"I tear the sun in three to light up your eyes."

[greygirlbeast]

So, first off, I am announcing that the re-relaunch of the website occurred last night. This is, of course, a preface to the re-re-relaunch that comes along later. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My great thanks to Christopher Simmons (scarletboi), who was on the phone with us after 1 a.m. last night, getting everything just right. So, yes, it's very much focused on The Red Tree (and if you've not already pre-ordered the novel, today's your chance).

I think summer has finally arrived in Providence. It's actually hot in the house. I think I'm actually sweating.

And for some reason I have been tweeting and whatever it is one does over at Facebook (booking?) about my very small tail this morning, which is evidence, at the very least, that I am not exactly awake.

Today, I begin work on a new vignette for Sirenia Digest #44. When it's done, I stop and, belatedly, get the book trailer done, and then I have to write the second vignette for Sirenia Digest #44. I have only 14 days to get all these things (and various others) done. Then, for my next trick, I shall pull something intelligent from Sarah Palin's mouth.

And speaking of magic, yesterday we saw David Yates' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This was one of my favorite books of the series, my last favorite book of the series, and I think Yates more than does it justice. He has corrected many of the odd twitches and unfortunate shortcomings of J.K. Rowling's novel. Yes, there are important things that get skipped over, but gods, this is a 2.5 hour film made from a 652-page novel (that could have been at least 200 pages shorter, by the way). Myself, I find the idea of adapting a novel of that size into a screenplay an utterly terrifying proposition. If I ever adapt a novel for the screen, it will be a short novel. Anyway, the film manages a wonderful sort of majesty, and gives to the characters a dignity that I'm not sure is present in the book. The cinematography and art direction are exquisite, and I was especially impressed with the film's pacing. Despite having such a vast tale to tell, the director takes the time not to rush from plot point to plot point. Some very fine performances, especially from Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman (swoon), Helena Bonham Carter, and Tom Felton. Yes, this film actually manged to make me care about Draco Malfoy. Indeed, one of the most delightful aspects of this film is the way it has managed to imbue the characters with a sort of humanity and depth they have often lacked, both in the novels and in earlier films. It's just splendid, and I strongly recommend it. Seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I now have some hope that Yates, in the last two films, may discover a fitting ending to this story, which I don't think Rowling managed to do. Sadly, poor Daniel Radcliffe remains as dull as dishwater, but it's a problem inherent in his role. Surely, Harry is one of the least interesting protagonists in the history of fantasy, surrounded by infinitely more interesting and charismatic characters.

Not much else to yesterday, really. Except that I seem to have discovered that the only two novels I want to read (or be read from) these days are House of Leaves and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Oh, and the car's acting up, and has to go into the garage today, so we will not be joining readingthedark for the VNV Nation show in Boston tonight. But I think I do get to join sovay and ericmvan for Birdsongs of the Mesozoic on Thursday.

If you've not already, please do have a look at the current eBay auctions, the proceeds of which are going towards production costs for The Red Tree trailer. Thanks.

And I think that's all for now. Hope you find the new website intriguing. I've become obsessed with the analytics thing that Chris set up for me, allowing me to track who is looking at the page and from where and how often and so on and so forth.

Time to make the doughnuts.....

Comments

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I can't really imagine what being read to from House of Leaves is like, much less how one would go about reading it to someone else

Spooky has read it to me three times now.

[fusijui.livejournal.com]

HOW???

Like, even those footnotes? (You know the one I speak of.) And what about the trippy typographic/layout conventions on Navidson's final trip into the labyrinth? How's she render those?

Half-seriously: Is a podcast or something a possibility?

I'll get around to being envious later, when I'm done boggling :)

[humglum.livejournal.com]

It's an odd reading experience, especially the crazy-ass footnotes that span pages and pages and parts of pages. Kind of dizzying.
For the odd typographical stuff I show the pages as I read, or before, depending. You can't really get the feel of it without seeing those.

[fusijui.livejournal.com]

That footnote that runs for a chapter, naming photographers and architects (IIRC) must be very strange; hypnotic. Gotta try this.

Thank you both for such a cool idea :)

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Which I saw Harlan Ellison do once: in his review collection Harlan Ellison's Watching (1989), he put a footnote to his 1966 review of Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now! that was longer than the review. (He wanted to explain why he was finally publishing the review 20-plus years after he'd first written it, detailing in general why he's often painfully honest, and even took himself to task in the footnote for how bone-headed his review was.) Another reason I'm glad Harlan exists.

I don't have enough brainpower this close to going to bed to say more than that.