Done Deal

Well, I signed my contract last week, so it's a done deal! A nice check should be forthcoming. Now I just need to finish the book by January. I am done with Chapter 4, and this month I really want to finish Chapters 5 and 6. January--the due date--is going to sneak up on me. I am taking off a week in August for a little writing vacation. I really hope I'm productive, or else I'll have wasted a week. But it's hot and unpleasant outside, so it's the perfect weather to stay inside and write.

Actually, Chapter 1(with a few minor minor changes) of my novel has just been published in this YA anthology called Rush Hour. People who've read it have been very kind and encouraging, so it's nice to know that I'm on the right track. I'm actually reading the anthology right now. I loved the first story by Greg Galloway, and David Levithan's as well. I don't think they are going to publish the Rush Hour series anymore, however, which is sad. My agent says it was "ahead of its time." Oh well.

What I'm Reading

As usual, I have too many books going at once. I am working on the publicity for Myla Goldberg's second novel this fall (Wickett's Remedy), so right now I'm reading Bee Season. It's as wonderful as everyone says it is. Scarily enough, I should start reading my Spring 07 books soon--Kevin Brockmeier's The Brief History of the Dead, Max Barry's Company, Charles D'Ambrosio's The Dead Fish Museum, to name just a few.

But, as always, non-work books still hold sway over me. I'm reading a YA novel called Crooked by Tom and Laura McNeal, recommended by my editor. So far it's great. I need to read a LOT more in the YA world, since I'm soon to be a part of it. I'm also reading About Town, a history of The New Yorker by Ben Yagoda. It's fascinating reading about the early days of the magazine. I love literary histories in general. I finished the Melville bio, which was fantastic, and now I may start the oral history/bio of Truman Capote.

I'm still reading Deborah Eisenberg's Twilight of the Superheroes. I've read about a story a month--very slow, I know. I love her stuff, and it's nice to slowly savor it. But I need to finish it, b/c there are about five other new story collections I'm dying to dip into (by Ben Fountain, Scott Snyder, and Edward JOnes). I got a galley of Alice Munro's new book coming out in November, The View from Castle Rock, so I'm dying to start that. Her last story in the New Yorker was great--and it's not included in the new book. The new book was rumored to be her last, so this new story gives me hope that she's still going to keep writing her brilliant short stories.

Book Deal

Allow me to toot my own horn and speak of good news. I have a book deal!

Here's the story. For more than a year, I've been working on a YA novel--YA meaning "Young Adult" for those of you not in the know. Which means it's aimed toward teenage readers, though it does have crossover appeal. (You can say that Harry Potter is YA. But my books will have no goblins, wizards, or witches, alas.) I started one novel, showed my agent some chapters, and he didn't like it. Back to the drawing board.

I'd written a short story years ago called "Alone for the Weekend." My agent had sold that story to Delacorte to appear in an anthology they publish called Rush Hour. Soon after that, I met the in-house editor, Jodi, and had a great chat with her. She told me she wanted to see more of my work, and so I asked her if she thought "Alone" could be the first chapter of a novel. She said yes. So I started work on the next few chapters.

George said that after I had three chapters done, then he might go ahead and try to sell it. It's not the usual way things are done, for novels anyway. But since Jodi seemed so keen on my work, he thought we might as well try. So I started work.

It took me about five months to finish the chapters, which is of course ridiculously slow. But I worked on it in stolen moments, weekends mostly. In May, I finally finished, then reworked them here and there, and was finally happy with the result.

I turned them in to George on a Monday. Of course, by Tuesday I was convinced that it was all crap! For days I didn't hear a peep from George. Then I called him on Thursday, just to make sure he got the chapters. He had, of course, and read them and said he loved them. A big relief! He told me we'd chat the next week about what to do next, because he was going to Ireland for a few days. That weekend I went to visit friends in DC in good spirits--my hard work hadn't been a complete waste of time!

When I returned to work on Monday, I had a message from Jodi, asking me to call her. Turns out George had emailed her the chapters on Friday. She read them over the weekend and loved them and told me that she was "going to make an offer." Sweeter words could not have been uttered. I was ecstatic and in mild shock. Of course, George was in Ireland for a few more days.

A day later, George's assistant forwarded Jodi's offer to me, which made me even more excited. Here it was, in writing, with numbers and dollars attached! George finally returned and we made a lunch date to talk about everything. He had me write up a description of the novel and where I thought it was going. But he also floated a new idea--a two-book deal. I was basically like, sure thing, if you can score it! So he had me come up with a description of Book 2, as well. Then he countered the offer and broached the two-book deal.

Jodi found the description of Novel 1 very helpful, but she wasn't sold on Book 2. It was too mature, she said, for a YA reader. But she wasn't opposed to the idea of a two-book deal. So I met with her and had a great chat, even met some of the other editors who'd read my chapters. I had a great feeling after the meeting. And it's so rare to get any kind of praise and validation as a writer. Usually you just toil in solitude, never knowing if what you're working on is good or not, never even knowing if it will ever be published. So, it was nice. This whole experience, so far, has been nice. More than nice.

In the end, George negotiated a great contract for a two-book deal. I have to turn in the first novel--tentatively titled What They Always Tell Us--in January of 2007. Publication will probably be in 2008. As for the second book, I don't know what it will be about, nor do I know when it is due. At this point, I just need to focus on the first one!

So, in many ways it's a dream come true. It's what I've been working toward for years. I thought it would happen sooner, and then I wondered if it would ever happen at all. Now I have a lot of work ahead, but so far the work and the writing have been fun. I love the characters, the story. And having a book deal, I must admit, makes me believe in my writing a bit more--I'm writing with confidence for a change. I'm no Proust or Faulkner, but at least a few people thing I'm worthy of publishing books!

The Golden Age of Television

I'm not ashamed to say that I like TV. Sure, most of it is utter crap. There are, after all, hundreds of channels filled with hundreds of useless programs. But quite a few shows these days (and in days past) are excellent. Entertaining, fun, smart, even brilliant. To name just a few of the current gems: 24, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Lost, Alias, Prison Break, Veronica Mars. Soon to return: Deadwood.

These people who don't own TVs or claim not to watch TV--they all act like they're such cultured, wonderful, superior beings. If that's what they want to believe, fine. I happen to think they're a wee bit pretentious and out of touch. I read tons of book, see great films, go to art museums, read newspapers, and love the high-brow. But that doesn't mean I'm too good for TV.
Back to those shows. This season in particular seems full of amazing shows. Shows that are innovative, challenging, exciting, with the narrative drives of big-budget movies. I'm a big fan of the high-concept shows like 24, Lost, Alias, even Prison Break--shows that somehow, despite their sort-of crazy premises, keep going, adding twists and turns, even when you think they can't possibly top themselves. Lost is not only high concept, but it is a treasure of great characters and strong performances. The show's mysteries and oddities and conspiracy-like shenanigans are a big draw--but it's the characters who make it worth going back to week after week.

And 24 is a wonder--in it's fifth season, it's better than ever. What's made it so good this year, for me, are the strong, beautifully performed female roles. Chloe, played with feisty acidity by Mary Lynn Rajskub, is one of the best supporting characters ever to grace the small screen. Audrey now has a backbone, and Kim Raver has done a great job making her, finally, a likeable heroine. Jean Smart is brilliant--from her first scene, when she dunked her made-up face in cold water--as the first lady: emotional, humane, fragile but also strong. All three of them deserve Emmys! And Jayne Atkinson, who's an American Helen Mirren lookalike, as the new CTU chief is fantastic as well. And how can you not love a show, in this day and age, that makes the smarmy president its main villain? I can't wait to see how it plays out.

My only complaint about TV these days is that there are too many shows that I like, that I feel compelled to watch. Just like there are way too many books to read and too many movies to see. We live in a world that is just too much.

Random Thoughts

Some days, I walk around (or sit around) and a thought will pop into my head, and I think, "I should blog about this." Usually it's politics, and something has ticked me off--the umpteenth tax cut for zillionaires, Donald Rumsfeld's lies and bluster, the eternal clusterfuck that is the Bush administration, even Mary Cheney and her stupid who-gives-a-shit autobiography. (Do we call her an Uncle Tom or an Aunt Tom?) And then, by the time I get to a computer, my drive to write about any of this has died. Alas. Or my time has simply dried up. Or I just don't feel like being verbose. Plus, I sort of feel like so many people say it better than I ever could.

So, instead of going on and on about something, I'll present some random thoughts, rants, raves.

Moderation. Is being a moderate today really that admirable? Once, when I was a young man coming out of the fog of the Reagan years, I thought moderates were the ideal--neither too right wing, nor too left wing. Jusssst right. I kissed being a moderate goodbye years ago, but still, I had no problem with moderates. But nowadays, with the right creeping to the right of Atila the Hun, I think being a moderate is, well, being a big pussy. Take a stand! Really, even as a true moderate, you can't stand by Republicans and conservatives in this day and age--they're too scary, extreme.

Pet peeves. People who stand right in front of the subway doors when you're trying to get off. I long ago stopped acting civilized. I'll push even old ladies aside if they're standing in my way! Also, people who don't stand to the right on the escalators, so that people walking up can pass by. Funny, now that I don't have a car and don't have to drive, my road rage has been supplanted by subway and sidewalk rage.

My friends. I turned 33 a few weeks ago. My friend Scott calls this the perfect age. Ha. But I threw myself a party, invited my friends, had a yummy buttercream cake, drank a lot, and basically just had a great time. And I realized what great friends I have. How interesting and fun and genuine they all are. Awww, big lovefest! (Check out the pictures at http://martinwilsonpics.shutterfly.com)

Summer. It's almost here, though New York weather seems to want to hold on to spring a bit longer. Summer brings the wonderful summer work hours (half-day Fridays for people in publishing), an emptier Manhattan, smelly streets (especially in my neighborhood, which is close to Chinatown, which stinks during ALL seasons), popcorn movies, and shorts and short sleeves and the dreaded swimsuit (not to sound TOO much like Cathy, the cartoon character). I need to lose about 20 pounds before I even think of showing myself in a swimsuit in public. I don't even a swimsuit that fits anymore, I don't think. How sad is that?! Or is it so sad it's funny? Oh well, I have more important things to do this summer, like make big headway on my novel. I'm turning in three chapters to my agent next week. Hopefully he'll like it.

Scalia the Asswipe

Not to insult asswipes, who are quite useful, unlike this greasy, scaly beast.

Anyway, so here is a quote from one of our Justice Scalia:

"Question comes up: Is there a constitutional right to homosexual conduct? Not a hard question for me. It's absolutely clear that nobody ever thought when the Bill of Rights was adopted that it gave a right to homosexual conduct. Homosexual conduct was criminal for 200 years in every state. Easy question."
—U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, talking to students at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, according to CNN
FROM OUR SPONSOR

Can I add him to my spaceship to send right to the sun? How could I have forgotten him in the first place?

Well, Tony, there are lots of things that nobody ever thought about when they came up with the Bill of Rights. Scalia would probably revoke rights for women and blacks if he could. What about right to privacy? If he wants to haul gays away for being criminals, then he might as well haul away every hetero male who has given his wife oral pleasure, haul away every wife who has given her husband a BJ. Hell, haul away everyone who has non-missionary-style sex, why don't you. How did this jack-ass get appointed? And, scarily, are Roberts and Alito just like him? Thankfully I live in New York, otherwise I might be put in prison for being myself.

I'm a Bad Blogger

Okay, so I haven't written anything in a while. I'm a bad blogger, the same was I became a bad journal keeper.

So, here are some random tidbits, thoughts, etc.

Wither Republicans?
Tom DeLay is finally stepping down. Ding, dong, the witch is dead! Is this a sign of things to come for the Republicans this fall? I've read a lot of articles that predict Democratic gains in the House and Senate. Here's hoping! But don't underestimate the idiocy of American voters to keep many of these creeps in power. Okay, so maybe, maybe the Democrats aren't very visionary these days--as the media continues to tell us. I happen to think they are, but they're not in power and thus have no good way to present their vision. But it doesn't matter--they should win based on the corruption and pure evil-ness of Republican policies. Since we're stuck with Bush for a few more years, having a Democratic-controlled House and/or Senate would be a dream come true. Especially if they can prevent more right-winger white men (or, scarier, right wing women or minorities--who are these people???) from landing in the Supreme Court.

People I'd Like to Put on a Spaceship Headed Straight Toward the Sun
Yes, I'm feeling like a hater today. So, here are some people I wish would vanish off the face of the earth: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Rummy, Condi Rice, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Focus on the Family, all evangelical Christians, all radical Muslims, all Neocons, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and anyone else on FOX, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Paula Abdul. Hmm, I know I could list a lot more. But that would do for now.

Who I Love?
Okay, so not to be a total hater, who (and what) do I love? Well, besides my family and friends and colleagues? Here's a current love list: Natsuo Kirino (author of Out), Deborah Eisenberg, George Clooney, Frank Rich (come back soon!), Paul Krugman, Barack Obama, Salon.com, Gawker.com, Amazon.com, St. Mark's Bookshop, guys with beards, springtime in New York, Cote du Rhone red wine, wine in general, 24, Lost, Sopranos, especially Michael Imperioli and Edie Falco, Eric Bana, gay French movies, Trouble by Patrick Somerville.
See, I have a lot of love in my heart!

Crap

So, Crap I mean Crash won the best picture Oscar, and not Brokeback. As one of my friends said, WTF? It's not that Brokeback lost period, though it did deserve to win. It's that it lost to this stinker. Convoluted, contrived, about as subtle as Dolly's tits--the kind of movie the vapid airheads in Los Angeles think is "quality," "important," "brave." Hogwash. They also love it because it's about their city, and they are a city of navel-gazers who are addicted to their cars. Okay, so some of the acting was really good in Crash, including Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, and the actor who played the locksmith. But it was ruined by its script--which, gulp, also won an undeserved Oscar. Everyone was so over-the-top racist, I didn't believe a word of it.

So, I am pissed. Poor Brokeback. Oh well, the really great films usually never win. So Brokeback is in good company. Did homophobia play a part? Probably a little bit. But it's too facile to blame it only on that. After all, it was the most nominated film.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Jon Stewart was great. I also loved Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin introducing Robert Altman. (Now there's a man who has made some great, multi-layred and multi-plotted films. How come Nashville didn't win and a piece of claptrap like Crash takes home the prize? Sigh.)

I won BOTH of the betting pools I entered--the first time I've ever won one of those that offered substantial amounts of cash! Apparently, I tied for first in my Austin-based pool because I picked the pimp song from Hustle & Flow. I didn't realize what a shitty song it was, but I'm glad I picked it!

Well, another awards season has come and gone. Soon the Oscar chase will begin again. But right now Hollywood is dumping all its crap on us. Which means I can catch up on stuff I missed, like Cache, Match Point, The New World, and King Kong.

Gay Superbowl

Ah, the Oscars, how I love them. I am entering a few ballot competitions,sohere's hoping my pics bring me some nice pocket change. I always comeclose,but usually get tripped up by the damn small categories, like live action short. Just for fun, here are my pics for who will win, should win,and shoulda been a contender.

Picture
Will Win: Brokeback Mountain
Should Win: Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback is my favorite of the year, and stands above the other nominees for it'sblendof emotional power, great performances, technical artistry--and also for being a landmark movie, showing gay love with more emotional truth than any other serious film in a long time, maybe ever.
Shoulda Been a Contender: The Constant Gardner. Mysterious Skin--another great "gay" film, but too "small"and dark and indy to have much of a shot.

Actor
Will Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Should Win: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Ledger's performance blew me away, but Hoffman will win for having the flashier role and for his body of work.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Joshua Gordon Levitt, Mysterious Skin. And so many others. This was a tough year. Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener was fantastic too.

Actress:
Will Win: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Should Win: Reese?
What a weak category. And, sadly, I have only seen Keira Knightley's performance. She was great, but Oscar worthy? Not so sure. The snips I've seen of Huffman's performance seem really mannered. Reese will win--yet again giving the award to a young A-list beauty.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Maria Bello in History of Violence, or is that a supporting performance? To me, she outshone anyone else I saw (save for Amy Adams, see below).

Supporting Actor:
Will Win: George Clooney, Syriana
Should Win: Clooney.
Okay,I didn't actually see Syriana, but I'm rooting for Clooney because he's hot and he's had a great year and seems like a good guy and he's a good ole liberal. I'd be happy if Jake won, too. Even Paul Giamatti, though he'd be winning for not having even been nominated for last year's Sideways.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Clifton Collins, Capote; Danny Huston, for playing a great slimeball in The Constant Gardener

Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Rachel Weisz, Constant Gardener
Should Win: AMY ADAMS!!!!
She and Heath Ledger get my vote for performances of the year. This girl was just brilliant, so real. Maybe she will sneak in a la Marisa Tomei. I'd be happy to lose this ballot pick.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Maria Bello, History of Violence. But, again, I am confused about which category she belongs in.Either way, she was robbed.

Director:
Will Win: Ang Lee, Brokeback
Should Win: Ang Lee, Brokeback
Ang Lee can do no wrong. He'll win for directing a masterpiece as well as for directing past gems like The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Shoulda Been a Contender: Miranda July, for directing one the most original and delightfully oddball movies of the year, Me and You and Everyone We Know. Props also for Greg Araki of Mysterious Skin.

Okay. Those are my 2 cents. I'd love to win theballot contests, but I'd be a very happy man with a big night for Brokeback and wins for Amy Adams and Heath Ledger. We'll see come Sunday night!

Begin to Begin

So why am I jumping on the blogging bandwagon? Well, why not? I am too lazy to keep a journal. Not lazy--more like too busy. And I should be too busy to keep a blog. But maybe having some semi-public forum will force me to write a bit more. About my life, my passions (books, writing, film, TV, magazine, men).

The Folded Leaf? What's in a blog name? The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite writers. I'ts sweet, tender, smart, sad, and a little bit gay. Like me!

I'll start with what i'm reading these days:
For work purposes, The Tricky Part by Martin Moran. Very good, a memoir about "sexual trespass." AKA molestation. But it's well done and not at all an exercise in victimology. The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber, a foodietype memoir, which is also fantastic. The rest of my work reading list is insanely long and includes Chasing the Sea by Tom Bissell. Love this guy--both him and his writing. I'm working on his current book, the cracker-jack collection of stories called God Lives in St. Petersburg. Chasing is his first book, an oddly appealing and super-fun and super-smart travelogue about Central Asia. Trust me, it rocks.

For fun: Jane Eyre by Bronte. Nope, never read it before. I am trying to catch up on "classics" that I should have read by now. Like almost everything by the Russians. Some Edith Wharton and Henry James. Madame Bovary by Flaubert.

Wonderful short story collection, Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones. Jones wrote the Pulitzer-Prize-Winner The Uknown World, but this is his first book. They are really gritty stories of urban African American life set in Washington, DC. But his style is very straightforward and traditional, very appealing. His newest stories have been popping up in The New Yorker is recent years, and those are fantastic as well. I think his new collection comes out this year. Here's hoping!

Melville by Andrew Delbanco--love it so far. I try and read one literary bio at all times, and it usually takes me many months to do so.