A Halloween Treat

I love books. Owing to my recent economic downturn, I've had to curb my book spending (which is nothing like Ellen Datlow's, but still enough to make me wince when I see the credit card bill) recently, but this... this I could not resist.

I also really love well-made books. A hardcover something to be held. I love the feel of the cloth, the solid permanence of what it contains is what a book should be. A book should be forever.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is a classic. I've read it several times, and I've never seen a better visual interpretation than Bernie Wrightson's moody line art. Far from the James Whale square-head with bolts sticking out of his neck, Wrightson's creature is beautiful and hideous at the same time, a creature that evokes both the pity and fear that the story evokes.

Marvel published Wrightson's Frankenstein in 1983, but Dark Horse just put out their own version this year. It's a gorgeous black hardcover with a bound-in ribbon bookmark, large enough to command attention on the shelf, no mean trick since Frankenstein is a fairly short novel.

The perfect Halloween treat.

Aaaand back

Hi. My time wasn't entirely eaten by Spore. I was laid off, and that sort of thing kills my creativity.

To help get it back, I ran a single-shot Call of Cthulhu game. It's been five years since I've run a game, and close to (eeesh!) fifteen since I've run Call of Cthulhu. I spent a couple of weeks mucking with the adventure, a modern, very tangentially Delta Green adventure involving grave-robbing in New York City. It was good to delve into Pagan Pub's rich, horrible, and very 90's background. I drew many threads from their various publications, perhaps too many. The plot involved ghouls, the Karotechia, with a quick visit to the Fate. Although I had only two players, I think it went well. The players have suggested I set up a campaign, which I considered for about an hour. Tempting as it was, it would cut heavily into my writing time. But the instant gratification of not having the story rejected is a tempting one.

Now that I'm basically over myself, I have nothing to complain about on the writing front. Six stories sold (in green), and two have made it past the initial screening process into 'bridesmaid' territory. And at least a couple I shouldn't talk about yet.