The Wild Blog in the West

My last few posts have been a bit cranky, so time for something cheerful.  And few things are more cheerful than the 2008 musical,  Mamma Mia! . Mamma Mia! is based on the hugely popular West End jukebox musical, which was built from popular tunes by ABBA .  For those who don't know, ABBA was the first non-English-speaking band to enjoy huge success in the English-speaking pop world.  The band consisted of two men and two women from Sweden, and lasted from 1972 until 1982.  Even if you hate pop, you can't escape their songs, which include " Fernando ," " SOS ," and " Dancing Queen ." In 1997, British playwright Catherine Johnson wrote the stage musical, which premiered in London in 1999.  It was a smash, and made its Broadway debut in 2001, where it has played nonstop ever since.  From there, it was only a matter of time before a movie version premiered. That movie came in 2008, and went on to gross $600 million worldwide.  All of this succes

Warning: this post will be long.  If you do not like length, the exits are to the left and right. I have begun shopping my book around.  I typed "best query letters" into Google and came up with this page .  I followed its advice to the letter, and the advice of other "best query" sites, and sent out about 20 queries.  I have since learned that the advice on the pages is outdated.  I also learned something else uncomfortable: according to conventional wisdom, my novel is too long. How long?  A debut novel should be 80,000 words.  Who says?  Everyone.  Who is "everyone"?  I don't know. But everyone says that a debut novel should be between 80,000 and 100,000 words, and mine is well over that.  I can (and likely will) edit it down further, but it will always be a big book.  According to everyone, big books don't sell.  I can point to exceptions, but apparently I will never be one. I could protest, but everyone is probably right.  The modu

Oh whoops -- hey.  Didn't see you. Hello. You're one of those introverts, right?  You don't smile and you hate people? And a jolly good day to you, too, sir. Well you are, aren't you? Insofar as we are a "type," I guess so. So it's true you don't know how to be happy? False.  Introverts are as capable of happiness as anyone else. Then why does the media keep saying you're miserable? Probably because most of the media never look past the surface.  They see us standing by ourselves, not talking, and go "OMG, they must be sooooooo sad!1!1!1"  But the thing is, we're not sad by nature.  I like  spending time alone and not talking.  It makes me happy.  But somehow the media got it in their collective bubble head that if I'm not parading around drunk and topless on a homecoming float, if I'm not talking trash about my friends, my life choices are not worthy of attention, much less respect. Huh? You stopped l

My Across the Universe review should have sent the message that liking a movie and thinking that it works are two different things.  While I feel that Across the Universe had significant weaknesses, I have affection for it.  By contrast, I think that Chicago  (2002) executes very well... but it leaves me cold. It's not that I hate it.   Chicago is highly entertaining, filled with energy that rarely flags.  But there is nothing for me to hang my hat on: no one to root for and no appealing message. Yet my view is clearly in the minority, as  Chicago is both a commercial and critical darling.  Commercially, Chicago  is second only to Grease  at the box office, with more than $170 million.  Critically, it boasts a Certified Fresh rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes . It's easy to see why audiences would take to it, with its blend of energy and spectacle, but what's more interesting is why critics -- a notoriously difficult bunch -- seem to like it.  Energy and spectacle a

SPOILERS for all five novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.  This prediction thread is for the novels ONLY.  So if you are purely a fan of the TV show or have not read the novels, LEAVE NOW!!!!! Ahem. Since I've already done one lengthy post about Game of Thrones  and the A Song of Ice and Fire series, why not another one?  There are more predictions about the last two novels than you can shake a stick at.  If I were to post this on any dedicated message board, it would instantly be smothered by countless other thoughtful and incisive posts.  Fortunately, I have this blog, and can go as long-winded as I want.  Without further ado... Major Predictions for A Song of Ice and Fire 1.  Benjen Stark is Cold Hands.   Either that, or the "boss" of Cold Hands.  Benjen Stark has been hardly discussed since his first disappearance.  Martin never depicts his absence in the same melancholy fashion as he does other lost or dead characters, which makes me suspect that

The following contains spoilers for both Game of Thrones the TV show and A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series by George RR Martin on which the TV show is based.  If you don't want to be spoiled, TURN BACK!  TURN BACK NOW! I'M SERIOUS!!! REALLY!!!!!!!!! Okay.  Can't say you weren't warned. I would love to claim that I've been a George RR Martin fan since A Game of Thrones first hit bookshelves in 1996.  But like most people, I became a fan of the novels only after the show premiered.  In fact,  A Song of Ice and Fire  may be the first series that I wanted to read simply because I was spoiled for the entire thing.  A wonderful overview at Salon.com gave me a taste for what lay in store.  A massive rebellion that overthrows a cruel king?  His daughter frees a "continent" of slaves?  Sibling sex?  What's not to intrigue?  So after two episodes of the TV show, I picked up the first novel, and did not put the series down until I had read all fi

Those of you who regularly tune in may have noticed that I've not been posting as frequently.  That is because over the past month or so, my life has been incredibly busy... in a good way for the most part.  It's all I can do to post once a week, which I do vow to continue doing.  Once things slow down a little, I will go back to posting twice or more a week. One bit of good news: the "publishing person" I referenced a while back is now reading my novel and likes it a lot.  She will refer it to editors in her company, and even though I don't think her company is quite the right fit, it is still awesome to hear.  In the meantime, I am working on my query letter and preparing to send it to agents. But what's new for this blog?  The Movie Musicals Series will be back, along with some media critique posts (I have one for Game of Thrones  up next) and some more Unpopular Opinions .  I don't have any new series planned for the next month or so, though after