Halloweenie

Showed up at the wrong bookstore Halloween night to do a DEMON THEORY signing — kind of awkward when you’re wearing a Jason mask, carrying a big fake knife — but finally found the right one, had a blast (notice all the LISEY’S STORYs behind me there, yeah?). Rented FEAST that night as well, though of course had to watch HALLOWEEN instead, just because I’m sentimental, and half-trying to study it, I suppose, to see where there’s room for Rob Zombie to redo it. Of everybody out there, though, he’s maybe the one who can.

Anyway, did watch FEAST, and man, by far, it’s my favorite movie of the year. Every single thing about it was perfect.

Didn’t watch it until yesterday, though, a full two days into the rental. Why wait? Because I was making myself finish my new novel before watching it. FEAST was the carrot, yeah.

Which is to say yeah, since writing IT CAME FROM DEL RIO this summer then a screenplay over, I think, September — it could have been August, though — I’ve got another novel ready to go now. Can’t seem to stop. ANY BOAT I BUILD. Started it a week or two after coming back from that Minnesota reading, I think, and just slammed through it. Only way to write.

As for what’s next: I have two or three things I keep meaning to write (novels), but now this screenplay’s in my head, kicking at the walls, so who knows. And yeah, it’s horror, maybe directly from a conversation I was having with somebody, about how there’s nothing original left to do (their position). So I slept, then woke up with something wholly and completely new, I’m pretty sure.

Too, about half through ONLY REVOLUTIONS. May do a post about it before too long, before I slip away to fight with some elk on a snowy mountain top. Also have THE ROAD and WORLD WAR Z and that big Pressl book too, so am set for a bit, anyway.

And, if I didn’t emphasize it enough earlier: FEAST. Was so in love with it that I even watched the deleted scenes, which I’ve only ever done for one other movie, I think, RAVENOUS. And yeah, I did miss out on the whole Greenlight Project thing, oops (trick is, my extreme and complete prejudice against all reality programming disallows even car-building shows, so of course I can’t watch any Greenlight-type stuff (however, I have seen something that I think’s even more evil than reality television: ‘fantasy football.’ I can’t even begin to trace my hostility towards that kind of stuff)).

As for what I do watch, lately: NEWSRADIO (always), AVATAR, LOST. Various LAW & ORDERS when I happen to catch them. Somehow, though, I’ve missed out on the HEROES bandwagon, which I really think I should be on. But then I missed out on SOPRANOS and DEADWOOD and CARNIVALE as well. Was going to watch FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, as it’s set where I’m from, but then it turned out to have a lot more football stuff than I could tolerate.

Last DVD I watched, after FEAST, would be THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS. It was cool enough, I suppose. Wonder if David Lynch ever cites it for anything? Last cineplex movie I watched: SAW3. First movie I’ve been to in a long time where the audience clapped afterwards. And it deserves it, SAW3. Before that, DEPARTED — decent enough, but I’m no Scorcese fanboy — and just after DEPARTED, THE PRESTIGE, which wasn’t anything special, aside from the great acting. Oh, almost forgot to mention THE MACHINIST: that’s some serious film-making there. Good stuff.

And, while I’m confessing, I’m finally, lo these many years after the fact, getting into Gaiman’s SANDMAN stuff. When it was hot I was all busy resisting it — I like capes and tights, I mean, and am not fond of writers giving themselves personas in their stories — but you can’t deny the strength of the storytelling in SANDMAN, I don’t think.

Also, if you’re looking for some Christmas reading, try on Christoper Moore’s THE STUPIDEST ANGEL. Zombies and yuletide never went so well together.

Too also, though this is late, Texas Book Festival was a blast. Met some people I’d only known through posts — UbikRex, sToristaR (I always get the capitals wrong there, I think) — and a lot of other cool people, hit a cool haunted house with a guy named Gringo, hung out with my brother, called various people various wrong names, dropped my cell phone in a toilet, learned with my new cell phone that “Back in Black” doesn’t sound good through that small a speaker, and wanted so bad to be in costume for Saturday night on 6th street. I kind of half-was, though: this ridiculous (beautiful) red and black shirt with vestigial flowers and pearl snaps all over it. With my new bedazzled wallet, I don’t know: I was dressed up like something, anyway. Far as I know, though, no pics of the cool shirt. Not sure when I’ll be wearing it next either. I mean, special shirts are for the specialist of occasions, yeah?

As for my current goal: I want to find an orange Whataburger t-shirt. Just to show my allegiance to their triple meat cheese with bacon and jalapenos burger, otherwise known as That Than Which There Can Be No Better.

Off to grab something to eat now. And yeah, if I knock a big elk down this month, I’ll paste a pic of it up here. First, though, got to knock down ONLY REVOLUTIONS. Which, I mean, I’ve done, and been doing for three days now already. But it keeps getting back up.