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90 Seconds Of Pure Badassery

August 31, 2010 in All Posts,Other,Whimsy with 2 Comments

This is one of the coolest Hollywood action sequences I’ve seen in recent memory … and it doesn’t hail from Hollywood. Feast your peepers on this jaw-dropping 90 seconds from the Telugu-language film Magadheera. According to Wikipedia, the 2009 movie has the distinction of being “the costliest film produced in Telugu film industry.”

Budget: $7 million. Behold the badassery.

(via The Daily What)

–J.C.

Going To The Dentist

August 30, 2010 in All Posts,Gratitude,Other with 11 Comments

I went to the dentist today. For the first time in 20 years.

I take no pride in this epic neglect, and am ashamed of the insidious fear that I somehow embraced years ago — a fear that all but ensured I’d never sit in a dentist’s chair again. I can’t tell you when my pervasive fear of dentists began, or how it was formed. I can’t tell you why the thought of someone examining my teeth eventually became far more than an uncomfortable one — because for you, it’s probably that: merely an uncomfortable thought and experience — or why it detoured into a rat-toothed breed of to-the-marrow terror.

I can’t provide you or myself a tidy “why,” perhaps the most crucial element in conquering an irrational fear.

For the past 20 years, this phobia dictated my life. I told no one. I became its slave. As the years went on, my fear of dentists was compounded by the fear of what might be happening inside my mouth, and what would be discovered were I to be examined. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve started awake, slick with sweat, from nightmares of tooth loss. Fear heaped upon fear.

I ignored warning signs of tooth pain; cavities, most likely. And for more than a decade, my tongue probed an ever-growing wall of tartar behind my front lower teeth that became so hard and large, it completely covered those teeth and nearly all of the gum below. I could no longer feel the contours of my individual teeth. It was like pressing your tongue against a ceramic bowl.

This specific, tangible representation of my situation inspired more dread within me than anything else I’ve ever known.

My girlfriend and I are moving to Colorado in two weeks, and she made it clear that visiting her dentist before our departure was something very important to her. She booked an appointment for me. I resisted, and eventually confessed my secret fear to her. She was supremely supportive and sympathetic. And because she was so supportive, I didn’t bail.

I wanted to. I haven’t the words to adequately express how desperately I wanted to. On the drive this afternoon, I gripped the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles burned white. I prayed for a flat tire. I was pulled taut, could barely speak; red-line adrenaline revved through my capillaries.

I wept when I climbed into the dentist chair. I wouldn’t open my mouth when the technician wanted to do an x-ray. I shuddered and sputtered, sounding stupid as the dentist — a delightful, patient, round-faced 30-year veteran of the business — tried to speak with me.

They’d pull out every tooth in my head. I was absolutely certain of this. Behold my mouth, a cathedral of neglect. Behold the ruination. Behold my lower front teeth — rotten, bleeding, crumbling brown things — tumbling onto my lips as the technician scraped that smooth wall of tartar with a fishhook.

But as the dentist spoke clearly and constructively, demonstrating his expertise and depth of knowledge, the feral thing inside me began to hush. There were no monsters here. And as the dentist commented confidently that the dental issues I described were common (did you know that most folks experience tartar buildup on their lower front teeth? it’s due to their proximity to several enthusiastic salivary glands), I realized there were no monsters inside my mouth either.

I did the math, made a leap of faith, and let go. Two hours later, my tongue could feel the individual contours of those bottom teeth again, finally. For me, this is nothing less than a miracle. The woman I love and a man I’d never met changed my life today. They helped me slay a secret, decades-old, scheming, slobbering personal fear.

There are a handful of manageable issues to deal with in the weeks ahead. It’s easy stuff. Maintenance will also be easy. My choppers are in surprisingly good shape. And if they weren’t — if the news had been much worse — I believe in my heart that I would have accepted and embraced this, and taken steps to make things right.

For in the end, I realized that my fears were absolutely real … but the monster fueling them wasn’t.

I share this story with you because I know that you too have a scheming, slobbering personal fear. There’s a beast prowling in the confines of your head that has dominated you and your actions for years. We all have at least one; I have several.

Perhaps you’re terrified to love someone. Or leave your shitty job, or shitty spouse. Or go to the doctor to diagnose that mysterious lump. Or start writing, singing, pursuing a passion or starting a business. The fear you’re feeling is legitimate, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But the beast behind that fear may be a vapor, an engine powered by nothing more than decades of the worst kind of self-affirmation, and ignorance — a fundamental lack of understanding.

I don’t think you need to know the “why” to overcome this fear. I think you just need someone to believe in you: either a loved one, or yourself.

There are people in your life who believe in you. I believe in you. You can believe in you, too.

So come on, come with me. We’re going to the dentist.

–J.C.

I’ll Be At Dragon*Con!

August 30, 2010 in All Posts,Announcements,Other with 6 Comments

Later this week, I’ll be in Atlanta for Dragon*Con, the largest assemblage of gloriously smart and socially-awkward life forms this side of the Delta Quadrant. I’ll fit right in.

I arrive in town on Thursday and am presently planning on staying until Sunday morning. (The late-night Sunday concert Celldweller is hosting may very well force my hand. We’ll see.)

What’s my schedule? It’s nearly impossible to say. I’m attending this con as a fan, not as an author/podcasting Guest — which means zero professional obligations, zero panels to speak on, zero projects to pimp, zero responsibilities. I’m a leaf on the wind … though let’s hope I fare better than Wash did.

My lone commitment is attending (and presenting two awards with Scott Sigler) at the 2010 Parsec Awards. I hear that event is on Saturday afternoon, but I could also be completely misinformed. A few of my works are Finalists in the Novel-Length and Novella fiction categories, and I wouldn’t dare skip an opportunity to lose for the fourth consecutive year in person.

Aside from the Parsecs, I’ll be wandering aimlessly with my sister (aka @alphasis), attending panels and probably hanging with podcaster types and listeners. If you’re attending the con and want to connect, shoot me an email using the contact form here and we’ll work something out. I absolutely want to see you, and make time to chat!

–J.C.

Warren Ellis, Will Eisner, Gaiman, Wrightson, Grayson & Me

August 23, 2010 in All Posts,Other with 0 Comments

As I pack for my upcoming move from Florida to Colorado, I’m discovering gobs of dusty items from Years Gone By, including newspaper and magazine articles I wrote as a features reporter. I recently unearthed a stack of Wizard magazines from the late 90s, stuff I wrote as an intern and freelancer for the publication (which covers the comic book industry).

I recycled the magazines, but scanned some noteworthy stories to share with you here. In this PDF, you’ll find an interesting look at the state of comics in 1998 and ’99. Regrettably, I couldn’t find the issue featuring my interview with Alan Moore — but I was blessed indeed to speak at length with influential creators such as Warren Ellis, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Bernie Wrightson and Devin Grayson, whose stories you’ll find here.

Talking to these folks was so cool. Ellis was as wily, depraved and effing brilliant as he is now. Eisner was a gentleman, absolutely worthy of the stratospheric regard in which so many creators hold him. Gaiman shared his love for Eisner’s work in sublime ways. Wrightson was as down-to-earth and real as it gets. Grayson’s enthusiasm for the craft was infectious. All were supremely patient with this then-twentysomething reporter as he bumbled through the interviews.

Writing for Wizard was one of the highlights of my entertainment journalism career. The writers and artists with whom I spoke were a Who’s Who of the biggest and brightest names in the business then and now. I occasionally miss being a reporter — particularly interviewing creative folks I admire, which happened daily when I worked with Wizard — but am grateful to have met so many cool and ultracreative people during those years.

I hope you enjoy this peek into the work from my past profession, and get a kick out of these interviews.

–J.C.

Warren Ellis, Will Eisner, Wrightson, Grayson and Me: Download

The “7th Son” Book Trailer That Almost Happened

August 12, 2010 in All Posts,Fiction,Other with 14 Comments

Back in 2009, I schemed relentlessly on creating a video trailer to promote the October release of my thriller novel, 7th Son: Descent. I scoured stock footage sites such as iStockphoto for killer shots, and edited them into a very rough cut, intending to enlist a professional video editor to craft a final version once I’d purchased the footage.

Sadly, I did the math and discovered that my Hollywood-style book trailer would cost at least $1,300 to produce; this price didn’t include time and effort. I regretfully abandoned the project to focus my increasingly-dwindling funds and creative resources on other promotional efforts.

I recently rediscovered the rough cut of that trailer on my hard drive, and thought I’d share it here. While this cut is far from the final version I’d hoped to realize, I think it presents a clear, if incomplete, blueprint of where I was going with the project.

Music for the video was created by Celldweller and remixed by Blue Stahli, with whom I have long and positive creative and promotional relationships. Learn more about Klayton and his brilliant music at Celldweller.com, and bret’s work at BlueStahli.com.

I hope you enjoy this peek at a project that Never Came To Be, but was my labor of love for several weeks last year.

–J.C.

Note: All of the footage in this rough cut is clearly watermarked and low resolution (and visible for free on sites such as iStockphoto), so I don’t believe there’s a rights conflict here. I’m not monetarily profitting from the video’s release in any way. If a copyright holder has an issue with this video’s release, I’ll dutifully remove it.

The End Is (Actually, Was) Nigh…

July 25, 2010 in Announcements,Other with 9 Comments

Let me take you back to mid/late 2006. In several key ways, the podcast fiction landscape was very different than it is today. There were probably 80 titles at Podiobooks.com (as opposed to the nearly 430 (!!!) at the time of this writing). The podfic space was essentially still forming, and creative and promotional precedents were consistently being set. The creator community was smaller (and as a natural by-product of this, generally tighter). Some of the current biggest names in the space weren’t yet on the scene.

While the current podfic space is obviously vibrant and thriving, there is little doubt for those of us who personally experienced that explosion of creativity in 2006 (and in 2005, from several brilliantly prescient authors) that there was a palatable newness in the air, a collective Go Out And Create Awesome Things vibe in the creator community. This was way before anyone snagged a major print deal. All we creators had was you — our listeners — and each other.

During 2006, during what I recall to be the height of this initial go-get-’em collaborative spirit, Mur Lafferty released her supernatural fantasy novella Heaven. It was, deservedly, a hit. In a brilliant plot twist halfway in the story, the world ends. Boom. Done. (Since the novella has been out for about four years, the statute of limitations on spoilers has passed, amigo.) And this incredible development set off an epic brainstorm in my noggin.

What follows is a document I wrote and pitched to Mur Lafferty — and informally pitched to several podfic authors at the time. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the project. For a few weeks, many IMs were sent from author to author — “A Crisis On Infinite Earths for podiobooks? Cool!” — and the groundbreaking idea code-named The End Is Nigh, conceived before Mur wrote the Heaven sequels, looked like it might actually happen.

(more…)

YOUR goals for 2010

December 23, 2009 in All Posts,Announcements,Other with 5 Comments

I recently asked on Twitter:

GOALS! What are some of YOUR goals for 2010? Zip me one.

Here’s what you said. Lots of creativity and ambition here — and yet, all are attainable…

Buying a 50 inch plasma!
my goal is to double the reach of my podcast
To finish ‘Outcast’ by end of January, and its sequel by August.
i want to make significant progress on one if not more then one, of my books if not finish them.
Get first novel complete and subsequent audio drama started.
Same as my one word mantra: DO!
To get an article or story published in something with a pricetag, ISBN or ISSN on it.
Graduate law school!
to podcast on a more regular basis…
Finish writing my book.
Doubling my clients from 2009. Need 140 new clients for 2010 to do that.
Write more words, eat more bacon, make more friends. I figure if I walk around with a plate of fresh bacon…
my biggest goal is to get my comics and photography financially independant from me.
On a more practical note: To reduce my debt to just my mortgage, and then pay that off within 10 years or less!
To write, produce, and release the first Adventures of the Snarky Avenger Audio Drama.
Finish jobs needing to be done.
Shooting MB’s Famous in early 2010.
To be fearless in anything related to my writing.
finish writing, editing and recording first novel and start 2nd that’s already chomping at the bit to start already
love more, save money, write daily are my goals
Test for my green belt in Kenpo
my goal in 2010 is to star in the 7th Son movies
get “Closet Treats” published. Finish writing “Garaaga’s Children” series and podcast it all.
Goals for 2010: Finish 2nd draft of my novel and find beta readers; organize and name all my digital photos
get back into shape after surgery on the 30th of this month
2010 goal: Serialize my first novel
my biggest goal is to be a better father
To do more volunteer work for a cause about which I am passionate.
my plan is to read more. but i need quantifiable goals. so, read one book a week. and not just yours, over and over.
write 500 words a day. Submit one story for publication.
to write something polished enough to podcast… And then podcast
From 70% autonomous to 100%.
Making time & $ to attend a con – preferably one that you’re at, so I can thank you in person!
2010 goals: Start re-writing Mallville, and start podcasting it. Try to write some more short stories.
goal- finish novels #2&3 and get podcast author career off the ground. Been a groupie long enough.
goal for 2010 = write something publishable

More will likely flow in (which I can’t add to the list here), but these 2010 goals are remarkable, brimming with drive and passion. Let’s all exhibit some Pure Badassery™ and make good on these goals next year.

What’s YOUR goal for 2010?

–J.C.

Avatar, and James Cameron 2.0

December 20, 2009 in All Posts,Other with 22 Comments

Just came from seeing James Cameron’s Avatar. Loved it. The movie demands to be seen on the big screen.

I won’t bore you with a review of plot points and performances; that’s what Google and Roger Ebert are for. I want to talk about the flaws of the movie, why they don’t matter … and why James Cameron is now officially in the “2.0″ phase of his career.

I came up in the same era in which Cameron was cutting his teeth as a writer/director. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched and rewatched his movies. I’m convinced that if there’s any one storyteller to study, it’s him. His movies are often dark and dystopian, packed with memorable, brilliantly-written ensemble casts. They’re perfectly contained stories, yet feel untamed, subversive. They bristle, hungry to make with the violence — and they always deliver it.

Something seemed to change within Cameron’s stories in the 1990s. The decade started strong for superfans with Terminator 2 (dystopian, violent science fiction). A few years later, he delivered True Lies, an action comedy. It’s an optimistic gunblazer, great popcorn fare. What the film lacked in brains or story, it more than compensated with action and visual effects. A rock-solid B for superfans like me.

Titanic became his obsession. Say what you will about the story (and I will, in a moment), but it was a cinematic masterpiece. Avatar is even better. Both deliver stories with the epic scope of the Truly Great films such as Gone With the Wind; seeing these things on anything less than a movie house screen is a mortal sin.

But both also represent a shift in Cameron’s writing, which in many ways disappoints superfans like me … but also showcases a breed of brilliance worthy of admiration. The man is smart, understands narrative, understands audiences — and it’s now clear that he deeply understands the business of making narratives for those audiences.

Long gone are Cameron’s days of bubblegum-and-a-prayer movie budgets. He now makes supermovies – stupefyingly expensive movies. Avatar’s budget was at least $250 million, but rumors put the pricetag as high as $350 million. That’s money that defies meaningful understanding.

Supermovies are high-risk endeavors for producers, and there are well-documented tradeoffs that come with superbudgets. Make the film PG-13 to ensure as many people as possible can see it … make stories simpler to accommodate that mass appeal … make the concepts of the story more universal as to snag the support of international markets and filmgoers … it goes on. The worst supermovies, like Transformers 2, fully embrace these compromises and treat their audiences as idiot children.

Cameron does not, though savvy superfans like me spot the compromises in what I’m calling the ”2.0″ stage of his career. Titanic’s story has been characterized as “romance on a sinking boat,” and Avatar is now getting the inevitable (if unfair) Dances With Wolves comparisons. Both parallels are completely accurate, and yet absolutely inaccurate. To keep focus on Avatar: It is not a dumb movie. It is a movie that has a simple storyline with nigh-universal theme and appeal. There isn’t much development in many of the secondary characters. And I insist that’s just fine.

Much like Titanic, the movie is gorgeous, and absolutely convincing in its execution. It’s the first film I’ve ever seen in which the extended use of CGI didn’t harm the overall product. I was spellbound throughout, dazzled and dwarfed by the world Cameron created. It’s not a perfect story, but it’s a perfect movie — it fully embraces the big screen experience.

Did I pine for scenes that better-illustrated the main character’s inner conflict, or better-explained the reasons why the villians were being so villainous? Sure. Do I think that, given the compromises a filmmaker must make when they’re $300 million in the red, the movie suffered greatly from those omissions? No way.

Avatar is a cinematic masterwork. It doesn’t hail from the uberbrainy tradition of the best science-fiction stories. (Neither did Star Wars back in 1977. And while it’s my favorite movie, Star Wars is a rather simplistic and noisy tale.) It doesn’t hail from Cameron’s dark and dystopic sci-fi roots, either. But it is absolutely beautiful, ultimately optimistic, and an absolute blast to watch.

See it. On the big screen.

What Matters Now – Free eBook

December 14, 2009 in All Posts,Announcements,Other with 7 Comments

It’s not every day that the world’s most popular marketing blogger asks you collaborate on a project designed to get folks thinking about their lives, the world, and positive ways to improve them. So when bestselling writer Seth Godin invited me to participate in What Matters Now, I dove right in.

As Seth wrote in his post announcing What Matters Now, this eBook “encourages people to focus and use their energy to turn the game around,” providing big thoughts and small actions to make a difference in the world. More than 70 authors contributed to the project, including big thinkers I’ve followed and respected for years: furturist Kevin Kelly, publisher Tim O’Reilly, writer and programmer Gina Trapani, artist Hugh Macleod, brilliant writers and entrepreneurs such as Merlin Mann, Derek Sivers, Chris Anderson, Guy Kawasaki, Paco Underhill … the who’s who list goes on and on.

I’m honored to be in such ultra-creative, ultra-talented company. My contribution, titled “Gumption,” can be found at the end of the eBook.

Each contribution is well worth your time, and may provide a nugget of resonance — or encouragement — for you as we enter the new year. If you find value within its pages, please share What Matters Now with your friends and coworkers.

–J.C.