PeterDavid.net

Back in town

Back from Necro, which was a fun regional SF convention with a distinct literary bent. Spent time chatting with Tim Zahn and his wife, Anna, and verbally fencing on panels with Lloyd Kaufman of "Troma" films, who I think believed I was a stick in the mud or something; I'm not sure. At any rate, the fans were great, the programming was very entertaining, and I sure hope the town of Tampa doesn't go the way of the last town where I attended a regional SF con: Crescent Cit Con in New Orleans.

Good to be home. Kath deftly handled several small crises while I was away, probably better than I would have had I been here. And this evening Caroline--who'd had trouble going to sleep the past few days--clambered up into my lap and promptly corked off with her hand resting atop mine.

The girls go trick or treating tomorrow. They're going as the Muppet Wizard of Oz, with Caroline as Dorothy and Ariel as Miss Piggy dressed as Glinda.

PAD

Back in town

Back from Necro, which was a fun regional SF convention with a distinct literary bent. Spent time chatting with Tim Zahn and his wife, Anna, and verbally fencing on panels with Lloyd Kaufman of "Troma" films, who I think believed I was a stick in the mud or something; I'm not sure. At any rate, the fans were great, the programming was very entertaining, and I sure hope the town of Tampa doesn't go the way of the last town where I attended a regional SF con: Crescent Cit Con in New Orleans.

Good to be home. Kath deftly handled several small crises while I was away, probably better than I would have had I been here. And this evening Caroline--who'd had trouble going to sleep the past few days--clambered up into my lap and promptly corked off with her hand resting atop mine.

And my stint as MC for Shana's Buffy sing a long seemed to go well. The theater was nearly sold out, and the audience appeared to be having a good time. So that's all good.

The girls go trick or treating tomorrow. They're going as the Muppet Wizard of Oz, with Caroline as Dorothy and Ariel as Miss Piggy dressed as Glinda.

PAD

Really not sure how to react

So Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination, rather than going down in flames and scorching the Bush Administration has a result.

The thing is, I don't know how to feel about it. I mean, my instinct is to figure that if this is someone whom conservatives feel isn't conservative enough, that's good enough to gain my full support. Because Bush's alternative is to...what? Nominate someone aggressive and openly conservative who's a guaranteed lock to overturn Roe V. Wade? How is that better?

On the other hand, I bridle at the naked cronyism and the fact that I have an old-fashioned notion that a SC judge should have a demonstrably high-quality legal mind experienced in complex judicial matters, and there's no indication that Miers is qualified as being anything other than a Bush pal...and we saw how well that worked out with Bush's head of FEMA.

PAD

Road Trip to and From Necronomicon (repost)

I'm reposting an entry from further down because we're coming up on the deadline for the bus and we haven't got near enough participants. I'm suspecting this'll be one of those things where fifty people come up to me at the convention and say, "Oh, if only we'd known about it!" but of course they didn't bother to read the Necronomicon website (and please, don't confuse it with the convention that had OJ). I'll be keeping this posting at the top of the site for the next week to give everyone a chance to see it, although further blog entries will be made.

The following is an excerpt from the website for Necronomicon http://stonehill.org/necro.htm, a convention in Tampa, FL that I'll be attending October 28-30:

Calling all fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Peter David or (best of all) both. Want to go on a little adventure to kick off Necronomicon. Check this action: The beautiful San Marco Theater in Jacksonville is going to be screening two of the most acclaimed "Buffy" episodes ever at 11 PM Friday, October 28: "Hush," followed by the karaoke version of "Once More With Feeling." Organized by none other than Peter's daughter, Shana, the showing will not only feature Rocky Horror-esque audience participation, but extras including a trivia competition with nifty prizes courtesy of IDW, the publishers of the "Angel" and "Spike" comics.

Now Peter's going either way, but we've come up with a plan if enough hardy souls are interested in going along..."

If you're going to be attending Necro, and are interested in participating in a small adventure, check out the website and read up on it. And if you're a Buffy fan, be sure to relay this information to other fans as well.

Hope to see you there.

PAD

An afternoon of theah-tah

So on the spur of the moment, we wound up driving into the city to take in a Broadway show or two. I had promised Ariel I'd take her to see "Fiddler" with Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O'Donnell in the leads, and the hope was that Kath would take Caroline to see her very first show which would be, with any luck, "Lion King."

Well, no luck there, although it was a long shot at best. We then went for our fallback, which was "Beauty and the Beast." That they had tickets for, and I'll let Kath talk about that in her own blog as I'm sure she will.

Ariel and I had no trouble scoring tickets for "Fiddler." I had no sure idea of what to expect from it. I know that Danny Strong and Adam Busch (Jonathan and Warren from BtVS) went to take in a production of it. The moment that Harvey opened his mouth and growled, "A Fiddler on the Roof," Adam turned to Danny and said, "Let's go." Danny insisted they stay put (interestingly, two of Tevye's daughters realized that 2/3 of the evil trio was sitting front row. They made eye contact in a fairly subtle manner and there was some serious unspoken flirting going on that naturally the audience didn't notice since--when Harvey's on stage--all eyes are on him.

Harvey didn't make me want to sprint out of the theater, and I liked him better in the role than I did Alfred Molina, who played the role when I saw it as if he had a train to catch. But the problem is that I didn't feel as if I was seeing Tevye, so much as I was seeing Harvey playing Tevye. His up and down vocal variations were great for "Hairspray," but here I was wishing he'd pick a voice--preferably in the lower register, since that was the most effective--and stick with it. Rosie, on the other hand, was a delight. Running her family like a drill sergeant, but still capable of displaying tenderness. She missed her calling; she would have made a terrific Jewish mother.

PAD

The timing of "The Other"

I'm getting a lot of people asking me if "House of M" impacts on "The Other" and, if not, why not. I answered this extensively elsewhere and am basically reproducing it here so I don't have to keep saying it. And I stress that this is merely my thoughts on the matter, not Marvel editorial.

The short answer is that "The Other" takes place after "House of M," and that the events in "House of M" don't have an impact on this particular storyline.

The thing is, every time I say that, people immediately start saying, "A-ha! So 'House of M' is a waste of time because it doesn't impact on every single title and every single story every single month!" This presents a bizarre dichotomy in fan thinking that would make one laugh if it also didn't move one to tears, and that dichotomy is this: On the one hand we've got fans complaining because we're doing "The Other," a crossover that impacts three titles for four months. "Too much crossover!" we're told. On the other hand, we've got fans complaining because "House of M" isn't an aspect of "The Other," which is fans effectively saying, "Not enough crossover!" And let's face it: If Marvel decided to orchestrate a massive crossover that was an ongoing saga plugged into every single Marvel title over the course of several years, the fans would be divided between, "Too much crossover," "Too little too late," and "Marvel's just copying DC."

So next time you hear fans complaining that Marvel doesn't give them what they want, consider that Marvel creators are usually left saying, "And that would be...what, exactly?" And don't say "Just Good stories," because Just Good Stories is usually not enough. Heidi MacDonald said as much on comicon.com a while back, and I made it clear on this board that I wasn't happy with the way she said it, but upon reflection I'm starting to think she had a valid point. We live in an age where just telling good stories, or at least the best stories we can tell, isn't good enough. People have to know exacty how long it's going to run, exactly what's going to happen in it before it sees print, exactly where it's placed in continuity, and exactly what the long term ramifications are going to be. In the old days, if two stories conflicted, all you had to do was say in a caption, "This stories happens before the events (or after the events) depicted in issue whatever of whoever's book." Now you say that and it's not good enough.

As for "House of M," having any impact on Spidey's life, think of it this way: Has Hurricane Katrina having any impact on your life? Depends, doesn't it. While you're just sitting there now, typing on your computer, the answer is, no. On the other hand, if you're paying a heating oil bill or wincing at gas prices, the answer is yes, occasionally. And if you're a displaced resident of New Orleans, the answer is hell yes, every single day. Same thing here. If you're part of the mutant books, effectively ground zero for the Hurricane, your life will be dramatically affected long-term. If you're Spider-Man, not as much, unless I happen to have him swing past Mutant Town and get involved with...oh, I dunno...X-Factor. Which is not an impossibility. That's what happens when you do crossovers that are character-driven events rather than massive line-wide story-driven events.

PAD

GHOSTS OF ALBION CONTEST

The creators of the novel series "Ghosts of Albion," Chris Golden and Amber Benson (yes, THAT Amber Benson, from "BtVS") are doing a contest and have asked me to plug it. I feel a connection to the series since I'm being brutally murdered in the next installment, so...here's the contest.

Here it is, folks, the Official Ghosts of Albion Suggest-a-Ghost Contest!

To celebrate the release of the first full-length GHOSTS OF ALBION novel, ACCURSED, we have created a simple contest, with an opportunity for those who enter to win a FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY, signed by both authors and inscribed to the winners. And, yes, there will be multiple winners.

Our partners in this contest are www.aintitcoolnews.com, www.shocklines.com, The Cemetery Dance Insider newsletter available through www.cemeterydance.com and Brian Freeman's Stephen King Newsletter, which you can sign up for at http://www.stephenkingnews.com/

One winner will be chosen from each of those sites, and TWO winners will be chosen from entries made through www.ghostsofalbion.net. Each of those SIX winners will receive a free, personalized, autographed copy of the book. From those six, an overall winner will be chosen to also receive a free GHOSTS OF ALBION t-shirt, and a phone call from Amber Benson.

So what do you have to do? It’s simple, really. Suggest a figure from British history to be a ghost in a future Ghosts of Albion story. Your choice may be anyone who was British by birth or citizenship, who was famous or infamous enough for there to be at least some historical background available, and who died PRIOR to 1840. Please note the name of the deceased, the years of their birth and death, and, very briefly, your reasoning why you think that person would make an excellent choice for inclusion in GHOSTS OF ALBION. Also include your name.

Please note, only one ghost suggestion per person, PER SITE. That means you can enter once at each of the contest partner sites as well (with DIFFERENT SUGGESTIONS, of course). No one will win more than once. If the same person were to win at two different sites, the best of the two suggestions would count and the other would be disqualified. But entering different suggestions at the different sites gives you additional chances to win.

Amber and Chris will choose the suggestions they like best from each contest partner, and TWO from www.ghostsofalbion.net Of the final six, they will choose their absolute favorite to be the overall winner.

The contest begins on Thursday, October 20th, and entries will be accepted through Halloween—Monday, October 31st.

Meanwhile, don’t forget that GHOSTS OF ALBION: ACCURSED goes on sale Wednesday, October 25th. Pick it up for Halloween! And don’t forget that the prologue and first eight chapters are being serialized right now at www.ghostsofalbion.net Drop by for a taste.

GHOSTS OF ALBION. Darkness is Their Inheritance

**Fine print: winning suggestions may or may not actually be used in future Ghosts of Albion stories.
**Advice: don’t suggest King Arthur. Ain’t gonna happen.

A comics commercial break

Hi, it's Glenn. As you may know, I run a website called Lot Auctions, and there's an auction going on now of 30,000+ comics that a lot of you might want to bid on. Every so often, you hear about a collection like this-- now you have a chance to get in on it.

This is the personal collection of a long-time employee of the big-two comics companies (we can't tell you who because of their corporate policy) who has to pay for a college education for his kids-- so he's selling off his entire collection, from Action Comics to Zot!, including complete runs of Avengers, Justice League, Green Lantern, Iron Man, and many others.

Most books prior to 1975 are VG or better, most books after 1975 are VF or better. Many are in mint condition (read once) and many rare issues are to be found, like the Elseworlds 80 Page Giant that includes Kyle Baker's "Letetia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" and which was pulped in the United States-- less than 700 copies are suspected to exist.

Covers shown are NOT the actual covers, but used only for display purposes. The collection is available for viewing by appointment, and individual issues are also available for more precise grading information on request. Shipping costs will be paid by the buyer for any and all issues purchased.

Any questions, feel free to ask in comments here or on the Lot Auctions site. Bid heavy-- the more money this auction brings in, the less intrusive ads I have to put on the site to pay for all this bandwidth.

Fall Of Knight

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing the cover to "Fall of Knight," the third book in the King Arthur triology, due out in summer of 2006.

Oh, sweet irony...

Glenn brought to my attention that Joseph Wilson has announced he may sue Bush and Cheney because of damage done to the career of his wife, the CIA agent who was outed courtesy of Karl Rove.

Does anyone have the SLIGHTEST doubt that the exact same conservative forces which stated--at the time of the Paula Jones civil suit--that a president should be able to be sued while in office, will now say that Bush simply cannot be allowed to be distracted by a civil suit?

PAD

Water water everywhere

Day after day of unrelenting rain. And I've been sitting here in my basement office relieved that I don't have flooding down here.

Finally, last night, the incessant rainfall...uh...cessed. Around midnight or so, the constant drumming of rain above let up. Imagine my relief.

Three in the morning as I'm struggling with a plot point on my Fantastic Four novel, I glance over and see that an entire section of the floor is wet. Water is oozing in from a section of the wall behind the television set.

Crap.

I haul out towels and mop it up. It's still coming. I keep mopping. More water. More mopping. Finally the water stops seeping in. I sit back, watching the floor warily for some sign of continued seepage, and as I do that, the plot point clicks into my head and I figure out where the story's going next. People wonder whence writers draw inspiration? More often than not, from desperation.

PAD

Out this week--Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1

First issue of FNSM hits the stands. Whaddaya think?

PAD

The Fallen Angel train picks up speed

Diamond Dateline is a supplement sent to retailers. It typically only features the "Premiere" publishers, Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse. IDW has never gotten more than a sidebar mention, and never an image run with a mention.

In the October 5 Diamond Dateline, middle of page 2, is a good-sized piece on Fallen Angel #1, with cover image, too. That may well be more coverage than we got for the DC launch.

Now we see whether this translates to retailer response.

PAD

My brother's website

About a year ago, my brother Wally first launched his website, http://www.wallydavid.com, which featured samples of his lovely nature still life photography. I plugged it here on my website, and Wally looked on in wonder as the hits on his website suddenly started going through the stratosphere. He was very impressed by this. I hate to say it, but even at the age of forty-nine, there is something in me that gets a kick out of impressing my kid brother.

Well, he's relaunched the website, and it looks ten times better and is twenty times more functional.

So if you like photography, like nature, or just know what it's like to be impressive to a sibling, please check out http://www.wallydavid.com

Thanks.

PAD

FYI--Third book in the Centauri trilogy

So many people keep asking me about trying to get their hands on the third book of the Centauri Trilogy, "Out of the Darkness," I just thought I'd mention someone has one up for auction on ebay.

It's a fascinating study in how NOT to list something, because the words "Babylon 5" and "Centauri" appear nowhere in the header. So anyone looking under those would miss it entirely. I've seen used book dealers asking sixty bucks for this, but in this instance--with one day and five hours to go--it's only up to $7.19.

Understand, I don't get anything out of this, nor do I know the seller. But in the past couple months I must have had close to thirty inquiries about the book, so I just figured I'd put out a broad alert.

This should be interesting.

Fanboy Radio

For those interested, I will be on Fanboyradio.com tonight at 7PM EST.

PAD

We'll never forget good ol' What's-her-name

People are asking me why I haven't commented on Bush having selected What's Her Name for the high court.

Honestly, I hadn't before because I knew nothing about her, other than that she's a Bushtush (someone whose lips are permanently curved into the shape of Bush's buttocks).

But I've come to realize that her appointment signals something: That, despite all previous appearances to the contrary, George W. Bush really IS capable of learning from history.

Why? Because previous conservative presidents have endeavored to control the court by appointing judges with a long, proud history of conservative rulings. And then, to their vast annoyance, their appointees wound up being far more liberal on the bench than expected.

So Bush, who's never seen a separation of power that he didn't want to obliterate in favor of executive branch control, came up with a simple answer: Appoint a Bushtush. Doesn't matter that she's not a judge. Doesn't matter that she has no record to speak of (indeed, that's a plus.) All that matters is that, for as long as he's sucking oxygen, George W. Bush knows he's going to be able to pick up the phone, call What's Her Name, and get her to do what he wants. Her agenda will lockstep match his.

And thus does Bush yet again act in a manner contrary to Constitutional intent.

Damn these activist presidents.

PAD

Made forty-six years ago, and still timely

Caught a showing of "Inherit the Wind" on cable. It is both amazing, and amazingly depressing, how timely the subject matter of that film and play is. As Spencer Tracy speaks passionately of a time when narrow-minded religious dogma will actually cause progress to be reversed, one considers that people in power are opposed to everything from stem cell research to a woman's right to choose to global warming to...yes...Darwin's theory.

Meantime creationists are trying to sneak Genesis back into the schoolroom through the notion of Intelligent Design, trying to position it as being as equally valid as Darwin, when of course all they're really trying to do is put the Bible back in the classroom.

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, progress is an illusion...and human progress doubly so.

PAD

(PS--Uh, guys...please don't start telling me that the Scopes Monkey Trial was a set up by the ACLU and that local businessmen put Scopes up to it and that he probably didn't even actually teach evolution. I know all that. None of it detracts from the fact that "Inherit the Wind" is a brilliant drama in its own right with a lot to say to modern thinking...or lack thereof.)

The Terrific Ten

There is much discussion over on newsarama.com about Joe Q's announcing ten writers at Marvel as being "the Terrific Ten," slated to get all manner of additional support and push to carry them to "the next level." And some fans are voicing indignation that I'm not on the list (Priest's name is also mentioned repeatedly.)

Never fear. I tell you this in the strictest confidence. In fact, this is so secret that ONLY YOU are seeing it. Yes, you. Through groundbreaking technology, this post is being made with a special firewall so that only you, (your name goes here), is actually reading this posting. Everyone else is seeing a photograph of my youngest daughter, Caroline, playing with a puppy. In fact, if you're at work right now, it'd be best if you said, "Awwwwww..." just to cover your tracks in case someone is listening.

The reason I am not part of the Terrific Ten is because I've been assigned to a different group: The Subtle Seven. (We were originally going to be the Secret Six, but that's trademarked DC, plus we picked up one extra guy when the Terrific Ten was cutback from the Excellent Eleven due to budget constraints.)

The Subtle Seven is a group of seven writers whose job is to keep a low profile. Stay off the radar. Make the other guys--who are good, I'll grant you--look even better by not distracting from them.

You may ask, okay, but the Terrific Ten get publicity. What's the Subtle Seven getting out of it?

Cookies.

Each week, we each get a shipment of two dozen chocolate chip cookies. Joe bakes them himself. Comes in a designer tin with little pictures of Marvel characters on it. It's really nice.

Unfortunately, the non-disclosure agreement I've signed precludes me from telling you the other members of the Seven. I mean, how subtle would it be if you KNEW who was on the list? Besides, if I told you, I'd have to--you know--kill you. Which I'd hate to do, and I'd probably wind up tossing my cookies...which would be kind of a shame 'cause Joe works so hard to bake them.

So...the Subtle Seven. Watch for us, whoever the hell we are. And for God's sake, keep it under your hat.

Say it with me: "Awwwwww..."

PAD

UNYYC opens MOST HAPPY Tonight

Hi all-
The play I have been working on opens tonight and will run the next couple of weekends. It is a really good price for a New York show and you can eat and drink while watching the show. Almost like having theater in your dining room.
Information can be found at
http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/115475
or
http://unyyc.org/
which is the offical site of the company.

Kath
Wife, Mother, Stage Manager, Puppeteer

Project Updates

Here's a rundown of what I've been up to:

ST: The New Frontier--M.I.A.: That's the title, not the status. Manuscript with revision requests from Paramount received last week. Delivered back to Pocket Books with revisions completed last Tuesday. Publication slated for next Spring.

Animated Series Pilot--Final draft delivered to show's creator and producers two days ago. (No, I didn't create the show, but it's flattering that the show's creator wanted me to write the pilot). Now we see if it gets sold.

How To Write Comics--Final draft delivered to Impact Press. Publicaton slated for next Summer.

Fall of Knight--Third book in King Arthur trilogy, delivered to Ace Books. Slated for publication next summer.

Hidden Earth--Tor is circulating bound manuscript to authors for quotes. Anyone know Terry Pratchett? Seriously?

Spike vs. Dracula--Five issue limited series that IDW just got the go-ahead for, charting the history of the Spike/Dracula feud and why specifically Dracula owes Spike money. Slated to feature guest appearances by Drusilla, Darla, Bela Lugosi, Ed Wood, and Adolf Hitler. Slated for early next year.

Fallen Angel--Script for issue #2 turned in. Issue #2 will also feature two covers, one by J.K. Woodward, and one by Dave Lopez. I'll be putting both of them up on the site in the near future.

PAD

Happy New Year

To all my Jewish friends, L'Shana Tova. Ariel and I went to synagogue this morning. Did lots of standing up and sitting down. Praised God in the highest. Have to say, it seems God needs a TON of ego-stroking to get through the day. What's up with that?

PAD