It’s the only time I’ve seen someone drinking a beer before 11 a.m. The only time I’ve witnessed such a deluge of imagination. The only time I’ve met such a friendly, cohesive group of people. BizarroCon is a four-day, alcohol-fueled whirlwind of creativity and bacchanalian insanity. I went for the first time this year. Day … Continue reading BizarroCon 11
Book Review: FORTUNE BOX
Tower Ltd. Surprise Packages is sending out parcels with very peculiar contents. Each story in this collection by British bizarro author Madeleine Swann is the tale of a different package. Despite different protagonists in each, it reads like a novel. Each package contains a lesson for the recipient, parables almost, on many of humankind’s weaknesses. … Continue reading Book Review: FORTUNE BOX
Books As A Drug
Or why I bought 81 Dragonlance novels In his lifetime, Sir Philip Thomas (1792-1872) acquired over 160,000 books and manuscripts, draining his substantial inheritance in the process and reducing his family to poverty. Philip had what is now known as bibliomania (literally “book madness”), the extreme preoccupation with collecting books and a symptom of obsessive-compulsive … Continue reading Books As A Drug
A Snapshot of SNAP
A Look at My Latest Novel My least favorite question in the world: “What is your novel about?” I realize people are being friendly and interested and I should feel flattered, but God does it annoy me. Compacting 70,000 words into a few sentences is helpful when courting a publisher, but my succinct, rehearsed answer … Continue reading A Snapshot of SNAP
My 5 Favorite (Bizarre) Books 2018
I’ve read a lot of good fiction this year. In the process, I set a new record for books finished, at 76 so far (mostly because I read more novellas this year rather than any diligence on my part). The books below were my favorites. They all happen to lie on the spectrum of bizarreness. … Continue reading My 5 Favorite (Bizarre) Books 2018
Book Review: HE DIGS A HOLE
Danger Slater’s He Digs a Hole makes you say: “Wow!” “What?” and “Haha!” all at once, producing a weird “Whawoha?!” noise when reading. This slim volume (only 135 pages) captured my attention on page 1 and held on firmly to the last word, becoming one of my favorite books this year. It is the story … Continue reading Book Review: HE DIGS A HOLE
Living in a Dream
Or, Why I Love the Bizarre "I believe in the future resolution of ... dream and reality, which are seemingly so contradictory, into a kind of absolute reality, a surreality, if one may so speak." -André Breton, Manifestos of Surrealism As I was planning this blog, someone on Twitter asked me why I found bizarre … Continue reading Living in a Dream
