Christmas in November
Posted on | November 15, 2006 | 10 Comments
It’s a windy, windy day here. An advancing cold front, I suppose. Strong wind is something we don’t experience very often in southeast Texas. I grew up in eastern Canada where, especially in the wintertime, high winds weren’t uncommon. What they call “tropical force” winds around here are what we called “a breeze” when I was growing up.
Even the winds we got in the aftermath of the near-miss from Hurricane Rita last fall were fairly mild. Whenever I hear the wind gusting outside, I imagine cold temperatures and blowing snow. It’s quite a disconnect to go out into it when the temperature’s in the seventies.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned winning the Apex Digest Halloween Contest. I officially declare it the Best. Contest. Ever. The prize package featured a lot of books and other booty, and about 80% of it arrived at my doorstep today, from numerous sources. Apex sent me a box with some of the swag, but contributing authors also sent me their signed books directly. Funny that it should all get here at once. I received:
- Payment for the story
- Two issues of Apex
- Apex Global Domination Mug
- Signed copy of Headstone City from Tom Piccirilli
- Signed copy of Deathbringer from Bryan Smith
- Signed copy of War Surf from M.M. Buckner
- MP3 audio versions of Rusty Nail and Bloody Mary from JA Konrath
- Trade paperback copy of Brandy Schwan’s Grim Trixter
- A $20 gift certificate to the Changeling Press online store
- Signed copies of Lords of Terror by Allan Cole and Nick Perumov and Dreams of Darkness by Elizabeth Burton from Zumaya Publications
- Signed copy of Thank You For the Flowers from Scott Nicholson
- The Blackest Death: Volume II signed by Angeline Hawkes and Christopher Fulbright
Still to come: at least three more books, two art prints, a DVD and a music CD. What a haul!
In addition to all this, I received two things I’d purchased from eBay (Lisey’s Story audio and the DVD of 49 Up) and a galley of Peter Crowther’s new collection The Spaces Between the Lines from Subterranean Press.
Another very good morning working on my NaNoWriMo novel. I feel very energized to be working on this project. Scenes are writing themselves in my head. Even when I was shaving this morning, I had to stop and scrawl down some notes for something that will happen in a section I write in a few days.
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10 Responses to “Christmas in November”
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About
Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower, the Bram Stoker Award nominated companion to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, which was nominated for a 2010 Edgar® Award and a 2009 Bram Stoker Award.
His short fiction has appeared in places like Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, From the Borderlands and The Blue Religion. He is a contributing editor with Cemetery Dance magazine and a member of the Storytellers Unplugged blogging community. He also writes book reviews for Onyx Reviews.
November 15th, 2006 @ 2:15 pm
Have you already read Lisey’s Story, or is the audiobook your first look at it? If so, what did you think?
I’m about halfway through it, so please don’t spoil me!
November 15th, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
I read Lisey’s Story many months ago, thanks to the good folks at Scribner. My review of it appears in the current issue of Cemetery Dance magazine. However, in brief, I think it’s one of the five best books King has written, perhaps one of the three best. Vastly superior to Cell.
November 15th, 2006 @ 2:39 pm
I’m very happy with it so far. One of the things that’s really struck me about it is the way he explains What Has Happened in the past – to Scott and to Lisey. He doesn’t just have Lisey flash back to earlier times and then lay it all out plainly for the reader to grasp, because that’s not how it would happen in real life. A lot of times, writers use the flashback as a way to explain the plot, to move things along. Not with King here, uh uh. He has Lisey remembering without framing it in a context the reader will understand, because the flashback is for HER, not for the reader.
November 15th, 2006 @ 2:44 pm
As I wrote in my review–by the time we get to the point in the book where we learn what happened between Scott and (other characters), we-the-reader have essentially figured out what likely went on, but that doesn’t diminish the impact whatsoever when it’s laid out on the page.
November 15th, 2006 @ 2:56 pm
Hey, Bev. Who reads Lisey’s Story on the audio version? I really like it when King reads his own books, but I don’t think he’s done that since Bag Of Bones.
-A.J.
November 15th, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
He read parts of Hearts in Atlantis, too. The first-person components.
Mare Winningham reads Lisey’s Story. Makes sense to have a female reader since this is such a female novel.
November 15th, 2006 @ 10:15 pm
I love my alien head mug!
November 16th, 2006 @ 9:35 am
Bev,
Hope you enjoy our stories!
~Ang
November 16th, 2006 @ 9:53 am
I’m looking forward to it. An embarassment of riches from this contest!
November 16th, 2006 @ 9:55 am
Was a really great contest!