A Book a Week: 'Salem's Lot' by Stephen King (19/52)

Ben Mears heads back to a town from his childhood, Jerusalem's Lot, to work out his demons and on his new novel. Things aren't quite what they seem in The Lot though, as mysterious deaths and old town grudges bubble to the fore, and Ben finds himself at the heart of a plot that could cost him his life.

My introduction to Stephen King was two years ago through Carrie (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but it's taken me a long time to come back to King. There's no reason exactly, mostly just distraction through other books, so maybe my passion for Carrie had died down a little when I picked up Salem's Lot. I was so quickly brought into this though, almost couldn't get through it fast enough. The book functions, in many ways, like an overarching story scaffolded by mini ones. King's understanding of the town is so fully realised that you feel so much a part of it. No character is inherently good, and no character is left unturned, left shrouded in mystery. You learn the dark underbelly of The Lot often before characters do and in that way, the town becomes a character in and of itself. It's pretty damn great.

4 out of 5 tongue depressor crucifixes.

Friday Finds

- Mindy Kaling's Harvard Law School commencement speech is all kinds of perfect.

- #YesAllWomen

- 9 muses who inspired incredible works of literature.

- These photos of Marilyn Monroe on set are gorgeous.

- Man, the comments on the trailer for This is Where I Leave You are pretty harsh, but I kind of think it looks great? Idk! I'll be checking it out.

- BABY DISNEY VILLAINS!! Ahhh, so cute.

- These adapted X-Men colouring book pictures are not exactly cute, but pretty awesome all the same.

- In other Marvel news, Charlie Cox has been cast as Daredevil! Ahhhh! I've loved him since Stardust.

Peter Jensen FW 2014

I'm really feeling Peter Jensen's Fall/Winter 2014 collection right now. I mean, stunner, right? There's not an outfit here I wouldn't wear in a heartbeat (particularly that yellow dress with the coat hangers. Gorgeous). The collection is inspired by Faye Dunaway, who's one of my favourite actresses of Old Hollywood, and it's not difficult to see the link Jensen made. Even the model is Dunaway-esque. All in all, pretty damn charming.

You can check out the whole collection over at Peter Jensen's website.

 

    

 

The Gap

Back in 2009, Ira Glass gave a pretty remarkable interview with PRI where he talked about story telling and creative process. Last year, photographer Daniel Sax put together a typographic video to accompany a small segment on what Glass calls the gap. The gap being, ultimately, that months or years when you're an early-practicing artist and your ability doesn't quite match up to what you want it to be. The video's beautifully put together as an accompaniment too, with some pretty awesome photographs and style.

We sent it around the day job back when Sax released this, and it's been one I've thought about a lot since. I've been lucky enough to have a fair amount of success with my writing, to have people who've enjoyed my work enough to become an audience, and that's got to be one of the best part of being a writer. Knowing that your work connects with a reader. That it resonates.

Of course, not every story is something that comes easy. I'm especially finding at the moment, as I try to finish up a collection, that two stories have turned their back on me. I don't know if it's a lack of connection with the stories, but over the last week or so I haven't felt like a good enough writer to do them justice. That these characters so perfect in my head aren't translating to the page. Are coming off as one dimensional or silly. I'm sure it's just a slump, but Glass' words in The Gap are echoing around my head, forcing me to keep sitting down with these stories and try to articulate them in a way that I could be proud of.

I managed to get a draft of one of them more or less finished today, and it was a strange feeling because man, I hate what I've written. I know, I know, no writer ever sits back and looks at their work and thinks fuck yes. There's always a degree of hesitation, of being unable to see the better parts of your writing as well as maybe other people do. And there are scenes in this story that I love, but they appear like blips of life in a flat-lining patient. Ah, well. Maybe I'll like it more in the morning.

Friday Finds

New Guardians of the Galaxy trailer! I am so excited!

- This article on the bad girls of YA literature is really interesting and pretty great.

- This infographic of classic authors who thought other classic authors sucked is kind of amazing.

- And to take you out for the weekend, have the rather brilliant Megan Washington talking about stuttering and the power of music.

Book of Deer SS14

My personal style in reality pendulums between punky and, well, this. I love the combination of rough and soft, tough as nails and sweet as sugar all rolled up into one, and I'd wear most of Book of Deer's SS14 collection with boots and my leather jacket in a heartbeat. It's just cute as hell. Plus the model looks like a total doll. What a sweetheart!

You can check out the whole Book of Deer collection over on their website.

Your Guide to Emerging Writers Festival 2014

Unfortunately, I'm not heading over for Emerging Writers Festival this year ( :-( ) but the program's so great I couldn't resist putting together the wishlist of things I'd be attending if I WAS there. So! Hey:

TUESDAY 27 MAY
Opening Night Extravaganza 
These sorts of events are always a ball and a great way to kick off the festival. It also gives you the opportunity to meet the artists, staff and fellow writers, PLUS you'll be among the first to hear the winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript and the winner of the Monash Undergrad Prize. All in all, a pretty awesome start.

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY
The Pitch
Most writers' festivals have opportunities to pitch your work to publishers, but that doesn't undermine the opportunity. If you've got a manuscript you want to sell, this is an excellent chance to do so.

THURSDAY 29 MAY
Digital Writers Masterclass
This is less a masterclass and more a full day submersion in digital narrative. From gaming through to platforms, gender and copyright, it's a great development day for anyone interested in the medium.

Rev It Up! The Footscray Literary Late Night
Punk rock poetry! 'Nuff said.

FRIDAY 30 MAY
Emerging Editors
A full day set of workshops and seminars, this day covers a diverse range of content for emerging editors. Start up publications! Indigenous editing! Shaping debates! Building careers!

SATURDAY 31 MAY
The National Writers' Conference
Arguably the most essential part of the festival for any writer, this two-day conference covers everything from sex, drugs and rock'n'roll to writing for the internet to Aussies abroad.

Amazing Babes
This session's looking pretty awesome. Lady writers reading about the women who've inspired them! Why don't you just program something that relevant to my interests?

WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE
Live in the Studio: Exploring the ABC
The ABC is Australia's most interesting network, outputting compelling comedy and some of our strongest dramas. This session will be looking at the history of the channel over the last 60 years.

THURSDAY 5 JUNE
The Early Words: About the Animals
I'm pretty fascinated with the relationship between animals and people, and animal ecosystems, so this panel with Rebecca Giggs, Laura Jean McKay and Aden Rolf should be an interesting one. Plus I heard Giggs read an excerpt of her new book about whaling last year at EWF, and man, I need to have read it yesterday.

Industry Insiders: Audio Stories
I know a few people obsessed with audio books at the moment, and this sounds like a pretty great seminar on the genre and beyond, covering radio plays, podcasts and more.

Graphic Contents: A Night of Comics, Zines and Visual Oddities
It's hardly a secret that I love graphic novels, and this session is pretty awesome. There's trading! And selling! And illustrated comic responses to questions!

FRIDAY 6 JUNE
A Night Off Writing: The EWF Closing Night Party
Because hey, if you're going to fall in a heap, you may as well do it with other writers.

Sunday Short: Anyway: Angie by Daniel Jose Older

I realize I’m sweating. And my breathing’s not quite right. None of which is usual for me. I won’t go into details, but The Bad Years put me in the face of every imaginable form of death, my own and others’, and I’m one of the only ones who made it out of that time alive. Charo’s another, but even he had it relatively easy compared to what I got mixed up in. They say Death walks just a few feet to the left of every man. Fuck that. Me and Death are kissing cousins. But right here right now? I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Besides the obvious things. I guess I’m still not right. Maybe I’ll never be. Or maybe it’s the hairy monsters, whose absence in the basement is somehow even more unnerving to me than their abundance in the kitchen. Or maybe it’s those toys, which have no business being in a place like this. Whatever this is.

I've been reading a bit of Stephen King lately, so am in a pretty great groove of reading horror, and Anyway: Angie by Daniel Jose Older is an awesome example of it in short form. Creepy and compelling with a dynamic female lead, the story unfolds bit by bit upping the tension and the stakes all at once. It's pretty damn good, and really leaves me wanting more.

You can read Anyway: Angie by Daniel Jose Older over on Tor.com.

Friday Finds

Penny Dreadful is hitting so many of my narrative buttons right now. I mean, seriously. You should check it out.

- How to tell you're reading a gothic novel.

- On that note, Genderswapped Frankenstein by the team behind The Lizzie Bennet Diaries?! *makes grabby hands*

- Annnnd speaking of series, I'm tentatively excited for the new Batman-before-Batman show, Gotham, and INSANELY EXCITED for the new Marvel series, Agent Carter.

- These storyboards from the original Star Wars trilogy are kind of awesome.

- The stunning second lives of 10 repurposed houses of worship and occult practice.

- And, to take you out for the weekend, check out this awesome spoken word piece by Patrick Roche. Shivers, meet my spine.

A Book a Week: 'Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites' by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (18/52)

Burden Hill has a secret. Not only is it home to witches, werewolfs and giant, cannibalistic frogs, but their best defense against it is a ragtag team of animals, led by stony husky, Ace. Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites is a sometimes scary, sometimes funny, always interesting romp through horror tropes, with a dynamic cast of furry characters.

There's so many paranormal investigation narratives around at the moment, from Supernatural through to the more recent Penny Dreadful, Powers, Morning Glories, and more. The list goes on! Which is why it's pretty damn fun to see such a different take on it. Part Animals of Farthing Wood and part American Horror Story, Beasts of Burden is a beautifully told anthology of creepy and poignant stories.  To be honest, I wasn't so sure I was into it at the start. The first stories feel a little laboured, a little heavy on exposition, but then A Dog and His Boy happened and I was hooked.

This is only the first volume of the series, so I'm hoping it continues to pick up as it goes, and that we get to know a little more about the wealth of supporting characters that makes Beasts of Burden such a compelling read. Particularly the two cats, the dachshund and Miranda. Plus the art in this thing is divine.

4 out of 5 cult rats.

A Book a Week: 'Night Games' by Anna Krien (17/52)

In 2012, journalist Anna Krien followed the rape trial of a footballer. What follows is Night Games, a long form, investigate non-fiction book uncovering the dark underbelly of Australian football culture. From Matty Johns to Collingwood to American fratboys, Krien explores the way macho culture perpetuates misogyny, violence and rape.

In many ways, this is a difficult read, and it's a testimony to Anna Krien's writing that I inhaled it in less than a week. Her investigative style, conversational writing and tenacity at shedding light on a topic is undoubtedly compelling, and her presence within the book as both observer and participant, academic and civilian is pretty affecting. I particularly liked her swing between very difficult case studies and statistics to anecdotes, something which both lightened the mood and emphasised the case.

Before I even picked it up, a friend of mine said that it was great until the end, that Krien's reluctance to pick a side damned the last half for her. I don't entirely agree. I think it works as a subjective objective piece. Where I think it does fall down though is that we don't hear at all from Sarah, the victim of the trial the case is about. As a reader, we understand why. Sarah was incommunicado for the whole of it, and Krien's efforts to speak to her were routinely met with dead ends. That said, we needed to. We needed to understand the full effect on Sarah, needed Krien's keen, observational eye on her to fully flesh her out as Krien does Justin and Justin's passionate family. That loss is felt.

4 out of 5.

Bandelier FW14

I'm kind of stoked on how western-inspired fashion is making a comeback. Not flannel too is pretty darn impressive, and the fuller cuts leave the looks both feminine without being overtly so. Bandelier's Fall/Winter collection is so beautiful, managing to encapsulate the best of the final frontier through lines and flows and some pretty damn good hats.

You can check out the rest of the collection over on the website.