"...if this letter should fall into..."
Feb. 22nd, 2009 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greygirlbeastToday is the 84th anniversary of the birth of Edward St. John Gorey.
I really am tired of writing about editing The Red Tree. Fortunately, today is the last day of it. Until the CEM, anyway. Yesterday, I wrote an editor's postscript, which is actually an excerpt from A Long Way To Morning, one of Sarah Crowe's novels. That came to 683 words. The scene occurred to me on Friday, while I was lying in bed, getting over the exhaustion thing. After the postscript was written, I finally got around to the part of this process I've been putting off as long as possible, compiling a complete list of all authors and works quoted in the text, and demonstrating for Penguin's legal sorts that all the quotes are either a) examples of fair use or b) quotations from works that are now in the public domain. Which meant juggling a PDF from Cornell University with a document from the lawyers at Penguin, and tracking down dozens of death dates and publication dates. Tedious to the nth degree.
Today, I finish writing the author's notes/acknowledgments, and we read chapters eight and nine over again. And that's that. Tomorrow, it goes back to Manhattan.
It's a cold grey day here in Providence. Spring seems like it's at least a year off. I've not left the house since Wednesday.
If you haven't already, please have a look at the current eBay auctions. And, for those who may not know, I will point out that my author's photo on the back of the dust jacket of The Five of Cups is from a nude photo shoot I did in 2003. That's called "extra incentive."
I will also remind you of the lottery to benefit the Shirley Jackson awards, which ends tomorrow. I have donated a signed set of the mass-market paperback editions of my novels, including Silk, Threshold, Low Red Moon, Murder of Angels, and Daughter of Hounds, and it only costs $1 to buy a chance to win them.
It occurs to me that I'm watching far too much mediocre television. Well, actually, as we no longer have cable, I'm watching too much mediocrity intended for television, which we're streaming via the internet. Last night began with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, an okay episode, but they really can do a lot better. Then we watched the second episode of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. And I still am not impressed. And that sucks, because I want to be impressed. At least I'm beginning to figure out some of the reasons the show is falling flat (for me, at least). To start with, Eliza Dushku simply isn't a good enough actress to pull off the role of Echo convincingly. Instead of seeing her as different people, transformed by the imprints, we see her as Eliza Dushku transformed by wardrobe. Last week, Librarian Eliza. This week, Action Eliza (with Kung-Fu grip!). Too bad the part of Echo didn't go to Amy Acker. And I loathe the character of Topher. He's like a lazy caricature of a Joss Whedon character, primarily Wash from Firefly and Serenity, but missing everything that really made Wash work. So, low marks for the second week. I find it hard to believe this series will survive even a whole season. Finally, we watched Jon Avnet's Righteous Kill, which was dull despite Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Also, "50 Cent" needs to stick to whatever it is that people pay him to do that isn't acting.
At any rate, the coffee's getting cold. The platypus says wrap it up.
I really am tired of writing about editing The Red Tree. Fortunately, today is the last day of it. Until the CEM, anyway. Yesterday, I wrote an editor's postscript, which is actually an excerpt from A Long Way To Morning, one of Sarah Crowe's novels. That came to 683 words. The scene occurred to me on Friday, while I was lying in bed, getting over the exhaustion thing. After the postscript was written, I finally got around to the part of this process I've been putting off as long as possible, compiling a complete list of all authors and works quoted in the text, and demonstrating for Penguin's legal sorts that all the quotes are either a) examples of fair use or b) quotations from works that are now in the public domain. Which meant juggling a PDF from Cornell University with a document from the lawyers at Penguin, and tracking down dozens of death dates and publication dates. Tedious to the nth degree.
Today, I finish writing the author's notes/acknowledgments, and we read chapters eight and nine over again. And that's that. Tomorrow, it goes back to Manhattan.
It's a cold grey day here in Providence. Spring seems like it's at least a year off. I've not left the house since Wednesday.
If you haven't already, please have a look at the current eBay auctions. And, for those who may not know, I will point out that my author's photo on the back of the dust jacket of The Five of Cups is from a nude photo shoot I did in 2003. That's called "extra incentive."
I will also remind you of the lottery to benefit the Shirley Jackson awards, which ends tomorrow. I have donated a signed set of the mass-market paperback editions of my novels, including Silk, Threshold, Low Red Moon, Murder of Angels, and Daughter of Hounds, and it only costs $1 to buy a chance to win them.
It occurs to me that I'm watching far too much mediocre television. Well, actually, as we no longer have cable, I'm watching too much mediocrity intended for television, which we're streaming via the internet. Last night began with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, an okay episode, but they really can do a lot better. Then we watched the second episode of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. And I still am not impressed. And that sucks, because I want to be impressed. At least I'm beginning to figure out some of the reasons the show is falling flat (for me, at least). To start with, Eliza Dushku simply isn't a good enough actress to pull off the role of Echo convincingly. Instead of seeing her as different people, transformed by the imprints, we see her as Eliza Dushku transformed by wardrobe. Last week, Librarian Eliza. This week, Action Eliza (with Kung-Fu grip!). Too bad the part of Echo didn't go to Amy Acker. And I loathe the character of Topher. He's like a lazy caricature of a Joss Whedon character, primarily Wash from Firefly and Serenity, but missing everything that really made Wash work. So, low marks for the second week. I find it hard to believe this series will survive even a whole season. Finally, we watched Jon Avnet's Righteous Kill, which was dull despite Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Also, "50 Cent" needs to stick to whatever it is that people pay him to do that isn't acting.
At any rate, the coffee's getting cold. The platypus says wrap it up.
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 06:27 pm (UTC)It's cold and grey here as well. I'd be more comfortable if it were snowing. The sea tomorrow?
no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 07:21 pm (UTC)The sea tomorrow?
Not tomorrow. Maybe later in the week.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 06:44 pm (UTC)No. Just, no. What he really needs to do is find a job that doesn't put him, or any sounds he might make, in the public eye ever again.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 07:22 pm (UTC)No. Just, no. What he really needs to do is find a job that doesn't put him, or any sounds he might make, in the public eye ever again.
Likely, I would agree.
T:SCC and DH
Date: 2009-02-22 09:15 pm (UTC)Dollhouse was another disappointing story - the best use of downloading personalities is to create the _best_date_ever for some rich guy? That even sounds thin when I write it.
I'm afraid both shows are failing on the writing. The concepts and characters are great, but...
no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 03:27 am (UTC)But I found her stupidly hot in the pilot when she was "Librarian Eliza."
I haven't watched the second episode yet, because I'm currently on a Death March of my own. Fun, fun.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 05:11 pm (UTC)Oddly, I found out when visiting the boyfriend's aunt in Key West that she used to date Eliza's father, and that evidently Eliza was really having trouble finding work, so I'm glad for her in that respect. And apparently, she's even prettier in person. (Although when I watched Dollhouse, I noted that it appears that perhaps she's sacrificed some of her former lovely curves.)
Also, I'm terribly excited for the release of The Red Tree. Can't wait!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 05:47 pm (UTC)The Wiki states that if you don't have the stand-alone publication, it is reprinted in Amphigorey.