Hope in one hand, spit in the other... (1/19/04)

It's MLK Day so I'd like to start by wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous new year.

Here's hoping that 2004 will hand everyone a basket full of golden eggs (of equal monetary value to whatever you may have lost via the Nasdaq crash and the various public robberies of the Bush presidency).

Here's hoping that Kill Bill Vol. 2 will have its release delayed no later than April.

Here's hoping that it will be much harder to steal the presidency this time around.

Here's hoping that hip hop fans will come to appreciate lyrical quality more than bullet wounds.

Here's hoping that Stephen King wins the Nobel this year, just so I can watch the literati throw another fit.

Here's hoping that I get pictures of my new, grown-out haircut on the website this year, thus ending the questions and speculation about me being a Nazi (which is just ridiculous; I'm the guy that plays the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in slow motion because there's very little as satisfying on God's green earth than watching Nazi's heads exploding).

Here's hoping my friend Mike finally gets his band together this year and saves the airwaves.

Here's hoping my friend Kane finds his way back to Thailand and continues cracking skulls legally.

Here's hoping my baby nephew Ryan learns some words this year, because, seriously, it's hard to carry on a conversation with this kid. Eat, play, and sleep, that's it. The kid's living the unexamined life.

Here's hoping that the resurgence of all things 80's wanes (aside from bands using keyboards again), and that we can all create a new decade instead of recycling the last. This does not apply to a potential reunion of Faith No More.

Here's hoping for more hope, and the action that turns hope into reality.

On the writer's front- much tumult. I've sold four stories in three months (check out the Currently Available section) and Siren Promised is now available for purchase.

The new issue of THE EDGE should be available within weeks, and "Working At Home" has been picked as the Feature Story, meaning Keith Minnion will be doing an incredible cover based on the tale. Keith has been one of my favorite illustrators since the early 90's, so having him illustrate my seething story of parasitic worms is a real buzz. There's a link to his website in the Elsewhere section.

My story "Luminary" will see daylight in the very cool "Darker Than Tin..." anthology. Sales will benefit the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Scholarship Fund which means I've done my one nice thing for the year. I can be rotten for the remainder.

If you haven't already checked it out, "Sparklers Burning" is still available for reading at Horrorfind.com. It's deeply strange... you've been warned.And finally, I just sold "The League of Zeroes" to Verbicide, for publication in Issue #11, May 2004. For those unfamiliar with Verbicide, it's a great combination of music, literature, politics, and culture. It's one of the only places you can find a Ray Bradbury story back-to-back with an interview with Minor Threat/Fugazi founder Ian MacKaye. The current issue features an interview with Mystic River author Dennis Lehane. I can't recommend it enough. And, it's distributed widely, so you won't have to pay for shipping to get it (assuming you've got a Borders a.k.a. Starbooks nearby).

Your Pal, Currently Couched in Superstition and Wary of Witches,

JRJ