Marty Featured in Delirio E-Zine

Marty is featured in the latest issue of Delirio, a cultural e-zine from Spain. The article appears on pages 134 - 140. Check it out here.

Booklist

Red by John Logan - Mark Rothko is in his New York studio in 1958-9, painting a group of murals for the expensive and exclusive Four Seasons restaurant. He gives orders to his assistant, Ken, as he mixes the paints, makes the frames, and paints the canvases. Ken, however, brashly questions Rothko's theories of art and his acceeding to work on such a commercial project.*
I borrowed this from a friend to read. I had heard about it on a podcast and wished I could see the show. Reading it is as close as I'll get for now. I enjoyed it. I feel like I need to read it again...slower. I read thru it pretty fast and I think I need to really absorb it and visualize it in my mind as I go. I really want to see this show live now.

*Link

Booklist

Preacher: Salvation by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon - This series is weird. I had hoped it would go in one direction but it's veered off into some strangeness that doesn't seem to relate to the story arc that was started back at the beginning. Only 2 more volumes to go. I have to see it thru.

The Circumference of Home by Kurt Hoelting - An interesting read from a fellow who gives up his car for a year and limits his travel to within 100 miles of his Whidbey Island home (Whidbey is just north of Seattle) in an attempt to lessen his carbon footprint on the planet. Although the book got a bit "new-agey" at times I still enjoyed reading about his adventures hiking, biking and kayaking around Puget Sound. It made me want to get out and explore more.

Living by Water: True Stories of Nature and Spirit by Brenda Peterson - Again, a bit too "new-agey" for me but I did enjoy reading her stories of exploring the NW. I love it out here and it bugs me when people don't appreciate it. I don't take it for granted. I want to explore as much of it as possible. Reading books like these give me ideas for exploration.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay - I'm a fan of the Dexter tv show and thought I'd read the novels. After reading one I'm definitely more a fan of the show than the book but it was interesting to see the differences. Oddly enough, the show is more layered and textured than the book which was fairly straightforward.

Fractured Fables from Image Comics - Picked this up at the library. Weird takes on fairy tales. Some good, some not.

Costume Queen

We found out tonight (via Jeff Berryman who just happens to be Quixote in the picture) that Sarah has been nominated for a Gregory Award in the category of Outstanding Costume Design. The Gregory Awards are Seattle's theatre awards...like the Tony's I suppose. (I don't know...I'm a visual art person) Anywho, so Jeff tells us and we're a bit perplexed as to why Sarah wasn't notified. When we got home she checked and the email had been sent to her spam folder at work.
So, that's very cool. She's excited and so am I. It's about time her outstanding work here in Seattle gets some notice. I may be just a bit biased but I also know how good she is at her job. And...it's not the first (or last) time she's been nominated for an award. In grad school she was nominated for a Barrymore which is Philly's theatre award. She was the only one nominated in the category that had not designed for Broadway. (she was still in grad school!)
Very proud husband here. Guess I'll have to buy a ticket so I can go to the awards ceremony with her. (no "plus one?") Cliche as it might sound, it IS an honor to be nominated.
Way to go, baby!

Discovered Artist

I got an email just now saying, "You've been discovered! A video called Discovered Artists just got released and you're one of the artists." Here's a link to the video since the ability to imbed the video doesn't seem to be working.
I'm flattered to be discovered. There's no such thing as bad publicity. If I had my druthers, I'd have had them use different images and it's not good that the images are blurry.
Oh, well. Like I said, can't complain about free publicity. Oh, wait. I guess I just did.

Booklist

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith - I almost didn't read this because, let's face it, it just seems a little bit ridiculous. I thought, "Why waste your time on something you know is going to be silly." I was wrong. This book is quite good and the reason it works is because it handles the subject matter very seriously. What could have gone way over the top stays subtle and you find yourself almost wondering if it really didn't happen that way. I recommend it.

Ghostopolis by Doug Tennapel - Found this one at the library. A quick but fun read about a boy who accidentally gets pulled into the land of the dead.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man by Matt Kindt - Interesting tale of a (gasp) giant man. Heard it was being turned into a movie. Could be interesting.

Dead High Yearbook by various artists and writers - Weird anthology-style graphic novel I picked up at the library. Strange, macabre, gross...these are a few of my favorite things.

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales - I really enjoyed this story of a half-human, half bonobo chimp female. Typical in that you know the world will find out her secret and the religious right will go ape. All this does happen. What I liked about the book was the characters. You cared about Lucy, her friends and family. And it's a little bit odd to think that humans have tried to cross breed chimps and humans unsuccessfully...so far.

The Passage by Justin Cronin - This apocalyptic pseudo-vampire virus tale is one of this summer's hot reads...and I don't get it. I found it to be too long and boring. I didn't care about any of the characters and the story didn't make a bit of sense. If you want to read a fantastic apocalyptic tale, pick up Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon. You won't regret it.