This was one of the easiest things I’ve been asked to do in the entirety of 2011, frankly.

You can read it here. Better, you can get the books and read them, because they truly are wonderful.

Cheers!

Greg

Caught this piece on NPR this morning, Renee Montagne interviewing John Orloff regarding the movie Anonymous. And aside from the very many reasons to stick a thumb in the eye of the Shakespeare Didn’t Write Shakespeare debate, one thing was savagely clear to me. It’s apparent at the end of the piece, if you read or listen to it – Orloff doesn’t stick to his guns. He’s claiming de Vere wrote the plays, but at the end of the interview, he claims authorship isn’t the issue – it is, he says, “What we’re really doing is having a question about art and politics and the process of creativity. And that’s what the movie is about. It’s not about who wrote these plays; it’s about how does art survive and exist in our society.”

I haven’t seen the film, I have to declare that right off, here. Thus I write with willful ignorance on the matter, and the limb upon which I stand creaks and bends and may well break. But it seems to me that you can’t have it both ways, here. You can’t proffer something claiming to be historical revision and then back away from it at the same time. And if you’re going to put forth the argument, at least, for God’s sake, have the courage of your convictions.

Which are apparently absent, here.

The response to the following really set me off. “Historical and literary inaccuracies abound in Anonymous — ­Christopher Marlowe, who is a character in the film, was dead by the time it takes place, and the screenplay suggests that Oxford wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was a green youth. But Orloff points out that Shakespeare himself collapsed time in his history plays.

“Real life doesn’t unfold in three acts,” he says, “but a movie has to.”

So his basic argument for the inaccuracies are that the guy who didn’t write plays did the same thing?

There are two things that really stick in my craw about this whole thing. The first is the basic premise that Shakespeare didn’t write the plays; an argument – in this context – that is entirely contingent on the conceit that only a nobleman could have developed the literary chops to create such enduring works of art. I find this, at its root, a classist argument, a reductive argument, and an inherently snobbish one, to boot (and was hardly surprised to discover that Antonin Scalia is another supporter of the argument – he practically makes my point right there; that Mark Twain would believe the same I find much harder to swallow, but, as Randy Newman once sang, “Pluto’s not a planet anymore, either.”) I find it petty. This is the same kind of argument that extends today, in variation, to declare that genre fiction isn’t “real” literature, or that, God forbid, someone who never attended college cannot possibly write a work of merit.

Wonder what Orloff would think about someone coming along fifty years after his death and claiming he couldn’t have possibly written any of his works, because he didn’t have the right parents, or go to the right school, or because he never even visited the forest of Tyto. (If that’s too oblique, I’ll explain – Orloff wrote the screen adaptation for the second Legends of the Guardians motion picture.)

That’s one.

The second is I find the whole thing incredibly crass. Because I don’t believe that Orloff believes what he’s selling. Rather, I suspect this is jumping on the conspiracy bandwagon. After all, books and films purporting secret histories have been doing pretty well of late.

Haven’t seen it, like I said. Could be a brilliant film. But that damn, “real life doesn’t unfold in three acts,” defense of deliberate misinformation in a story that’s purporting to reveal a real truth?

You can’t have it both ways. Either argue your facts within the fiction or admit that it’s fiction and be done with it. But the whiff of scandal over this smacks of a whore’s perfume.

I love Shakespeare’s works, his plays particularly. And one can argue that, even if he didn’t write them, the works remain and retain their beauty and power. The text is the text, after all.

But to a writer, it’s more than that. It’s what they leave behind.

It’s a legacy.

Hold fast.

Greg

Getting in under the wire, but, yes, I will be at the NYCC this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday. Schedule is as follows:

SATURDAY:

SIGNING – From 12:00pm until 12:45pm - Oni Press

SIGNING – From 4:00pm until 4:45pm - Oni Press

SUNDAY:

SIGNING – From 1:00pm until 2:00pm - Marvel Comics

SIGNING – From 2:00 until 2:45 - Oni Press

I will happily sign any of my work, and – as ever – there’s no charge, and no limit on items. I ask only that you exercise common sense and courtesy if you have a large stack of my works for me to sign and there are others also waiting.

In addition, I will have a limited number of Lady Sabre t-shirts for sale, both the Unisex and Women’s cuts, primarily Large and X-Large sizes. These are for sale for $20/each. If you’d like one, I ask you bring cash; I am unable to process credit card purchases at this time in person.

There is the outside chance that I will be at the Spider-Man panel on Friday evening, as well, though this is schedule dependent.

Hope to see you – yes, you, I’m looking at you right now – there!

Hold fast!

Greg

As stated, am attending Geek Girl Con this Saturday and Sunday (8th and 9th of October, if you’re in some sort of time loop). Schedule is as follows:

Saturday the 8th -

Panel - Very Special Dudes – EMP JBL Theatre – 12pm to 1pm.

Signing – University Book Store Booth (308-309) – 1:00 to 1:30. I’ll be late for this, fair warning.

Sunday the 9th -

Signing – Media Table (307) – 11:00am to 1:00pm with Jennifer Van Meter.

It is unclear to me at this time if I’ll have a table or be free-floating. If I’m at a table, you can reasonably expect to find me there, or at least know that I’ll be back shortly. If not, I’ll be at the afore-mentioned locations at the afore-mentioned times. I’ll have some books to sell, and some Lady S swag, and of course, I will always happily sign any work of mine that you care to bring. I do not charge for signatures, and never have, and I impose no limits on how many books I will sign. I ask only that you use common sense – if there’s a line and you have every issue of 52, it might be best if you let me sign them in batches, y’know?

As to the NYCC, I’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday next week most definitely, and possibly on Friday, as well. Will post that schedule as soon as I have it.

Hold fast!

Greg

The MWA is a Good Thing, and its history is one of which I am proud, and I am – when I look at its list of members past and present – frankly dubious of my right to count myself amongst their company. But they let me in, and I’m not leaving until they pry my cold, dead grip from the doorframe, splinters and all coming with me. If I’m honest, I barely make it through the door – my skill at The Mystery is feeble at best, in my opinion; Suspense I’m pretty darn good at, and I know my stories well, I believe. But I have never mastered the intricacy and elegance of the well-plotted mystery, at least to my satisfaction.

But this is neither here nor there. This is not what brings me writing. What brings me writing is that, as I look over the list of categories for this year (and years past), I find an omission. The Edgars are “Awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, for distinguished work in the mystery genre: novels, television, and motion pictures.“ Best Novel (congratulation to Steve Hamilton for his terrific novel, The Lock Artist), Best First Novel by an American Author (kudos to Bruce DeSilva for Rogue Island, which I confess to having not yet read and will seek to immediately rectify the situation), and the list goes on and on. Best Fact Crime, Best Paperback Original, Best Critical-slash-Biographical Work, Best Juvenile, Best Young Adult, Best Stageplay, Best Television Episode, the naming of the new Grandmaster (pretty much the highest honor our community can confer, this year granted to the amazing and ground-breaking Sara Paretsky).

No comics.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so many years to really recognize this omission, but this year, I did. This year, I found myself thinking about Ed Brubaker and Brian Bendis and Jason Aaron and all the others out there who write mysteries and crime fiction and police-slash-investigative procedurals in the comics medium… and I’m wondering why we do not have a category for works like these. Works that are certainly just as legitimate and capable of the same elegance and power that novels and teleplays can achieve.

The mystery, as a genre, has suffered from much the same ghettoization, slight, and ridicule as comics. It’s been called anti-literary and – gasp! – popular, where “popular” means “read by many people and therefore cannot possibly have merit.” Mysteries have been accused of pandering, sensationalism, being overly lurid, of corrupting our youth. The mystery and the comic share a parent in the form of the pulps.

Sound familiar? Sound like any other medium? (Well, aside from that one… and that one… and yes, that one…)

So, an open question: why isn’t there an Edgar category for Best Comic Book Story/Graphic Novel?

And in lieu of a compelling answer to that question, I’m thinking maybe next year, maybe for the 66th Annual Edgar Awards, there ought to be one.

Just a thought.

Back to the novel….

I’ve not much to say. The Punisher news broke. The Eisner news broke, and came as much as a surprise to me as I’m sure it did to Matthew Southworth and Michael Lark. The pleasure of comics is the collaboration, for me, and I continue to be blessed with outstanding collaborators. Other projects are developing that I Am Not Allowed To Talk About Yet.

In the spirit of attempting to put some utility to this blog, I’m posting the following – the complete script to the story “Post Mortem,” which appeared in I Am an Avenger, Issue #2. It’s in PDF, and I provide it mostly as a curiosity, so one can see – first of all – how I script, and – far more importantly – that in the realm of comics, I am one but cog in a much larger machine. The machine, in this instance, included not only myself and Michael Lark, but crucially Stefano Gaudiano, Matt Hollingsworth, Travis Lanham, Alejandro Arbona, and Steve Wacker, and those are just the credited names.

That’s what you can’t see in reading a script, and what is so often overlooked in reading a comic book. That is, to me, the magic of the medium; the alchemy that allows the creation of a story, of a piece of art, that can genuinely become more than the sum of its parts.

It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that the characters herein are copyright of Marvel Comics, etc, etc.

Make with the right-clicky-download-here-yada-yada if you want a copy of the Post_Mortem_script.

And then, Houston on Monday, for Murder by the Book. Tuesday morning, heading up to Dallas, and Tuesday night, we’ve got a special event planned, thus:

November 9th, from 5 to 6:30, at Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, we’re having a Happy Hour signing. This is open to the public, and we will be selling copies of the new novel, as well as – hopefully – comics, too. This is looking to be a laid-back, fun time to just socialize and chat, and – again – it’s open to the public. Hope to see you there!

And once again, if you’re looking to get a signed and/or personalized copy of the new novel, but are unable to attend any of the signings, I urge you to please contact one of the stores listed on the Appearances page. They’ll be happy to take your order, and I’ll be sure to sign your book (and include your numbered bookplate) when I’m at the store.

Also worth repeating, my signing policy: Yes, I am happy to sign comics and earlier novels!

Last (at least for the moment), a HUGE thank you to everyone who’s come out to the signings thus far. I sincerely cannot thank you enough for your support!

I will reiterate: if you’re looking to buy the book, and you’re looking for a signed and/or personalized copy, I urge you to contact any of the stores listed on the Appearances Page and order through them. I will gladly inscribe your book, personalize it as you wish, and will include a bookplate there and then.

Now, to a minor matter of protocol for those who are wondering.

Folks often ask if it’s appropriate to bring comics for me to sign at these events, and frequently, when they do bring them, they wonder how many is “too many.” This has come up before, but I realized tonight that I’ve never made my policy, so to speak, clear upon the matter. There is some confusion. It is understandable. Those who read my novels, those who read my comics, and those who read both, this is for you.

The answer is: if I wrote it, I will sign it. Simple as that. If you want to bring your entire run of 52 for me to sign, I will sign your entire run of 52. If there is a long line waiting for my signature, I may ask you to allow me to sign in batches. But if I wrote it, I will sign it.

And yes, it is perfectly acceptable to bring comics for me to sign, even if I am, ostensibly, promoting my newest novel.

You paid for the books, be they comics or novels. The very least I can do is put my signature to it at your request.

That is all.

Look at a fucking map, people. Seriously, just look at a fucking map. Where is Iran on that map? Where is Afghanistan?

Iran has expertly been influencing and shepherding events in the Middle East for the last twenty-plus years, aggressively so since the end of Gulf I. They’ve been working the angles in Iraq since the invasion; they’ve established a presence amongst the Kurds (due in no small part to put the Fear of Allah into Turkey); they’ve been pouring money into Lebanon; they provide materiel support and money to Hezbollah. Everyone’s looking at their nuclear capability, and yes, that’s legitimate, and they forget the conventional. Iran is a tank, and it’s rolling neatly all over the Middle East.

On a more personal, and somewhat darkly amused front, this coincides nicely with the release of The Last Run, which sees Tara heading to Iran. Once again, my timing is impeccable.

Yay, me.

So, yes, the new novel is on sale as of midnight tonight. It’s available at Amazon and B&N and oh so many other places online, and I would like it very much if you would buy a copy. And if you are looking to purchase a copy, and if you are, say, interested in getting it signed, even personalized, with a JH Williams III limited edition bookplate (details in this post, here!) included at no cost, might I make a suggestion? Amazon and B&N, they’re very nice, true, they make things easy…

…but you could contact, say, Murder by the Book in Portland, Oregon. Or Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas. Or the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. Or the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. Or The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale. You could email or call any of these fine independents, and when I am there, I will happily sign a book or three for you, and yes, I will have bookplates with me, and yes, they will be included.

I would, frankly, much prefer if you did this. These are only a handful of the terrific mystery bookstores out there, just the ones that I will be visiting on this abbreviated tour. But if you were to buy from them, not only are you supporting the independents, you also won’t have to wait for me to get around to mailing you a bookplate separately. It’s win-win. The staff at each and every of these stores are terrific – they will take down your precise requests, exactly how you want the book inscribed. We’re talking personal service here!

So please, if you’ve yet to buy a copy, consider buying from one of these wonderful establishments. As much as your willingness to read what I write, their efforts make my continuing work possible.

And the bonus? Won an award! WALKING DEAD was selected as the Best Novel in an Ongoing Series by the readers of Crimespree Magazine!

Yes, I am rather tickled, I admit.