Journal
2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000
December 9, 2009
Upcoming readings for the Ink-filled Page anthology will be held around Portland in early 2010. A few contributors will be featured at each reading, each of us reading our story from the collection, sometimes with time for an additional tale or two… maybe something new. I'm adding these dates to my events list as they are confirmed.
reading: There Was a Crooked Man (Edward Morris)
November 27, 2009
Only Hades knows why OryCon 31 occurred over the holiday break this year. I was looking forward to my first visit to this conference, especially after the lack of speculative fiction writers at Wordstock. With vacation at Seaside, OR planned for Sat & Sun, I snuck a few hours of the Con in on Friday. Heard a good panel discussion about anthology submissions — good for me as a writer and as an editor. Another one about the end of civilization. Didn't hear any readings, nor network hardly at all. There's always next year.
going: to the coast
November 20, 2009
Dreams of my house burning: okay, maybe. Dreams of my dog dying: not acceptable.
gritting: my teeth
November 14, 2009
I've been invited to read for Ink-filled Page anthology in January at St. Johns Books in N. Portland. More details when I know them. Also, there there should be a publication announcement at the end of the month.
Moving files and sites today.
coding: websites
November 12, 2009
I launched owlsoup.com nearly ten years ago, and built various projects as subfolders. Simply to save money on web hosting, I resisted buying domain names for my primary passions: my writing and my editorship of 3LBE magazine. Now it's well-past time for these entities to have their own identities. If for no more reason than it makes them easier to talk about. I may move my other occasional side projects of art, font-making and publishing as well.
coding: websites
November 7, 2009
Attended an excellent reading last night of Jeff Vandermeer, Jay Lake, Cat Rambo and Jeff Johnson, assembled by Underland Press.
Glue and book press and tools a'ready, I'm binding 3LBE anthologies while watching Millennium. How I missed you, Frank Black.
binding: 3LBE vol. IV
October 31, 2009
The Effulgence premiere was a success. Attendees arrived in spooky and fancy garb. The new cut of the movie is excellent. Very faithful to the script, with some great editing and special effects by the director, Jeremy Peterson of a3o Studios.
watching: a movie that I wrote
October 28, 2009
Three-lobed Burning Eye Annual vol. IV is at press. I'll be doing the binding myself next week. Even though we only make one print run, we'll take a few more orders.
Friday night is the movie premiere. I'll likely see the new cut of the film when everyone else does so.
designing: Effulgence packaging
October 20, 2009
We've secured the event space, and so Effulgence will premiere on All Hallow's Eve's Eve.
editing: 3LBE vol IV, watching: Millennium
October 15, 2009
This Saturday I'll be reading at the Ink-filled Page Launch Party. My story "Among the Stacks" is published in their new Red Anthology. I'll be reading that piece, plus something else. I just realized that this is my first reading in Portland. Before I moved here eight years ago, I read at open mic almost every week, which was mostly poety, mostly.
Also this weekend, the director and I are finalizing details for the world premiere of the short horror film Effulgence, for which I wrote the screenplay. It will appropriately occur in the Halloween season, October 30th. More info and web site coming very soon.
I've added an events section to the website.
doing: editing, planning, not sleeping much
October 14, 2009
Am currently editing a story that will be published as a chapbook and e-book in 2010 by Damnation Book. This one has taken me years to write, somewhat because it's taken that long to distance myself from the scenes that remind me of real life experiences, and get them right.
writing: editing
October 12, 2009
Enjoyed Wordstock this weekend, hearing Scott Westerfeld, an interesting panel on truth and fiction, and passionate reading by James Ellroy. Then Live Wire! radio at the Aladdin Theater on Saturday night, where Sherman Alexie was as funny as they get, and poet Derrick Brown was entertaining and inspiring. G. Xavier Robillard competed in the ultimate nerd-off with Michael Rubens. On Sunday, GXR asked me to interview him in a series by Writers Dojo, so now they have me on camera.
reading: The Glass Key (Dashiell Hammett)
October 7, 2009
My favorite trivia question this week: Name up to five 20th-century works that make use of the phrase, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
reading: The Imago Sequence and Other Stories (Laird Barron)
October 5, 2009
I stayed until the end of the film festival, and — good thing I did so — because they called my name, and it didn't immediately process. Then I was invited on stage with festival director Andrew Migliore, his wife, and velvet green-clad Cthulhu Girl, where they handed me the Deep One Screenwriter Award. What an excellent surprise. I promised the audience that they would see the movie, to expect an announcement soon. So now we just have to finish the final edit. Then I grabbed a bunnahabhain single malt with the dame, and the director met us to celebrate. A good way to start off the week.
watching: Dollhouse (season 2)
October 3, 2009
The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival is in full swing this weekend. During day two I realized that besides Laird Barron, there are two more 3LBE writers in attendance: Cody Goodfellow and Edward Morris. I applaud the festival director for bringing more writers in recent years, and making readings a significant part of the event.
watching: lots of horror flicks (dir. various)
September 27, 2009
Good news comes in the form of a story acceptance. More details when I finalized the contract.
watching: Mad Men (season 3)
September 23, 2009
Since I published Laird Barron's "Hour of the Cyclops" in 3LBE #6, he has written some amazing (and award-winning) short stories. I just learned he'll be attending (and hopefully reading his fiction) at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, so I can meet the man behind the twisted tales. I finally grabbed a copy of his collection The Imago Sequence and Other Stories and was elated to see that he thanked me and other editors for getting him started.
reading: Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan)
September 20, 2009
It seems that our short movie "Effulgence" was not selected as part of the shorts at the HPL Film Fest, but that my screenplay on which it was based is still in the running for a separate award. I don't think the director or I is entirely surprised. The rough cut of the movie that we rushed for the deadline wasn't what we wanted. We have time know for a better edit, and will have our own premiere — maybe around Halloween?
watching: Glee (season 1)
September 5, 2009
Waiting to hear back from the artists and a few of the authors to finalize 3LBE Annual vol IV. Hoping to get this to press within the next few weeks. In the meantime, submissions for the next few issues are coming in every day.
watching: True Blood (season 1)
August 27, 2009
After much internal conflict, I'm adding my Twitter feed to the sidebar. For those tiny thoughts, both concise and fragmented.
watching: Burn Notice (season 1)
August 23, 2009
A weekend of PDX Adult Soap Box Derby, a few movies, beer, disc golf, and project catch up. Finished the front stairs with three coats of stain, after hours of what I thought would be quick touchup sanding. It wasn't ideal to finish after dark, but this project has gone on long enough. Then responded to 45 3LBE submissions. The next issue won't happen by next month, not because of work on the print anthogy, but because I don't have six good stories yet. Editing antho and more reading before bed.
watching: District 9 (dir. Neil Blomkamp)
August 17, 2009
Day of story submission drama. Imagine my excitement when a magazine wins an award while one of my stories is in their reading pile. So the sting is a bit stronger when that story comes back. I've got better in me, I'm sure, and I'll send that to them next. There should be a new piece published any day now.
reading: The Hunter (Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake))
August 16, 2009
I saw a semi-final cut of our short film "Effulgence" today. I'm still in slight shock of seeing scenes I wrote played out, but all I can say is that it looks good. The director edited for 30 hours — with an I.V. of coffee and Brawndo, no doubt — before submitting the film. More details about a local premiere and plans for this movie when I know them.
watching: Mad Men (season 2)
August 15, 2009
After filming additional insert shots on Friday night, I left the director to his editing marathon. Just before midnight, I submitted the screenplay separately. No updates to the film festival's web site yet.
enjoying: weekend
August 13, 2009
I filmed some exterior shots last night while director and actor/makeup/writer/producer/werewolf assistant helped him edit. Lighting is difficult outside, so I hope some of my footage is usable. In other news… good night, Les Paul.
filming: more
August 11, 2009
The director showed me a rough cut of about one-quarter of the film. I do like the character performances, and his edits. He'll be editing late nights all week. We discussed the important third character sound. It seems now like a huge crunch to finish by Saturday, at least to the quality of our vision. Plus more exterior shots still need to be filmed.
hosting: trivia night (topics: brownies & scouts, Broadway musicals, metal)
August 10, 2009
It's almost a real weekend again. We didn't have to film on Saturday. Today I went with the lady to Sauvie Island to pick some late season berries, which she made into a delicious cobbler. The director and I went out after dark and filmed some essential exterior shots.
picking: berries (black, blue, rasp)
August 8, 2009
Re-filmed technical scenes on Thursday night, and then finished late late late into Friday night. That should complete filming for scenes with actors and dialogue, for a total 106 scenes (with 57–79 re-filmed). I'm glad that these guys have some experience. It would have taken me a week to think of cutting up a plastic milk carton for use as glass shards. And months to learn makeup. And use a camera. And direct people. If ever. Favorite quote from director, "Okay, that was good. But this time: less creepy."
filming: again
August 7, 2009
We're back on set. Occasionally Tweeting (@andrewsfuller) between filming. I quite enjoyed writing "scene 66, take 6" on the clapboard.
filming: again
August 5, 2009
Received mournful news of an old friend who passed away very suddenly. In my childhood years, he was a close companion whom I only saw once per year, and I always wished we lived nearer. Our times together were formative for my imagination, friendships and growth. I cannot help but think of him when I smell chlorine, climb a tree, see a lake, or think of Star Wars. You will be missed, MC.
Data recovery software salvaged only brief fragments at the beginnings of footage — mostly my hands holding clapboard, and the actors waiting or making faces at the camera and crew. Noting usable. We'll re-film this weekend. This gives us less time for editing, since we wanted to submit to the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, whose deadline is next Saturday the 15th. But there's always next year. And wanting to get it right.
sighing: heavily
August 4, 2009
My house waits in limbo, with furniture in disarray. But my office — as a set — looks like a more serious writer than I works there. At least as a writer in a movie might inhabit.
hosting: trivia night (topic: conspiracy!)
August 2, 2009
Filmed for nine hours today, all final dialogue scenes and some beautiful technical shots. And then lost the footage. The direct-capture files disappeared from the laptop. Everyone was crest-fallen but committed. So we filmed a few more hours with camera B while someone researched and tested data recovery software.
filming: a short movie
August 1, 2009
I'm serving as script supervisor and clapboard person. With two cameras rolling (can digital cameras roll?), plus the actors, lights and sound person, make for crowded quarters in some of these rooms. The weather has come down from 100°+ streak of last week, but the powerful lights make it almost unbearable. The central air and fans have to be shut off to keep hiss out of the sound capture. How unnerving and exciting to watch a scene that I wrote a month ago being played out. And even more eerie to see it saved, played back on a screen. Later we called in many extras and filmed what will be a very pleasing ending.
filming: Effulgence, a short movie
July 30, 2009
Greenlighting the film… it's all happening so fast. Very exciting. We begin filming this weekend. The 16-page screenplay should end up being a 10–15-minute movie. Most interiors shots will be filmed in my house. My study will need to be cleaned up (dream the impossible dream!) and rearranged. I'm designing some props: fictional book covers, an imaginary phone directory yellow page, and something more sinister.
designing: printed matter
July 27, 2009
Two new stories published recently. Stop by Ink-Filled Page (Summer 2009 issue $3 PDF) to read "Among the Stacks" (or wait for the annual anthology). And then visit Every Day Fiction for "Adrift."
writing: a short screenplay
July 25, 2009
Met with director and sound guy today. The director described one particular sound as a "third character" in the film, which is so true. Also bodes well that we'll have some professional mics and sound capture on set. And that we seem to have cast the female lead.
Later, I ate dinner with the lady and visiting parents at the new butcher/restaurant Laurelhurst Market, which provided a perfect barrage of flavors.
watching: Mad Men (season 1)
July 24, 2009
Visted the Oregon Historical Society research library to search for photos of logging and Portland in the early 20th century. Found some amazing stuff that is not digitized, and merely hinted at in online records. Pictures of old growth trees as wide at the base as one dozen horses. I think usage and reproduction rights are not within the film's budget. But I'll be returning there for other projects.
doing: research
July 22, 2009
Good meeting with director and cinematographer. It seems that the plan is to film my story and script, not a "based on an idea by" or "adapted from" situation, which is exciting for me. We nailed down location, props list, and possible shooting dates.
doing: meeting stuff
July 20, 2009
Hoping the film group and I have agreeing visions. Meeting later this week.
And, huzzah! The lady is back. From one month in Greece and Italy. Left me here to toil in cubicle and yard and under a harsh desk lamp, while she swam in blue Mediterranean waters and visited ancient ruins.
And, I finished the finishing of That Damn Porch. No more flaky blue paint. Rich wood grains. Still have stairs to finish. And I want to replace the blocky blue handrails with something wrought iron. If anyone wants to donate some gargoyles, I would not reject such things.
doing: day off
July 18, 2009
Was asked by some friends and acquaintances with a small film production group to submit an idea for a film, for an upcoming film festival. Nothing came to mind, and my schedule seemed overwrought. But one night last week I couldn't sleep. Notes became a story. Over the next few days and nights, story became a screenplay. They like it. I'm excited. Maybe this thing will get made.
writing: a short screenplay
July 12, 2009
Twitter will apparently, occasionally, be my dream journal.
viewing: M.C. Escher (Portland Art Museum)
July 6, 2009
Moving from my old G4 PPC tower Mac, to another used G5 PPC tower Mac. This one is twice as fast, but still about four years old. Faster processors should help the graphics tablet to be more responsive. And maybe MS Word will open faster.
scraping & sanding: that damn porch
July 1, 2009
I should be starting the new novel, but this porch refinishing project is eating all my free time. Good things come to those who wait. Good things, and shrieking beasts from the outer dimensions.
watching: Into the West (exec prod S. Speilberg)
June 29, 2009
Two more of my stories were accepted this week. I'm truly thrilled. Will post update with publication info when I hear it.
designing: Three-lobed Burning Eye - Annual vol IV
June 21, 2009
Surely the final sign of the impending Apocalypse — I've joined the Twitter craze. Follow me at www.twitter.com/andrewsfuller and I promise not to send detailed updates about those private moments in the bathroom stall. At least not too many.
designing: Native place names atlas
June 18, 2009
Just received word that a new story of mine "Among the Stacks" will appear in the next issue of Ink-filled Page literary journal and its later print anthology.
attending: Captain Freedom: The Final Reading (G. Xavier Robillard)
June 7, 2009
Bought a new journal, simple black cover. This one has bonded to me, and will extend protective spines if picked up by anyone else.
designing: a few different web sites
May 30, 2009
I always always always take my backpack in with me when going to trivia. But this week I had the dog and a friend and it was looking like a full table. So I left my bag in plain site. And it was hot outside so I left the window down slightly. And someone jimmied the lock and took my bag. They took CDs from the glove compartment and my new pair of sunglasses. They popped the trunk and weren't interested in my thermarest chair. But they got my perscription glasses, my journal, two books, and the faceplate to my stereo. At least they didn't break a window. There was also a flash drive with backups of all my writing. So if I see any of my stories published under someone else's name, I'm coming after you with that tire iron you so kindly left behind.
reading: Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson)
May 23, 2009
Five lawn bags full of weeds. Plus four more full of tree trimmings. Then, a week later, I bought a 15-foot telescoping pruner with a chainsaw at the end. Now the unruly apple tree in my back yard is looking more tamed. After the larger branches stocked the firewood pile, there was a half-ton truckload for the yard debris dump. Eventually the back yard will be clear enough for a cozy fire pit.
doing: yard work
May 14, 2009
Join a petition and get the word out. Bureau of Customs in the Philippines has begun to tax imported books, in direct violation of the Florence (UN) agreement. Several people including University of Iowa Creative Writing Professor Robin Hemly, Neil Gaiman and Timothy McSweeny are getting the word out via web pages and Twitter.
Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales explained the government's position in a PowerPoint presentation to booksellers.
"For 50 years, everyone has misinterpreted the treaty and now you alone have interpreted it correctly?" she was asked.
"Yes," she told the stunned booksellers.
doing: Friday
May 11, 2009
This weekend I produced seven lawn bags and two debris containers full of weeds and prunings. The weeds with a rhubarb-colored stems so prolific in the backyard seem to thrive in the shade, and reminded me of the red vines brought by the invaders in War of the Worlds. Also I discovered that pruning the rhododendren, fuchsia, lilac, and camellia is more fun with a machete… which led to my cameo in Zander's weekly web comic. Lastly, I unearthed many ferns and borrowed a roto-tiller to prep the strip along the sun-drenched south driveway where annoying rose bushes previously lurked, but will now feature titan heirloom sunflowers, several varieties of corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, and more.
doing: yardwork and submitting stories
May 10, 2009
Upgrading the coding for 3LBE web pages, getting them out of archaic tables and into fancy new divs. Changing the styles to get away from the white-on-black type, with better font-sizing — because magazines are all about the typography. Also adding the long-overdue features of global navigation, and newer stuff like a print.css and sharing links. Wow, the magazine is 10 years old now.
watching: Vanishing Point
April 25, 2009
Cover art for the 3LBE Annual vol IV print anthology is finally done. Order your copy over at Legion Press.
doing: catching up
April 19, 2009
Farewell to J.G. Ballard. Read his lastest (last?) short story.
reading: Mister B. Gone (Clive Barker)
April 6, 2009
Much better news today. One of my flash fiction pieces was accepted, and should appear in the "next" issue of an online speculative fiction magazine. Out of the 16 stories in the wind, this one surprised me by being picked first. So much for my soothsaying powers.
reading: Veronica Mars (season 1)
March 21, 2009
I was saving this imperial stout aged in a former 1970 scotch cask for a special occasion, but... I hadn't exactly envisioned the event to be my record-setting three rejection notices in one day. Guh.
reading: rejection notices (various)
March 14, 2009
Author Joe Hill sees the value in independent bookstores. This month he's promoting them by offering a signed, slipcased edition of his new novel Gunpowder as a contest prize if you send him a receipt from your local bookstore purchase. Subterranean Press liked the idea and has a contest of their own. Find an indie bookstore in your area here.
reading: Captain Freedom (G. Xavier Robillard)
March 10, 2009
sinus congestion, cough, sleep loss, stress, work, ouroboros
doing: annual report (it's that time of year)
January 31, 2009
I gave titles to the stories that I recently composed for the calendar project, and edited them further. As the lastest things, they feel like the best so far, and are currently the most exciting. Last night I sent most of them off to magazines. Two other returned stories went back out. A few of them await submission reading times to open at the chosen markets, but that makes a total of twelve stories out there. Which is exciting.
reading: submission guidelines (many mags)
January 30, 2009
The tavern owner that Zander and I approached about starting up a regular trivia night has suddenly decided he'd like to start the event — next week. And since Zander's out of town, I'll be the first host. So stop by the Morrison Hotel bar at 731 SE Morrison, every Tuesday evening for "Gouge Yer Brain" Trivia (lookie, I made a webpage for it). And they have an excellent import and regional beer selection to lube your synapses. Yet another thing to distract me from writing stories.
drinking: water (perhaps you've heard of it?)
January 29, 2009
I'm refinancing the house again. This will be the third mortgage loan, but more like the interest rate I always dreamed about. A weight feels somewhat lighter, though not entirely lifted.
doing: editing (stories)
January 27, 2009
Some good friends are re-re-locating to Portland. I missed them since their Spring '07 departure, and it's not been the same without them. Oh yes, and check out G. Xavier Robillard's new book Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves. I really like that HarperCollins let's you order from a bookseller of your choice, even local ones, instead of the obligatory Amazon link.
watching: BSG (the last episodes, dun dun dahhhhh!)
January 23, 2009
Glad to share a birthday with Edouard Manet, Django Reinhardt, Rutger "I want more life, fucker" Hauer, Richard Dean "Macgyver" Anderson, and "Weird Al"fred Matthew Yankovic.
watching: Dr. Who Christmas Special (online)
January 21, 2009
Hope abides. We welcome the new guy.
drinking: vodka (habanero-infused)
January 19, 2009
It seems that every time a visitor sees the old paperback copy of 6000 Names for Your Baby in my office, they have to ask what the hell it's for. In the case of my parents seeing the book, they ask "Is there any news we should know?" Silly people, these. They must not ever wonder about names, or the origin of names. Or make up characters and write stories.
doing: skiing (me)
January 14, 2009
Goodbye, Number Six. Be seeing you.
And Kahn, I laugh at your superior intellect.
watching: Sleepy Hollow (dir. Tim Burton)
January 12, 2009
A long long long moment of silence for the discontinuation of Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. An excellent anthology of great stories for the last twenty-one years, it will not see a 2008 edition by St. Martin's Press. 2008 was the first year I saw a story published at pro rates, and the first year I submitted two issues of 3LBE to YBFH. Perhaps these will be considered in editor Ellen Datlow's new deal with Nightshade Books Year's Best Horror: Volume One.
being: shocked (me)
January 10, 2009
Upcoming print anthology of Three-lobed Burning Eye - Annual Vol. IV is on sale over at Legion Press. There will only be one printing based on pre-orders, so get yours now.
watching: Queer as Folk (season 1)
January 5, 2009
Went to see the exhibit "Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge, 1867-1957" at the Portland Art Museum. The most interesting photos to me were those devoid of any dams, railroads, timber barges or white men, showing a glimpse of what the area may have looked like before there photography.
watching: People Under the Stairs (dir. Wes Craven)
January 2, 2009
I finally finished the limited edition gift calendar. It's titled "Splinters and Strays: 2009 Story Calendar — A primitive time tracking device bedizened with no less than twelve original sagas, yarns and taradiddles by Andrew S. Fuller." The stories are all untitled, except maybe they are called "January", "February," and so forth. The design was kep to a minimum. It was fun writing and editing into many late nights, which is bound to happen when aiming for one dozen stories in one month. Only a few people received this collection, but I will be titling and submitting these stories within the next few weeks. So hope with me that some of these see publication. See, there's one about an island, and one about a fob watch, and one about a gargoyle, and one about a super soldier chef…
watching: Dexter (season 1)
Twitter
Facebook