for him”.  So I found several more agents that specialized in both young adult lit, as well as historical fiction.  I knew, just knew, they would all say yes.  However, more rejections.

So here I am 14 rejections later.  I am a bit closer as an agent did ask to read my manuscript.  14:  No/ 1: Yes.  While that is considered a minor slump in baseball if a batter went 1 out of the last 14, it is considered a minor victory in the writing world.  Sure my hit was a bloop single.  If she shows more interest, then we can make it ground rule double.

The reason I write this is because it was an eye opening and humble experience; one which I am still stuck in.  I currently have 50 query letters out, with only one yes.  I am sure a lot of the agents haven’t got around to reading my letter, some never will.  One agent sent me a rejection letter just minutes after I sent my query.  In his rejection response, he apologized for it taking so long to get back to me and said this project may not be for him.  Hmmm, a long time in responding?  It was minutes.  It MAY NOT be for him?  It either is or isn’t.

I am not worried that eventually someone will pick up on my novel and they will be happy they did.  It is original and not the typical vampire/wizard book that young adults normally read.  I have had four people read it and heard great responses from them.

So I won’t give up and I will keep plugging away.  Maybe this agent that asked to read my book will be excited enough to want to work with me.  Maybe she won’t and I will move on.  I might be surprised and have several of those 50 agents ask for my manuscript.  They could also all turn it down and I will continue my search.  Either way, I have to be patience.  I don’t really have a choice.

PURGATORY: coming soon

My apologizes, to all of our loyal readers, for not posting sooner.  I started “Under the Dome” by Stephen King and wanted to have my next post be the review of this book.

Under the Dome was probably one of the best Stephen King books I have read since the Dark Tower series (and some of those within the series were just ok).  The best comparison is with The Stand.  A small town in Maine, Chester Mills, is completely covered with an unseen dome.  It cuts this town off from the rest of the world and the people inside must deal with life in a quarantined area.  I won’t tell you much about it because I don’t want to spoil any surprises but King does an amazing job at character development.  I found myself hating, HATING, one of the main antagonists Big Jim Renee and couldn’t wait for something bad to happen to him.  Of course, the book is over 1000 pages so you do have to wait a while for it to happen, but it is worth it.

If I were to rate it with other Stephen King books, it would be right up there with IT, Needful Things, The Stand, and Wizards and Glass.  I definitely recommend it and you won’t be disappointed at all.  Don’t let the size worry you.

Now back to my nonfiction books.

After days of watching the news release confusing reports, Alan comes home from work to find his wife infected and now going through the zombification process. With his daughter Sofie and cat Giblet, Alan will go searching for answers…and survivors.

Will his years of Resident Evil play prepare him for the adventure that awaits him?

I want to apologize for the lack of posts lately, but there hasn’t been alot to write about (or complain about) in the last few weeks that you haven’t already heard from us or on the news.

Angels and Demons, starring Tom Hanks as author Dan Brown’s intrepid symbologist Robert Langdon, is due in theaters on May 15th.  This movie is based upon the book by the same name, in my opinion the better of the two Robert Langdon adventures.

Check out this new clip.  I don’t know what’s better.  Seeing the imagery from movie that’s so true to the book (as much as I remember, anyway) or the musical piece that the clip is showcasing.  I can’t wait to see this movie.

If you haven’t read this book yet, I strongly recommend it, especially if you plan on seeing the movie. 

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/angelsdemons/

-CWD

It’s official.  One of my favorite Stephen King novels (second only to the Stand) is getting a much needed face lift.  Here’s the official news bite:

Stephen King’s ‘It’ Headed for Theaters. Stephen King’s classic horror novel ‘It’ is getting the big-screen treatment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The book centers on a group of childhood friends, now adults, who must regroup to battle a creature called It that likes to take the form of a sadistic clown named Pennywise. ‘It’ was the best-selling book of 1986, and in 1990 was adapted into a TV miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise. -Hollywood Reporter

-CWD