Some Small Amount Of Justice On The Henrietta Lacks Story

It's not much, but it's something: the gene mapping of Henrietta Lacks' DNA, which had previously been treated as essentially public domain data, despite the loss of privacy that conferred upon her descendents, will now be supervised by a six-member committee, two of whom are Lacks family members.

Dr Emma Who

Yes, that's a sonic screwdriver in her hand, which she just received on this, her 19th birthday!  Some kids dream of being given a 40 ouncer or case of beer on their 19th, but our girl was absolutely giddy at the sight of Doctor Who's second-favourite device (after the TARDIS).

The Perfect Teaser

This clip of Bryan Cranston reciting Percy Shelley's poem, "Ozymandias," as a teaser for the final season of Breaking Bad, is simply brilliant (much like the show itself):



If you've been watching the slow, fascinating progression of Walter White, like we have, then you'll fully appreciate just how appropriate a choice that was.

From The Desk Of Bill Murray

Or rather, his Twitterfeed...

"If you don'’t come home and immediately either take off your pants, or change into pajamas, then I’'m sorry but you’'re living life wrong."

The man speaks truth!

Solar Windows? I Like The Sound Of That!

A new breakthrough in solar technology may make it a reality in the near future, too!

At The Intersection Of Music And Sci Fi

I was doing a little research on Don Maclean's epic '70s hit, "American Pie" today, and was quite surprised to learn that the musician has managed to keep mum on most of the references he wrote into it over 40 years ago.  That sort of thing seems almost unheard of to me when it comes to pop culture these days.

Anyway, one of the sites I visited was "20 Things You Might Not Know About Don Maclean's American Pie," a very worthwhile stop on my journey.  While most of the items were fascinating, I have to say that far and away the most rewarding one was # 18, the Weird Al Yankovic mashup of Star Wars Episode I and "American Pie," which I didn't even know existed before today.  If you've never seen it, you have to watch this thing of beauty!




I especially love the chorus:

"My my
 This here Anakin guy
 Maybe Vader, someday later, now he's just a small fry
 And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
 Sayin', 'Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi... soon I'm gonna be a Jedi.'

I have an inexplicable affection for those 3 Star Wars prequels that most members of my generation seem to lack, and I have to admit that just watching that video made me want to put Eps I, II and III into the DVD player once again...

All that notwithstanding, if you love "American Pie" (as I do) then you should check out the other 19 items, as well.

12 Monkeys TV Show?

12 Monkeys used to reliably show up on my "Top 20 Favourite Movies of All Time" lists that several of us loved to compile, back in the day.  I very much still consider it one of the best, and most enjoyable films I've ever seen.

Now comes news that the SyFy channel is planning a TV show based on it.  Whether it's a one-shot or an ongoing series is still to be determined, but either way... it's hard to imagine the Terry Gilliam version being improved upon.  Vicki and I recently watched La Jetee, the short (and very low-budget) film that Gilliam's masterpiece was based on.  While there was a lot of imagination behind La Jetee, it was mostly a mess and pretty hard to watch.  I'd personally say 12 Monkeys was about a million times better, but maybe I'm biased as I saw it first.  Can't imagine the TV show will impress, but I'll probably still give it a try when it makes it onto Canadian cable.

Manmade Climate Change Vs Evolution: Who Wins?

According to a recent study: for most species, the changes in their environment that we're causing will happen many orders of magnitude faster than evolution can adapt to.  Way to go, humankind!

Very Timely Topic

Thanks to PeterJ on Twitter, I saw this article about something called a "zipper merge" approach to one of my biggest pet peeves: the traffic congestion that happens on a highway when a lane is closed.  We just experienced this today, coming back from a couple of days spent at Toronto Fringe.

As the article says, there's always been two philosophies about when to merge in that situation: what I'd call the "considerate driver" who gets out of the closing lane as soon as they're notified of the closing, and the "inconsiderate asshole" who races up in the empty lane to get past as many slowed cars as possible before being inconvenienced by the slowdown.  Vicki and I have always dutifully fallen into the first category, as it's just seemed ignorant beyond description to be one of those "me me me" types who thinks his/her time is so much more important than anyone else's.

The science of the situation, though, points to the inefficiency of that approach when the volume of traffic is high: you end up with fewer lanes of traffic ealieer than you need to, and therefore everything slows down sooner.  Now a new strategy is being tried (the aforementioned zipper merge) where signage along the highway will instruct all drivers to stay in the closing lane right up until the point where it terminates, keeping all lanes full of cars for as long as possible.  The zipper merge eliminates the opportunity for the two types of drivers mentioned above, as there won't be any openings for the me-first types to speed up through, and therefore everyone will be inconvenienced equally by the slowdown, which (to my mind, anyway) is preferable to what happens today.  Assholes who think they deserve better, of course, won't be happy.  I really hope this takes off and becomes the new normal for highways everywhere.

The one caveat to this, of course, is that if we had more of a collective mind when it comes to such things, the "get out of the closing lane as soon as possible" approach would still win out.  To see this in action, just drive through one of those zones when traffic's lighter and you'll see that the speed of the traffic barely changes (other than to possibly go down 10 or 20 kph as the speed limit drops) as all drivers typically bail early out of the closing lane, for the simple reason that there's no disadvantage to doing so (in fact, it seems downright prudent!).  So I always used to like to imagine a society where you could notify drivers many km ahead of the problem, have them quickly get out of the problem lane (and never return to it, no matter what), and have it be a non-event by the time you got up to the lane closure.  Realistically, though, that's not a society that I can imagine our selfish species ever being a part of.

Interview: Elaine Cougler, Author Of The Loyalist's Wife

Elaine Cougler, who interviewed me last year about No Brother of Mine, now has her very first book out!  It's called The Loyalist's Wife, and here's a brief description of it:

When American colonists resort to war against Britain and her colonial attitudes, a young couple caught in the crossfire must find a way to survive. Pioneers in the wilds of New York State, John and Lucy face a bitter separation and the fear of losing everything, even their lives, when he joins Butler’s Rangers to fight for the King and leaves her to care for their isolated farm. As the war in the Americas ramps up, ruffians roam the colonies looking to snap up Loyalist land. Alone, pregnant, and fearing John is dead, Lucy must fight with every weapon she has.

With vivid scenes of desperation, heroism, and personal angst, Elaine Cougler takes us back to the beginnings of one great country and the planting of Loyalist seeds for another. The Loyalist’s Wife transcends the fighting between nations to show us the individual cost of such battles.

After finishing The Loyalist's Wife on the weekend, I returned the favour she'd done me last fall and sent Elaine a handful of interview questions about it.  Those questions, along with her very interesting and insightful answers, are below:

1. I thought that all of the little details of life in the 1770s that you included in The Loyalist’s Wife really helped put the reader into the mindset of that time period. What kinds of research did you do for the book, and is that the sort of thing you naturally enjoy doing or did it feel more like work to you?

Matt, I spent a lot of time at my computer online and found amazing history right there. I also found places to go, such as forts, museums, and historic homes. My husband and I love to visit those types of places and doing research for my novels just always makes them come even more alive. Instead of just taking pictures of the buildings or the landscape, I catch images of soldiers’ uniforms, maps showing routes my characters might have taken and characters in costume for just what my own characters might have worn. Talk about an extra layer of enjoyment. And, of course, those pictures are valuable in helping me to remember for the next time I’m at my computer lost in the lives of the Loyalists and their times.

Various libraries and librarians have been helpful, as well. Those librarians know what kind of resources they have on their own shelves as well as what may be available to order in. Their knowledge has been very useful.

2. What thought processes went into your decision to construct your Loyalist saga as a trilogy, rather than, say, as a single book, or five books, or even as an ongoing, open-ended tale?

An interesting question, Matt, and I’d like to say that from the outset I knew exactly how this Loyalist thing would play out, but I didn’t. I was interested in the period because of my own Loyalist roots and in the people because I am always pondering just what might have been the effects of historic events on the ordinary people whose lives were thrown topsy-turvy through no fault of their own. As I got further into the project and concurrently learned more about my own Loyalist history, three stories gradually took shape in my mind. And further research turned up a few nuggets which did and will find their way into The Loyalist Trilogy. So the answer is I first thought of only one book which I first called Loyal to the Crown.  Just as that title changed (The Loyalist’s Wife) so did my plan.

As to why it is three and not more, I see three stories here, all interlocking with related characters and even some events, but once those three stories are told, the Loyalist theme will have played itself out.

3. As publisher (as well as author) of The Loyalist’s Wife, what steps have you taken to promote your product? And is there anything you’ve thought of doing but just haven’t quite been able to bring yourself to try it?

For over two years I have developed my writing blog, On Becoming a Wordsmith, and have met many lovers of historical fiction and as many or more writers who are doing what I am doing. It is a very supportive community and I have learned a lot about writing, marketing and the business of writing.
Promotion, then, is ongoing through online venues, guest posting, commenting on others’ blogs, writing book reviews, and trying to have something of value to say wherever I visit on the web. (sometimes easier said than done!)

As far as things I’ve thought of and not done, there are many but mostly it is time constraints that hold me back. I want to do a book trailer for The Loyalist’s Wife and post it on YouTube as well as my website and my blog. I’d love to do speaking/reading events and visit book clubs to discuss my writing with those reading it. And I will. I just need that 36-hour day and all will happen. Can you see that I can be a tad impatient?

4. It’s readily apparent in the pages of your book that you have a natural affinity for the Revolutionary War and especially the Loyalist side of it. What’s the origin of this connection for you?

I have always known that I come from Loyalist stock, a tidbit of knowledge which has sparked and flamed as I’ve gotten older and had more time to think of such things. A few years ago my brothers and I were in Niagara Falls for the funeral of my aunt, a situation which allowed us to travel the short distance to Niagara-on-the-Lake and visit Butler’s Burying Ground and see the vault where the famous Colonel John Butler was buried. My brother, Roger, knew much of the history and regaled us with tales of how our ancestor was a member of these same Butler’s Rangers.

Then my son brought me a copy of Cruickshank’s book about Butler’s Rangers and I found this same name listed in the back. I thought of the plight, then, of those loyal to the King who were living in the colonies when the American Revolutionary War broke out and my story was born.

5. You put your two lead characters in The Loyalist’s Wife through some fairly horrific experiences over the course of the book.  How do you, as an author, decide where to draw the line in such matters? Specifically, where’s that line in terms of, for example, testing the mettle of the characters versus simply being cruel to them and possibly alienating the reader? Were there any times in the early drafts when you thought you’d gone too far and had to pull back?

Without spoiling the story, I will say that I knew I had to make my readers care for my characters or they would stop reading. An author has to put his/her characters into danger and then make it worse. I knew I was writing something good when I was crying during the writing and later revising of certain sections. If I cared that much about my characters, my readers would as well. As far as just being cruel to them, I can’t do that. And readers would not like that. If neither I nor my readers have developed a feeling for the characters there is no story.

No, I don’t think I ever felt I had gone too far. Rather, I hadn’t gone far enough. I always want to be kind so drew my characters a little too one-sided—good—and had to go back and give a more balanced view of John and Lucy. They had to have flaws. Giving them those flaws allowed for more interesting plot developments as well.

6. Given that you called it The Loyalist’s Wife, did you ever consider telling the story entirely from Lucy’s perspective, possibly even in the first person narrative form?

The story is about the Loyalist and his wife, which, I think, is implicit in the title but I can see how you might think the title leans a little more toward the wife. That being said, I always wanted to tell both sides of the story. Imagine the plight of a woman left alone in a warring wilderness while her husband may be killed as he fights for his King. And the idea that soldiers have their families to worry about and their own personal characteristics to deal with was very intriguing to me. I wanted to delve into why John left Lucy alone and fought for the British. And I wanted to know just what this decision cost him. The answer to your question is that I never considered just telling the story from Lucy’s point of view.

As for first person, the historicals which I have read and loved for many years are almost all in third person, so much so that when I started to write that is what came out.

7. You’ve told me previously that you spent several years writing The Loyalist’s Wife, including some periods in which not much progress was being made for a variety of reasons. Was there ever a time when you’d convinced yourself that TLW just wasn’t ever going to become a finished book, and if so, what got you past that feeling?

Never. I always wanted to keep going. Even when the learning process was frustrating and demoralizing. Even when my husband, seeing what stress I was under during some of those times, suggested I didn’t HAVE to finish. What kept me going was the thought of my book or books on the shelf for my children and grandchildren to have after I am gone. I wanted to leave a legacy of something I loved.

8. What were the best and worst aspects of self-publishing for you? Now that you’re well along in that process, how happy (or unhappy) are you that you went that route for your first book?

One of the bumps along the way was joining an online author group where my work was viewed by agents and publishers. At first I thought this was wonderful and I did learn a lot of things about the writing business but I also learned other things. Suffice it to say that, in spite of interest from agents and editors, I eventually found the courage to go my own way, follow my own heart, and publish the book I wanted. And starting my own publishing company gave me control in so many ways. Of course the learning curve was not a curve at all but a bloody uphill battle at times. I am pretty computer savvy, having taught the subject (along with English) but each platform to which I submitted my work had wrinkles. Patience, something I am usually short of, became absolutely necessary. Thank goodness for the Help panels most of the platforms offered.

And, yes, I am happy I took control.

9. And finally, what pieces of advice would you give to any aspiring authors out there, based on your own experiences, that you feel would help her or him get their first book over the finish line?

My best advice would be to write the kind of book you love to read. From there, read lots of books on writing but eventually just trust yourself. Writing, more writing and more writing will get you where you want to go. And if you self-publish, find excellent editors, cover designers, printers and other professionals. The money you pay them will make your book look great.

Thanks so much, Matt, for posing these thoughtful and sometimes difficult questions. Your intelligent probing is not surprising as you are a competent author yourself. I am very grateful for this interview.

As mentioned in the interview, Elaine has a writing blog called On Becoming a Wordsmith. She's also on Twitter (@ElaineCougler), Facebook (ElaineCouglerAuthor), and LinkedIn author groups. You can buy her debut book on Amazon, the Kindle store or at the Kobo store, or if you'd like a signed, paper copy (for $20), let me know and I'm sure Elaine will be able to accommodate your request.

Thanks to Elaine for taking part in this, and for continuing to support me in my own writing career!

For The Programmers Out There

A funny list of 30 examples of new programming jargon.  # 10 naturally made me think of Jimmy Hinckley, who we all miss dearly.

Mark Waid Nails It

While I liked Man of Steel a bit more than Mark apparently did, his spoiler-laden review of the film touches on every one of the aspects that didn't work for me.  Although I'll definitely watch it again (unlike Waid), I agree that the soul of the character that I've known and loved for nearly 45 years wasn't on display in Zack Snyder's movie.  In the same way that Snyder came up short in turning Watchmen into a film when he failed to understand some of Alan Moore's more subtle nuances in the original material, he falters here in grasping what makes Superman so special: his own invulnerability is what makes him care so much about those who can't survive a building falling on them as he can.  And Vicki will attest to the fact that, at least once during the final act of Man of Steel, I muttered under my breath, "Now go rescue some of the people in the rubble, dummy!"  The fact that he didn't, more than anything else, reveals where Snyder and screenwriter Goyer lost their grip on the character.

Still, for all that, it's a Superman movie worth watching, much more so than its predecessor with Brandon Routh.

In Other Amazon News

Today seems to be Amazon Day here at Kimota94's Place!

As a followup to a post from last month about the introduction of fan fic site Kindle Worlds, there's this news today about Kindle Worlds expanding to include some comic book universes!  Specifically, several titles from the Valiant comic line are now available to be 'fan fic'ked, so to speak.

I'm starting to believe this is actually going to become 'a thing' in publishing.  I just can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Do A Brother A Favour?

I've laboured under a particular delusion for a while, and only today learned the error of my ways.  I always believed that you could only do a review of something on Amazon if you purchased the item first.  I think my mistake stemmed from the fact that I've been prompted many times to provide reviews of items I'd bought, and that formed the connection in my brain.

Anyway, now that I know the truth, I'd like to ask any readers out there who enjoyed No Brother of Mine to please take a few minutes and leave a review of it on Amazon.  It looks like it requires a minimum of 20 words to constitute a review, but hopefully that won't pose too much of a challenge!  (No Brother of Mine, after all, is around 90,000 words so it can't be that hard to come up with 20 words to describe your reaction to it, can it?)  Probably the most important thing is just getting more reviews, period, out there, especially 4- or 5-star reviews (hint, hint).  So please consider helping me out in this fashion if you can.

No Brother of Mine on Amazon can be found here, and then click on the (# customer reviews) link near the top of the page to start your review.

Thanks!

P.S. Obviously the same goes for any of my other books that you've read and liked.  I'm just trying to push No Brother of Mine right now as it seems to be the most popular of the bunch.

Off To Have Dinner With Another Author

Elaine Cougler, who was nice enough to do a 2-part author interview with me late last year, has just released her first novel, The Loyalist's Wife.  Vicki and I have both been reading (and enjoying) it, and tonight we'll be lucky enough to have dinner with Elaine and her husband, Ron.  There should be lots of author-talk, I hope! 

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The PS4

Read all about it!

P.S. I've already pre-ordered mine!  And it wasn't even half as exciting as when I pre-ordered my PS3 back in December of 2006.

Quit Blaming Video Games For Violence In The Real World

Here's a good article that shows just how weak the argument that "video game playing leads to violence" really is.

A Few Minor Writing Points

(This sort of post is likely only relevant to me, as a form of journal entry that I can refer back to later.  But anyone out there who still follows this blog is certainly welcome to find whatever entertainment value in it that they can!)

As I get ready to start the 2nd chapter of novel # 4 (once I've finished here), I've come to recognize certain patterns in the way I write.  I may have mentioned some or all of these before, but at least now they'll be collected in one place.

For instance, I've learned how to tell a good story idea from a substandard one.  When I'm trying to come up with the next plot point, the best ones always feel as if I'm remembering them, rather than making them up.  It's like that feeling you get when you're struggling to recall the details of something - maybe a conversation you had, or a memory from many years ago - and suddenly it clicks into place and you know with certainty that you've recalled it correctly.  That's what I've found to happen with the best parts of my novels so far.  And it's a great barometer for me to use in evaluating each new idea that comes along.

Also, I think I now understand why the writing always goes so much faster toward the end of the book.  I'd always assumed it was because each of the various subplots had been set in motion by then and all that remained was to resolve them.  I imagine that's part of it, but there's also an element of knowing the characters so well by that point that they practically write themselves.  As a corollary of that, things tend to go slowly in the early stages because I'm not entirely sure which direction some of the characters are going to advance in just yet, and that makes the process harder.

And finally, I've had a revelation about my work ethic when it comes to writing.  I've suffered from a lot of frustration over the past several years because I haven't been as disciplined as I'd like about actually sitting down and writing.  I've gotten very down on myself about this, at times.  However, I think I may have been selling myself short in that regard.  A lot of the time I spend not-writing, especially when I'm not engaged in some other activity, is actually devoted to figuring out what happens next, or what motivates this character or that one, or what the best structure is to use for that next revelation.  In other words, I'm writing a hell of a lot more often than I'd ever given myself credit for.  It's simply happening in my head, rather than on the keyboard.  Vicki and I have started referring to that as "percolation time" while working on this current book, meaning the periods during which all of the various ideas are percolating around in my brain before they're fully formed enough to be written down.  Julie had pointed out something similar on an earlier book project, but I hadn't appreciated just how significant that part of the process was at the time.  Now that I do, it feels like a large, guilty weight has been lifted from me.

Anyway, now it's time to go do some of the type-type-type writing, as Chapter 2 feels ready to go!

Why Some Animals Swarm

I'd never thought about it before reading this article, but it makes sense: animals evolved to swarm because swarming confuses the predators and allows more of the prey to escape (and hence survive, to have more offspring).  Like all things evolutionary, a random mutation at the DNA level must've led some animals to react that way when predators approached, and because it worked better than the usual "run away!" instinct, it eventually became a new trait, over generations.

I love how the universe always makes more sense when you view it through the lens of evolution!  I can't imagine how people who don't believe in evolution ever make it through life. 

Fukushima Power Plant Not A Disaster After All

For anyone who watched the coverage, back in March of 2011, of the Fukushima nuclear facility in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, it seemed like a full-scale disaster: the cooling systems weren't functioning, workers were being sent in on suicide runs, and the area around the plant was going to be irradiated for generations to come.  Some Americans even worried that the radioactive cloud from Fukushima was going to contaminate the west coast of the U.S.!

Well, two years later, a couple of reports have come out of independent studies, and the results are surprising, to say the least!  No one died from radiation sickness, many of the areas surrounding the nuclear facility are already safe to return to, and even those brave workers who entered the plant during the immediate aftermath of the tsunami have been spared the awful fate we'd all ascribed to them.

It'll be interesting to see if the good news represented by these reports gets anywhere near the same level of coverage that the drama back in March 2011 received.