Look what I stumbled on…some band in England has recorded a spoofy song about DIAGNOSIS MURDER and posted a video on You Tube. I have no idea what the lyrics are, which makes it hard for me to sing-along. Can you make them out?
Diagnosis Murder Song
A Clear Head
On Christmas Day, I emailed my pilot script to the studio… even though I knew nobody was there to read it. The script is due at the network next week, so I wanted to make sure it was delivered in time for me to get notes on Monday, do a quick revision, and still make our deadline.
Over the last three days, I did something I haven’t done in months: I didn’t write a thing. I didn’t even think about writing (ie plotting the next book or script). I didn’t even write anything for this blog. I couldn’t even summon the interest to read a book or watch a movie or catch up on all the TV shows cluttering my Tivo.
I wanted nothing to do with story.
It felt good. I think I could probably use two more weeks like that, but it’s not going to happen. I have a very busy couple of months ahead of me of writing and business-related travel (to New York, Germany, Seattle and Sweden).
And yet, I also felt strangely guilty… as if I was playing hooky or being irresponsible. Afterall, it’s not like I don’t have more work to do and looming deadlines to meet. But there was nothing pressing on me, not like the deadline for my last MONK novel or for this pilot script. I had the wiggle-room to give myself a couple of free days.
So I cleaned my office, did some errands, and took my family on a spur-of-the-moment trip up the coast to Morro Bay and a first-time visit to the Hearst Castle. I didn’t bring my laptop. I didn’t even bring a paperback book (then again, it was only a day or so, hardly a big sacrifice).
And now I’m back, procrastinating here on my blog, before starting to write again tonight. It’s only been three days and yet, I’m feeling rusty, as if I’ve lost my momentum.
Silly, isn’t it? I have got to learn how to relax a little bit.
Double Takes
DIAGNOSIS MURDER: THE DOUBLE LIFE has been getting some very nice reviews from some very kind bloggers. Bill Peschel notes:
Fans of the “DM” series will know exactly what to expect: fast-paced
storytelling, some humor, and a nicely observed interaction between
Mark and his son, a homicide detective struggling to establish himself
away from his father’s accomplishments. It’s to Lee’s credit that, in a
genre that demands neat and tidy solutions, the personal conflicts
never get truly resolved, just as in real life.
While the ScifiChick observes:
Goldberg weaves a complex mystery full of murders and puzzles. As
always, he gives Dr. Sloan so much depth, emotion, and humor that you
can imagine Dick Van Dyke playing the part on TV. Goldberg has proved
once again that he is a master of writing whodunits.
Chris Well says you don’t have to be a DIAGNOSIS MURDER fan to enjoy the book:
Goldberg does an excellent job of building on the
characters we know and love. He also displays a knack of creating
mysteries within mysteries, much like a puzzle box: no sooner do you
have one thing figured out than you discover it’s actually hiding
something even more sinister. As such, The Double Life is not just an excellent continuation of the series — but an excellent mystery novel.
And apparently Chadwick Saxelid didn’t take it personally that I killed him off in this book:
Lee Goldberg has concocted a mystery concept so unnerving, it would even give veteran medical thriller writer Robin Cook the willies.
I want to thank all four bloggers for saying such nice things about the THE DOUBLE LIFE, which leads directly in to THE LAST WORD, the final book in the series, which comes out in May. The cover for the book just showed up on Amazon (Click on the picture for a larger image).
Googled
Things are always a little slow here over the holidays, so this post is for all those accidental visitors who come here searching for a peek at Lindsay Lohan’s nipples or nude pictures of Angelina Jolie, Brittany Spears, Rush Limbaugh, Jennifer Aniston, George Bush, Scarlett Johanssen or Paris Hilton… or for fanfic sex between Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Brad Pitt and George Clooney, Justin Timberlake and Orlando Bloom, Monk and Sharona, James Spader and William Shatner, or Spongebob Squarepants and Jimmy Neutron… or in a desperate longing for information about Tarzan+Gay Slash+Fanfic, Teens with big breasts, Dykes, bootleg videos, TV Main Titles, TV Theme Music, Diagnosis Murder+Fanfic+Jesse+Steve, uncontrollably+horny, sexy+porn, Travis McGee+wisdom, Cindy Garvey, Blog Suicide, Danny Estrada, Caroline Laurence+Nude, What Makes a Good Novelist?,L Word slashfic,Pernell Roberts+unprofessional, infomercial scams, horny+13-year-olds,make my man a mommy,grandfather eulogy,dicks and dykes,surgeons with god-like complex,angry self-published authors,sexy porn, methods of jerking off,women who watch Queer as Folk, Tom Selleck, Nippledrop Pearls,mpreg+Star Wars, and my personal favorite search-of-the-day: Lee Goldberg Nipples.
They’re Watching
You never know who is reading your blog. I was stunned when my post about Dean Koontz’s racist rant at Men of Mystery showed up as a story in the Los Angeles Times. And I’m sure my friend Ken Levine felt the same way when the Los Angeles Times yesterday used some of his blog posts as the basis for a story on comedy writers who hate STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP.
Take Ken Levine, a seasoned writer who has worked on "Frasier,"
"Cheers" and "The Simpsons." His blog, By Ken Levine, has become the
hub of an online community of viewers who loathe "Studio 60," thanks to
his running commentary on the first several episodes."After watching Episode 2 of ‘Studio 60’ I must let you in on a little
secret. People in television, trust me, are not that smart," he wrote.
"And they keep talking about how unbelievably talented that Harriet
[Sarah Paulson] is. Have you seen evidence of it yet? I haven’t. But
then again, I’m not that smart."One week later he was less forgiving, writing, " ‘Studio 60’ is like
the Rand Corporation Think Tank doing a late night sketch show."
It’s easy to forget that blogging is publishing, and that what you post can have a life beyond the blog. It’s made me slightly more cautious about what I say here…but not much.
Night in the Museum aka Boredom in the Movie Theatre
Because I have an 11-year-old in the house, and I’m a big fan of Dick Van Dyke, I went to see NIGHT IN THE MUSEUM…which proves the point that even the best special effects wizardry is no substitute for compelling stories and interesting characters. This is a tedious mess that apparently bored Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais as much while they were making as it did all of us who had to watch it (The only actor who has the slightest bit of energy is Dick Van Dyke). Not even a fast-forward button could make this movie pass by quickly enough.
The Spot for Crime
Crime novel bloggers across the net are joining together today to give a big thank you to Graham Powell for creating the Crimespot blogreader…which collects the latest postings from a wide assortment of mystery blogs. It’s my first blog stop of the day…and it should be yours, too.
