Maurice Sendak has died at the age of 83. He authored perhaps my favorite final line of any story: “And it was still hot.”
From earlier this year, a couple funny interviews with Sendak and Colbert:
With the launch of the paperback edition just weeks away, the Under Angels ebook is now part of the Kindle Owner’ Lending Library for Amazon Prime members. You know who you are!
For those unfamiliar with what’s happening right now in the ebook scene, Amazon Prime is a program through Amazon that’s similar to the “Watch Instantly” all-you-can-eat model on Netflix. With Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from thousands of books to borrow for free — including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.
As of today, Under Angels is in that pool. Come and get it!
Under Angels is a supernatural thriller, with elements that’ll turn on any fan of ghost stories, Jacob’s Ladder, Titanic, The Crow, dogs, WWII history, vintage Los Angeles, and Words with Friends. The novel is an exceptionally tight read, with some people claiming to have devoured it in a single day. Check out what readers are saying.
Lots of Under Angels updates coming down the pipe. Two good ways to stay in the loop:
1. Like the Under Angels Facebook page.
2. Subscribe to the Under Angels newsletter.
Under Angels book trailer:
While we’re at it, we might as well revisit the classic featuring Slayer’s Kerry King on guitar:
Adam Yauch, known as MCA from the Beastie Boys, has died of a cancerous salivary gland. He was 47.
Quick story:
In 1986/7, I was a senior in high school and wrote for the school’s paper called the Fore n Aft. In the summer of 1986, the San Pedro High School campus was used for the John Hughes film called Some Kind of Wonderful, starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson. I was taking a chemistry class that summer while they were filming.
In 1987, the film was released, and our newspaper staff received passes to the movie’s premiere at what was then known as the Mann Chinese Theater up here in Hollywood. I went up early with my brother and a friend, and we got in.
We sat about four rows from the back. As soon as the lights went down, there was immediately some kicking, laughing, yapping, and just basic obnoxious noise coming from three assholes immediately behind us who seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were in a theater full of people. They had distinct Brooklyn accents. We endured the ruckass for the whole movie.
Turned out these guys were a trio of rascals called the Beastie Boys, and were just weeks away from blowing up into the biggest act of the year with their classic album License to Ill. To a layman, people were describing their schtick as being “white guys that rapped”. A concept that was unheard of at that time. All three of ’em were dressed in matching windbreakers and ball caps. The Mets, if memory serves.
Here’s the fun part:
The event was the quintessential eighties experience. Every young Hollywood face was there, including the film’s cast, as well as members of the “Brat Pack” and its offshoots. I ran into Andrew McCarthy in the bathroom, coked out of his gourd.
Also on-hand was Molly Ringwald, dressed as what you might’ve described as a bag lady. Thick glasses, dark understated colors. Quite nineties, now that I think about it. Alternative in every sense. Ahead of her time, that one.
As you can maybe imagine, the Beasties were sticking out like sore thumbs against that Hollywood backdrop. Awkward, obnoxious, and very East Coast. But I’ll never forget that later out front, as people were leaving, Ad Rock was trying to talk to Ringwald. Loud, over-the-top, buggish. She seemed to be blowing him off, turning away, but he kept coming back at her. Back then we’d call it “scammin'”. 😀
I don’t know what they talked about, but after about a half hour of this scenario with Molly playing hard to get and Ad Rock not taking no for an answer, they eventually left in the same car.
THEN, a few weeks later, I was watching Letterman, and Ringwald was the guest. She came out dressed remarkably hip, urban, a polar opposite of the bag lady number that she was sporting weeks beforehand. While on the show, she explained that her new boyfriend was Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys. He’d totally landed her. Claire from the Breakfast Club.
I wish I had that night on VHS for you. Anyway, here’s a tune that EVERYBODY had bumping in their car in heavy rotation by the following summer:
UPDATE: Found an image on the web that was taken that winter 1987 night at the Chinese. I’m pretty sure they weren’t an item yet, but they did leave together:
“Cutoff military fatigue pants and a beer-stained ribbed tank top clung to Pete’s skin by a clammy musk.” — Chapter One
New Under Angels wife beaters are done. Unlike the earlier heat-transfer prototypes, these were done with a one-color screen. The first one off the line:
The artwork’s size was a decision I had to make on the spot. I could’ve gone bigger, but I personally like smaller prints, particularly on the front of a shirt. It’s a trend today to make prints ridiculously huge (think Affliction and Ed Hardy, with the print literally wrapping around the clavicle to the shoulder blades). My theory is that people are going big on prints today for no other reason than they can. Yeah, these mutant-sized prints may be popular today, but acid-washed jeans were popular in their day too. I’ve erred on the side of 20th-century classic, which is the whole essence of the beater anyway. HEY, STELLA!!!
Also, the smaller size allows for the URL to be seen through a half-open shirt, a jacket, or some pigtails.
↓ With my newest boy Robert. Just printed 144 Under Angels beaters in under two hours. He’s a drummer; studied at Berklee.
Author Blends Los Angeles Urban Legend with Dark Gritty Fiction in New Novel
LOS ANGELES, CA., May 1, 2012 — In his new novel, Under Angels, author Jace Daniel pulls readers through a labyrinth of ghostly storytelling that includes Los Angeles history, UFOs, anagrams, the K-9 Command Unit, WWII cryptography, love, tragedy, suicide, and second chances.
Crossword puzzle enthusiast Pete Durante is a war dog trainer stationed near the Los Angeles Harbor during World War II. After he cracks an enemy code that helps end the war and saves millions of lives, he gets driven to suicide by a vengeful intelligence officer named Rip Greamer. To save his family from an even darker fate, Pete must follow his dog beyond the grave and into a purgatorial maze of tunnels beneath Los Angeles to solve one final puzzle.
What readers are saying:
— “A dark, gritty ride through the twisted world of a man in love.”
— “A blend of fact and fiction that will blow your mind.”
— “Asphyxiating. Terrifying. Unparalleled. *****”
— “Puzzle lovers will get an extra thrill.”
About the Author
Jace Daniel is a writer residing in Los Angeles. His work has been published in the New York Times Bestsellers ‘Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure’ (2008), ‘Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak: by Writers Famous and Obscure’ (2009), and ‘The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories from 125 Writers and Artists Famous & Obscure’ (2012). Under Angels is his first novel. He’s also written its adapted screenplay, and is currently developing the tale into a graphic novel. For more about Jace Daniel, please visit http://jaced.com
Under Angels
Available for Kindle and in paper back at: http://www.amazon.com
Under Angels book trailer: http://underangels.com/trailer
Reader reviews: http://underangels.com/reviews
Under Angels website: http://underangels.com
Under Angels on Facebook: http://facebook.com/underangels
For review copies or interview requests, contact:
Rip Greamer
Email: ripgreamer at g mail dot com
(When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)
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What I wouldn’t give to walk in on this conversation after about five Inversion IPAs.
Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling engages in a roundtable discussion on what makes a story good. Is it compelling? What about characterization, plot points, and the myriad of other aspects of story construction that can either improve or take away from the impact of a tale. Not just for television, but for any medium. This taped discussion took place at Ithaca College where Rod was an instructor.
In 16 parts. Part 1: [click to continue…]
