Couldn’t be happier for Richard. It’s outstanding news–Scott Bros. Tackle Killing Sea:

Another film about the 2004 Tsunami is in the works. Daily Variety reports Tony and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions has picked up the upcoming novel The Killing Sea for translation into film for Fox 2000.

The novel, by Richard Lewis, will be published in December by Simon & Schuster. The story concerns an Indonesian boy and an American girl in the aftermath of the disaster.

This is one fan-fucking-tastic story–XEROC 80, Juarez, Mexico, by Darlin’ Neal

I keep thinking I’ve linked to this and then realize I haven’t! Sorry! Please read this fascinating interview of Sue Henderson by David Wilson.

My pal Mark Pritchard, who has been so generously interviewing writers about their current projects, has just interviewed moi about mine. Read all about it here: Freak Magnet.

Thank you, Mark! It was fun.

Today marks the final installment of Ink Pot and, as ever gracious, Beverly Jackson offered those of us who were on staff an opportunity to give some parting words. When she first asked us for this, I started writing an essay about all that I had learned in my couple of years as an editor working under Bev, but then as I read and reread it I realized that it did not at all encapsulate what I was feeling, which was sorrow at the loss but also gratitude for the moment.

Please join me in celebrating those words and thanking Bev for all she has given to writers and artists. So many of us have gotten our start because of you.

Mark Pritchard interviews the always illuminating Sarah Salway.

Do you remember those books when you were a kid where someone would send in your name and then miraculously you would receive a book that starred YOU (I never had one of these but I had friends who did and they were never quite as cool as you thought they would be–the name printed in was always so obviously added later. It was a bit embarrassing, really).

Well, I just stumbled across this advertisement–Romance by You:

You co-author your 160 to 180-page novel by providing the names, features and places that personalize your book. There are over 26 characteristics to personalize – you can even include your dog or cat! A personalized cover adds that finishing touch.

Still, I think I might have to get this for Allen for our anniversary. Which should I choose Medieval Passion, Tropical Treasure, Love’s Next Door, Pirates of Desire, Vampire Kisses, Western Rendezvous, or ER Fever?

BUT WAIT! You can make your own personalized excerpt–here’s ours:

Medieval Passion describes the timeless romance of the ever so whimsical Lady Myfanwy and Allen Dean, heir to one of the largest, most magnificent estates in all of England.
Sit back and relax as you journey back through the ages to the regal setting of the late 1400s… a time of courage, honor, chivalry and true romance!

Chapter Three… Myfanwy & Allen – the first encounter

…A rut in the road caused the carriage to lurch violently and Lady Myfanwy was flung backward, her hands grasping for the satin upholstery over her head. But again it was Allen that saved the day, catching Myfanwy up in his arms as the carriage careened over the rut, finally righting itself onto the pathway.

Gathered in a reckless embrace Myfanwy held to Allen, golden tassels twisted against the length of her fingers in one hand, dark brown locks of his hair in the other. In the midst of her own ill considerations of him, she discovered in fear that she relished the touch of this bold Marquis … more than what the love of another man would readily grant forgiveness.

Myfanwy lost the strength to ask that Allen stop as his lips reached the curve of her neck. She felt his royal hands explore her bare legs beneath the cover of her gown. Beyond all sense of reason, his lips met with hers, eager for her unforeseen delicacies …

Here are two great stories you will not want to miss:

The Bracelets, by Bev Jackson

&

The Day, by Patricia Parkinson

Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction winners Nancy Zafris and David Crouse were on tap at the second and final reading we attended.

As much of this year’s festival centered around remembrances of Andre Dubus, Crouse and Zafris both gave theirs. Zafris told the touching story of her first encounter with Andre Dubus and how it changed her life. I had read this essay of hers before and was deeply moved by it.

Each read from a short story and then took questions (again, many of which started out with, “This isn’t really a question, more of a comment…” Ahhhh! FUCK! People, are you so in need of hearing yourselves speak?). And there was one guy who posed his question to Zafris in a really assholey way, which I’m not even going to repeat other than to say she handled herself gracefully in the face of his tactlessness.

Both had many interesting things to say about writing short stories. In particular, I was struck by what Zafris said that short story–that there is the story you’re telling and then there’s the real story underneath which eventually emerges and how your ending should seem surprising and inevitable (even to you as the writer).

She also discussed how it is difficult to write a story by concensus and how a lot of times a writing group is trying to get you to write the B+ story (the one that appeals to the most people) as opposed to the A+ story (that one that is less easily absorbed). She seems like an excellent teacher and I’d love to go to one of their workshops (indeed, am already saving my pennies for next year).

Now, here’s the embarrassing part. Brace yourselves.

So, I had decided that I wanted to introduce myself to Nancy Zafris and thank her as an editor at The Kenyon Review for the acceptance of my story. Anyway, suffice it to say that I was intimidated and emotional and so I got red in the face and almost cried (in fact, I said, “I’m going to cry”!!!!!!!!) and I stammered and as Allen put it he felt like he was with his 13 year old daughter meeting a boy band.

Ohhh, the humiliation! But she was kind and gracious to me and so I’m glad I did it even though I am still blushing.

Okay, that’s it for the festival.

From the looks of things, I would have to say the first annual Newburyport Literary Festival was a smashing success. We arrived just in the nick of time to get seats for the Richard Russo reading, which was held in the beautiful UU church.

Richard Russo was immediately charming in that he told the audience he was nervous when he was first introduced to the place he would be reading because he was offered the high pulpit to read from. He declined saying that he would need to tell a story of Jonah and the whale from up there. He has a terrific reading and speaking voice from which there was not one ounce of condescension.

He read from his collection The Whore’s Child, specifically, selections from the humorous and poignant short story, “The Mysteries of Linwood Hart.” After the reading, Russo took questions from the audience (many of which started with, “This isn’t really a question, more of a comment… ” grrrooooaaannn!).Russo was gracious and interesting in his responses.

When asked something about moving from novel writing to short story writing, Russo discussed how he is a novelist “by inclination and temperament” and that the short story form is difficult for him. He said that this collection had been in the making for him from approximately twelve years and that he finds that when he’s working on a novel and then a section starts to take over or diverge, he removes it and sets it aside.

These orphans are then often transformed into other things–such as short stories. In fact, he said that at least three of the stories from this collection had once been parts of novels. For example, Sister Ursula from “The Whore’s Child” had originally been William Deveraux’s student in Straight Man, but that her story was too dark and so he and his editor decided to take her out (Actually, when Russo brought his concern about her bit being too dark to his editor, his editor responded with something like, “Off the nun.”)

When asked whether he’s known any of his characters in real life, Russo (who took the question as a compliment), said that if you succeed in creating a believable fictional character that people become convinced that you must know/have known this person in real life. Russo said that yes, real people can provide a starting point but you are never going to know a person well enough to make a character based completely on him/her.

Finally, Russo was asked many, many questions about the movies made of his books (and also, you may not know that he is a successful screenwriter, and so he spoke to that as well, saying that he now spends his time between writing novels and screenplays).

As far as seeing his work on screen, when it’s one of his novels that has been adapated, he says he feels in the beginning a “slight dislocation” because the character he envisioned may not immediately conform to the actor. However, the “dislocation” lasts only momentarily because then the actors take over and he is drawn into the film.

Essentially, it’s no longer his book. It’s someone’s film. And so, when audience members balked at how the screenwriter had changed the ending of that particular film, Russo said, “His job was not to make my novel. My novel already existed.”

He talked a bit about setting (particularly how you write it for a novel vs for screen) and finished up with much thanks to the audience and the organizers of the festival. All in all, a great reading.

nuclear bunker buster:

This animation depicts a proposed weapon with a one megaton yield. The funding for this weapon was cut in 2005 defense appropriations. However, the United States still has a B61-11 nuclear ‘bunker buster’ in its arsenal which has a 400 kiloton yield, which could still cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and spread radiation to other countries.