Dangnabbitall, there are too many cool things to be at:

Salon Convention

Check out the schedule! There’s gonna be… a sewing circle! And indoor croquet! And cordials! Couldn’t you just swoon from all the excitement? Yes, I’m being ironic. But only kinda!

Sorry. Dorking out for a second there. I just dig Victoriana. And cordials. And indoor croquet has mallets going for it. Also, Leland is a big fan of old skool salons; we’ll be hosting the first ever “Brooklyn Comics Nerds and Other Assorted Highbrows” Salon sometime when life quiets down. I made up that title just now.

LJ community here.

Ain’t It Cool News had some lovely things to say about RED and WEIRD SISTER today:

“These tales are breezy and short, but carry a heft and heart that makes each panel count. Genco enlists some talented B&W artists to illustrate her words. Both WEIRD SISTER and RED show the emergence of a talented new voice in indie comics.“

Snap! The review is here (scroll down to the indie stuff).

I sent out reviewer’s copies of these books a few weeks ago and this is the first to trickle in. Feels good to be off to such a start.

Yes, I’m frazzled and can barely think straight again. You know what this means for you: a list!

1. I’ve been rather taken with the writing of Leander Watts lately. There’s no link there because the guy doesn’t have a website, nor does he have an entry in Wikipedia. But he should, as he’s the author of four swell young adult novels, the most recent being BEAUTIFUL CITY OF THE DEAD. STONECUTTER, which I finished today, was recently released in paperback. There’s also TEN THOUSAND CHARMS, which I read last week, and WILD RIDE TO HEAVEN, which I have not read, but will. BEAUTIFUL CITY is the only one that takes place in the present day, I believe; the others take place in early-to-mid 19th century upstate New York. Not quite New England, mind, but the spooky vibe of old-school Northeastern gothic is in full effect in all books, including BEAUTIFUL CITY. Which, incidentally, I will review for Endicott when I get a free second. Which is starting to feel like never.

Incidentally, “Leander Watts” is a pen name. I stumbled across his true identity entirely by accident, but I’m not going to give it away.

2. Actually, hrm. I do have a day off tomorrow, a comp day for the 180 hours over 15 days that I worked recently. I am conducting a Very Special Errand in the morning, then coming back here to finish up some freelance assignments and the next SCHEHERAZADE story.

3. Another notable YA book that I purchased recently but have not read: THE BLOOD CONFESSION by first-time novelist Alisa M. Libby. The main inspiration for the novel is the life of the infamous Hungarian “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Bathory, who killed countless young women and bathed in their blood because she thought it would keep her young forever. I bought this novel because, well, frankly, attempting something like this takes some serious guts, in my opinion. I’m really looking forward to reading it.

4. Oh! And Chris Wooding has a new one, THE STORM THIEF, as does Francesca Lia Block, to which Terri gives a nod (though I can’t find the post right this second).

5. This week’s FROM THE LIBRARY, with Cherie Priest, is up now. Check it out.

Yes, we were indeed late with SCHEHERAZADE this week. But you barely noticed, and here, doesn’t this make up for it?

SCHEHERAZADE pages 6-9

There are links to the earlier bits in case you’ve missed. Now, please go tell the whole world.

Been getting caught up on WhipIt and found a new neat thing:

What You Make It: an online art zine of sorts

I love the spirit and I love the design. One of these days I’ll take my sewing machine to my zines.

Some of this month’s discretionary income has gone to clip art, too — with some of the promotional ideas I have in mind, I figure it’s time to start a little collection. So I came home from the Strand with six books from Dover the other day, and checked in with Miss Mary.

Also: O’Reilly’s CRAFT zine blog is up. I cannot wait for this magazine. Cannot wait.

Holy smokes: is it after midnight already?

Heard about this by way of a discarded copy of the Metro on the train this morning:

Lomax the Songhunter

“Whether neo-roots rockers realize it or not, their amped version of a Leadbelly tune is thanks in part to one man’s dogged passion for documenting local cultures and traditions. ‘Lomax the Songhunter’ chronicles the life of folklorist and musicologist Alan Lomax, featuring commentary by a number of his friends and subjects, including Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie.”

The “neo-roots rockers” thing made me laugh.

This one, let me tell you, is absolutely not to miss. Shirley Collins, Peggy Seeger, Jean Ritchie, tons of Lomax footage (he was a charismatic bugger), and bright-eyed Peter Kennedy (!!!) all make appearances. The scenes of the filmmaker returning to the places and people that Lomax filmed 30 and 40 years before are incredibly moving, almost as much as the music itself (of course, that’s the point). And, my God, what music… pinch me, but is that a human being making that sound, from deep within the mines of Siciliy?

Be sure to check out the site above; there are all sorts of fun resources on Lomax that are worth flipping through, even if you don’t watch the documentary, which is scheduled to be rebroadcast a-plenty throughout the rest of the month, so check your local listings.

I had no idea that Peter Kennedy had passed away, as I haven’t been to the Folktrax site in some time. Readers of the PLATFORM blog might remember me nerding out over the guy some time ago. He was sweet about it. Anyway, on the documentary he’s alive and well, and totally lucid, with the music still clearly running through his veins. It’s always such a delight to see the passionate people, even on a TV screen.

Here’s another fun thing found just now: an archive of American folklore films, complete with plenty of Lomax. Last thing: I love this obituary:

” There was a time when, if you were out studying traditional music in America, you could not help but cross a path Alan Lomax and his father had blazed. You probably still can’t.”

I think it’s safe to say you still can’t.

See? I’m too fried for a subject line, even.

1. Ed Brubaker is going nuts with promotion for his new project, CRIMINAL (you know, the one I mentioned last week). The latest: the CRIMINAL blog.

2. Leland and I took some time today to celebrate his birthday, which was nearly a week ago, but we missed thanks to the insane hours that my day job demands this month. First up: THE ILLUSIONIST, a movie that might as well have been tailor-made for yours truly. Spooky Victoriana? Check. S-e-x-x-y magician? Check. S-e-x-x-y magician… with a woodshop? Check. S-e-x-x-y magician making lockets of ingenious design for his sweetheart in said woodshop? Check. Policeman sympathetic to the “criminal” archetype? Check. Ghosts aplenty? Check. Where’s my DVD? I want to watch it again. The handyman thing, gets me every fricking time.

3. Then we hit Shakespeare & Co., who are probably my favorite booksellers in the entire city… I’m walking around going, “Why haven’t I been here in months? Sweet merciful crap, we need to get out of the house more often.”

4. Then we ate a lot of pizza. I have no idea why I’m telling you this.

5. Sewing is the new knitting. The New York Post said so yesterday, and they’re right. As someone who keeps close tabs on the crafts section of the local bookstore, I’m in a position to know. Built by Wendy! Amy Butler! And… this thing! No, it’s not punk if it’s in the craft book section, but I appreciate the sentiments anyway.

I need to sleep, real bad. Go see THE ILLUSIONIST.

Oh my gosh, this might be my new favorite site ever:

Brooklynites

I’d say that Brooklyn is the coolest place on earth, but, you know, that takes in no account of my love of the Northeastern land and sea, which is just as great as my love of Brooklyn. Oh, the tension!

There’s a great picture of our friend Dean on this page (scroll down a little), standing in front of the Beard Street Warehouses, which always give me a chill when I’m out there; no joke. You can see more in the crappy reference photos I took for Dash for WEIRD SISTER last year.

Next few pages of SCHEHERAZADE went live late-late-late last night and you can find them (along with links to the rest so far) here. The first installment of FROM THE LIBRARY, featuring Mr. Wood, is here.

Back the heck up:

Craft Memo

It’s Web 2.0 for craft nerds! YES!

Of course, I don’t keep track of my inventory. With my schedule that’d mean losing valuable craft time — something I barely have as it is. So I probably wouldn’t use the inventory portion. But if I was in the business of making things and selling them…