Howard Hughes and the Case of the Seductive Sloth

[greygirlbeast]

Yesterday was somewhat all over the place, workwise. I had to make a trip to the library at Emory for more research on The Dinosaurs of Mars (which will easily be the most researched book I've ever written). I sent "In View of Nothing" to Vince to be illustrated. E-mail to docbrite trying to locate the current e-mail address of my first agent (who was also her first agent). E-mail with Liz, my editor at Roc. Having recently remembered that my website has been languishing since the theft of Spooky's iBook waaaay back in December, I e-mailed the second page photo to scarletboi so he can make an image map of it. Stuff like that consumed yesterday. But mostly the library. Trips to the library are one of the better parts of being a writer. Jeez...still groggy. Finally, I seem to be catching up on my sleep. More than seven hours last night. Anyway, I came back from Emory with only a very modest stack of books:

Howard Philips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nightside by Frank Belknap Long (1975)
A Guide to Barsoom by John Flint Roy (1976)
Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and their Paleobiological Implications by Johannes Weigelt (1927;1989)
Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan by Irwin Porges (1975)
An Agenda for Antiquity: Henry Fairfield Osborn and Vertebrate Paleontology... by Ronald Rainger (1991)

Today I have to write the piece for Locus, which, predictably, I've let go until the last minute. And speaking of my my occasional snippets of non-fiction, the next issue of Weird Tales (#344) will include a short essay regarding a peculiar experience Spooky and I had during our month in Rhode Island last summer. Another damned experience (sensu Fort), and one I have not previously discussed. Also, note that from now through April, you may score a one-year subscription to Weird Tales, newly redesigned, for 66% off the newsstand price. That six issues for a paltry $12, just two bucks per. But the offer is only good through April 31st. Oh, here's the cover for #344:



Last night, after the library and a quick Thai dinner, we watched Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), a film I loved when it was first released and which I still find delightful. Sure, there are flaws. For example, far too many things happen for no reason whatsoever other than that they serve to drive the story forward or set the stage for the familiar adult Holmes. But, like I said, still delightful. Also, the film was scripted by Harry Potter director/producer Chris Columbus, and you can see that he brought much of the look and feel of Young Sherlock Holmes to the Potter films.

papersteven asks, "Quick question regarding the four editions of Silk: I only have the Roc tpb and the Gauntlet hc. Which is the third?"

Here are the three editions of Silk so far:

1) Silk (Roc, mass-market paperback; May/June '98)
2) Silk (Gauntlet, limited-edition hardback; August '99)
3) Silk (Roc, trade paperback; November '02)

I see it's already after one p.m., and I need to wrap this up. But I did want to pass along this link: David Roberts' ("The Huffington Post") response to The New York Times' recent attack on Al Gore and the science behind An Inconvenient Truth...or rather, the NYT' attack on the claim that the scientific consensus is that yes, global warming is real, and yes, human beings are the primary culprit. I admit, I do tend to expect better journalism from The New York Times.

Comments

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

...the next issue of Weird Tales (#344) will include a short essay regarding a peculiar experience Spooky and I had during our month in Rhode Island last summer.

Is this separate from the tale told in "Looking for Innsmouth"?

...you can see that he brought much of the look and feel of Young Sherlock Holmes to the Potter films.

I'd never noticed that, but it's completely true. The film is one of my guilty favorites.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Is this separate from the tale told in "Looking for Innsmouth"?

Yes. That event occurred in July '04. This one in August '06.

[papersteven.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Silk info! And I think I'll take your advice and snag the Weird Tales subscription. Thanks for the tip!

Stephen

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

we watched Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

I haven't seen that one, though I'd read about it. I wondered if it was any good--thanks for mentioning it.

It's certainly bound to be better than Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218791/).

I admit, I do tend to expect better journalism from The New York Times.

Me too. I guess if there's a silver lining to this, it's that right-wing pundits won't as easily be able to accuse The New York Times of liberal bias. Though part of the cloud that lining's attached to is that a lot of right-wing pundits are now able to say, "Look--even left-wing publications say the jury's still out on Global Warming." Which is pretty much what CNN's right-wing pundit Glen Beck said yesterday, when I first heard about the story.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen that one, though I'd read about it. I wondered if it was any good

Can't guarantee you'll love it, but it's worth a look.

It's certainly bound to be better than Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.

Yes.

"Look--even left-wing publications say the jury's still out on Global Warming." Which is pretty much what CNN's right-wing pundit Glen Beck said yesterday, when I first heard about the story.

It's like a creationist saying the jury's still out of evolutionary theory. It's like saying the jury's still out on water consisting of hydrogen and oxygen.

It's crazy. And no one would be saying the jury's still out, except, as Gore points out in the film, too many people will lose too much money if governments begin to take serious action.