I went to the ophthalmologist today for a check-up and got a clean bill of health on both eyes. The vision in the left one (the one that had the retinal tear during the summer) has improved some, although it may always be a little obstructed and the eye itself is more prone to fatigue. But I've adjusted pretty well, I think. My writing pace is almost back up to where it needs to be. The doctor told me to come back in six months for one more check-up, and if everything still looks all right, I won't have to go back after that unless new problems develop.Since the kids are older, Halloween isn't what you'd call a big holiday around here anymore. Also, we live out in the country, so we've never had trick-or-treaters. We watched IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN last week (hey, you can't miss the Great Pumpkin -- or at least, I can't, having watched it nearly every year for the past forty years), but that's about the extent of our Halloween celebrations around here.
I've known Jim Lee for several years now and always enjoy getting a chance to talk with him about books, as I did last week during all the NOAH'S RIDE activities. He's a fine essayist, and his collection TEXAS, MY TEXAS is well worth seeking out. I think ADVENTURES WITH A TEXAS HUMANIST, published a couple of years ago by TCU Press, is his most recent book. I've been reading it the past few days, along with the Kinky Friedman book (now there's a pair for you, Jim Lee and the Kinkster).This volume is divided into three sections: literary criticism about Texas writers and their work; folklore; and autobiographical essays. Now, I don't mind admitting that lit-crit is usually pretty heavy going for me, but Jim Lee writes some of the best I've run across. His essays are clearly written, straight to the point, and entertaining as well as informative. The centerpieces of this section, lengthy articles entitled "The Age of Dobie" and "The Age of McMurtry", are both excellent reviews of Texas writing, and to prove that academic endeavors can extend to a wide variety of subjects, Lee also provides a fine analysis of the Clark Gable/Spencer Tracy movie BOOMTOWN and ties it in with numerous novels centered around the oil industry in Texas (a particular interest of mine). I'm not that interested in folklore, but the essays in this section are interesting, and one of them, about sidekicks in B-Western movies, is great fun. The autobiographical essays are my favorites, as they take Lee from a young man in a private school in Tennessee through his service in the Navy during the Korean War to his four decades as an English professor at what is now the University of North Texas. His sense of humor really comes through in these.What baffles me is how I managed to spend several years as an English major at what was then North Texas State University in the mid-Seventies, when Jim Lee was the head of the English department, and never take one of his classes or even really know who he was. I'm glad that's not the case now.
Somehow I missed this collection of Kinky Friedman's essays when it came out a couple of years ago. Regular readers of this blog know that I like the Kinkster's books. (I have to get around to reading his novels one of these days.)However, this is probably my least favorite of his books that I've read. It's mostly about various singers, politicians, and other celebrities that Friedman knows, and I didn't find those essays as interesting as the ones he's written about more ordinary people. There are some highlights, though, including a piece about Kinky's trip to the Australian Outback and a memoir about his father, Tom Friedman. (A similar but even better essay about Friedman's parents and the children's camp they ran for years on the Medina River can be found in the collection TEXAS HOLD 'EM.)So, while I found this book somewhat disappointing, it's still worth reading.
Me at the book signing, also courtesy of Russell Andrew. And I think that's enough of my mug for a while.
Here's a group shot from last night, missing only a couple of the participants. Seated, left to right, are Jane Roberts Wood and Mike Blackman. Standing, left to right, are Phyllis Allen, Mary Dittoe Kelly, Mike Cochran, Mary Rogers, Carlton Stowers, me holding the microphone and looking like a crooner, Elmer Kelton, and Jeff Guinn. Photo by my friend Russell Andrew.The previous photo was taken by my daughter Shayna, by the way, as I should have noted when I posted it.
Cast your gaze at the above picture and you'll see a real rarity: me in a tie. I'm signing books at Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth, where all the authors of NOAH'S RIDE gathered tonight to be interviewed, answer questions from an audience of about a thousand people, and sign copies of the book. I'm in the middle, with Phyllis Allen to my left and Edgar-winning true crime author Carlton Stowers next to her. To my right are Mary Rogers, Mike Cochran (another fine true crime writer), and Mary Dittoe Kelly. I should have some other photos to post later in the week.Although I'm not that fond of public speaking, the evening seemed to be a rousing success, and we sold a lot of books. With the proceeds going to charity, that's a good thing indeed. I spent quite a bit of time talking Western pulps with Elmer Kelton and mysteries with Carlton Stowers, so that was fun as always. There was a bit of a surreal moment when I was standing on stage with all those award-winning novelists and journalists, literary lions, and living legends, as a little voice in the back of my head started singing the old song from Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong . . ."But it was a great evening, and I want to thank Jeff Guinn, Judy Alter, and James Ward Lee, the guiding lights behind the project, for allowing me to be part of it.
The problem with any “best of” or “greatest stories ever told” collection is that nobody will ever agree on the contents. So, to get the quibbling out of the way right up front, how can you have a book called BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD and not include Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ “Night of the Reaper”, my favorite Batman story ever? Not to mention the classic Batman/Enemy Ace story, “Death Stalks the Skies”, also by O’Neil and Adams?
With that out of the way, let me say that this is a very good collection indeed if you’re a Batman fan. I include myself among that number and have for more than forty years. I had already read some of the stories in this volume, but I enjoyed reading them again. And the ones that were new to me were all very entertaining. I consider the Sixties and Seventies to be the best era of the Batman’s long run, and most of the selections here come from those decades. Thankfully, the Fifties are ignored for the most part. The stories during that period tended to put the Batman in silly, science-fictional situations for which he wasn’t suited at all, and even though they were the first Batman stories I ever read, ’way back when, I don’t care for them now. The O’Neil/Adams team, in my opinion the best to ever produce Batman stories, is represented here by “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge”, an excellent story from an era that returned the Batman to his urban noir roots. There are several stories written by Bill Finger, who was underrated and almost unknown for a long time because the Batman’s appearances were always by-lined Bob Kane, who co-created the character with Finger and did the art in the early years before a long series of ghosts took over that chore. The always dependable and entertaining Mike W. Barr contributes a fine story from the Eighties, and the most recent story, by Devin Grayson, is also good and shows a nice appreciation for the character’s history.
So while these aren’t necessarily “the greatest stories ever told” when it comes to the Batman, they’re very good and make up a very entertaining and highly recommended collection.
The book signing in Granbury yesterday afternoon went very well. Eight of the NOAH'S RIDE authors were there. We did a short talk about the process of writing a collaborative novel, then signed copies of NOAH and other books. They had the Point Blank Press reprint of TEXAS WIND, and I think I signed eight or ten copies of it, which isn't bad for me. The best part of the day was getting to visit with old friends like Jim Lee, Carlton Stowers, and Danny Odell. Danny and I had a good talk after the signing about Donald Hamilton, Ed McBain, F. Paul Wilson, and John D. MacDonald. All in all, an enjoyable afternoon, and thanks to the Friends of the Granbury Public Library for including me.
Here's Gary Gianni's cover for the World Fantasy Convention anthology, which will be out in a couple of weeks.
For any of you in the North Texas area who feel like taking a scenic drive down to Granbury, I'll be doing a book signing at the city hall there on Saturday afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 along with several of the other authors who contributed to NOAH'S RIDE, a collaborative Western novel just published by TCU Press. That's an old scan of the preliminary cover, but it's the only one I have handy. In addition to the authors listed there, Carole Nelson Douglas also wrote a chapter for the book. The Granbury signing is part of the city's annual harvest festival and also part of the launch for NOAH'S RIDE. The proceeds from the book all go to charity. Copies of other books by the authors will also be for sale at the signing.By the way, I wrote Chapter Five, just in case anybody's keeping score at home.
