My Blog

Return to the Past

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I just got back from our whirlwind road trip through central, northern, and coastal California. Along the way, we stopped in Capitola, where I spent most of my weekends as a child. The cabin we used to stay in (the yellow one), and the beach haven’t changed much. The village is much more "upscale" compared to the shabby, hippie-dippy feel it had in the late 1960s and early 1970s when I was there but I was relieved to see that it hadn’t lost any of its charm. It’s basically the same as it always was. 

I sat on the beach and watched the kids playing. They were about eight or nine years old. I could have been looking forty-some years back in time at myself and my friends. I know it’s a cliche to say this, but it seems like it was a much more innocent time when I was growing up…or maybe we were more naive. I’d have breakfast with my parents and then they wouldn’t see me again until dinner, unless I was playing on the beach or in the river. Otherwise, I’d roam freely all over town, visiting the used bookstore, shopping at Disco (a Wal-MartP3270483 type store in its day), playing with my friends, having an ice cream at the Dairy Queen, walking to the  Crockers in Soquel for a cheeseburger, or looking at the magazines at Nussbaum’s grocery store. Some times I’d run into my Mom,  who would be shopping for antiques, chatting with the artists at the galleries, or browsing the clothes at the Plum Tree. My Dad always stayed outside the cabin, reading books or chatting with the neighbors. Even at night, we were allow to go off on our own to  play Skeeball until 9 pm.

If I had a cabin there today, I would never let my daughter roam around town unsupervised…and she’s twelve. When I was a kid, I knew all the shopkeepers and they all knew me. So, in a sense, the town was watching out for me. Maybe that would also be true today
for my daughter…but I doubt it.

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When I think of the freedom I had when I was my daughter’s age and younger…and, by contrast, how much we supervise her….I wonder if times have changed or if I am being over-protective.

(You can click on the photos for larger images)

I Should Go Out of Town More Often…

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I’ve been on a Spring Break road trip with my family through California, and wireless access hasn’t always been available or reasonably priced…so it has taken me a few days to discover all the nice things that Bill Crider had to say about MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE. He said, in part:

I’ve never seen so much as a single scene from the television
series. So why do I enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books about the character so
much? Well, let’s see. They’re funny, they’re well-written, they’re
carefully plotted, and they’re poignant. They probably have other good qualities, too, but those should do for starters.

Thanks so much, Bill!

Absent

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Sorry I haven’t been posting — I’ve taken my family on a road trip for Spring Break. So far we’ve been through the California Gold country (which is like taking a time machine to the 1800s), Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. Tonight we are in Sacramento…and tomorrow we head out to Napa. It’s great to be rediscovering my home state…and for my wife and daughter to discover it anew.

Old is New Again

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I am a bit bewildered by the surge in remakes and spin-offs of old TV shows in development. First, there was NBC’s KNIGHT RIDER pilot/Ford commercial last month. Now comes news that the CW is developing a BEVERLY HILLS 90210 remake, ABC is reviving the short-lived series CUPID from a decade ago,  SciFi is crafting a BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel series called CAPRICA, and producer Bill MacDonald, actor Roger Moore (as a producer) and director Barry Levinson are independently financing a pilot based on THE SAINT and shopping it around themselves. Meanwhile, movie versions of GET SMART , SPEED RACER, and SEX AND THE CITY are on tap for this summer and director John Singleton’s A-TEAM is coming in June 2009. What is spurring this renewed interest in old TV? It’s not like the last wave of TV remakes did so hot (MIAMI VICE, BIONIC WOMAN, I SPY, etc.).

(In a related note, based on the success of THE OFFICE and UGLY BETTY, the networks are also on an over-seas shopping spree, developing U.S. versions of the UK series SPACED, LIFE ON MARS, and THE ELEVENTH HOUR, as well as formats from Australia).

Mr. Monk and the Out-of-This-World Review

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Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but James Reasoner gave MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE a very kind review on his blog today. He said, in part:

[…] his Monk novels
are some of the most consistently entertaining mysteries to be found these days.
They’re tightly plotted, laugh-out-loud funny, and the voices of the various
characters are as pitch perfect as they can be.

[…]Regular readers of Lee’s blog will recognize where some of
this material comes from, but he’s not content just to poke affectionate fun at
the worlds of fandom and cult TV series. The plot turns out to be considerably
more intricate than that, and Monk has to have the help of his brother Ambrose
to sort it all out.

Thanks, James. Speaking of Mr. Reasoner, you may remember that he recently lost his home — and his everything he owned — in a wildfire. In addition to reconstructing his library, he’s trying to recover copies of the books that he’s written. Here’s a list of what he’s looking for.  You can also find it on Amazon. If you can help him, I know he’d appreciate it.

Vote for Russell Davis for SFWA President

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I have only been a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America for a short time, but it’s clear to me that only one of the two candidates for President is actually qualified for the post — and that’s Russell Davis. So I won’t even bother talking about the other guy.

Russell isn’t only an experienced writer, he is also an experienced editor. He knows the business from both sides of the table. He’s also been an active member of the SFWA, and knows how the organization works…and doesn’t work. On top of that, he’s smart, affable, and enthusiastic — he can make the kind of changes that are necessary to stream-line the SFWA  and make it a more professional, and respected, organization. As he says:

SFWA is an organization at a crossroads and the path we choose now will have significant consequences in the future. Continuing on our present course may lead to the fracturing of our organization, while using the past as our only guide may lead us into permanent irrelevance in the much-changed world of publishing.

I know Russell and I’ve talked with him about his vision for the SFWA. He also knows how important it is to network with the other major writing organizations on issues of common interest to ALL writers, regardless of whatever genre they toil in.

The other guy running for President is a step backwards and a vote for mediocrity and irrelevance. You’d  be putting someone in charge who has no significant writing or publishing experience on either side of the table. It would be like hiring your gardener to remove your brain tumor.

Vote for Russell Davis. He’s the right guy at the right time.

Mr. Monk and the Two Nice Reviews

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There are two more nice reviews for MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS out this week in the blogosphere. Barry Ergang of Futures Magazine said, in part:

This is the fourth of Lee Goldberg’s Monk novels that I’ve read. I’ve
enjoyed all of them, but this one is the best to date, in no small
measure because of its fairly-clued solution. The clue, I might point
out, is kept in front of the reader throughout the book, but is
nevertheless elusive—a sign of excellent authorial misdirection. Recommended without reservations.

Debra Hamel at SpikeBooks and at BookBlog says, in part:

I love this series. Sure, Monk is an unrealistic character, and some of
his feats prove a little harder to swallow than others. But they’re
good light mysteries, and more intricate than you’d expect. (This one,
in fact, was so intricate that it became a little confusing at the
end.) What makes the books shine, however, is Monk’s dialogue, which is
spot on and often hilarious.

Thanks Barry and Debra!