They Didn't Ask Me

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [PG-13]

Celebration North Theatre #13, 2:40pm

The forecast is dark. Continued dark and getting darker.

Things are getting more serious and more dire in Harry Potter 6 for Harry & Co. Many of the things I could say here, I also said about the DVD of Harry Potter 5 from yesterday's pre-lab, especially about the editing down of the novel to the film. The characters we love are all there, even if only shown in quick cameos. The kids are hitting puberty with a vengeance and pairing off with varying degrees of success. We get no introductions as to why Harry is sent to the Weasley house -- at this point there is no time, you are just supposed to know. As in HP5, this is not necessarily a problem for the intended audience.

The visuals of the Pensieve memories is nicely done. I'm sure the engineers who built the Millennium Bridge in London would sit through the opening and say, "Our bridge cannot bloody well oscillate like that!", but it does look cool. The movie bounces back and forth through okay and great bits like this, but we were particularly struck by the cuts. Kreacher and the house that Harry inherits from Sirius Black is completely gone. The eldest Weasley boy and his fiancee -- gone -- though the twins have a rip-roaring scene with their new joke shop. Quidditch, which was missing from HP5, is back and looking pretty damned good.

One surprising omission -- I don't think anyone actually uttered the names of the four houses at Hogwarts once. Oh sure, the colors and banners were there. The student seated at meals at the right tables. Everyone wearing appropriate T-shirts and sweatshirts. But the names, absent. Also MIA is the whole business of points and the House Cup. And passwords into the dormitories. All those things are just part of the lore you are supposed to know and assume is going on in the background. And to be fair, you don't miss these details in the movie itself, but only in the postmortem afterwards, which SF/F fans will do endlessly to any movie, TV show or book. (grin)

At 158 minutes, HP6 is about the right length and twenty minutes longer that HP5. But we did miss the ending of the book version.

In one sense, HP5 and HP6 are still transitional pieces, leading into the Ultimate Battle of the finale in HP7. Frankly, given what necessary editing had to be done for HP5 and HP6, I think splitting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into HP7.1 and 7.2 may be what is needed, to include what needs to be included and show it all in grand style. Lots of commenters assume that the split is done to make more money, and I don't doubt that this justified the decision. But considering what was cut in this movie and the last, do you really want a 2½ hour version of chopped-down HP7? I surely don't. I strongly suspect that some items cut from HP6 will show up in HP7.1.

Also of interest is that the IMAX version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won't come out in the U.S. until Wednesday 29 July, because of exclusive deals with that silly Transformers sequel. We've found that the IMAX versions have been pretty damned impressive -- and we have a local IMAX theatre. (double-wide-grin)

In short, a good show and making us want for more! Recommended

Dr. Phil

DVD: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [PG-13]

Widescreen Version

Mrs. Dr. Phil figured we should do a Harry Potter 5 pre-lab before going to see Harry Potter 6 today. This was a good call. It's not that we can't remember the gist of the story, but given the time offsets between the releases of the books and the movies, it was useful to remember what we were supposed to know in the latest film.

First of all, we are in familiar territory here -- all but one of the principle stars of the series have survived to this point so far, so we know who they are. And the kids at Hogwarts were recruited when they were appropriately younger, so we are watching them grow up -- which is also pretty impressive.

I guess my basic short comment about Harry Potter 5 is that it is "edited tight". By this I do not mean that it shows crisp, professional editing, though it has elements of that. No, I mean that they've taken the longest Harry Potter novel and had to hack and pare it down to fit in to a movie. This is always a common complaint -- novels are just too long and too full of details and complications for them to make a normal length film. But the thing is that Harry Potter 5 is not a stand-alone movie. There's really no attempt to introduce the characters, the settings, the school, the villainy, etc., from the previous four books/movies. I think it was possible for people to watch The Empire Strikes Back or even Return of the Jedi without having seen the original Star Wars. But I cannot imagine seeing Harry Potter 5 without having ever cracked open a book or movie -- this is a movie for the fans.

In the beginning, Mrs. Dr. Phil asked, "Did we see this movie?" She was, in part, joking. But we only saw it in the theatre once, perhaps, or maybe twice. I had a hard time getting the Widescreen DVD -- twice when I listed it on "greed lists" for the summer birthday bash and at Christmas, the giver gave us the pan-and-scan DVD, which I gave to deserving fans who hadn't seen the movie. Also, this is a dark movie, both literally and figuratively, and the former makes it tough viewing on a TV set. Still, Delores Umbridge is one of the great (and pink) villains of all time -- tremendous performance. Much of the rest of the cast is shown in cameos, though even at that Emma Thompson as Professor Tralawney is heartbreaking in her mumbling downfall. Luna Lovegood is prefect IMHO, exactly as I'd want her to be. And Helena Bonham Carter can play the crazy bitch witch from hell like nobody's business. There is one glaring continuity flaw to me, regarding who can and cannot see the Thestrals, when it comes time to fly them to London. And one silly joke, considering the DVD came with a trailer for Get Smart, regarding the public entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

I glanced at the Wikipedia entries, to confirm some of the things I knew had been left out of Harry Potter 5 the movie. You want the whole story? Read the book. Same refrain as it's been through the whole story. But it is a great transitional movie as we move out of the young Harry Potter into the realms of the Final Battles for man- and wizardkind. And I think watching Harry Potter 5 followed immediately by Harry Potter 6 enhances both movies.

A movie for those in the know. Recommended

Dr. Phil

Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009

The Voice of Reason from my childhood, legendary CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite, died just about two hours ago at age 92. In those days we had just three national TV networks in America, and while we watched the news on NBC with The Huntley-Brinkley Report and later the NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor, we still watched Uncle Walter, especially at major news events -- and most especially switching between NBC and CBS during the US space program. It is perhaps telling that I remember Frank Reynolds was the anchor on ABC at the time of Apollo 13, but I cannot remember the name of anyone anchoring the ABC news during the rest of Walter's tenure at CBS.

Watching some remembrances on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, everyone was talking about Walter crying twice on air -- announcing the death of President Kennedy and Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon. But what I remember was Walter Cronkite breaking into programming one night to announce in tears the loss of Grissom, White and Chaffee in the Apollo 1 fire on the pad during a test at Cape Kennedy. The moon program and JFK, brought together in one sentence. You might consider that my generation's Hindenburg. How ironic that Walter Cronkite died just shy of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing itself. Perhaps it best that his resonant voice will be played out this week and he will be remembered along with the first men on the moon -- and not drowned out by the recent weeks' tumult over Michael Jackson.

There are those who say that reporters of the news shouldn't be the news itself. A sentiment which is sorely breached by those who merge news and commentary and, may I suggest, creating news and things meant to look like news. Yet Walter is also best known for one simple commentary, where after traveling to Vietnam in 1968, he announced on the air that the war was unwinnable. As a result, President Lyndon Johnson decided not to run for re-election, citing that if he'd lost Cronkite, he'd lost middle America.

He left CBS before he was ready, that is probably true. Yet he managed to continue to do things like host the Kennedy Center Honors and the Vienna New Year's Concert. And he sailed his boats for a long time.

The Most Trusted Man in America is now gone. Would that we see the likes of his kind grace our lives again... but I fear not.

Good night, Walter.

Dr. Phil

Going To Work

When Mrs. Dr. Phil finished up her sabbatical, she loaded up a box with some of the things she needed to take back to her office. Huh -- that makes sense. So I thought for a bit about what I had at the office at WMU that I didn't have duplicated in one form or another at home. And what I brought was a black nylon portfolio with accordion file dividers. Useful for separating handouts and HW assignments, and now for carrying printouts and other items in a case with a nice handle. So I put on my IRoSF mesh cap from their Cafe Press page, and can head downstairs with my office glasses (reading and computer bifocals -- not multifocals -- to keep straight lines straight on the computer screen) and my Swiss Army Memory flash drives with the latest files.

At Work

The idea is to try to spend a couple of hours downstairs in the Kitty Room writing. It's not that I won't or don't write at other times, but a quiet place away from the TV is a nice change of pace. Well, that and I wouldn't want the kitties to go through major withdrawal after having Mrs. Dr. Phil spending a good chunk of every day with them.

Downstairs I'm using an old Sony laptop -- the SR33 is old enough that it runs Windows 98Me on a 600MHz Celeron processor with 192MB of memory. But here's the thing: I don't need it to work the Web anymore and it is more than enough machine to run Word 95. The screen is only an 800×600, but one of the reasons I like many of the Sony laptops is that the screen is spectacular. And the keyboard is pleasant enough to type on.

Bought it refurbished from uBid back in 2002. I'd been using it with an IBM Travel Mouse and a no-name Taiwanese numeric keypad with mini-USB hub. But the keypad's USB cable has gotten flaky and the mouse still uses a ball. So it's gotten a new Kensington numeric keypad and mini-USB hub, plus a Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse 500, matching what I'm using on the newer Sony laptop right now. Don't have to worry about stray cat fur or grains of litter clogging up the mouse ball now. (grin) Also bought a very nice ergonomic bead filled wrist rest at Staples the other week.

We're typing in style and comfort downstairs now...

Sabbatical Adjustments

It looks like I'll be teaching a class this Fall after all. PHYS-1060 Introduction to Stars and Galaxies, the same Astronomy class I taught last Fall. This is not a big crisis for my "sabbatical". I'm not sure it'd be very cost effective to teach one class four or five days a week, what with my commuting costs, but one class twice a week, when I was planning on going to WMU once a week on my own dime anyway, will work out nicely.

OAS Project


Not as many words in the file as I'd like this week, but a lot of design had to be done to make the expansion from novella to novel. And I'm over the 50,000 word barrier, while I still have some handwritten pages to enter. All in all, this is still doable for mid-August.

Dr. Phil

PS- you might notice that after years of sloth or inattentiveness, I am starting to add LJ tags to current entries and slowly go back through the older ones. Or maybe you won't notice. (double-grin)

The Great Deflating Prices For Gas

Gas prices -- what's down with that? Last week we were $2.48.9/gal in Allendale. $2.38.9 for the weekend.

Monday -- $2.34.9. Tuesday morning -- $2.30.9. And Tuesday evening -- $2.28.9/gal for regular.

I thought for sure they'd gouge us for Bastille Day, but apparently they missed that as a holiday. Maybe because it fell in the middle of the week. Memorial Day was around the three buck level and Fourth of July was running about $2.65.9/gal, down from $2.68.9 the day before.

Yeah, there's no rhyme or reason.

Dr. Phil

What? Moon Snuck Into Town When I Wasn't Looking?

Sometimes I am very organized in terms of calendars and scheduling. Lately, what with being on sabbatical and dealing with in-laws in town and coordinating driving to dinners and plays -- oh how awful (grin) -- I don't always keep track of things. So I was surprised to see a review of Moon in the Saturday Grand Rapids Press, since I didn't remember seeing it was in town. Well, of course it was the case it was at ONE theatre. But since I had Monday free and it wouldn't last long, I did have to go to see this SF movie on the big screen. Moon has been dribbling into limited release theatres since June...

Moon [R]

Celebration Cinema Rivertown, #7, 4:45pm

It's hard to write a review of Moon for the simple reason that some published reviews already spill the beans of the basic plot -- I suppose there is no getting around that -- but one would like to keep some mystery for the viewers. Plus everyone wants to talk in the metaphors of previous SF movies -- 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Silent Running. Fine, we'll do some commenting via film references in a minute. But could we just please talk about Moon as a Science Fiction movie of its own?

NOTE: I knew that this one was going to be good when we see our main character suiting up to go back outside and his spacesuit is filthy. There are old and ragged Post-It notes everywhere and other signs of long-term habitation. This is not the antiseptic clean world of 2001, but not quite the rundown universe of the Millennium Falcon.

Lunar Industries is mining helium-3 on the far side of the Moon. Note I did not say "dark side of the Moon", which is a Pink Floyd album (grin), because both far and near sides of the Moon get both light and dark. We seem to be near the terminator, as some places have low sun and some are in shadow. Anyway, because of the large amount of helium-3, fusion energy has become practical and Life On Earth is all hunky-dory energy-wise. The setup then has to do with this mining effort all being done with a one man crew who is serving out a three-year contract.

Sam Bell is slowly going nuts due to limited communication with Earth and is a short-timer, waiting his chance to ride the railgun in suspension and go home. A rover accident with one of the big harvester machines leaves him injured. Gerty, the fixed overhead rail robot companion back at the base, warns him in the infirmary that he has had a head trauma and may be suffering from memory loss. Sam is worried why the one harvester is broken down, sneaks out to check it and finds... Sam Bell barely alive in his spacesuit in the wrecked rover underneath the broken harvester. Oops.

It is a brilliant setup. The far side of the Moon cannot have line-of-sight communications with Earth, which provides natural isolation. The far side also gets direct exposure to the solar wind, so that helps explain the rich fields of lunar soil with trapped helium-3 isotopes. The one-man crew solves the problem of conflict between members of a two- or three-man crew, while introducing the going-nuts factor.

This movie really is about energy, but not energy to feed a hungry Earth. Remember that our own Moon missions almost forty years ago exactly depended on a 6.9 million pound Saturn V rocket stack to deliver a 12-ton payload of command module, trio of astronauts and a couple hundred pounds of moon rocks and exposed film safely back to Earth. You make the trip one-way and it's much more economical. I've been watching Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel, and seeing the size and complexity of this lunar mining operation, one has to appreciate how many loads and how many workers were needed to assemble this plant. I think the ugly conspiracy runs a lot deeper than just Sam Bells.

One reason that people want to talk about earlier SF movies, is because we see realistic and semi-realistic SF in near-term space so seldom that we don't have a lot of references. The countdown clock panel is very reminiscent of Outland, the Sean Connery High Noon in space movie, which makes sense as it also takes place in a space mining operation and we worry about the so-called "rescue mission". But I haven't seen anyone talking about Rogue Moon, the 1960 novel by Algis Budrys, which is perhaps as relevant or even more so than Blade Runner. And perhaps I'll be the first reviewer to mention The Parent Trap? (double-Haley-Mills-grin)

Sam Rockwell does a fine job as Sam Bell. And Kevin Spacey is well-cast as the voice of Gerty. But which Kevin Spacey? Is this the reassuring, helpful Kevin of the Honda car commercials? Or any of the evil/criminal Kevins of The Usual Suspects or Seven or...? Because we know ALL about HAL from 2001, so when Gerty says he is just here "to help you", it sounds so damned chilling. And I've hated smiley faces ever since that yellow pimple showed up in the early damned 70s. (yellow-smiley-grin) And while I'm not sure I would purchase a soundtrack CD of this movie, the mood music was extremely well-done and evocative of the isolation and tension.

Still, there are some problems. First, doesn't anyone remember that the Moon has 1/6th the gravity of Earth? There is very little in the way the interior scenes are shot to suggest this, though to be fair, neither does 2001. A bit better are the exterior model shots of the helium-3 harvesters in action and Sam carrying things outside in his spacesuit also suggests a lower gravity. Second problem has to do with time. I don't believe how much is being done, including driving out and back several times to distant locations in the rovers, in just a matter of a few hours. Third, wouldn't you suspect that EVERYTHING is being recorded and that the company knows everything?

Of course, there is no doubt that they really are on the Moon. After all, it was filmed at Shepperton Studios in England where 2001 was shot. (grin) Wikipedia quotes the director as saying this is the first of three movies about the Moon. If Moon is any indication of the quality of the stories, then we are in good shape, I'd say.

Last word -- as the movie is about to fade out to the credits, pay close attention to the last couple of sentences spoken as we overhear some Earth talk radio. Clever. It is quite possible to miss this flick if it either never shows up in your area or if it isn't there long enough, but do try to catch it on a big screen. And stop worrying about the metaphors based on other SF films and books. Watch Moon for what it is -- and you will feel like it's the first real SF film you've seen in a long time.

Highly Recommended

Deja Vu 101/102

My viewing of Moon got definite added value, because I saw it alone in a theatre way in the far side of the Rivertown cinema. Alone that is except for this other big fat guy who sat in the same row on the other side. Uh, my clone? And in the Men's room next door afterward, it was a little creepy to sit in a stall with complete quiet except for the ventilation system sounds. Then the drive home at nearly 7pm, post rush hour, nearly empty roads through the moonscape of the I-196 construction zone... with two large dump trucks with giant tires sitting next to giant dirt piles waiting for their next shift. Alone on the far side of the Moon, was I... (grin)

Dr. Phil

Charles N. Brown, 1937-2009

Just saw on Ellen Datlow's LJ ellen_datlow that Locus magazine founder and editor Charles N. Brown is dead. His health has been up and down ever since I learned about Locus about eight or nine years ago, but he gamely went on with his business -- reading, editing, interviewing, going to cons, eating and drinking -- and writing about it all, the good and the bad, in his monthly column. Sounds like he died in the saddle, so to speak, coming back from his last appearance.

Locus publisher, editor, and co-founder Charles N. Brown, 72, died peacefully in his sleep July 12, 2009 on his way home from Readercon.

His masthead entry in LocusOnline reads:

CHARLES N. BROWN is Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of 29-time Hugo winner Locus magazine which he founded in 1968 and has been involved in the science fiction field since the late 1940s. He was the original book reviewer for Asimov's, has edited several SF anthologies, and written for numerous magazines and newspapers. Brown founded Locus in 1968 and has won more Hugos than anyone else. Also a freelance fiction editor for the past 40 years, many of the books he has edited have won awards. He travels extensively and is invited regularly to appear on writing and editing panels at the major SF conventions around the world, is a frequent Guest of Honor and speaker and judge at writers' seminars, and has been a jury member for several of the major SF awards.

I had the great fortune to meet Charles at the WOTF XXIV workshop last August. He is invited to WOTF in order to help give the Reality Speech about how we're all crazy to be trying to be SF/F writers. (grin) A little dose of reality is a good thing, especially delivered by a man I might call a genial curmudgeon (double-grin), but alas such things are likely to fall on the deaf ears of those of who love to write and do still believe. (I probably have some pictures, but I'm not on a computer with any of the photos right now, so that'll have to wait. UPDATE: Pictures below.) Fellow 2004 Clarionite Amelia Beamer headed out West after Clarion and managed to become an Editor at Locus and I know how well she fit in the Locus family -- special thoughts go out to her in particular.


The WOTF XXIV "Reality Speech" delivered by Locus Editor Charles N. Brown

Charles Holding Court w/ Tim Powers (l), WOTF XXIV Gold Medal Writer Ian McHugh (c), Al Bogdan (r)

Locus will survive, it needs to survive. The August 2009 issue is supposed to include a remembrance of Charles N. Brown. The arrival of my subscription copy of Locus at the beginning of every month is always greatly anticipated -- this is one issue that I wish would not have come so soon.

Rest easy, sir.

Dr. Phil

The Second Play Of The Season -- And An Opening Night!

And an awesome dinner at Pereddies in Washington Square in Holland MI. If this is Friday this must be my third completely different recipe for calamari for the week. Oh, yum. And lasagna with meatballs, which I think I've had the last several times I've been there, and (sigh) key lime pie for dessert. The sacrifices that we have to make in order to go to the local theatre and let you know about it here on LJ. (grin)

By ourselves we've managed to go to a lot of closing nights of shows. Both of us have had some involvement with student theatre and it's important to give them support all the way through a run. But with the in-laws in town, we managed to do two plays in three days, so we've an Opening Night to attend...

The Cmplt Wrks of Wm Shkspr Abrdgd

DeWitt Theatre, Hope College, Holland MI, 8pm

"All 37 plays in 97 minutes" -- That's quite a boast, but with sufficient mad genius and some creative license, it can be done. We've been coming to HSRT for long enough now that we are beginning to see plays that they did many seasons ago. We saw The Cmplt Wrks of Wm Shkspr Abrdgd in the Snow Theatre studio theatre eleven summers ago. Three brilliant actors, James Saba, Dana Snyder (known today as the voice of Master Shake in Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and I think Chip DuFord.

Dana Snyder (L) and Chip DuFord? in 1998

That was then. This is now. And this production of The Cmplt Wrks of Wm Shkspr Abrdgd is wonderful, marvelous and absolutely full of energy. Even knowing some of the schtick, there was never an actual false step and they never dropped the ball -- except when they were supposed to. The brilliant performers turned out to be three-fourths of last year's Forever Plaid. Putting it in the main DeWitt Theatre allowed them to mount a big production with so little (grin), including the backdrop to another show this season, Room Service, which they promptly backed a truck through and knocked over. Oh the mayhem which ensues!

L to R: Teddy Yudain, Jonathan Spivey, Michael Hanson

Sitting in any of the front row seats on three sides of the theatre meant you had a chance of being dragged into the play. Hell, it didn't even have to be front row seats. Mrs. Dr. Phil (Orchestra Left AA-3) was "selected" to be sat on at one point, which was funny. Finding Mrs. Dr. Phil's purse on stage with the actor -- now that's comedy. Actually, at one point everyone participates, which we'd forgotten about from 1998, so everybody has a great time.

And yet it is clear that the Bard of Avon can survive even such appalling trimming as The Cmplt Wrks of Wm Shkspr Abrdgd visits upon his oeuvre, such is the strength of Shakespeare. Of all the plays (plus the sonnets), Romeo and Juliet in the first act and Hamlet in the second act, get the most play, so to speak. But I'm not quibbling. This is a brilliant play by a genius cast and if you are in West Michigan, please try to come to Hope College and see The Cmplt Wrks of Wm Shkspr Abrdgd before it is too late. Because the run is, of course, short.

Highly Recommended

Dr. Phil

Hope Summer Repertory Theatre

We've been going to HSRT shows at least since 1997's Return to the Forbidden Planet. And we've been getting season tickets for about ten years. So hitting the end of June/beginning of July and starting on our annual run of HSRT plays is always a real joy. This time we had the in-laws here and a lovely dinner at Butch's. We'd hoped to have the Wednesday Diner menu, but they weren't doing one this week. Afterwards, it's just a block over to the theatre!

Suds: The Rocking 60s Soap Opera Musical

Knickerbocker Theatre, 8th Street, Holland MI. 8pm

Apparently HSRT did Suds "ten years ago", but I know we didn't see it. Perhaps they did it as part of their cabaret series, which we didn't go to in the beginning. Last year HSRT also did a rollicking musical show at the restored Knickerbocker Theatre, Forever Plaid, but I have to say that we liked Suds more, not just for the choices of musics but because there was an actual plot.


L to R: Annie Sheehan, Kelly Sina, Gail Rastorfer
So Cindy (left) gets dumped by her sort-of-boyfriend and decides to end it all. But her demise is interrupted by not one but two... er, three?... guardian angels -- Dee Dee (middle) and Marge (right). It's all very complicated and charming. The three ladies all manage perfect characters and all were capable of belting out lyrics solo -- and provide enchanting harmony together. The Man, who plays multiple roles, is no weak sister to this trio and can he dance! Every single one of these songs was played on the radio all the time while Mrs. Dr. Phil and I were growing up. Obviously these "kids" aren't really old enough to truly understand. (grin)

( Playlists after the cut... )
It's tough to talk about favorite numbers because they were all good, which is especially hard considering the talents who made the songs famous that they were competing against. I mean, when you can hold your own against Aretha and Nancy Sinatra... you're doing it right! Still, I have to say that "Locomotion", done in the middle of a suicide attempt was choreographed beyond belief and "Secret Agent Man", where we get the big reveal on the Man, were definitely top numbers -- but there was no let up in the quality throughout the show. Amazing.

Aside: I will never be able to listen to "You Can't Hurry Love" without thinking of the pilot for China Beach -- "Hey, isn't that McMurphy up there?!" (big grin) And "I Say A Little Prayer For You" reminded me of how much I loved that song on the radio -- or in big production numbers on the last of the TV variety shows. I better stop mentioning favorite songs because I won't be able to stop. Just see the above cut list. (sly grin) Did I mention that the orchestra hidden behind the set did a phenomenal job?

Highly Recommended

If this is just the start of our tour of the HSRT season, we're going to have a great summer here in West Michigan.

Dr. Phil

We Do Love Our Gangster Movies

Mrs. Dr. Phil and I knew we were going to see this movie the moment we saw the trailer a few months ago. Despite the hard times of the Depression, there were some aspects of the 1930s which bespoke of elegance and a grandeur that is missing from our not-as-polite society today. Obviously, this is all viewed through one helluva filter, but we're talking about the Myth not the Reality. And perfect fare for a Fourth of July movie choice.

To that end, Celebration Cinema North had in its lobby, what I would call a real California car -- a creamy coffee colored 1930 Packard. One without side windows, save for two cool glass angled deflectors for the back seat, and a convertible top. Yeah, you wouldn't want to drive this out in a Midwestern winter, not without a serious car coat. Mrs. Dr. Phil noticed that if you leaned over the rope barrier and looked in, there were a couple of fedoras on the front and back seats.

I believe the sign said that this elegant conveyance was $3190 when new -- a fortune in 1930 for a car.

I'm sure it is lacking in many safety amenities, but OMG this is a CAR, back when cars were cars. And though I probably can't fit behind that giant steering wheel, I would so love to tool down a highway at speed with that lo-ong hood and all those cylinders pushing all that iron and steel forward. Environmentally irresponsible, you say? Pfshaw! The environment hadn't been invented yet. (grin)

Public Enemies [R]

Celebration Cinema North, #2 - $7 - 3:10pm

Is Public Enemies a movie with two heroes? Or not at all? Johnny Depp's Dillinger versus Christian Bale's FBI Special Agent Purvis. Since we do love our gangster movies, is it so wrong to be rooting for the bad guy? Even if we know him to be doomed? Or do too many people not know the story and so don't know he's doomed?

Johnny Depp is an actor that I have probably been late to realize just how good he is. Like Holly Hunter and some others, Depp is a chameleon who never seems to appear the same way in two films. Between face and voice, there is absolutely no hint of Captain Jack Sparrow in Depp's Dillinger, charming though he may be from time to time. The dark sunglasses and the thin mustache in the third act, might remind a few stray minds of Cap'n Jack, but by then things are coming to a head and there's really no time for such frivolity. Or maybe the third act Depp is channeling Leonardo DiCaprio... Should we be surprised that Michael Mann also produced The Aviator, another 1930s style lovefest? (grin)

And there certainly is plenty of opportunity to study faces in this movie. Do not sit close to the screen for this one. Mann chose to film this tight, with faces filling the screen at every opportunity, that it becomes a distraction and a confusion during some of the action scenes. Still, one does get a rare chance to study the quality and workmanship of a real fedora, back in the age when men wore hats -- I've never really noticed the perfect rows of stitching along the edge of the brim before. Could never see such detail in a Cagney movie. (A Michigan business provided a lot of the period costuming.)

Though J. Edgar Hoover is here, he seems like he has left a number of scenes on the cutting room floor. Bale's Pervis seems to be a man looking for a personality at times, but I think that works for him. Lord knows that Dillinger has enough personality to carry the film -- and Baby Face Nelson has WAY too much. And uncomfortably truer to 1930 than 2009, this is not a politically correct film, so deal with it.

It's not just all the cars, the clothes, the guns or the attitudes, though. It's also the locations. The entrance to the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City IN is rusted and looks old, almost too old for 1930, but it is imposing and depressing and inhumane, so perhaps it serves its cold purpose. On the other hand, the gilt work in Chicago Union Station and the lobbies of the big banks speak to the splendor that such public places once had in that era and why we like period gangster films so much.

Michael Mann also did The Last of the Mohicans, which I mention because there is a background theme reminiscent of the themes in LOTM. And since I adore the soaring soundtrack of The Last of the Mohicans, unfortunately I found it distracting. Equally distracting are some scenes where I swear a Thompson submachine gun is blazing in front of a window and there is intact glass right in front of the barrel. Also, walls might not quite provide the bullet stopping potential shown here. Amazing what blanks and squibs can accomplish, but sometimes the Physics gets in the way of my entertainment.

Ultimately, though I enjoyed Public Enemies, I think that Road to Perdition is a better film.

Recommended

Trailers: Besides some dumb couples retreat comedy, two trailers stood out. (1) Bruce Willis in an SF movie Surrogates. Seeing Bruce as a perfect remote body -- with blond hair -- is a hoot. This looks like it could be a fun thriller, even if the plot seems a bit farfetched and unrealistic. (2) Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island. There's an institution and he's an investigator -- or is he an inmate? Reality is going to be twisted in this dark dank tale. Will need to see more about this one, to see if it's worth a look-see.

Movie on! There's a lot of summer left.

Dr. Phil

Back On The Seventeenth

Hadn't gotten around to writing about this, but we had free passes back on Wednesday 17 June 2009 to see a screening of the movie Away We Go at UICA, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids. Now that the film is in wider release, it's high time I comment on this lovely film.

We were both off on Wednesdays in June, so heading towards downtown G.R. and having a little dinner was no scheduling problem. I'd suggested we go to Marie Catrib's. Marie had a Middle Eastern deli in Marquette MI and while we were in the U.P., she opened Marie's Deli in downtown Houghton. Well, we left the U.P. as did Marie, so we were surprised to find later that she'd opened up a new deli and restaurant in Grand Rapids. We don't get that way often, but we've had one friend do their wedding reception there and the Michigan Tech Alumni Association has had wonderful brunch events there, too.

But after crossing the Grand River we could see Fulton Street coming to a halt ahead and Mrs. Dr. Phil said, why don't we go to Bistro Bella Vita instead -- we hadn't been there in years. And the right turn lane was open, so...

Though not cheap, it was a lovely and relaxing dinner. I had the four cheese ravioli, "house-made four cheese and spinach ravioli with vine ripened tomatoes, shallot, garlic, and spinach in a tomato butter sauce with an aged balsamic", which came in a heavy soup plate which kept its heat all the way through so the cheeses stayed perfectly melted, but not burning hot. A perfect meal and the brief rains avoided us outside.

Away We Go [R]

UICA, Free (but we gave a donation), 7pm

Focus Features continues to make some really decent and innovative movies. And I'd forgotten that Away We Go was directed by Sam Mendes (Mr. Kate Winslet). From the trailers, it looked to be a quirky, hippie, fish out of water sort of film -- and it is. But if Away We Go reminds me of anything, it is one of our favorite films of all time, Love, Actually. Both would be technically labeled as comedies, but both feature very serious issues and discussions of family and love, respectively, in many of their multiple forms.

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star, though we don't watch The Office and we've not much Saturday Night Live in years, so though we've seen them before, we don't really know them. She's pregnant and doesn't believe in marriage, but there's no question this is a long term committed "married" couple. Her parents are dead, so they're living in Colorado and sort of depending on his folks to help out with impending birth. Except Catharine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels are a couple of major league flakes and they're bugging out to Europe, for a couple of years. So our heroic family-to-be go on a trek around North America, visiting family and friends, to find out where they should move to. It helps that they both work in jobs that don't require any particular location.

Allison Janney plays an even bigger flake and is such a hoot, and Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an even bigger New Age-y whacko. Still, I keep coming back to the fact that there are some very serious encounters and so it's not really a comedy. That's important to me because we don't like very many of the big hit comedies on TV or movies. But we REALLY liked this movie. While we don't have kids, we know all these people in some ways and we understand their motivations and dreams.

Starting a family is such a huge step and not everyone has an opportunity to interview a whole country (or two) to see where to raise it. The ending, though we're still not quite sure where exactly it is supposed to be, is natural and compelling. And unexpected and perfect.

Just like this film. Go see it.

Highly Recommended

Dr. Phil

233

Weather's been cool all week -- highs in the 60s and 70s. Today the gray clouds scattered for a while and the sun shot us up to 81degF, but the clouds came back. Decided to skip the Allendale fireworks.

Gas dropped down to $2.48.9 over the last couple of weeks, then shot up 21 cents a gallon about Wednesday and dropped about a nickel to $2.63.9/gal by Friday. What crisis could make the prices jump up so fast? Oh, it's Dr. Phil's New Theory of Holiday Gouging -- big jump followed by a small drop for the weekend to make you think that They Care. What, me cynical? (grin)

Went out in the middle of the day to see a movie, eat some popcorn. I-96 construction over the Grand River is done, opening up the lanes, no problems with the drive. Then came home and did the old family BBQ bologna recipe. Still having strawberries around here, so strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and topped with a couple of frozen blueberries from last year -- red, white & blue!

My late night July TV viewing is set -- the 96th Tour de France began today. Everyone is talking about the unretirement of Brett Favre, er, Lance Armstrong, who looked very strong today in Monaco. Versus channel on cable has developed a decent Tour broadcast team, they have excellent video feeds and take the time to explain what is going on.

And now the various mouth breathing morons who live anywhere near us are firing their illegal-in-the-State-of-Michigan big booming and high flying fireworks. Of course, they started testing them about three or four nights ago.

Ah, Happy Fourth of July... hope you enjoyed yours.

Dr. Phil

Keeping On Top Of Things

Yesterday I posted on my three favorite monthly non-fiction SF/F publications. There's always gold to be mined from these sources. For example, at the end of David Langford's Ansible 264, there was this little tidbit:

Novel Competition. SciFiNow and Tor UK offer publication with 20% royalties (but no advance) to the winning sf/fantasy novel -- whose 80 to 150 thousand words must be available by the closing date of 20 August 2009. Lionel Fanthorpe could probably do it in a couple of weekends, but previously published novelists are barred ...
http://tr.im/novelcomp

Well, I'm an unpublished SF novelist, so let's check this out.

More Details (after the cut)
( Read more... )

Be sure to follow the links and read the whole rules.

So... Is This A Good Deal Or Not?

Worst case -- I have a finished manuscript and it gets tied up for a couple of months. But I'd be on the shortlist. If I don't even make that, then I'm in and out in even less time.

Best case -- I win the damn thing. So the contract is non-negotiable. We're talking about real British publishers, Macmillan and Tor U.K., and getting a novel fast tracked. Surely getting a novel published and the publicity of winning the competition is worth something, right?

As for the money. Yes, they get to dictate the terms. That part seems fair. I mean, why go to all the trouble to pick the best SF novel from this competition and then fail to reach an agreement with the author? The rule is, money goes to the author -- there are no entry fees and with electronic submission, no direct costs to submitting an entry. Yes, I know that with no advance and getting paid a piece of the royalties only means that it will be a long time before getting paid. Okay, eyes open, but if I were to do a traditional novel sale, we're a long way from getting a check of any amount by that method, too. And without an advance, there's no problem with ruining my career by not earning out said advance. (grin)

Twenty Percent

Since short fiction pays not a lot and I've never done a novel contract, there's a lot I don't know. Is "20% royalty on net receipts" a good deal or not? Back in April, noted Goblin & Fighting Princesses author Jim C. Hines wrote on How Many Books do you Have to Sell?.

Sticking purely with mass market paperbacks for the moment, let's say you get royalties at 8% (fairly standard but not universal for an original mass market, I believe) and a cover price of $7.99 (also standard U.S. cover price for mass markets). So you're earning $.64 per book. Juggle the numbers, and a $5000 advance means you're going to need to sell roughly 8,000 books (7,812.5) in order to earn out. In my case, I'd guess the publisher probably did a print run between 10,000 and 15,000 books, but that's a total guess, and hopefully more experienced publishing folks can speak to that piece. (ETA: ramblin_phyl points out that there's also a break-even point in the cost-efficiency of first print runs, which might mean the numbers on that run were a little higher.)

Hardcovers and e-books add more variables, as the royalties are different, but I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible for this example.

So I read that and figure 8% of one sort of pie and 20% for another sort of pie -- at least it tells me that the 20% figure isn't a nasty low ball pitch to naive newbie novelists, like moi. (grin)

And I Have A Project

One of my stories is now at 47,000 words -- it has grown too large even for the one or two novella markets and I have started work to take it to a novel anyway. It has a sequel story, which could also be expanded -- that would take care of the mythical second novel clause in the contract. In other words, this is work I was going to do this fall on my sabbatical anyway. And you know I like deadlines.

Yes, I only have five weeks to get this done, but I have the story. We're just rebuilding it. I can do this.

So the next question is -- are you sitting on any finished or nearly finished SF novels? (evil-grin)

OAS Project


Dr. Phil

July - December 2009

With my grades for the Summer-I Session at WMU turned in at the end of June, I have completed my teaching duties until January 2010. Technically that makes me unemployed. Unofficially, though, since I had arranged for no classes during Summer-II (July-August) anyway, having everyone in the Physics Dept. decide they want to teach during Fall gives me an opportunity. Mrs. Dr. Phil is just finishing a six-month sabbatical and goes back to work on Monday 6 July 2009. It makes sense then, for me to declare this next six months that:

Dr. Phil will be on sabbatical from July to December 2009 -- and will use the time to write and complete a couple of SF novels.

Moving into 2010 then, I can continue submitting shorter works, but also begin sending off manuscripts to book publishers and agents, trying to line up one of each.

A Novel Approach

I've actually been seriously writing SF novels and short stories since October 1990, but only submitting anything to markets since June 2002 and those have all been novellas and shorter. A couple of times I've blocked out part of the summer, usually Summer-II (July-August) to "get a novel done", but things come up. In 2007 we had a lot of projects to do around the house. In 2008 I had to prepare for and then decompress from the WOTF workshop. During the 2008-09 academic year I was teaching full-time, and between that and my sinuses productivity fell and my record keeping files have been in a little disarray. Funny how time gets away from you. Six months? Much more conducive to getting the job done.

So There You Have It

While technically not a sabbatical, and an unpaid one at that, it does seem the perfect time to do it. Just how worth it would it be to try to scare up a couple of months of working in this economy? By calling it my sabbatical, I can concentrate on my writing and hopefully move onto the next stage of my writing career. I've already accomplished a good deal of work in the first couple of days. (grin)

Indeed, I'll be shortly announcing my next big project... in the next post.

Dr. Phil

It's The Second Of July

And that means new issues of three of my favorite non-fiction SF/F sources. Yeah, I've probably written about this before -- so are you reading these, too? What, not yet? Yeesh!

More Words And Pictures Than You Can Shake A Stick At

The July 2009 issue of Locus magazine arrived today. We didn't get any mail on the 1st, so I think our postal person must've been sitting by the side of the road reading my copy. (Actually, it comes in a sealed envelope so no one gets it before you do!) When I first started reading Locus, I'd see the coverage of events and cons and see all these pictures -- and I'd find out what my favorite authors look like. Now I look and see my friends. People I've seen or even done panels on at cons. People I've workshopped with or were instructors at workshops. What? Am I becoming an insider in the biz? No, probably not. But I know the insiders now. (grin) I keep recommending Locus both to new writers who want to know how it all works and to SF/F/H fans who want to read interviews and learn about who's who and what's coming.

You can get subscription information from LocusOnline. Really, it's a LOT of content and the one print magazine I receive that I devour from cover to cover the day it arrives. It seems like all magazines are suffering from subscription shrinkage and Locus is no different. But so many authors and publishers reference Locus that I don't know what we'd do without it. PLEASE give it a try. There are some stores which carry single copy sales, but not around here. (grin)

Online...

Then there's IROSF -- The Internet Review of Science Fiction. It's free right now, but you want to subscribe. Why? So you get a nifty little e-mail reminder at the beginning of the month reminding you that the new issue is up. Reviews and neat articles about people and sub-genres and history. Check it out here and also their cool logo gear at CafePress.

Speaking of you, our beloved readers, we wanted to point out that IROSF no longer requires a subscription to view—for now. We've been experimenting with ways to make our material more accessible, and this particular one has been a mixed blessing. More and more people are stopping by to read an article or two each month, but then there's the trouble of being forgotten about the following month. We'd like to invite you to sign up for the site, which is not only free, but also keeps you in the loop. You can comment on our forums and articles, becoming part of the conversation here. You'll also receive an email each month, letting you know that a new issue has come out. So take a moment and "subscribe." It's fun, you won't miss all the great stuff that's coming in August, and did I mention that it's free?

And Across The Universe

And then there's David Langford's legendary Ansible. If nothing else, this long running (July 2009 is the 264th monthly installment) U.K. e-fanzine will make you laugh. Thog's Master Class is legendary.

And now I've done my community service for the month -- and I'm going back to reading IROSF and Ansible... having already made one pass through Locus. (double-steal-grin)

Dr. Phil

Deadlines Are Good

For 30 June and 1 July, I had three deadlines looming. One of the reasons why I like the Writers of the Future (WOTF) contest is that there are four contest deadlines a year. Coming up with a new or rebuilt story four times a year is pretty doable, plus you start building up "Invenstory" which you can send out to other markets. Contests have deadlines. So do theme issues for magazines and anthologies.

Three deadlines coming right at the end of a semester looked bad. Two anthologies and WOTF. But the 1 July anthology deadline moved to 1 August. Too bad, I think I had chosen a story ready-to-ship for that one. For the other anthology I went through several different choices in the required word range, before deciding on a completely different one and shipping that. Two stories required now, one deadline met. Go me.

Workshop Experience

What I learned at the Clarion and WOTF workshops is how to write fast. For me I start with something of a skeleton of a story, then fill in through a couple of versions. What sending out over 250 submissions has taught me is how to edit. At Clarion in 2004, I wrote seven stories in six weeks. At WOTF in 2008, we had a 24 hour story project. Most of those had rough edges, but you do learn you can work fast and hard in a pinch. Call it burst mode.

It's too easy to stress yourself into feeling that a rushed story will be too full of errors to be good for anything. Well, it possibly could, but remember that I've found typos and word errors in stories which have been through dozens of edits and actually sent out to more than ten markets. And I have a pretty good grasp of grammar and spelling! In writing SF/F, you do have to decide whether to include your made-up and new words in your spellchecker's dictionary. But even forgetting that, do pay attention to those little red underlined words.

Your best friend, however, is to read the words aloud. Your mind can play tricks and you can skim over text and read what you thought you wanted to say. But when the tongue trips up, you know the words on the page are wrong. (grin)

Time In Chair

For the WOTF story I wanted to come up with a totally new story, not finish something I'd already started or re-edit something completed. In this case I had a few handwritten notes from March and April, but hadn't put one word into a computer file. With a deadline of 5pm at the Post Office on Tuesday, I started writing on Sunday. Had office hours on campus on Monday. Worked late writing on Monday night, and then started in at 11am on Tuesday.

My goal was to print out the story at 4pm and get it ready to mail. At 3:20pm I was essentially done, so I did a full read-through and filled in a couple of details. 6000 words. Wrote the cover letter. Started printing at 4:02pm. Left for the Post Office at 4:40pm, mailed at 4:52pm.

Mission accomplished. Is it a winner? It could be. But if it isn't, no worries. (double-edged-grin) I'll rewrite and send it along to another market. Today? I took a story that had been out once in August 2006, cleaned it up and sent it off to one of the majors. Maybe two hours of editing and printing time to get it out.

It's been a very productive week. (triple-word-score-grin)

Dr. Phil

When We Arrived In West Michigan...

Allendale had one bank -- FMB, First Michigan Bank, in a pretty little building nestled between some trees on Lake Michigan Drive. We rented half a duplex on Henry Street and if I walked through the storage field of West Shore Services, I could get there in about four minutes.

Then they decided to build a new bank by the grocery store, and that was okay. Then they got sucked up in a flurry of bank buying by Huntington Bank. Did not hear good things about the new folks and a lot of locals grumbled about pulling out of the local Allendale bank.

Chain Of Events

Some FMB people took generous buyouts by Huntington, then turned around and founded a new bank in Holland -- Macatawa Bank. Macatawa opened a branch in Allendale, initially in a tiny storefront next to the Allendale Post Office, and staffed it with ex-FMB people. Many locals went with the people they knew, not the new guys who'd bought their old bank. As Macatawa built a new bank building, another local bank was making moves into Huntington territory, Byron Center Bank. They built on the "wrong" side of the street, the side of Lake Michigan Drive that had no retail, but they did build big enough to include store rental fronts in their building.

Meanwhile, Grand Rapids' Old Kent Bank was bought up by Fifth Third Bank, and while there wasn't one of those in Allendale, one of Fifth Third's ATMs showed up in the rebuild of the student union at GVSU. And upstart Flagstar Bank opened seven miles away in Standale.

First of America, whom we'd dealt with in the U.P. in Houghton, was bought by National City. Nat City put up a bank in Allendale in Fall/Winter 2008 in the stretch of new development east of town and west of GVSU. Just about the time they opened, PNC bought National City. They still put up National City signs. Guess they'd already paid for them and had to put up something. (grin) And now, a quarter mile east of Nat City, a Lake Shore Credit Union is going up.

Of course, the grocery store switched sides of the street the other year and the old grocery store plaza, which had just expanded in new store fronts, has a lot of vacancies. And the old post office closed today, the new one is in the complex with the new grocery store. So everything is changing in Allendale.

All told that makes at least five new banks in Allendale Township itself, plus another three new banks in Standale since we moved here. And about half of this has been going on during the current economy. Now Allendale is growing, which is a very good thing in Michigan, and I've heard business people say that a recession is a perfect time to expand territory. But where the hell is all this money coming from? (grin)

Dr. Phil

All Death, All The Time

Celebrity deaths always get the attention of the media, but we've just had three in a row in the U.S., each one bigger than the last. Indeed, this third one has created a juggernaut of human emotions and media frenzy, preempting both news and entertainment TV for a second day now.

What fascinates me is that each of these celebrities touches different generations and slices of society. Each had a big hit, and then reinvented themselves more than once, and have been in some sort of decline for some time. Yet all also have many people left with fond memories.

Ed McMahon

As announcer and sidekick to Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show, Ed welcomed a generation to their after-the-news entertainment. Probably helped invent a whole host of maladies brought on by sleep disorders as people stayed up an hour after their bedtimes -- but then they say laughter helps extend life, so perhaps it's a wash. Then long before American Idol and so-called reality television, there was Star Search. And Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day telethon. And Publisher's Clearinghouse paying the bills.

To some extent, Ed McMahon helps end the generation of the big television show.

Farrah Fawcett

The 70s big smile, big blond hair and star of Charlie's Angels amazingly only did one season on the show. Her 1976 swimsuit poster, which scandalously suggested nipples, is still the all-time best-seller. Teenage and college boys loved Farrah. Young women wanted and got "the hair". Win for everyone. Then 1984's The Burning Bed revealed to the public at large that she could do serious roles. Most recently, Farrah took her terrible ordeal with anal cancer public.

Michael Jackson

The cherub songster of the Jackson Five. Then the singer whose performances included moves which didn't look possible -- the Moonwalk was merely the best known. The singer with one glove. Thriller. Probably the perfect production mind for the early MTV video era. Weird Al practically made a career of song and video parodies of Jackson -- with his approval. Then came isolation in an age of media frenzy. People asking What happened to Michael? even as others still enjoyed his music. Scandals.

I am fascinated not by how big this story is, but by the range of people and ages for whom Michael Jackson played a significant role for them. Amazon.com sold out of everything associated with MJ in their inventory within hours. Crowds gathered at the UCLA Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. And then they gathered at so many other places worldwide. His childhood home in Gary IN. The Motown Museum in Detroit where the Jackson Five recorded their first hits. Paris, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, etc. I haven't seen such a reaction since Princess Diana's death.

Many of the generation who miss Ed McMahon have little use for Michael Jackson -- and I expect vice versa as well.

What To Make Of All This?

The idea that celebrity deaths always comes in threes is a product of the reality that randomness comes in bunches, not evenly spaced. You can almost always find three-in-a-row if you look hard enough. Ed McMahon's star was not big enough not to be overshadowed by Farrah's death after her public cancer airing. Unfortunately, the good thing of cancer awareness in the media is eclipsed by Michael Jackson. Indeed, plenty of comics will be quick to point out that the true beneficiary of Jackson's media blitz is Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC).

For me, personally, it is damned hard to see MICHAEL JACKSON (1958-2009) everywhere -- I, too, am fifty and born in 1958. This will increasingly be a problem, as I and my age peers get older, and we will eventually all die as well. Almost feel like echoing one gentleman outside the Apollo Theatre in Harlem -- who thought MJ was immortal and would live forever...

Addendum

1 -- MTV2 is actually showing videos, in particular Michael Jackson videos. Haven't seen these in years.

2 -- odd that I thought of the young Michael Jackson in the Jackson Five as a little kid, considering that we were about the same age (he was older by a few days). I guess I'd never thought of myself as a little kid, even when I was a little kid. In some ways I was born old.

3 -- I'd seen somewhere that one of the cable stations may be playing Charlie's Angels first season episodes this weekend.

Dr. Phil

An Optical Illusion Of The First Rank

Check out this from The Bad Astronomy Blog. I'll wait.

Mind you I'm at Chevy getting some work done on the 1996 teal Blazer, so I'm using SUMMER, the tiny Fujitsu U810 UMPC and the colors are still vividly green and blue. Very impressive.

Stupid human mind, falls for these tricks every time.

Dr. Phil

Now Arriving Andromeda Spaceways Flight #39


The second of two issues of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine with Dr. Phil stories arrived in the P.O. Box. My short story "In The Blink Of An Eye" appears in ASIM Issue #39.

Quick -- Turn To Page 61 And Start Reading!


A Murder Mystery Where There Is No Body... Yet

    "So where’s the body?" Cooper asked as they got into the armored police cruiser. "I’d like to see it before you give me any case details."
    "We can’t show you."
    "You don’t have the body?"
    "No, sir. We have the body. We just can’t show you yet."
    "Detective -- you’re starting to annoy me."
    "Sorry, sir..."
    "And stop this sir crap. That’s equally annoying."
    "Sorry, Dr. Cooper."
    The other detective, Bates, finally spoke. "It’ll be much clearer at HQ than the crime scene, Dr. Cooper."
    "Just Cooper will do. We all work for the same side," Cooper said. "Now why can’t you show me the dead man?"
    "Because he’s not dead yet."
    Cooper nearly got angry. "Then how do you know with such certainty he’s going to be murdered?"
    "Because he’s sealed in a stasis tube -- along with the speeding bullet which is aimed directly towards his brain."
    Stan Cooper blinked twice without speaking.
    "And the murderer is your old pal, Seth Caputo."
    Now Cooper was interested.

You interested, too? I have a subscription, so I just got my copy -- even here in the U.S. You can get a six-issue subscription, too, which is a helluva deal especially if you ask that it begin backdated to include my stories in both issues #38 and #39. But you can also order single issues and PDF versions. See http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/ for details. Note: Issue #38 is current available in both print and PDF, though not long for the latter. The PDF version of Issue #39 will be available "soon".

Enjoy!

Dr. Phil