filled with medical dreadAnd today I have to go to the damn, dratted doctor, in less than five hours. I'm waiting on a pardon from the governor.
No writing yesterday. About 3 p.m., Spooky and I finally couldn't take the heat inside any longer, so we fled into the heat Outside. Well, as a means to AC. We had lunch at Trinity Brewhouse, and I had my first hamburger since last summer, only my second since moving to Rhode Island. I needed red meat desperately. After lunch, we crossed the street to the central branch of the Providence Public Library, and spent maybe an hour more hiding from the sun, browsing the shelves. We thought about a late matinée of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, but it's not showing at the theatre we usually frequent, and I wasn't up to anything new. Instead, we went to the market and got watermelon and the makings for a cold dinner.
Back home we did manage to get a little work done editing the "book trailer" for The Red Tree. It's slowly coming together, though we may need to shoot a little more footage. We have a musical score now, thanks to Mike Watson of the Providence band Spinde Shanks. Also, I was invited to show the trailer, and read, at The Fledgling Festival here in Providence. However, I'm not at all sure the film will be ready in time. So much left to do, and this heat has really slowed us down. So, I'll likely read there, but screening the film is only a maybe.
That was pretty much yesterday, except for a little reading, a lot of sweating, and level grinding in WoW.
My thanks for all the feedback regarding the cover of The Red Tree. The consensus seems to be that yes, a lot of men are uncomfortable with, or simply disinterested in, covers that smack of PR, as the cover of The Red Tree does (more consensus), even though it isn't a PR book (still more consensus). Anyway, thanks. By the way, it would definitely not be showing support for me if you refused to buy this book because I dislike the cover. That would be exactly the opposite of support.
However, at this stage, what would be very, very helpful is if every single one of you who has read and enjoyed the book would say so on Amazon.com (or wherever), on your own blogs, Twitter, Facebook, wherever. It doesn't have to be an in-depth review. It doesn't have to be artful and articulate. Just a positive mention, spreading the word. Putting in a link to the novel or my website (or both). And if you could request your local library to order, that's another good way of helping with promotion. Word of mouth is probably the best promotional tool I could hope for at this point. Thanks.
Also, I will remind you of the current eBay auctions.
I thought I would post all the titles in my current "to be read" stack, some of which are presently being read (they have an asterisk after the title). It is my goal to get through these titles by the end of the year:
Spook Country* by William Gibson
Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (re-read)
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (re-read)
Dinosaurs of Italy* by Cristiano Dal Sasso
Doomsday Men* by P. D. Smith
Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente
Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand
And now...I should be going. Feed the Tree.