What AC/DC's Fly on the Wall Tour 1985 Taught me about Writing

One final essay from me for 2013. It's about getting crushed up front at an AC/DC show in 1985.

 Happy holidays.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

My Review of Partial List of People to Bleach up at Word Riot

This is a review of the Future Tense edition of the title, which came out earlier this year. Have at it.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

Writers Anonymous

If there's one thing my writer's group Writers Anonymous doesn't tolerate, it's boring writing.

Every Thursday night in Portland, I print my latest piece and head to one of the four or five rotating dining rooms where WA meets to critique each other's work. It became very clear early on that each piece I bring in had better not lag. I can feel the sighs of my fellow attendees viscerally, inwardly cringe at every stifled yawn. If I make it through my five or so minute reading with a sense that I didn't put anyone to sleep, I know I'm getting somewhere.

This process has yielded two books thus far by WA members, both of which would make perfect Christmas reading. The first is Breakfast: A History by Portland Mercury food writer Heather Arndt Anderson. A book about breakfast? Yes, and one that is engaging and urbane and fun. Heather has a knack for writing about food, and this book oozes like a broken egg yoke with her wealth of culinary knowledge, witty asides, and delicious quotes from days of breakfast yore. If you don't this book, I'll eat beef tongue for breakfast for a month.

And Heather is speaking tomorrow night at the Jack London Pub on Riot Grrls in 1913 Portland. Go see her!

The second book is God is Disappointed in You by Mark Russell. You know what the problem is with the Bible, besides it having more baggage than a cross-country TWA flight? Its wealth of wisdom is buried in verbiage that can be abstruse, and all that begetting and begetting. Come on, get to the point. This is a shame, because the Bible has more value than any other work of literature I've ever read. Mark Russell sets out to cure this weighty text of its encumbrances and give us only what's beautiful, riveting, relevant. Within GIDIY, each book of the Bible is reduced to two or three pages, and each is revitalized by Russell's wit and the pen New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler. You will laugh. A lot. If you don't like this book, I'll eat myrrh.

And if you don't believe me, believe the trailer! 

Plenty more will come from this talented group of folks, so don't fall behind now. Buy and read Breakfast: A History and God is Disappointed in You. You will not be disappointed in you.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

February 2014 Badge Events - Part I

We're about two and a half months from the release of Badge (2/4/14), and I already have two Badge-related events to tell you about.

The first one is the day after Badge's release on February 5th at Broadway Books in Portland, where I'll be reading with two of my favorite local authors Mark Russell and Monica Drake. Each author's reading will also very probably feature a multimedia element. The event starts at 7 PM.

The second one is in Seattle on February 27th, where I'll be reading at the Jewelbox Theater with a large cast of other great rock-tinged writers including Sean Beaudoin, Zoe Zolbrod, Rob Roberge, Jodi Angel and Joshua Mohr. The readings will be followed by Seattle musical duo the Drop Shadows, and it will all start at 9:30 PM. 

Those two are firm, and there are plenty more to come. Stay tuned.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

Badge Publication Date Announced, plus Badge Cover!!!

It's official, folks. My third novel Badge will available to the world on February 4th, 2014. Those who donated to Badge's Kickstarter campaign will receive their copies sometime in January.

And are you ready for the unveiling of Badge's cover? Well, get ready, because it's ready.

 
Big thanks go out to the lovely Raquel for making this one a reality. 

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Badge Back to the Printer

My week of checking the proof of Badge is over, and the revised version is again in the hands of the printer. The next step is to order advance reader copies, which will go out to reviewers, and of course to read the thing again. If all is okay with it, I'll place a bigger order in January to fulfill my Kickstarter rewards.

I have to say I feel very lucky to have gotten a chance to work for this long on this thing. I think the book will be worth your time.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Check out the Trailer for Stuck Outside of Phoenix the Movie, which premiered in May 2013.

Or try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $10.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.