Bob Greenberger

Star Trek: Vulcan's Soul - Exodus Book 1
Josepha Sherman &
Susan Shwartz

Two in the Field
Darryl Brock

Star Trek: New Frontier-After the Fall
Peter David

Murder by Magic
Rosemary Edghill, editor

Guilty Pleasures
Laurell K. Hamilton

Dragon Moon
Chris Claremont & Beth Fleisher

Star Trek: Genesis Force
John Vornholt

Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time
Michael Eury

Almost Like Being in Love
Steve Kluger

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December 29, 2004

2004 in Review

The year is coming to a close and like many others, I’m taking a moment, taking stock of what got accomplished these last twelve months and what didn’t. While I don’t normally do New Year’s resolutions (although I did finally kick biting my nails), it’s nice to set out goals.

Did I accomplish everything I set out to do in 2004? Nope. Could I have been more efficient? Probably.

Starting in the spring, my freelance work slowed down. Deb asked me not to beat the bushes too hard for a bit. She and Robbie were complaining I was “hiding away” in the basement working for too long. And they were right. We had other things to deal with such as Kate’s high school graduation and prep to leave home.

By late summer, it was time to start putting things back into gear. The freelance landscape had shifted a bit, slowed down in many of my regular spots. Pocket was pretty full up on Star Trek ideas and I still had a few on editors’ desk and Rosen’s new season of books was still being developed.

I tinkered a bit on the original fantasy that I still want to work on, totally ignored the mainstream novel that’s been dormant for too long. What I discovered is that when left to my own devices, I putter too long and don’t maximize my working time. I need deadlines and targets. If anything improves in 2005, it’ll be that.

In the fall I found a lead on a new non-fiction project and finally have an outline in shape so need to do the sample chapter. So that’ll be my first target followed by finishing the fershlugginer novel outline, especially since two different editors have expressed interest in the project.

I’ve already started looking after myself with the gym and three months in, I don’t rival Jack LaLanne but I feel better as I add more weight to the equipment. So far so good.

There remain books to read, movies to watch and the like, but that’ll never change. Social engagements with friends need to be scheduled, got one for early February already so I’m making the effort.

Various storage places around the house need attention so we need to schedule some weekends to tackle that. Winter is good for that since it means Deb is free from tinkering in her garden. I’d like things to be a little less cluttered, a little more organized.

As for DC, it’s been a pretty good year. Many of my accepted ideas saw print, several of which have already gone back to press for additional printings. I tried some new projects, which felt good. Probably could have been busier but that’s just the ebb and flow of these collections.

In looking back, it’s been full and busy, mainly satisfying, marginally frustrating in spots. Nothing disastrous happened and nothing life-changing (for me anyway) occurred. We survived Kate moving out to college and Robbie getting his license.

In all, a solid year. With luck, 2005 will be a little bit better in all ways.

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December 26, 2004

And on the Day After...

Christmas Eve proved peaceful. Spanglish was very entertaining, well acted and an original story. The pacing drags a bit in the middle but I recommend it.

We got home to find Robbie having surprised us. He returned home from work and made our dinner. We had the traditional pasta, shrimp and salad. Then there were the gifts. We were most pleased. By 9:30 they were dressed and off to prep for singing in the choir while I puttered around the house, getting things ready.

They sang nicely, the mass was fine and I only started to nod off during the homily. We got home around 12:40 and the kids slunk off to bed. Deb and I played Santa including wrapping one final gift I totally forgot about.

Robbie got us up by 7 a.m. and we were staggering downstairs and opening what Santa delivered within minutes. We allowed the process to drag out, barely keeping an eye on the clock given their obligation for more singing at 10 a.m. mass. They managed to be ready right on time so this worked.

Between Santa Deb and the family, I was given some lovely things. I now own all 11 Marx Brothers movies thanks to the two recently released box sets. I also received a Merino wool sweater, black belt, socks, a GWU travel mug, The Very Best of Robert Palmer, The Clash’s London Calling 25th anniversary edition (from Kate) and the Crimson Tide soundtrack. Robbie proudly provided me with the first wave of Corgi’s new line of die cast metal Bat-vehicles. Not a lot of books, the latest Steve Kloves novel and Men of Tomorrow, the book about the founders of the comic book industry. Very satisfying.

We had a leisurely afternoon as Robbie beat me at Lord of the Rings Stratego and we played the LOTR Trivial Pursuit until the turkey was done. We swung into action and by 4:30 were sitting down to our feast (not quite of roast beast). It was all wonderful with plenty of leftovers for the next few days plus a carcass that will soon become soup broth. Afterwards, we cleaned up and then Deb’s brother Jim arrived with his boys for dessert. We hung out as the boys played until they got hungry. And again, as the adults chatted, the three boys went off and Robbie introduced his cousins to the wonders of Groucho, Chico, and Harpo via Horesfeathers. The transfer quality looks pretty good so I’m pleased.

Everyone was pretty much in bed and dead to the world by 10. Today, we took care of business in and out of the house with the goal of being done early enough to chill. Once Robbie gets back from work at 6, we’ll settle down to our final Christmas treat: a hopefully uninterrupted viewing of the extended edition of Return of the King. There will be turkey sandwiches and assorted finger foods to keep us going for the nearly 5 hours required to absorb this new version of the story. We can’t wait.

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December 24, 2004

Twas the Day Before Christmas

It's been busy around the house. This morning was non-stop as Deb and I chopped, sauteed, browned, stirred, baked, and washed. We're in terrific shape for Christmas Day which feels good. Robbie's final gifts from his Aunt and Uncles finally arrived so they have to wrapped while he's at work.

Deb, Kate and I will spend the afternoon seeing Spanglish right after I return some e-mail to people, thanks to this blog, I have heard from once again.

As expected, yesterday I did complete the first daft on the Anicent Chinese technology book. Also baked, shopped, wrapped and did other holiday stuff. Treated myself to a bizarre double feature thanks to cable and video: Y Tu Mama Tambien and Terminator 3. The former is an interesting character study -- just wish I liked the characters more. The latter is an exercise in excess, a movie that did not need to be made. And a total waste of Claire Danes' talents.

If Santa's coming, may he bring you your heart's desire. To everyone, a happy, quiet, and peaceful holiday weekend.

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December 22, 2004

Book Bits

We shipped Batman: Cover to Cover to the printer yesterday. Months of intense work and constant revision are now over. Our designer, Robbin Brosterman, is exhausted from the concentrated effort but she created a beautiful book. It’s going to be exciting in a few weeks to see the first press proofs from Hong Kong. Then there’s going to be that long wait until May when the book hits the shelves and I hear what people not connected to the project think.

At least I have a few other big projects in the offing to fuss with.

Meantime, I hear from my colleagues that the DC Comics Encyclopedia is DK’s best selling title of the season. Great news to hear. I’m still awaiting word on the second printing (as opposed to a revised, second edition) and continue to collect errata.

And as for current writing, tomorrow I should complete the first draft of the book on Ancient Chinese Technology so I’m comfortably ahead of schedule. Just need one more idea to complete the three I intend to submit for a media tie-in project that is accepting pitches for another week or so.

With luck 2005 will slowly and calmly fill with interesting writing projects.

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December 20, 2004

Having a Holly Jolly Christmas

For whatever reason, the entire family got into the mood to sit and watch numerous Christmas specials this weekend. In years past, we would make this a ritual, working our way through a tape I compiled of what we consider classics: The Grinch who Stole Christmas, Muppet Family Christmas, Charlie Brown, Rudolph, etc. Over time, we stopped doing this en masse so Rob would watch what he liked and I drifted to watching Miracle on 34th Street and the Alistair Sim A Christmas Carol.

The one thing we all watched, though, was A Muppet Family Christmas. This turns out to be Deb’s favorite. The version we have on tape was a repeat during The Wonderful World of Disney which edited out some scenes and had an intro between Michael Eisner and Kermit. Last year, I decided to just splurge and get the show in DVD, figuring it would be better with the deleted scenes restored and a crisp clean picture. So, I found one on eBay and it arrived too late for the season.

With Kate home, we settled in last night to watch some of the specials. We already had indulged Robbie a night or two earlier by watching his favorite, A Muppet Christmas Carol. We pop in the DVD and the kids are fascinated to see sequences they had never seen before but we were all horrified to discover two songs missing, with ham-fisted editing.

This morning I checked with Henson.com and in their FAQ section they state, “It is true that the recorded release of A Muppet Family Christmas is shorter than was the original broadcast special. The original agreement regarding some of the music for this special was for broadcast television only. Subsequently, when the show was re-released certain selections had to be removed.”

Bah humbug!

I do have to say, after years of not seeing Grinch it was warm and comforting. I was reminding all over again the genius of Chuck Jones and the inspired use of Boris Karloff as the narrator.

Rudolph is really a period piece, isn’t it? The issue of conformity was a hotly debated topic when this was made forty years ago. To me, Rudolph was a mutant, shunned and disliked by reindeer that feared his differences. Then when Professor S needs his power, people come to understand he’s not really a threat.

And this debuted on Sunday, December 6, 1964, just a year after Stan and Jack were developing their own mutant themes? Coincidence?

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December 17, 2004

Another Week Ends

I’m tired.

A sure sign of age is being worn out after being out two consecutive weeknights. But, tis the season and all that.

On Wednesday I was attending a party thrown by a literary agency. No, they don’t represent me, but one of the partners is a pal and she took pity on me, I guess. It was a terrific gathering, just small and intimate enough that I knew most everyone there. The offices aren’t terribly large and I got a chance to play catch up with people while hanging around the main area.

I actually got to swap stories with the Pocket contingent of Marco Palmieri, Jen Heddle and Elisa Kassin (whom I have seen out of the offices only once before). Also got to trade jibes with Keith DeCandido, Terri Osborne and David and Kara Mack. I was also pleasantly surprised to run into Jackie Ching, the former Milestone editor now at Watson-Guptill. We had traded calls for a while about a project that never happened. Off in a corner, we actually came up with something that may be worth pursing in January. And, I was thrilled to run into Anne Sowards, the always-upbeat Berkley editor who I only usually see at the SFWA receptions. Seeing her twice within a month is virtually unprecedented.

The following night was Deb’s office party. Very different starting with the fact that I knew no one before I got there. It was also at a club, with blaring music and too many people for the space. As a result, I was more than a little hoarse this morning. Anyway, it was nice finally putting faces and voices to the names I have heard these last 20 months or so. A few highlights:

One co-worker is the nephew of Howard Zimmerman, now an editor at Byron Preiss Visual Publications, but who was my first boss when I worked at Starlog. And he toiled alongside Keith when they were twenty-somethings at BPVP.

The other was meeting Larry Kramer, the guy who founded one company that grew and merged with other small companies until it finally became Marketwatch, which just got bought by Dow Jones. He’s a down-to-earth guy, fun to chat with. We swapped some stories, mostly about his days working at the Syracuse University school paper while delivering pizzas. We also talked about his many plans for the future since he doesn’t need to work anymore but, like me, can’t imagine not having something to do.