The Time Machine - Week of June 23, 2008

I'm back to the whole time-travel-market-is-soft thing. I present further proof it is not:

Exhibit A:
Spike Lee has signed on to direct Time Traveler, a movie based on Ronald Mallett's memoir Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality. The memoir tells the tale of a young African-American male raised in poverty, his journey to becoming a distinguished theoretical physicist, and his obsession to travel back in time to save the father he lost when he was ten years old.

Lee says, "It's a fantastic story on many levels and (also) a father and son saga of love and loss."

Exhibit B:
Universal Pictures has a time travel thriller in the works called The Archive. David Auburn, who scripted The Lake House for Warner Brothers, will join forces with Walk the Line director James Mangold.

Lastly, I found this fascinating short documentary by Jay Cheel called Obsessed and Scientific. In it, the world-renowned theoretical physicist Michio Kaku offers a very accessible interpretation of time travel. We also meet Larry Habner, an entertainment lawyer who represents the family of John Titor, an alleged time traveler from the year 2036, and Rob Niosi, a man obsessed with recreating a full-scale replica of H.G. Well's time machine. It's a fantastic look at the bizarre crossroads between real scientific theory and science fiction. (run time: 25 min.)

Many Thanks

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to the book signing yesterday. The staff at Barnes & Noble, especially Georgette, were all amazing and gracious. Not only did they donate all proceeds from the sale of Love, Texas Style to the North Texas Romance Writers of America's scholarship fund, but added giveaways and prizes for our readers to make the day a huge success. Thank you!
As promised, I took my camera and captured this moment in front of the impressive culinary hardback display. Shanni, a dear friend and avid reader, has the distinction of being one of my first beta readers on several projects. She provides an amazing perspective, much valued, and once uttered my name in the same breath as Dean Koontz's. A true girl-squeal moment.

Three anthology authors who've never had a mug up here on The Vortex. (from left: Arline Todd, Jen Fitzgerald and Beth Shriver)

Tomorrow: Two time travel Hollywood movie deals in the past week AND one must-see student documentary.

The Black Hole of Productivity and Booksigning

How is it possible that Wednesday's word count exceeded 2100, a monumental record for me, and Thursday's production amounted to two lines:

1) Uli drummed the heels of her Parisian-inspired, kid-leather boots against the passenger car’s wood floor.
2) A pair of spectacled eyes peered at her above a copy of The Albany Evening Times.

Not even particularly riveting lines, but follow me here. I have to justify two hours. Said boots are important in that they convey character and are symbolic of character's goals. Did I also need to know they could have been two-toned or embellished with lace rosettes or that King Louis compensated for his five-foot-nothing frame by inspiring future centuries of women to jack their footwear to unnatural heights?

What about the second line? How was I to know that researching the most likely overland rail route the booted character took would have led me to the name of the most likely newspaper picked up en route in 1881 and the headline of September 20th? Accuracy, people. Potentially the most insensitive headline I've ever read: President Garfield Finally Dies in Washington From an Assassin's Bullet. Did they really need finally? The poor man most likely would have lived had doctors not plundered for the bullet with their dirty fingers. Ooooh, and look-see what another twenty minutes of digging treated me to. A genuine train schedule said booted passenger would have held. Squee!! Can you hear my word count grinding to a halt from where you are?

It is possible research for this novel is the black hole of my page count. Who needs time travel when you have time-suck?

On a far less self-deprecating note, I hope if you're anywhere near the brand-spanking new Barnes and Noble in Hurst, Texas on Saturday, you'll stop by and say hello. It's all new carpet and fresh print smell, a heady combination. I'll be signing Love, Texas Style, along with my fellow anthology authors, from 2-4pm. I'll bring my camera this time and post your support to the blog.

Dr. Emmitt L. Brown Would Be Proud

Hello, friend. You'll get something in your Cheerios bowl from me, just for creativity. And, for knowing how to correctly spell capacitor. And, because I'm a softie. Oh, and my great aunt from 1977 Chicago wants her shirt back.

A Costume of the Mind

"Mouth to ear is much more fantasy than eye to eye. A costume of the mind."

~ Nancy Weber, novelist

While researching antique phones of the late nineteenth century for my current novel, The Night Caller, I became fascinated with the subtle points of the medium--the social lines between the dusty facts about Blake transmitters and Leclanche wet batteries.

In New York City, c. 1882, a subscriber would lease a telephone for $150 per year. Western Electric, then the predominant provider, would make a judgment call as to the worthiness of the customer. "Telephones are only rented out to persons of good breeding and refinement," a newspaper advertisement once read. Offering the commodity at such an astronomical price not only spoke to supply and demand, but ensured a device few could understand and many believed the work of the devil would remain respectable.

The invention of the telephone also had a substantial impact on societal interaction. The tea cup bell's jingle, or absence, became a third party to the conversation, filled with uncertainties. Although the phone's initial purpose fell strictly to business and matters of vial importance, its ability to tether people to the age-old questions of the lovesick--Will it ring? Won't it? Why doesn't it?--quickly became apparent. Few can deny the inherent compulsiveness of a ringing phone.

Stripped of body language cues and other non-audio charms, courting men and women entered a mysterious realm of heightened awareness. Emotions came in degrees of vocal tones, often through a filter of telegraph clicks, scraps of other's conversations and croaking frogs. Fantasies took root while listeners diverted the energy normally given to interpreting subtle facial cues into creative images of dress or absent preoccupations of the free hand or body. The perfect blend of intimacy and invisibility.

The freedom to be in touch more often, at a greater and safer distance, also required a measure of trust. Trust that the intended listener wouldn't find other diversions, a wandering gaze completely outside the conversation or a boredom so strong she'd put the receiver down and walk away for awhile, any number of social misfires oblivious to the caller.

I embraced the challenge of a love story told, in part, through this medium. Similar to the way antiquated love letters let the imagination run rampant, subtracting all but one element to growing intimacy heightens that element exponentially. Toss in fear from the 1880s perspective and the disconnectedness from the present day and it makes for a memorable dance.

A fantastic, fun resource to learn more about the evolution of society as it relates to the telephone is Once Upon A Telephone: An Illustrated Social History by Ellen Stern and Emily Givathmey.

Time Travel for Father's Day

Love you, Dad

Wow, what a great first line discussion. Feel free to continue to add your favorites or comment on the ones already there. Congratulations to Kim Lenox for commenting and receiving a $5 Amazon gift certificate. Be sure to visit her website to learn more about her Shadow Guard series and the October release of Night Falls Darkly. I'll be tapping into her connection with the cover art gods after this one.

Today, I'm scattered. Too many things simmering for any one thought to take hold. So, here's where I am now:

I taped the business card my tarot reader gave me at the Psychic Fair to my monitor. She told me to get my ducks in a row this summer--September would be crazy exciting. Since it's been there, it's taken on an energy of it's own. My mind isn't fully convinced of The Secret's power or the effectiveness of vision boards, but my productivity has spiked this week. Symbolic of my "ducks," it's become a magnet for other must-visualize aspects of my writing. Maybe it's only cognitive reenforcement and the universe has better things to do than to zero in on the card's hypnotizing symbol.

Some of you know how fascinated I am by handwriting analysis. TUL pens have created a general way to analyze your own complete with a sarcastic scientist to pass judgment. Startlingly accurate, some of it. Try it out if you have a few minutes.

Since we're deep into summer re-runs, podcasts aren't as painful an entertainment choice. Thanks to Margie Lawson's suggestion, I've discovered Writing Excuses, a joint venture of Brandon Sanderson, Fantasy novelist, Howard Tayler, Cartoonist, and Dan Wells, Horror Novelist. So far, episode 3: Killing Your Darlings, is a favorite.

Lastly, a blog friend of mine, Todd Wheeler, is offering up a summer reading challenge that completely overshadows my little slice of participation this week. For each book you read he'll donate $1 to a library. Help him reach his goal of $100 this summer.

I leave you with one of my favorite photos from the book Libraries by German photographer Candida Hofer. This book is like porn for nerds. HANDELINGENKAMER TWEEDE KAMER DER STATEN-GENERAAL DEN HAAG