Apocalyptic Writing

My Computer decided to stop talking to my monitor.

I bought a new one and sent the old one to recycling.

Believe it or not, it didn't give me more time to read.

I did the taxes.

Ewww.

The Read:   Is the 2012 end-of-the-world theory responsible for the increase in paranormal fiction over the last ten years?  Thinking back on the books I've read recently, I'm beginning to wonder.  For example, the plot of Justine Musk's book Blood Angel revolves around stopping an apocalypse caused by the man-eating demon (mentioned in my last blog) who plans to invite demons across an inter-dimensional rift so they can cleanse the earth of human venality (ie: eat 'long pig').  Who's going to stop them?  Why a novice mage, who must be taught to use her magical talents yesterday by a burned out mentor/lover (?) before the demons come pouring through the rift.  Sounds like a chiche, but I didn't read it as such.

Blood Angel is one of those "I wish" books ... meaning I wish I could write like that.  Love the images Musk conveys without resorting to "purple prose".  Examples from mentor reading the demon's grimorie, written almost a 1000 years ago:

1) "The books were repulsive to the touch. ... pages made from human skin, bearing inks and dyes mixed with both human and animal fluids: saliva, semen, blood."

2) "He read through each book, the parchment sighing and squirming beneath his touch, as stray phantom-bits
crawled off the pages and rose like smoke in the air around him: dark, distorted shadow faces, hollow eyes and gaping mouths, retreating to the corners and watching from the dark."

Turns out Musk is a dark fantasy/horror writer who published between 2005 to 2008, then sort of disappeared in spite of favorable reviews.  I can't remember seeing her in B&N recently.  Can't help but wonder if a divorce turned her writing life up-side down.  Whatever, her blog (http://tribalwriter.com) indicates she working a new thriller, The Decadents plus had some useful comments on the two blogs I scanned.

Progress:  With the computer doing a black out, most of the work on Maren turned into sorting all the pieces of paper I accumulated about her and her world.  Result:  two feet of bare wood has appeared on one of my desks.  My circular files have filled with excess paper from as far back as 2002 since I cleaned 1/5 a file drawer.

Also woke up at 3AM with a new title for Emma:  "The Bad Luck Magnet".  Am getting ready to pitch it at the Northern Colorado Writers conference at the end of March.


Might as well include the rest of the eye-popping-open episode.  Also came up with a few more comments to tack onto the end of Britt and company.

Trivia:  The old man is complaining about these new informal "political parties" -- the Tea Party and the Coffee Party.  He wants to join the "Little Brown Jug Party" because he thinks it has more class than the "Mason Jar" Party.  We used to get good corn whiskey in our western town, but the stores don't stock it no more.  At least, we'd have a decent cause.