Loren D. Estleman is Writing My Books!

Those who know me a little better know that I wrote a novel about a film archivist working (where else) at the George Eastman House that gets involved in a murder investigation. It has been through a couple of revisions, but few have seen it because I haven't been completely satisfied with it.

Now I find out (from a non-mystery reading colleague, no less) that the legendary Loren D. Estleman has just released a novel called Frames, about a film archivist from UCLA that inadvertently gets involved in a murder investigation. This is the first novel in an anticipated series, but according to the webpage, the character has actually been around for a decade in short story form.

After I lifted my jaw off the floor, I surprised myself. If you had given this situation to me as a hypothetical, I imagine I would have told you that I would be furious, frustrated at having put all this work into something that someone better has put to page. But I wasn't. I was shocked to find that I was actually relieved. And excited.

I felt a pressure rise from my shoulders. I guess I always felt that a film archivist mystery was the book that I needed to write. No one else would write this book that I wanted to read. And I think that by trying to do that within some self-imposed restraints, the project became difficult for me and the quality suffered. Now I feel that if I never get that book published, at least someone else has done it. Estleman has, I hope, created the book that I want to read.

Not that he has created the book I want to write. But I will definitely read it and compare his idea of what a film archivist mystery should be to my own. It's possible that they're completely different. Although I'm sure his writing is much better.

In the meantime, though, I feel freed. I've been working on a secret project for a little while now. It's a big break from what I was writing before, but it's something I've been having fun with. If the other book gets re-examined a little later, that will be fine. But it doesn't have to be my first book anymore. I can do whatever I want.

Star Spotting

Many readers of this blog will know that I work at the George Eastman House as a film archivist. It's a job that I love and a job that I've been working now longer than any I have in the past. And although non-profit institutions don't offer the greatest pay, they do offer unquantifiable benefits every once in a while.

This afternoon, Bill Pullman came by the department. He is in town for the High Falls Film Festival, a celebration of women behind the camera. Pullman is in town to present his new film with Felicity Huffman, PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND.

Turns out he's from Hornell, NY and graduated from SUNY Oneonta. I met him, shook his hand. He's an incredibly gracious guy and seemed to take an interest in what I was doing today. It's gratifying in and of itself to be involved in preserving some of cinema's history, but it's also nice to be able to meet some of the people involved in creating what we preserve. Then to have them be great, down-to-earth people that appreciate what we do as well...

Well, it's one of those things that helps keep you going.

For All Gents My Age...

There is an in-depth podcast interview with Deborah Gibson on the Stuck in the '80s podcast at tampabay.com. The link to the podcast is on the right-hand side of the page. Or access it through your iTunes.

I won't admit to dancing with a vinyl album cover while Debbie sang "In Your Eyes" to me through the speakers, but those high school years were a big time for media-based crushes.

The Lasting Effect of Noir

Following on Rochester's 2007 "The Big Read" project with Dashiell Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCON, Chicago is featuring THE LONG GOODBYE, by self-proclaimed Hammett disciple Raymond Chandler in its year-long "One Book, One Chicago" program. THE OUTFIT, a blog of Chicago crime writers, has had themed posts all month, but the one that pertained to me and my life most came yesterday, written by Jim Doherty, about the legacy of Philip Marlowe, including his appearances in film noir. I encourage you to read it if you're a fan of either crime fiction or film noir.

Bah! I got tagged!

I don't subscribe to chain letters too much (or memes, in the virtual world), but this one seems to be going around mostly to mystery writers, and I've been tagged by a friend, so I'd hate to let him down...

I first saw this at The Rap Sheet, posted by J. Kingston Pierce, who tagged Dan Wagner over at The Hungry Detective, who tagged me. It's a simple little exercise called "Page 123." What you do is this:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Go to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence. (A virtually useless step as the action comes next...)
4. Post the next 3 sentences
5. Tag 5 people and acknowledge who tagged you.

I am currently reading Trunk Music, by Michael Connelly. Page 123 falls in Chapter 2. I haven't actually read that far yet, so this will be as surprising to me as it is to you:

"It was Rhonda."
"Rhonda, whatever, never-the-fuck mind. She said you said he was dead."

Ooh, pretty cool. Three short sentences with conflict, vulgarity and a little staccato dialogue. I'm a late-comer to Connelly, but I'm enjoying him. Reading him chronologically, of course. God, I'm so anal.

I am going to tag local mystery author and recent Book of the Year nominee Charles Benoit at Type M for Murder, local mystery author with upcoming book LL Bartlett at Writers Plot, far-away mystery author (is Indiana far?) Trey Barker, and good friends Beavis and Spanky. (Don't ask. You'll only get answers. And that is something you do not want.)

FYI Baseball Fans

If you're looking for this year's edition of World Series Survivor, it has its own home now, at worldseriessurvivor.blogspot.com. There's also a link over on the right-hand side.

Support Systems

On p. 94 of ON WRITING, Stephen King concludes his CV section with this:

"...put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around."

Ha! is my first reaction. Easy for him to say. He who could wipe his snot in Courier 12-point and make millions.

He's right, though. As much as we authors (especially beginning ones) get wrapped up in living the author's life, whether it be the work itself or learning the ins and outs of the business or learning how to promote, or going to conferences and networking on-line, we all got into this field for one reason. All of our lives have been enriched through reading. And at some point, we all wanted to become a part of that enrichment for other people. Everything else is just details, different paths on the way to the ultimate goal.

The trick, I'm finding, is to not let the one supplant the other. Reading and writing do not exist outside of life, but life does exist outside of reading and writing. And there are people more important to you than the ones that live inside your head. And you are more important to them, as well.