This is conspicuously sitting on my coffee table, in case you come by. Until later I am at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.
Showing posts with label Bizarro John Dalton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bizarro John Dalton. Show all posts
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Between Dada and D'Amato
This is conspicuously sitting on my coffee table, in case you come by. Until later I am at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
I Am My Own Evil Twin
The scariest thing that happened to me in Salem was not seeing the glowing orbs a wide-eyed young woman photographed with her digital camera at one of the many haunted houses, though that was scary and I don't like to dwell on it much, but it was finding a certain book in the little shelf of tradeable books found at our inn, just like at many inns and B&Bs all across this great land.
This book was Heaven Lake by John Dalton, and once again I was reminded that I was his shadow, his Frankenstein's Monster, the Bizarro John Dalton.
Longtime readers recall that I once spent a wedding anniversary in a cabin in the woods that ended with me running through the trees to an inn to call an ambulance for my wife in the middle of the night; that the young doctor on call at that rural hospital later revealed that it was the first life or death surgery that he ever had; that in a daze I opened "Story" magazine and saw my own name looking up at me, in a strange disconnect. And the other John Dalton has haunted me since.
The other John Dalton watches the dappled sunset in North Carolina with the other members of the state's emerging literary scene, the other John Dalton got fine writing degrees from the ivied halls of higher learning and publishes in all the best literary magazines. Somewhere I fear he has a painting of me, his own Dorian Gray that shows Hellshock in the place of Heaven Lake, that shows a blistered midwestern cornfield in place of the soft rolling hills of the South, that shows critics howling for his death on b-movie message boards instead of gentle literary criticism in the finer magazines.
I fear to read it, but find I must; I will report back later, gentle reader.
Give me a shout at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.
This book was Heaven Lake by John Dalton, and once again I was reminded that I was his shadow, his Frankenstein's Monster, the Bizarro John Dalton.
Longtime readers recall that I once spent a wedding anniversary in a cabin in the woods that ended with me running through the trees to an inn to call an ambulance for my wife in the middle of the night; that the young doctor on call at that rural hospital later revealed that it was the first life or death surgery that he ever had; that in a daze I opened "Story" magazine and saw my own name looking up at me, in a strange disconnect. And the other John Dalton has haunted me since.
The other John Dalton watches the dappled sunset in North Carolina with the other members of the state's emerging literary scene, the other John Dalton got fine writing degrees from the ivied halls of higher learning and publishes in all the best literary magazines. Somewhere I fear he has a painting of me, his own Dorian Gray that shows Hellshock in the place of Heaven Lake, that shows a blistered midwestern cornfield in place of the soft rolling hills of the South, that shows critics howling for his death on b-movie message boards instead of gentle literary criticism in the finer magazines.
I fear to read it, but find I must; I will report back later, gentle reader.
Give me a shout at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Me Am Interviewed
Sometimes it is strange living the life of Bizarro John Dalton. Longtime readers may remember my discussion of the real John Dalton, who studied at the prestigious University of Iowa, has an acclaimed novel and lives the artistic life in North Carolina, while I toil over Bigfoot scripts and live in several square miles of rustic cornfield in Indiana. Recently I came across an interview of the real John Dalton, and liked the questions. So now I am going to answer them for myself.
What was the book that most influenced your life or your career as a writer?
Probably Catch-22, which I read and re-read as a teen and young adult; the dark comedy, the philosophical elements, the bursts of senseless violence, the absurdity of it all, has stuck with me and sent me back to it from time to time even as an adult.
What are your ten favorite books, and what makes them special to you?
1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 'nuff said.
2. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, represented a time in my life like it does for most people.
3. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo helped point me politically.
4. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul is simply haunting, probably my favorite book I've read as an adult.
5. Vengeance is Mine by Mickey Spillane opened my eyes to the pulp world that I still love today.
6. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer is one I thought a lot about at the time.
7. Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 'nuff said.
8. The Haj by Leon Uris because it's the first book my wife gave me to read when we were dating.
9. Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester B. Himes, showed me how to blend philosophy and genre works.
10. When the Waker Sleeps by Robert Sheckley, still my favorite sci-fi book, and drove my childhood, along with Heinlein's Have Spacesuit Will Travel, which is cheating and making this go up to eleven.
What types of music do you like? Is there any particular kind you like to listen to when you're writing?
I like a little of everything from blues to bluegrass to classic country and classic rock, as well as 70s Soul; my two favorite albums to listen to for inspiration are Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra and The Fifth Dimension's Greatest Hits on Earth. My all-time favorite album is Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan though sometimes it hurts my heart to hear it.
If you had a book club, what would it be reading?
I have been recommending The Kite Runner to everybody lately.
What are your favorite kinds of books to give -- and get -- as gifts?
I love getting comic book TPBs. I love giving nice thick anthologies.
Do you have any special writing rituals? For example, what do you have on your desk when you're writing?
I prefer sitting at a desk rather than with a laptop, and let my wife use the laptop. Depending on the season, I like the murmur of baseball in the background. A good Vanilla Pepsi close at hand is welcome.
What are you working on now?
Polishing up some older work and getting ready to gird my loins for the research on a new project.
Many writers are hardly "overnight success" stories. How long did it take for you to get where you are today? Any rejection-slip horror stories or inspirational anecdotes?
I always say I had a long layoff between paydays, getting paid for a script I wrote for the David Letterman Scholarship in 1987 and getting paid for my next script in 2000 (though I did a lot of tech writing in between that). I have worked on about a dozen projects since then, with about half seeing fruition. I guess the horror story there is that 50 percent is a pretty good record for most scriptwriters.
If you could choose one new writer to be "discovered," who would it be?
My wife. She is better than I am and it's a shame I've made more money writing piranha and bigfoot and frankenstein movies than she has writing actual significant literature.
What tips or advice do you have for writers still looking to be discovered?
Work on craft, and don't wait for the muse to come and visit you while you are meditating under a tree in the woods in your underwear--you have to keep your seat in the chair and keep working. Always be proud of what leaves your keyboard.
What was the book that most influenced your life or your career as a writer?
Probably Catch-22, which I read and re-read as a teen and young adult; the dark comedy, the philosophical elements, the bursts of senseless violence, the absurdity of it all, has stuck with me and sent me back to it from time to time even as an adult.
What are your ten favorite books, and what makes them special to you?
1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 'nuff said.
2. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, represented a time in my life like it does for most people.
3. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo helped point me politically.
4. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul is simply haunting, probably my favorite book I've read as an adult.
5. Vengeance is Mine by Mickey Spillane opened my eyes to the pulp world that I still love today.
6. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer is one I thought a lot about at the time.
7. Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 'nuff said.
8. The Haj by Leon Uris because it's the first book my wife gave me to read when we were dating.
9. Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester B. Himes, showed me how to blend philosophy and genre works.
10. When the Waker Sleeps by Robert Sheckley, still my favorite sci-fi book, and drove my childhood, along with Heinlein's Have Spacesuit Will Travel, which is cheating and making this go up to eleven.
What types of music do you like? Is there any particular kind you like to listen to when you're writing?
I like a little of everything from blues to bluegrass to classic country and classic rock, as well as 70s Soul; my two favorite albums to listen to for inspiration are Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra and The Fifth Dimension's Greatest Hits on Earth. My all-time favorite album is Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan though sometimes it hurts my heart to hear it.
If you had a book club, what would it be reading?
I have been recommending The Kite Runner to everybody lately.
What are your favorite kinds of books to give -- and get -- as gifts?
I love getting comic book TPBs. I love giving nice thick anthologies.
Do you have any special writing rituals? For example, what do you have on your desk when you're writing?
I prefer sitting at a desk rather than with a laptop, and let my wife use the laptop. Depending on the season, I like the murmur of baseball in the background. A good Vanilla Pepsi close at hand is welcome.
What are you working on now?
Polishing up some older work and getting ready to gird my loins for the research on a new project.
Many writers are hardly "overnight success" stories. How long did it take for you to get where you are today? Any rejection-slip horror stories or inspirational anecdotes?
I always say I had a long layoff between paydays, getting paid for a script I wrote for the David Letterman Scholarship in 1987 and getting paid for my next script in 2000 (though I did a lot of tech writing in between that). I have worked on about a dozen projects since then, with about half seeing fruition. I guess the horror story there is that 50 percent is a pretty good record for most scriptwriters.
If you could choose one new writer to be "discovered," who would it be?
My wife. She is better than I am and it's a shame I've made more money writing piranha and bigfoot and frankenstein movies than she has writing actual significant literature.
What tips or advice do you have for writers still looking to be discovered?
Work on craft, and don't wait for the muse to come and visit you while you are meditating under a tree in the woods in your underwear--you have to keep your seat in the chair and keep working. Always be proud of what leaves your keyboard.
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