Locke & Key

Posted in Genre Movies & TV, Look Kids! Comics! with tags , , on September 2, 2010 by cairnwood

Locke & Key, the phenomenal IDW comic series written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez,  is coming to the small screen and by way of some of the biggest names in genre entertainment.

Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks TV is joining forces with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Josh Friedman to turn Locke & Key into a major franchise for FOX Television.

That’s right:  Spielberg, along with Kurtzman and Orci (Fringe) and Friedman (The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will be bringing Joe Hill’s tale of the Locke’s — Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode — to life. Locke & Key follows the misadventures of these three siblings after they take up residence in Keyhouse, a Victorian mansion in Lovecraft, Massachusetts that is filled with cryptic secrets and supernatural craziness.

No date as to when the series will air, but I for one will be waiting eagerly for its premiere.

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A Couple of Things

Posted in Genre Movies & TV, Illustration, Supernatural on September 2, 2010 by cairnwood

I ran across a review of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad by Paul Sweeney and found this tidbit interesting:

Remember Sasha? The kleptomaniac? It turns out that Bob Freeman, whom we encounter smoking hash at a Greenwich Village party – paranoid, suicidal and increasingly anti-social – was Sasha’s “fake boyfriend” back when they were students at New York University in the early 1990s. In those days he was the clean-cut, ex-athlete whom she went everywhere with. That was to throw off Sasha’s father who, she claimed, had hired a private detective to make sure she doesn’t take up with someone disreputable.

That alone makes me curious enough to want to read the book. It’s not every day that your name shows up in someone else’s work and now I just have to know what’s up with my namessake.

As I stated on the closing day of August, I have a lion’ share of writing to get to over the coming months. Does this mean I’ll be more scarce here at the Occult Detective? Not on your life. I have several book reviews lined up and, as the Fall TV schedule kicks into gear, I’ll be covering a few shows quite closely, especially Season 6 of Supernatural. With LOST now in our rearview, Supernatural will get the kind of coverage I always felt it warranted from us here on OD. What other shows make the cut as well remains to be seen, so stay tuned, and if you have any suggestions, feel free to share them.

I leave you now with this bit of artwork for my proposed sequel to Autumn Moon and the Book of Secrets (forthcoming from Belfire Press in February 2011) called The Witch Signed Woods.

It’s nothing more than a vague shape in my mind right now and, with so many other things demanding my attention, I’m not sure when I’ll get to it, but get to it I will. I mean, Hell, the cover fell right off of my mouse this morning, title and all. It’d be a shame to let it go to waste.

Until tomorrow…

Well again.

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Taking Stock

Posted in Writing in Theory & Practice on August 31, 2010 by cairnwood

I pitched a novel to Penguin yesterday, one to St. Martin’s a few months back, and another to Tor a few months before that. That’s what we do. We write and then send these creations out into the world, hoping for acceptance. These words we string together are a sort of microcosm of ourselves in so many ways.

I’m spending today mostly thinking. I really need to recharge my batteries. Now that’s why we writers go to conferences and conventions, because we often get a mad rush from close contact with our peers. We feed off one another and that pushes us forward…

I’ve only attended one con this year… and it shows. So I’m recharging my batteries the old fashion way — through deep dark reflection and soulful meditation.

Tomorrow is a new day.

One thing that is going to happen in the aftermath of all this inner reconstruction is that I’ll prioritize my various works in progress and mental constructs. There are stories that will be moved to the fore and others that will be relegated to the backburner.

These are my “must writes”:

“Necroleptic Missives on the End of the World”
[09/31/10]
Autumn Moon and the Book of Secrets
(edit)
[11/31/10]
“These Pale Remembrances”
[12/01/10]
“The Houses of the Holy”
[12/31/10]
“Seeing Red”
(edit)
[12/31/10]
“Pillow Talk”
(edit)
[01/03/11]
Shadows Over Somerset
(edit)
[01/31/11]
Keepers of the Dead
(edit)
[01/31/11]
Born Again
(edit)
[02/28/11]
“Flutter”
[07/01/11]
Daemonomicon
[09/30/11]
Apocalypse Road
[11/31/11]
In Time’s Shadow
[12/31/11]

Now that’s a full plate. Luckily many of them are all but finished and just in need of a tweak here and there, but still… when you lay it all out there like that, it seems rather daunting. Hence the day’s introspection and inner pep talk. The rest of this year and all of next will call for me to be steadfast and driven.

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The Dream is Over

Posted in Genre Movies & TV, LOST with tags , on August 30, 2010 by cairnwood

Kim and I sat through the Emmys last night and, despite an inspired opening number from Fallon and Company (including Jorge Garcia) doing a terrific send-up to a show I can’t stand (that would be Glee), the award show was mostly a trainwreck of epic proportions.

I don’t think it could have been less funny nor groan-inducing… Still, we marshaled on in support of LOST, but there was no love to be found for our favorite show.

No Emmy for Damon and Carlton. No Emmy for either Terry O’Quinn or Michael Emerson. No Emmy for Elizabeth Mitchell. No Emmy for Matthew Fox. No Emmy for Jack Bender. No Emmy for Michael Giacchino. No Emmy for Ab Aeterno. No Emmy for LOST itself.

The one bright note was the scoring of the coveted trophy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (“The End”), given to Stephen Semel, Mark J. Goldman, Christopher Nelson and Henk Van Eeghen.

It’s not like I needed confirmation of LOST’s  greatness by their bringing home a dozen Emmys for their efforts, but I wanted it for the actors, writers, and directors. I had hoped that their peers would acknowledge what they had accomplished. Maybe they would have if Mad Men and Breaking Bad (two shows I’ve never seen) did not exist in the same universe as them.

Well LOST, it may not be an Emmy, but what you have won is my undying gratitude for giving me a wonderfully epic television series that will hold a special place in my heart for years to come.

Is this the end of LOST here at the Occult Detective? Not quite yet. I still plan to review the Season 6 DVD set and, who knows, maybe I’ll revisit the series again and mark the journey on this blog in the future.

In the end, LOST was everything I wanted it to be and then some.

Cheers.

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Death in Common rises like a phoenix once more…

Posted in Author Spotlight & Reviews, Illustration with tags , , , on August 29, 2010 by cairnwood

Death in Common Death in Common: Poems From Unlikely Victims

Authored by Needfire Poetry , Edited by Rich Ristow
Cover Art by Bob Freeman

In the first poetic anthology to be released by Needfire Poetry (an imprint of Belfire Press), Rich Ristow brings us poetry from the victims of Monmouthside serial killer, Charles Lee Eaton.

Includes selections from Jerrod Balzer, SD Hintz, Vince Liaguno, Steve Vernon, Martel Sardina, Christopher Conlon, Marge Simon, Wrath James White, Joel Arnold, Robert Brouhard, Michael Arnzen, Kurt Newton, Barry Napier, Bob Freeman, LL Soares, Laura Cooney, Monica O’Rourke, Floyd Regan Jr. , JG Faherty, Terrie Lee Relf, Todd Hanks, Marie Vibbert, Mark McLaughlin, Joe Nazare, Scott Colbert, Louise Bohmer, and Rich Ristow.

Only $11.99

To read my poems The Wolf and the Wily Fox and Husk, all you have to do is order your copy of Death in Common, available now from Belfire Press or CreateSpace

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The Horror Collective

Posted in Author Spotlight & Reviews, Writing in Theory & Practice with tags on August 27, 2010 by cairnwood

The industry is changing and authors have to change with it or die. Enter the Horror Collective, a gathering of like-minded authors who are looking to the future and watching each other’s backs. To learn more: visit the website, check out the Horror Collective forum, and my own little corner in it.

Sometimes you’ve got to take the future into your own hands…

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In the Flesh…

Posted in Author Spotlight & Reviews, Esoterica with tags , , on August 26, 2010 by cairnwood

Consider this your invitation, brave souls, to venture forth into the Haunted Hoosier Heartland for what looks to be my final public appearance of the year.  I’ll be signing copies of  my latest novel, Descendant, at the North-Central Indiana Paranormal Meet & Greet in beautiful downtown Wabash on October 16th.

Hosted by the Wabash Paranormal Investigation and Research Group, the Paranormal Meet & Greet brings together ghost hunters, mediums, authors, artists, and filmmakers all under one roof for a terrific opportunity for paranormal enthusiasts and horror fans to share their stories and experiences.

What better way to get geared up for All Hallow’s Eve?

Here’s the event flyer:

I hope to see you there…

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Sigil Magick

Posted in Esoterica, Illustration on August 25, 2010 by cairnwood

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Review: The Broadcast by Hobbs & Tuazon

Posted in Author Spotlight & Reviews, Look Kids! Comics! with tags , , on August 24, 2010 by cairnwood

A rural Indiana town loses power halfway through Orson Welles’ WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast having never learned the infamous radio play is a hoax. Now, fearing the worst is upon them, four diverse families band together in an effort to make it through the night. But tensions build as differences surface, and it isn’t long before everyone involved begins to realize they have as much to fear from each other as they do the “alien invasion” heading their way.

Welcome to The Broadcast, a graphic novel by author Eric Hobbs and illustrator Noel Tuazon.

At 175 pages, The Broadcast is an ambitious story and one that I was a part of in its earliest stages. See, I’ve known Eric for a while, dating back to my own forays into the independent comic scene and I was a big fan of his work on Awakenings. We met a few times to discuss this bold idea of his, a mystery wrapped inside Welle’s infamous radio drama. Originally conceived to be photographed with actors and elaborate set designs, The Broadcast was going to be something unique and special. Unfortunately pressing deadlines forced me to bow out of the project after doing some very preliminary artwork and, seeing the finished product now, I’m thrilled that I did because I believe that The Broadcast  has been brought to life in ways that the original idea simply couldn’t have addressed.

Noel Tuazon’s artwork is phenomenal and perfectly captures  the wonderful story that Eric Hobbs has crafted. And believe me, wonderful is an understatement. Tuazon and Hobbs do a terrific job of invoking the right atmosphere and tone, setting the pace so as to let the interweaving arcs find themselves in a heartfelt and edge of your seat climax.

This is what you hope for when you dip into the indie market. Smart. Riveting. Complex. Compelling. First and foremost, The Broadcast is a fantastic literary work, built from a solid, poignant, and dramatic story that would work in any medium. The marvelous illustrations elevate the writing and fill the tale with an emotional resonance seldom found in comics.

This should be an instant classic and I’d be surprised if Hollywood didn’t take notice.

The Broadcast is available for pre-order at amazon.com. For more information, visit Eric Hobbs’ website.

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Magick is as magick does

Posted in Illustration on August 23, 2010 by cairnwood

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